WARDROBE CRISIS with Clare Press

"We are at one of those pivotal moments when it feels like the world is coming undone," wrote David Ritter, CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific in a recent newsletter. "But the best of humanity comes out in moments of crisis. It's a phenomenon that we saw in the [recent Australian bush] fires, and which we are seeing again in the face of the pandemic."Can we take this enforced pause to design a better way of relating to each other and the natural world? How can we use compassion in our activism? Where can we find solidarity in solitude?This week's Episode is a must-listen and a balm for the soul at the increasingly bizarre time. Like it? Please consider rating and reviewing, share on social media, and don't forget to hit subscribe!Find Clare on Instagram and Twitter.The shownotes are on www.thewardrobecrisis.com   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For 7 years, Fashion Revolution has been asking, #whomademyclothes? on a quest for greater transparency in fashion supply chains.Now, they're asking #WhatsInMyClothes?, and say: "The answer is far more complicated than the composition label on the side seam. This is the starting point, but it doesn't account for the plastics lurking in our clothes, the trees cut down to transform wood into viscose, or the pesticides sprayed on fields of cotton, leaching into waterways."Fashion Revolution's co-founder Carry Somers is focusing on the plastics issue, and has just returned from voyage of discovery to research microplastic pollution in the oceans. Meet the inspiring activist, fair trade fashion pioneer and now explorer!  Don't forget to check the shownotes for all links and further reading.THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO WARDROBE CRISIS.Don't forget to hit subscribe. Can you help us spread the word? We'd love you to rate & review in your favourite podcast app, and share this Episode on social media. Here'

Emily Penn is a British sailor and the co-founder of eXXpedition - a series of all-women voyages exploring the impacts of plastics and toxins in our oceans."The only way to reduce the potential impacts on human health and the environment is to reduce consumption," she says.But where to begin?For the next two years, a total of 300 women will sail around the world on eXXpedition's voyages of discovery, to look deep into what's going on with plastic in our oceans, and try to come up with solutions. Why XX? Women are underrepresented in science and sailing  - the XX in the title refers to the female sex chromosome. But it's the impacts these toxins might have on women that will blow your mind. Could plastic pollution be gender discriminatory? Could women suffer greater effects from it than men? Remember, pollution can bio-accumulate - the fish eat the plastic, and we eat the fish.We know that, but there is much we remain in the dark about. Of the estimated 700 contaminants in our bodies, many have

What's driving the fashion's latest obsession with upcycling? And how far can it go? Might fashion stop using virgin materials completely one day? Upcyling means taking something discarded, usually unloved and considered trash, and transforming into something new and of a higher quality.It's become a major fashion buzz word, thanks to designers like Marine Serre in Paris, and even Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. But it's the next generation that's really pushing it. This week, you'll meet three of them: Londoners Maddie Williams and Helen Kirkum, and brilliant Dutch trouble maker Duran Lantink.THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO WARDROBE CRISIS.Don't forget to hit subscribe. Can you help us spread the word? We'd love you to rate & review in your favourite podcast app, and share this Episode on social media. Here's Clare on Instagram and Twitter. Our detailed shownotes are at thewardrobecrisis.com Get in touch via hello@clarepress.com   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

The #metoo hashtag was a moment, sparked in when the actor Alyssa Milano used it on Twitter in October 2017 in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations. That tweet went viral. More than 19 million people around the world have since used the hashtag to share their stories of sexual harassment, abuse and violence.But Me Too is a about more than social media. Me Too is a movement, founded by the American activist Tarana Burke in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black women and girls, and other young women of colour from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing.This is her story...THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO WARDROBE CRISIS. Don't forget to hit subscribe. Can you help us spread the word? We'd love you to rate & review in your favourite podcast app, and share this Episode on social media. Here's Clare on Instagram and Twitter. Our detailed shownotes are at www.thewardrobecrisis.comGet in touch via hello@clarepress.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See aca

London stylist Bay Garnett has magic powers when it comes to finding fashion gems in charity shops. The former editor of Cheap Date magazine (all about thrifting) famously put Kate Moss in the pages of British Vogue wearing vintage. Want to get in her wardrobe?Even better, learn her tips and tricks, hear how thrifting has changed over 20 years, and learn why giving garments multiple lives is more important than ever as a tool to reduce fashion's environmental impact.Go to thewardrobecrisis.com for the shownotes.Follow Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspress See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to Series 4! Our first guest is American supermodel Amber Valletta -sustainable fashion's favourite face, using her platform to make positive change in the industry.How did she move from celebrity covergirl (she had her own MTV show in the '90s, and in the 2000s did a Hollywood movie with Will Smith) to fashion's eco conscience? Today Amber is the model most closely associated with eco-fashion, she's fronted the last two Stella McCartney campaigns, and protested on behalf of climate action with Jane Fonda. But can a career in high fashion be truly sustainable? How does she deal with the overwhelm about over-consumption? Could self-care be the answer?Go to thewardrobecrisis.com for the shownotes.Follow Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Obsessed with Allbirds? Join the club. For the last Episode of Series 3, Clare visits the San Francisco HQ of the hottest comfy shoe brand on the planet, and unpicks what makes it work.On the way, she discovers the secrets of algae as an eco ingredient, asks the hard questions about end-of-life and greenwashing, and decodes the complexity of carbon offsetting. Oh, and sits next to Matthew McConaughey on the plane… Alright, alright, alright!“Phenomenal for customers, and also phenomenal for the planet… that's a big idea,” says Joey Zwillinger. But what does it look like in practice? How hard was it to make it happen?And where did they fall short?Hear how Joey and co-founder Tim Brown set out to shake up the way sneakers get made and marketed, took on the big guys and won, and where their future challenges lie. Now, that's a wrap for Series 3 - we're off to the beach. The perfect time to catch up on our monster back catalogue! Get ready for Series 4 - launches February.THANK YOU F

