For our first-ever Conscious Fashion Collective Membership panel discussion, we discussed a topic that is often taboo in the slow fashion space — money! We believe that financial sustainability is essential for creating a more just, and sustainable, fashion ecosystem with thriving businesses that care about people and the planet.

💰 WE DISCUSSED:

• Taboos/misconceptions about making money in the slow fashion space,
• What alternative business models and revenue streams can be successful for slow fashion brands who don’t want to follow the traditional fast fashion trajectory,
• Slow fashion pricing and forecasting,
• How freelancers can go about finding clients, retaining clients, and creating a client rotation that allows for financial sustainability,
• How to diversify your slow fashion skills and develop alternative streams of income/business offerings,
• And SO MUCH more!

This episode was brought to you by…

Conscious Fashion Collective Membership: the global community for sustainable fashion professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

Doors will be closing to new members on Friday, March 29th as we prepare to add even more value to the membership.

When we reopen, we'll be increasing the price to account for the additional value. If you sign-up this week, you'll lock-in our current pricing for the lifetime of your membership.

Learn more + join us: consciousfashion.co/community

LINKS:

• Picnicwear
• Kismet Concept Studio
• MAHDIYYAH
• Devinto
• Jacqueline Schumann
• Picnicwear DejaVu Dress Pattern
• YouTube video: NYC Tailor Aims To Reduce Fast Fashion Waste

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/subscribe

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

Financial sustainability is essential for creating a more just, and sustainable, fashion ecosystem with thriving businesses that care about people and the planet. But how do you go about actually making money in this space, especially when you care about not overproducing? Money-making is a topic that is all-too-often taboo in the slow fashion space, but our panelists Dani Des Roches, Mahdiyyah Muhammad, Jacqueline Schumann, and Aiste Zitnikaite are unpacking their experiences, transparently, in this episode!

Note: This is a recording from a Conscious Fashion Collective Membership panel discussion, so you may hear references to the membership and “CFC". You can learn more about CFC's membership community here: consciousfashion.co/community

💰 WE DISCUSSED:

• Taboos/misconceptions about making money in the slow fashion space,
• What alternative business models and revenue streams can be successful for slow fashion brands who don’t want to follow the traditional fast fashion trajectory,
• Slow fashion pricing and forecasting,
• How freelancers can go about finding clients, retaining clients, and creating a client rotation that allows for financial sustainability,
• How to diversify your slow fashion skills and develop alternative streams of income/business offerings,
• And SO MUCH more!

LINKS:

• Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Picnicwear
• Kismet Concept Studio
• MAHDIYYAH
• Devinto
• Jacqueline Schumann

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/subscribe

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

How can fashion take action right now for a net positive future?

From climate and biodiversity to worker livelihoods and fair wages to overconsumption and textile waste, the gaps between where we need to be and where we are right now feel… vast. 

But in this episode, we're discussing ways that fashion act right now — like tomorrow — on 5 key pillars that encompass both people and planet. These are areas where the research, and tools are readily available, even for implementing at a large scale. 

Ahead you'll hear my conversation with Holly Syrett, the Impact Programmes and Sustainability Director at Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a nonprofit organization that accelerates measurable impact in the fashion industry.

Perhaps what GFA is most known for is their Global Fashion Summits but they also drive impact through collaborative commitments, impact programs, thought leadership publications and by engaging with policy & advocacy.

Their flagship report — which is freely accessible for all — is the Fashion CEO Agenda. And this year's edition, released at the Boston Fashion Summit, is offering more specific tangible action than ever. I kind of think of it as the no-excuses actionable sustainability playbook for fashion brands.

I was excited to be able to have this conversation with Holly and be able to share it all with you for free because I know that there are so many of you that work in sustainable fashion or aspire to and want to dive deeper into these types of industry insights but they're not always accessible. So enjoy this conversation with Holly!

GET THE TRANSCRIPT

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PRESENTED BY...

The Conscious Fashion Collective Membership

If you are a sustainable fashion professional or aspiring to transition into this industry, check out our sister platform Conscious Fashion Collective. We have a free career newsletter with jobs and resources dedicated to supporting your conscious fashion career journey.

We also have a membership community where you can access extra jobs, attend career-focused member events and workshops, access tons of time-saving resources, and connect with a like-minded group of fashion changemakers. You can find out more about this membership at consciousfashion.co/community.

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GFA's RESOURCES:

• Fashion CEO Agenda
• 2030 Fashion Sector Vision
• GFA Policy Matrix: Americas
• GFA Policy Matrix for EU
• GFA's Policy & Advocacy Work

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED:

• Open Supply Hub
• Article: EILEEN FISHER's New CEO Wants You To Buy Fewer Clothes
• American Circular Textiles

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CONNECT WITH HOLLY & GFA

🌐 Website: https://globalfashionagenda.org/

📸 Instagram: @globalfashionagenda

💼 LinkedIn: Global Fashion Agenda

📺 YouTube: @GlobalFashionAgenda

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

We have reached the 100th episode of the podcast! For the past 100 episodes, at the end of each episode we have asked our guests the same question: What would a better future for fashion look like, to you? 

