Conscious Chatter With Kestrel Jenkins

In episode 300, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Lisa Erdle, the Director of Science and Research at 5 Gyres, to the show. A microplastics researcher and lifelong sailor, Lisa is passionate about keeping waterways clean for wildlife and people. “A load of laundry can shed anywhere in the range of hundreds of thousands to millions of microfibers, depending on how you wash and what you wash. There can be 850 times more microfibers shed from a high-shedding item compared to a low, so the textile design really matters. And washing isn’t the only source of microfibers to the environment — we know there’s also dryers, carpets and upholstery, cigarette butts, wet wipes, there’s quite a long list. But the one that we know the most about, and one we have a solution for, is our washing machines.” -Dr. Lisa Today, we hear a lot about microfibers in our oceans and waterways, and how they are an issue we’re facing. There are consistent news articles out there about it. At the same time, the narrative is generally very much aligned wi

In episode 299, Kestrel welcomes Liz Spencer, the natural dye wizard behind Dogwood Dyer, to the show. With experience in both tending organic natural dye gardens and coaxing color from plants, Liz has devoted her artistic practice to discovering as much as possible about color that can come from plants. “That’s sort of the pathway to understanding — is having the time to be intimate with one thing in particular like indigo or any dye plant, especially if you’re growing your color, or even growing your own fiber — is spending a whole year just getting it to where you have the raw material, and then starting the process of creating the color or creating the textile. It really affords you ample time to ask many questions, and to holistically get to know it.” -Liz Something that’s super important to me within this conversation is cultural sustainability – and ensuring we are acknowledging and respecting the roots of cultural traditions and craft techniques that have origins within many Black and Brown Indigenous

In episode 298, Kestrel welcomes Anjana Baburaj to the show. An impact-focused strategist and communications specialist, Anjana works with mission-driven organizations to leverage communication platforms to increase visibility and achieve sustainability and impact goals. “No matter how much we try to control — if we keep overconsuming, we’re not getting anywhere with anything that we’re doing for sustainability. So, that is one of the reasons I wanted to know — why is this happening? And that’s how I got into my research.” -Anjana If you’ve been following along over the last couple of years, I have often brought up the links between fast fashion and fast media. In today’s world, I believe the only way to slow down fashion is to also slow down media – since fashion and media are intrinsically linked predominantly around driving consumption. This leads me to this week’s guest, who recently conducted some powerful research focused on fashion, social media, and consumption. Have you heard of the TikTok Shein haul

In episode 297, Kestrel welcomes Lizz Leral, the Executive Director of Quilting for Community, to the show. A nonprofit organization, Quilting For Community is focused on building community by teaching the art of quiltmaking. “The act of focusing on such a small area of the world — nothing else exists in that little area but that piece of fabric, and whether you’re measuring or you’re cutting or you’re pressing — and my experience has been that when you’re in that state, the answers for the other questions come to you.” -Lizz Over the last several years, I’ve been super curious about the links between activities we do with our hands and our mental health. I’ve read research about how quilting or other crafting activities can reduce overall stress and provide benefits for our mental health. There’s this idea of being in the FLOW state, or this feeling of being entirely in the moment and hyper-focused, and in a sort of zone. Amidst today’s world where speed reigns above all else in many circumstances, this is s

In episode 296, Kestrel welcomes Kelly Drennan, the founder of Fashion Takes Action, to the show. A Canada-based non-profit, Fashion Takes Action works to remove barriers to sustainability through education, awareness, research and collaboration. “We often talk about our school program, and just fashion is inherently cool, you know. And so, we’re able to really, through our school program, touch on some of these bigger, broader climate change issues, but through the lens of fashion, which for kids is relatable and cool. They get up every day and they put on clothes, but they don’t get up every day and drive a vehicle or pay the energy bills or go grocery shopping. So, for us, it’s just a really great way to reach them and we try to do it in a way that’s cool.” -Kelly Have you looked into educational programs around fashion and sustainability? Or maybe you have completed a program focused on sustainability or fashion and sustainability? The options out there are definitely growing in the higher education realm

In episode 295, Kestrel welcomes Rayouf Alhumedhi, the creator of the hijab emoji, to the show. Deeply passionate about bridging the creative space and tech, Rayouf founded the hijab emoji project to push for digital representation for Muslim women around the world. She was named one of Time’s Most Influential Teens and Forbes 30 under 30; currently, Rayouf is a senior at Stanford majoring in Product Design. “I think there needs to be more thoughtful exploration of when is it good to make new product and when is it even better to rethink existing product? Like I mentioned in my table furniture building project, I noticed my team and I were getting excited about —what if we do this and we do that and we do that. But at the end of the day, all of that requires extra junk in the world. And yes, it's an enhancement and yes, it's an add-on, but it's not necessary at all. So, I wish more design students or more product design students had that framework instilled in their minds as an educational toolkit.” -Rayouf O

In episode 294, Kestrel welcomes Jeff Garner, the designer behind Prophetik, to the show. A romantic visual artist, pioneer and unconventional designer, Jeff’s sustainably-minded label Prophetik is focused on changing our perception of luxury. “It’s interesting how everybody in their different segment of market just want to do the cheapest ingredient because they don’t expect the buyer to buy it, cause it’s more. So, it’s this idea that if you go into a design, and just try to make it the cheapest way possible, so that you can turn around and sell it for the most money, and nobody wants to spend extra to make something better. And I’m like — where have we gone in a society that we don’t want to carve our stone for our patio, let’s say … we don’t want to carve the wood to do our door.” -Jeff This week’s guest was the FIRST sustainability-focused designer I discovered that I got really excited about. Over the years, he has dressed notable stars including Fleetwood Mac, Miley Cyrus, Cheryl Crow and Taylor Swift,

In episode 293, Kestrel welcomes Jenna Hanson and Jon Hershman, the cofounders of Revival Eyewear, to the show. Offering an extensive collection of deadstock vintage glasses and sunglasses, Revival Eyewear is dedicated to reminding us that it’s possible for old things to be elevated in both quality and style.  “I fell in love with the glasses and the idea that these were vintage but brand new. I had never in my life heard of that concept — deadstock, new old stock. It was so fascinating to me. At Jon’s shop in PB, I would take them out of their cases and just be like — what is this? This is a YSL from the 1970s, it has its original packaging, I can’t believe this exists.” -Jenna Another niche (yet massive) realm of the fashion industry that we rarely discuss is the GLASSES industry. I’m talking sunglasses and eyeglasses – which I would say are a very integral part of the world of fashion and style. This week’s guests started a company where they sell unworn deadstock frames from the ‘60s to the ‘00s. If they

In episode 292, Kestrel welcomes Denica Riadini-Flesch, a development economist and the director at SukkhaCitta, to the show. A social enterprise started in 2016, SukkhaCitta works to give women in rural Indonesia fair access to education and market. “We have grown this company, this mission, these projects on the ground with that mindset that we want to build a model for change. So, we are not here to grow and make the most profits or be the best company in the market, you know, but it’s really a very different mindset. We’re here to connect consumers with the full story of how and why something was made.” -Denica One aspect of the complex and opaque fashion supply chain that is often overlooked is the number of homeworkers that are an integral part of making our clothes today. I was reaching for some sort of statistic, and that led me to Nest’s website – where they outline that upwards of 300 million people around the world work from home, engaged in primarily craft-based handwork. They are predominantly wo

In episode 291, Kestrel welcomes Abby Mills, aka @abbyontheinternet, to the show. A product designer working in tech in the San Francisco Bay Area, Abby is a style enthusiast, thrifter, beginner sewist, and a slow fashion + sustainability advocate. “If we’re talking about the original definition of de-influencing, I think it’s great that more people are talking about this. There’s a wider conversation that’s happening now, and it’s this newer idea to a more mainstream audience. And I think that a lot of people are craving this conversation. I think there’s a strong response because people are pretty sick of being advertised to — they’re craving the substance, they’re craving this authenticity, they’re craving people with a unique point of view.” -Abby You have most likely heard about this week’s topic – DE-INFLUENCING.  It’s something that started trending over on TikTok earlier this year, and has taken on many forms since then. In its origins, it was about becoming more critical about the things that we buy