Is the Great Barrier Reef dead? Headlines to that effect zoomed around the world after two consecutive coral bleaching events in 2016 and 2017. But Australia's most famous World Heritage wonder is still very much with us - a vast eco-system, roughly the size of Germany, it teams with life.Threats from climate change and other factors aren't going away though. Find out what is being done to build resilience on the reef. Meet the scientists and activists working together to protect it. Learn what makes coral tick - and how it makes love (seriously!)This week's podcast invites you on an excellent adventure with Clare, Vogue Homme cover model Jarrod Scott and Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef to discover the full story. Also starring: Andy Ridely, Laura Wells, Professor David Suggett, researcher Katie Chartrand and dive guide Fiona Merida.Don't miss the shownotes on clarepress.comGot feedback? Connect with us on social media - find Clare on Instagram and Twitter. And please consider rating and reviewing the

Are you into vintage shopping or second-hand style? Join the club. Whether you're glued to Depop, buying high end designer vintage or a committed charity shop trawler, secondhand has lost its stigma in fashion circles. Recommerce is growing. According to Thredup preloved fashion is on track to eclipse fast fashion within a decade, while 64% of women have either bought or are open to buying used clothes. But... that doesn't mean the world isn't drowning in unwanted stuff. This podcast goes live on Black Friday. On this holiday and sales frenzy last year, Americans spent $6.2 billion on Black Friday, up 23.6% on the previous year.Much of this haul will end up on the bin. We're still discarding clothing and other unwanted items at a record rate. So what happens to all our stuff when we're done with it?Meet the recycling obsessive who grew up on a junkyard and now works for Bloomberg. Adam Minter, author of Junkyard Planet, has a new book out. This one's called Secondhand - Travels in the New Global Gar

What if our buildings weren't just a little bit more energy efficient or decorated with a few extra plants? What if they gave back to the environment instead of taking away from it? Biophilic design is a buzz word, and we're on board!Meet the visionary Canadian architect Jason McLennan, founder of the Living Building Challenge and the Living Future Institute.This Episode is all about how we can not just green our built environment but totally rethink it so that it's regenerative, and provides havens for other species too. How might we truly live in harmony with nature? And as Jason puts it: “Create places that are not only lovely but express the love we have for people, for animals and for the environment.”Oh, and seriously, we need to fix the toilets!Happy listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why are the old white men still in charge? What's the system build from, and how might be change it? In A History of the World in 7 Cheap things, Raj Patel and his co-author Jason W. Moore argue that the modern world has been shaped by the exploitation of cheap nature, money, work, care, food, energy, and lives."Cheap is a strategy, a practice, a violence that mobilises all kinds of work - human, animal, botanical and geological - for as little compensation as possible.” And it goes back way further than the Industrial Revolution. Think about Columbus "conquering" new frontiers. Centuries later, we're still carrying on the same way - invade, exploit, move on.Is it really easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism? Could we reform society along more equitable lines and create a brighter future for people and planet?This week, Clare gets to hang out with Raj Patel, the US-based British writer, speaker, activist, academic and wearer of very nice ethically made jackets. He's got degre

Have you ever thought about the water footprint of beef or olive oil? Or how far your food has travelled before it reaches your dinner plate? And what has all this god to do with fashion? Meet Gung-Ho designer Sophie Dunster, food writer and photographer Sara Kiyo Popowa, and chefs Lauren Lovatt and Abi Aspen Glencross. Whether they're vegan or just very excited about colourful vegetables; sure that what we eat can affect our mental health or just really keen on yummy food that doesn't cost the Earth - these four female foodies are combining fashion with activism to put change on the menu. Bon appetit!THANK YOU for listening.Looking for links and extra info? Find detailed shownotes here.Get in touch on Instagram and Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY! You are listening to the 100th Episode of Wardrobe Crisis - hurrah! Thank you for being part of it.This week's guest is Sinéad Burke, the Irish fashion journalist, activist and inclusivity advocate. Maybe you've watched her TED talk, Why Design Should Include Everyone, or heard about reminding the World Economic Forum at Davos this year, to ask: "Who is not in the room?" Probably you saw her on the cover of the Duchess of Sussex-edited September issue of British Vogue.This interview was recorded during London Fashion Week, so of course we talk clothes. These days, Sinéad sometimes gets about in custom-made Gucci, but that wasn't always the case. We discuss, what happens when clothes don't fit you? How do you navigate a world that is not designed for you? Is the fashion industry finally ready to embrace the opportunity to cater to more shapes and sizes, abilities and needs? Why does it so often exclude so many people, and how can we change that?Let's get to it!CAN YOU HELP US C

Why do we need to "fix" fashion? Try because textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined and consumes lake-sized volumes of fresh water. If current consumption levels continue the industry could account for 25% of the world's carbon budget.Because our wardrobes are full of clothes we don't wear, yet we keep buying more and more garments, most of which are made from polyester and shed tiny plastic microfibres every time we wash them. Because we buy fashion to throw it away.This week's guest is Mary Creagh, chair of the UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) and the Labour MP for Wakefield - the woman responsible for raising all these things with the British parliament this year.But this is not just relevant in the UK because the EAC's report, Fixing Fashion, made headlines globally when it was published in this year.In this frank insider conversation, we discuss the power of the shopping detox, how Brits got to the point where they're con

How are you doing with all this climate news? Is it getting you down? This Episode to the rescue! It's all about climate hope and how we can feel more courageous and positive about our activism.Meet climate activist, Anna Rose. She started forming environmental groups when she was a school kid. By the time she was at university, she, and her friend Amanda McKenzie, cofounded the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, which today has more than 150,000 members. She's been involved in leadership for Earth Hour, is on a bunch of important academic advisory boards and today works with an organisation called Farmers for Climate Action. But the reason you need to listen to her is that Anna has a long view on how to stay motivated with our activism . She talks about "hope as a strategic decision" and reminds us that we all have difference capacities that "it's only called impossible until it's done."“Often I don't feel brave, but I have to do things that I know are important,” she says. "I see courage as a m

This Episode was recorded during London fashion week. Extinction Rebellion is a grass roots activism movement demanding radical action on the global climate crisis. The group formed in the UK in October 2018 on the premise that trying to be a bit more sustainable, tinkering around the edges of the system but essentially carrying on with business as usual, will not save us from climate breakdown.They are calling on governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency, and to act immediately to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2025.You will hear from some of the Extinction Rebellion protestors who staged a 'funeral' for London Fashion Week in September, then sit down with activists: Clare Farrell, Sara Arnold and Will Skeaping to find out why they think civil disobedience is the way to go, what to do about the scary science, and where fashion fits in with all of this.Do you value this show? Please help us spread the word by rating and reviewing in your favourit

How does colonialism play out in fashion? And how can we encourage the fashion industry in general, and retail in particular, to be more inclusive? And when will fashion finally wake up to cultural appropriation and do better?Join me and Sara Ali, a London-based luxury fashion consultant who focuses on Arabia and Africa, as we decode this sensitive subject and ask, Why don't more conversations focus on it?Enjoying the show? Thank you for listening. Please help us spread the word. Rating and reviewing in iTunes can help others find us. Or share about the show on social media. Find Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressTo see all the podcast info and shownotes, visit  www.thewardrobecrisis.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you heard the one about denim factories turning rivers blue in China? Horrendous, right? But change is possible.Kirsten Brodde is a former science journalist on a mission to clean up fashion. Meet the Greenpeace activist who led the Detox My Fashion campaign, which spurred an industry-wide commitment to phase out harmful chemicals from clothing production.In this interview, we unpick what it takes to be an effective activist (think dogged persistence!) and passion but also a willingness to be unpopular.The Detox campaign took time, major pressure and careful negotiation, but it actually worked. Kirsten describes what's happened as a result as “a paradigm shift,” and says there's no going back.The message, activism matters. We need these dedicated, gusty individuals to rock the boat.Enjoying the show? Thank you for listening. Please help us spread the word. Rating and reviewing in iTunes can help others find us. Or share about the show on social media. Find Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrsp

The New York Times calls him "the poster boy for zero waste living". He's a florist, artist, restaurateur, architect, inventor and revolutionary thinker. Meet the man on a mission to convince us we can grow all the food we need where we live.In this riveting episode, we discuss everything from how wasteful the floristry industry is to the microbial power of healthy soil to boost serotonin (Yep, it can get you high apparently). What would happen if we reconnected with the natural world? How might eating seasonally change our health, happiness and impact? Could we really grow all the food we need on the roof and walls of our houses and apartment buildings? What's the future of green cities?Enjoying the show? Thank you for listening. Please help us spread the word. Rating and reviewing in iTunes can help others find us. Or share about the show on social media. Find Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressTo see all the podcast info and shownotes, visit www.clarepress.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in