In episode 288, Kestrel welcomes designer, Trish Langman, to the show. With over 18 years of experience working with a long list of prestigious fashion brands, Trish is currently the Program Knowledge and Content Lead for the Fashion CEOs Accelerator program by Sovereignty, a partner with Argentinian NGO Hecho Por Nosotros and an advisor to the Board of Fashion Ghana, West Africa.
"Obviously, the companies need to be complicit — you know, they should stop making stuff. But the consumer, you know, because they’re uneducated, they don’t understand what they’re buying. It’s just a piece of clothing, but they’re not thinking about any consequences of how it’s made or what it does to them. Is it shedding microplastics, is it clogging the water? The consequences of you buying something that costs two dollars means that somebody’s not being paid somewhere.” -Trish
Have you ever thought about some of the basic knowledge that’s shared with us in primary school? I’m thinking about the practical information that can help us in our everyday lives.
For example – as this week’s guest mentions, the food pyramid is something most of us have probably learned about in school. (Ok, so I’ve read a plethora of concerns about the traditional food pyramid and how it was largely influenced by big business — hint, hint: grains, especially refined ones, are not necessarily the food we should eat the most of…) BUT the point here is, the idea of a balanced diet is relayed to us at an early age. It’s a basic component of the education system.
However – how often are kids learning about the ingredients used in our clothes? How often are we taught that the fabric used in our garments can come from a plant grown on a farm, or from fossil fuels that are processed into thread?
There are a lot of layers at play, when it comes to who can access which clothing options. But with that in mind … we should have the right to learn basic practical knowledge about clothing in school, beginning at a young age.
Because let’s be real – how many of us have finally been collecting pieces of this practical clothing knowledge as adults?
This week’s guest is very passionate about the power of education – for children, for everyday people, and for business owners. In one of her most recent endeavors, she’s working as the content lead for a new Fashion CEOs accelerator program that’s focused on empowering fashion entrepreneurs of color to collectively solve climate change and inclusion challenges.
The focus is on transforming entrepreneurs in a more holistic way through both access to capital and access to layers of education, with the intention of helping folks build more circular fashion brands.
As this week’s guest said in an article in Women’s Wear Daily –
“I have not seen this in the industry … I have not seen an accelerator that speaks to circularity, that speaks to sustainability and that speaks to the BIPOC community. It’s just something that’s not there.”
Quotes & links from the conversation:
“New Fashion CEOs Accelerator Set To Advance The Industry’s Sustainable Business Models and Its Racial Representation”, article in WWD that Kestrel mentions
“People have changed I think, in terms of how they see the value of their business. I think a lot of people feel like their business has to, for them, mean more to them than just making money. It’s more about what they give back to their community in some way.” -Trish (30:52)
“In order for us to sort of think about the future, science and design need to come together. You know, about a hundred years ago, science and design and arts were kind of almost interlinked — sort of the alchemy of them all together. And then we got more industrialized and technology took over, and they just seemed to separate.” -Trish (48:50)
Sovereignty’s Website >
Follow Trish on Instagram >
Follow Sovereignty on Instagram >
S05 Episode 242 | Questioning the meaning behind *regenerative fashion* and building new fashion systems with Christy Dawn & Oshadi Collective
S05 Episode 241 | Reimagining waste as a resource, creativity's battle against commerce & the importance of welcoming financial sustainability into the larger conversation
S05 Episode 240 | Maxine Bédat on why circularity won't save us, how the origin of business was not to maximize profit & what that context tells us about the current fashion system
S05 Episode 239 | Ganni on the importance of action over labels & their 44 responsibility gameplan goals
S05 Episode 238 | Best friends Jazmine (@thatcurlytop) & Gabby (@gabrielasage) on reclaiming "influence" & finding balance as content creators and sustainable fashion advocates
S05 Episode 237 | OEKO-TEX®, green chemistry & navigating the nuances of product labels
S05 Episode 236 | Educator Emi Ito and Gina Stovall of Two Days Off on collaborating to honor a legacy & getting creative to infuse fashion with more accessibility, generosity and inclusivity
S05 Episode 235 | Mikaela Clark of Hansel on balance in partnerships, welcoming the evolution of your creativity, and inclusivity in upcycling
S05 Episode 234 | Rethinking upcycling, questioning trends & reimagining what "seasons" mean
S05 Episode 233 | Katherine Theobalds of Zou Xou on sensible shoes and resisting mindless consumption & markdowns
S05 Episode 232 | Kara Fabella on the nuances of "influence" today, splashing color across ethical fashion + her Living In COLOR(ISM) series
S05 Episode 231 | GOODS & SERVICES ON MODERN SHOE REPAIR + REFRAMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SNEAKER LIFESPAN — AKA SNEAKER REPAIR IS POSSIBLE!
S05 Episode 230 | KIANA KAZEMI ON THE OPPRESSIVE HISTORY OF ENGINEERING + TECH, THE NEED TO REFRAME THE "PROBLEMS" ENGINEERS ARE TRYING TO FIX, AND WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH FASHION
S05 Episode 229 | DANI DES ROCHES OF PICNICWEAR ON STATEMENT PIECES + FUTURE VINTAGE OVER FUTURE GARBAGE
S05 Episode 228 | CATHERINE MCKINLEY, AUTHOR OF THE AFRICAN LOOKBOOK, ON THE DEEP MEANING CONNECTED TO CLOTH, THE POWER OF THE CAMERA AND SEWING MACHINE + RECLAIMING VISUAL NARRATIVES
S05 Episode 227 | YESSENIA FUNES OF ATMOS ON RACE AND THE ENVIRONMENT + CENTERING FRONTLINE ORGANIZERS AS THE WRITERS OF THEIR OWN STORIES
S05 Episode 226 | MATT HICKEY OF BE KIND VIBES ON KINDNESS + PLANTING THE EARLY SEEDS FOR CONSCIOUS CHATTER
S05 Episode 225 | URBAN NATIVE ERA, "YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND" + LEADING WITH STORYTELLING
S05 Episode 224 | TWO DAYS OFF, APPROACHING FASHION THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LENS + HOW EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED
S05 Episode 223 | MAGGIE MARILYN ON TRANSPARENCY, RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY + THE NEED TO ALIGN VALUES WITH BUSINESS MODELS
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Dairyland Frights
The Passionistas Project Podcast
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL