The Untangling Circularity Podcast

On this week's episode, David Culp, COO of Upcycle Fiber joins us to talk about turning discarded textiles into furniture, insulation, and acoustic panels — no frames, no screws, just compressed fiber. We dig into why "pulling" waste into value-added products works better than pushing recycled material uphill, how AI sorting and traceability are shaping the industry's future, and what success looks like when the goal is cleaning up landfills around the world.

On this week's episode, Robin Atkinson, founder of Upkept, joins us to talk about building an apparel repair platform designed to scale — serving everyday customers and brands alike. We dig into why repair is the low-hanging fruit of the circular economy, how new laws are pushing brands to rethink it, and what keeps her motivated in the hard, slow work of building something new.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, please visit: upkept.io

On this week's episode, we embark on new season on practical circularity. In this first episode of the season, Calley Dawson, founder of FXRY and Second Mark joins us to dig into what circular economy really means, who she's building for, and what success looks like for a values-driven small business.

To learn more about the guests featured in this episode, visit:

theFXRY.com

shopsecondmark.com

In this final episode, Vincent Sagisi, host of the Mechanism Podcast, and Andrew Dahlgren of Mechanism, reflect on the biggest themes from their conversations across the textile and soft goods industry this past season.

From lifelong learning and worker voice to degrowth and solidarity, they revisit the ideas that challenged business as usual and pointed toward more human-centered systems. It’s a thoughtful, hopeful wrap-up that reminds us: treating people with respect isn’t radical — it’s foundational.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, visit:

Mechanism (mechanism.community)

The Industrial Commons (www.theindustrialcommons.org)

Custom Collaborative (customcollaborative.org)

Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC) (isaic.org)

Garment Worker Center (garmentworkercenter.org)

In this episode, Vincent Sagisi, host of the Mechanism Podcast, is joined by Nayantara Banerjee, Workforce Development Manager at the Garment Worker Center, to dream big about the future of fashion—and spotlight the real-world models bringing those dreams closer to reality.

From her early work with Indigenous weavers in Peru to launching worker-led sewing programs in Los Angeles, Nayantara reflects on skill-building as a pathway to dignity, ownership, and power. The conversation explores cooperative economics, degrowth, land stewardship, and the launch of LA Fashion Renaissance (Renacimiento LA), a worker-owned staffing co-op designed to connect skilled garment workers with ethical manufacturers. It’s a hopeful, grounded look at what a truly people-centered apparel industry could become—and the collective work required to build it.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, visit:

Mechanism (mechanism.community)

Garment Worker Center (garmentworkercenter.org)

Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) (institute.coop)

Sustainable Economies Law Center (https://www.theselc.org/)

Renacimiento De La Moda LA (https://www.renacimientolacoop.com/)

Everyday Utopia (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyday-Utopia/Kristen-R-Ghodsee/9781982190217)

Prefigurative Politics (https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=prefigurative-politics-building-tomorrow-today--9781509535903)

In this episode, Vincent Sagisi, host of the Mechanism Podcast, is joined by Jen Guarino, president and CEO of Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), to explore ownership, authority, and worker voice in textile manufacturing. From co-ops and ESOPs to ISAIC’s Employee Business Unit (EBU) model, Jen breaks down how factories can share profit, decision-making, and power—without sacrificing performance.

Through real worker stories and examples from groups like the Democracy at Work Institute, the conversation highlights what it takes to build democratic workplaces that are both equitable and economically sustainable. The big takeaway: when workers understand the business, help shape decisions, and share in the upside, factories become stronger, more resilient, and more human.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, visit:

Mechanism (mechanism.community)

Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC) (isaic.org)

Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) (institute.coop)

In this episode, Vincent Sagisi, host of the Mechanism Podcast, is joined by Ngozi Okaro, founder and CEO of Custom Collaborative, to explore the people powering fashion manufacturing. Together, they unpack barriers to entry in the fashion industry, the realities of factory work, and the need for living wages, flexibility, childcare, and true investment in worker potential.

Featuring powerful clips from garment workers and advocates, the conversation highlights both the harms of piece-rate systems and the joy, pride, and entrepreneurship that emerge when workers are supported. From cooperative ownership and micro-enterprise to sustainable design, visible mending, and policy efforts, this episode asks what it would take to raise the floor for everyone in fashion—and build an industry rooted in dignity, equity, and opportunity.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, visit:

Mechanism (mechanism.community)

Custom Collaborative (customcollaborative.org)

In this episode, Vincent Sagisi, host of the Mechanism Podcast, is joined by Molly Hemstreet, co-founder of The Industrial Commons, to explore what factory structures look like today—and what they could become. From worker-owned cut-and-sew facilities to home-based stitchers and small-batch nonprofit production models, the conversation redefines “the factory” as an ecosystem shaped by people, infrastructure, and collaboration.

Together, they examine worker voice, ownership models, automation, space, and the future of textile innovation—from regenerative fibers to circular supply chains. It’s a hopeful, big-picture look at how manufacturing can be rebuilt to prioritize dignity, shared prosperity, and community resilience.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, visit:

Mechanism (mechanism.community)

The Industrial Commons (www.theindustrialcommons.org)

In this season, you'll hear the host of the Mechanism Podcast, Vincent Sagisi, joined by longtime manufacturing leader and educator Deborah Vandermar and Mechanism’s Associate Program Director Andrew Dahlgren to explore a foundational question: What is worker voice—and why does it matter now?

Building on Season one’s exploration of people-centered domestic manufacturing ecosystems, this season takes an in-depth look at power, agency, and dignity inside flexible product fabrication—from apparel and automotive interiors to medical supplies and beyond.

To learn more about the guests featured on this episode, visit:

Mechanism (mechanism.community)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahvandermar

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/beyond-design-9781501366642/

In this special episode of The Untangling Circularity Podcast, we sit down with Carmen Gama and Carolina Bedoya of Make Aneew and Katie Capozzi of Debrand to explore the art and operations of remanufacturing.
Together, they unpack a limited-edition outerwear drop created from excess and returned inventory donated through Debrand's partnership with Everlane. From condition grading and next-life logistics to hands-on draping, deconstruction, and one-shot production, the conversation reveals what it truly takes to transform existing garments into one-of-a-kind redesigned pieces.
Beyond the technical process, the conversation dives into the tension between scale and craft, the business case for circular systems, and the creative joy of making something new from what already exists. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at collaboration, problem-solving, and the power of remanufacturing to reconnect us to the clothes we wear.
Check out Make Aneew (https://www.makeaneew.com/), Debrand (https://debrand.ca/) and shop Make Aneew's newest drop available on 3/11/26 (https://makeaneew.shop/)