This question is important, because it sums up exactly why the podcast exists in the first place — to unpack exactly what it will take to cultivate a sustainable and equitable future for fashion.

To celebrate this 100 episode milestone, we decided to mark the occasion by sharing a montage of some of our favorite answers, from guests we have had on the show, over the years. Plus, we are sharing a few listener answers to this question too. And, right at the end, we’ll share our reflections on the topic as well. 

Enjoy listening to these visionary — yet practical — answers. Hopefully they’ll give you some food for thought and reflection points for your own relationship with fashion. And thank you for tuning in to celebrate 100 episodes with us!

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Podcast Episode: EP10: Building a Better Secondhand Fashion System with Emily Stochl
• Podcast Episode: EP82: Rana Plaza 10 Years Later: What’s Changed and What Hasn’t? With Ayesha Barenblat
• Podcast Episode: EP66: Defashioning and Creating a Pluriverse of Clothing Systems with Fashion Act Now
• Podcast Episode: EP22: Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry with Aja Barber
• Podcast Episode: EP77: What Democratizing Fashion Is Truly About with Natalie Shehata
• Podcast Episode: EP54: Slowing Down Media with Kestrel Jenkins
• Podcast Episode: EP81: How We Can Expand the Sustainable Fashion Conversation with Samata Pattinson
• Podcast Episode: EP24: The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
• Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
• Podcast Episode: EP20: How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo
• Yuhanne Natividad’s (podcast editor) contact details: LinkedIn

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Is it green... or just greenwashing?

This week, we’re sharing a recap of a few Green or Greenwashing topics we covered this season! Green or Greenwashing is a segment on the podcast where we evaluate if a certain sustainability measure is more green or whether it veers into more of the greenwashing territory. These Green or Greenwashing segments were previously published at the end of some prior episodes.

The first segment we are resharing is whether third-party resale sites should ban fast fashion after a decision from Vestiaire Collective to do so. Then we will move into a recording where we discuss whether we really need "climate adaptive clothing". Finally, we evaluate if recycled polyester is truly circular. 

GET THE TRANSCRIPT
 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Article: Vestiaire Has Banned Fast Fashion
• Article: Vestiaire Collective’s ‘Fight Against Fast Fashion’ steps
• Article: What Is Extended Producer Responsibility in Textiles — and What’s Missing From Current Policies?
• Article: Clothes for the “apocalypse”: How to design for a climate crisis
• Resource: Market Analysis and Insights: Global Recycled Polyester Fiber Market
• Website: Textile Exchange's 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge
• Resource: Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres
• Article: The destructive, symbiotic relationship between the beverage and fashion industries
• Article: Are clothes made from recycled materials really more sustainable?
• Report: “It’s As If They’re Poisoning Us”: The Health Impacts of Plastic Recycling in Turkey
• Research Paper: An underestimated threat: Land-based pollution with micro-plastics

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Policy is an important lever in creating a better, more sustainable, and equitable fashion system. But if we only focus on policy that explicitly talks about the fashion industry and sustainability, we may be missing some opportunities. 

In today's episode, I'm chatting with fashion policy expert Kenya Wiley.

Kenya is sharing behind the scenes on the processes behind legislation and regulation — and even explaining the difference between the two terms — and some of the current policies in the works that could involve fashion that the fashion industry isn't talking about. These could be potential needle movers to cleaning up fashion, but aren't being taken advantage of right now.

Kenya is also discussing the much-anticipated Green Guides from the Federal Trade Commission to help reduce greenwashing, what recent US Supreme Court decisions mean for the fashion industry, a funding opportunity for sustainability-minded fashion organizations, and more.

Find the transcript here.

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PRESENTED BY…

Osei-Duro

Osei-Duro is a slow, artisan-made sustainable fashion brand based in Ghana using handmade textile techniques to create contemporary garments that are true works of art.

Their colorful, bold-printed clothing is hand-dyed and sewn in Ghana by small-scale artisans and manufactured to support the local apparel industry. And they have extended sizes, with many styles going up to 4X.

Osei-Duro's clothing is made with care — and the people behind these garments treat each other with the same care and respect. The small business pays full-time wages for a 4-day work week and offers numerous benefits including full health insurance and maternity coverage.

Get 20% off site wide by using the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20.

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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/kenya-wiley

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Newsletter: Fashion Law and Social Justice Newsletter
• Online course: Fashion Policy and Justice (Note: listeners can take 50% off with code JUSTICE50; contact Kenya directly for the 80% off student discount)
• Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
• Information Resource: 2023 Farm Bill
• Information Resource: SEC Climate Disclosures Rule
• Information Resource: The Recycling & Compostability Accountability Act

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CONNECT WITH KENYA WILEY:

🌐 Website: https://kenyawiley.com/

📸 Instagram: @kenyanwiley

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenya-wiley-558601b6/

📱 Twitter (X): @KenyaNWiley

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle