A new generation of fashion designers is rejecting the current system, but what are they building in its place?

In the first of our mini-series, Made in Melbourne, Isabelle Hellyer, the designer behind All Is Gentle Spring, discusses her vision for small-scale, skills-based fashion trade we can be proud of.

These stories are Australian, but relevant wherever you are - exploring universal themes of staying small in a Bezos-world, backing the authenticity of true craft, resisting the rise of ultra fast fashion and the unethical systems that underpin it.

Thank you for listening to Wardrobe Crisis.

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According to Antoine Arnault, CEO of Loro Piana: "Luxury products are sustainable by nature."

Hmmm. What do we think of that, then?

Just because it's expensive doesn't make it ethical.

In case you are not across these names, Arnault is a member of the LVMH dynasty (his dad, Bernard, is one of the 10th richest people on the planet) and Loro Piana is a posh Italian knitwear brand known for its cashmere and $500 baseball hats. But they’ve been in the news of late for rather less glamorous reasons, including sweatshop conditions in supplier factories in Italy.

On this week’s pod, Clare sits down with Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal’s Environment and Labor Editor, to unpack just how that can happen, and whether it’s really true that you get what you pay for in high fashion.

Thank you for listening to Wardrobe Crisis.

Find links and further reading for this episode at thewardrobecrisis.com

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Tell us what you think. Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Got recommendations? Hit us up!

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We've all had tough days at work, right? But I'm going to bet your last one didn't involve multiple colleagues fainting from heat stress.

My guest this week is researcher and academic Cara Schulte, author of an important new report, for Climate Rights International, that looks into the effects of the effects of extreme heat on garment workers in Bangladesh.

These don't stop at the physical. Workers describe feeling mentally unwell, anxious, hopeless even desperate as both temperatures and humidity climb. And as climate change accelerates, we can only expect conditions to get gnarlier.

So what can fashion do about all this?

Listen to find out about the role of education; how pregnant women are impacted; how heat is linked to violence; why drinking fizzy pop won't help; how working hours, low wages, audits and PPE come into it; and practical action to improve things that would make a difference today.

Cara's ultimate message: "When we think about sustainability in fashion, it's not just about materials and recycling - it has to be about people."

Essential listening for anyone who produces in the Global South, or buys clothing made there.

Thank you for listening to Wardrobe Crisis.

Find links and further reading for this episode at thewardrobecrisis.com

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Tell us what you think. Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Got recommendations? Hit us up!

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To mark NAIDOC week in Australia, which officially celebrates & recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we bring you this interview with activist, astronomer and knowledge holder Professor Ghillar Michael Anderson, who was central in the setting up of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972.

Michael is a Senior Law Man, Elder, and leader of the Eualeyai Nation from Goodooga, New South Wales. He has published several academic papers on Aboriginal astronomy. He contributed to the book, The First Astronomers, and he has asteroid named after him by the International Astronomical Union in honour of his contributions to the science.

In this deep, warm and at times confronting conversation, we discuss how Aboriginal people read the stars, Michael's own experience growing up on Country, bush tucker, connection, the radness of Indigenous Aunties, Black Power, the story behind the Tent Embassy, and Michael's ideas for the future of activism for his community. Oh, and meeting Keith Richards in a casino in Alice Springs.

Thank you for listening to Wardrobe Crisis.

Find links and further reading for this episode at thewardrobecrisis.com

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Tell us what you think. Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

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THANK YOU x

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This week's episode is an update from Accra, Ghana, and the situation at Kantamanto markets.

It was recorded during the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, where I met up with Liz Ricketts from The Or Foundation. Liz was with several community members from Kantamanto, including market trader Mary and upcycler Latifa - both featured on the podcast. Ultimately this is a story of resilience, entrepreneurship, creativity and skill.

Kantamanto is one of the world’s biggest for physical markets for second-hand clothing, receiving an estimated 15 million used garments from the global north, EVERY WEEK.

On the night of January 2nd, 2025, a huge fire ripped through 10 of the 13 sections in the market, affecting the majority of the estimated 30,000 people working there. It's a miracle more people weren't killed. Six months later, the market structure has been rebuilt, but there's still work to do. Find out how fundraising has been deployed, improvements have given all stallholders access to electricity and a new association of traders has been set up along with a unified security force trained in fire management. However problems persist around waste, the quality of what's in the bales and the dangerous work of female porters...

Find Episode 150 with Liz, here.

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Find all the links for what's mentioned in this episode at thewardrobecrisis.com

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Over the past few weeks, we've been diving into the world of weaving with natural fibres, exploring local textile traditions and capabilities, and don't get us wrong - we will always love that. But there's also a whole world of sciency possibilities shaking up the future of fabrics and fabulous ways.

Pack your (metaphorical) bags for a European innovation tour!

And get ready to answer some wild questions, like...

What if bacteria could help us co-design a new generation of sustainable fabric dyes? Could we build a machine for that?

Where does all the grape waste go from France's vineyards, and hey, what if we turned it into a fancy new animal-free leather alternative?

And, how might one creative woman figure that out, DIY style, starting with a coffee grinder in her home kitchen?

We all know polyester is plastic, right? So how come we expect our exercise gear to be moisture-wicking, when we're all at the gym encased in what's essentially sweaty, non-breathable, plastic-baggings? Who's ready for the ugly truth about the massive list of potentially toxic fabric finishing agents that fly under that radar? Okay! Don't panic - there's a new generation of clean, safe, bio-based alternatives...

Featuring:

• Charlotte Werth, a bright young German Biodesigner specialising in bacterial dye
• Samatha Mureau, an almost-French former fashion buyer turned alternative leather pioneer working with waste from the wine industry in the South of France
• Matthias Foessel, the infectiously upbeat force behind Swiss green chemistry company Beyond Surface Technologies

Future Fabrics Expo is on in London now - discover here.

Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.com

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Welcome to another episode about why it matters that we can make stuff locally.

After last week's ep on Yorkshire's centuries-old wool recycling expertise, this time, as promised, Clare's taking you back to Australia, to see another inspiring mill in action.

We're in Launceston, Tasmania to visit Australia's oldest continuously operating weaving mill.

Waverley Mills has always worked with local wool, and over the years has woven all sorts of fabrics, from tweeds to flannels, but it's their blankets that made them famous. This is a story of tradition (during WW2 they produced blankets for the army), innovation (think, collaborating with Nudie Jeans to make the world’s first recycled blanket out of old denim), and continuity. But above all, it's about community - who's worked here for decades and who is apprenticing to learn the trade today; who grows the wool, and who has seen the ups and downs of this place over the years, and has a long view on why it matters. It's a story about ethical manufacturing, the possibilities for re-shoring, fibre sovereignty and being able to manufacture textiles where we live - just, all the important sustainability stuff! Enjoy!

Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.com

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Ever wondered how mechanical textile recycling actually works? What shoddy and mungo is, and why we called it that? What the rag n' bone man collected back in the day and how the trade grew up, then scaled back? And what it will take to bring it back and keep what's already here, going?

Wonder no more! John Parkinson has a masterclass for you, complete with magic and secrets.

For 200 years, Yorkshire made recycled wool cloth for the world. But don’t think its all disappeared. John’s mill in Huddersfield is aptly called iinouiio - an acronym for It Is Never Over Until It Is Over. With centuries of accumulated of skill and knowledge, they’re doing what they always did, only better.

Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.com

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What if the best place was the one you're already in? Meet Julia Roebuck, the powerhouse organiser behind Thread Republic Textile Reuse Hub and social enterprise in Huddersfield, UK.

We're talking about textile skills, mending, repair, sewing, the wellbeing economy and what that might look like - at home. What fashion can be when we remove the transactional, when it's not just about shopping. And the immense satisfaction to be gotten from making something with your hands that you’re proud.

Discover Thread Republic here:

threadrepublic.co.uk

Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.com

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How do you feel about competition? Do you think it’s healthy? Natural? Are you that person who has to win at Scrabble or tennis or the pub quiz?

Or maybe you've read your Gaia theory and are hooked on the idea of a harmonious, post-patriarchal ecosystem that's all about balance and working together.

Many of us have come around to thinking that, at least when it comes to sustainability, it's being hyper-competitive that got into this mess. So you might be surprised to learn that competitive sustainability is the latest thing... we were!

This week on the pod, find out what else we gleaned from Australia’s first big sustainable fashion conference.

Featuring: New Era Bio, Alt Leather, Wildlife Drones and more.

Thank you to the Growth Activists for making this episode possible.

Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.com

Tell us what you think? Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

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