In episode 290, Kestrel welcomes Samata Pattinson, the CEO of RCGD Global, to the show. A women-led global change-making organization, RCGD Global is bringing environmental and social sustainability to the forefront of conversation and action within the global apparel and design industry.  “All I really want to be part of is helping other people see where they fit in this. And helping them to identify something that means something to them. It could be any of the things we talk about — it could be climate on a specific realm, it could be biodiversity through a specific realm, it could be women’s rights, it could be advocating for Indigenous or Black representation. It could be any of those things, but it’s almost like — let me try and help you see how you form a way of being in this conversation.” -Samata Have you ever heard of the term generative conversation? It’s a newer concept for myself and it’s one that this week’s guest reminds us of. On a basic level – generative conversations are conversations that

In episode 289, Kestrel welcomes Amy Powney, a UK based fashion designer, creative director and activist living in London. After starting as an assistant who swept the cutting room floor, Amy worked her way up, and is now the Creative Director and owner at Mother Of Pearl. A luxury womenswear brand, Mother of Pearl celebrates individuality, authenticity and sustainability. Amy is also the star of a new documentary called Fashion Reimagined, that tells some of her story building Mother Of Pearl into what it is today. “I guess growing up on a farm, growing up the way I did, working you know, in the bottoms of the supply chains and agriculture, et cetera, it just kind of — it felt homely and it felt raw and it felt honest and it felt important and it’s really motivated me even more to want to tell that story, and for us to really understand when we see our product, what people and places and craftsmanship has been added. And that we can’t just focus on this pure kind of end part, and we need to be really respect

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 hel

In episode 287, Kestrel welcomes Sage Paul, an award-winning artist and designer, to the show. An urban Denesuliné (Den-a-sooth-leh-nay) woman based in Toronto and a member of English River First Nation, Sage is the artistic director and founder of Indigenous Fashion Arts. “There’s all this talk about sustainability and you know buy this or buy that, but the truth is, is that these corporations that are preaching this are just making too much. They are making too much, they are mass producing it, and the way that they mass produce it is unsustainable for the Earth. And so, it just doesn’t seem like they’re painting the full picture for everyone. But then going back to cost — is the fact that people aren’t getting paid enough in order to purchase items that are quote unquote sustainable, because the only thing that’s accessible are these mass-produced items.” -Sage You may have noticed that the idea of *sustainability* is often aligned with luxury or having extra money to invest in less harmful things or less

In episode 286, Kestrel welcomes Kristine Kim, the Director of Impact at Doen, to the show. An LA-based women-run business, Doen offers collections inspired by a nostalgia for the coastal California of decades past. Doen recently unveiled their 2030 Roadmap, spearhead by Kristine, which provides an overarching blueprint for the business that will encapsulate both social and environmental elements of impact. “We wanted to see our supply chain as a value chain — not just as a global supply chain that creates beautiful products, but also generates social and environmental value across that process as well, and to find opportunities for us to maximize that social and environmental value.” -Kristine You’ve probably heard me say this on the show before, but the fashion and sustainability space has an issue with obsessing over binaries – I mean, it’s not the only space constantly questioning what’s right vs wrong or good vs bad.  These very simplified binary structures have been deeply embedded into our society – by

In episode 285, Kestrel welcomes artist and illustrator Kelly Lottahall to the show. An artist and illustrator, Kelly incorporates preloved textiles and scraps into her unique works of art. “It’s so like not that significant to most people, but for me — when it’s an item, a shirt, anything that’s used … this doesn't have to be vintage, I’m talking about stuff that’s just regular old stuff people don’t want. Not like vintage that’s 30 years old and super cool because it’s another era — no, I’m talking about like 10 years ago and you don’t care about it anymore. I’m like no, but I do — that could be really really cool, are you kidding me?” -Kelly Have you ever noticed how the fashion world often orients itself as very separate from the art world? They are obviously intertwined, and we see some overlap in the mainstream, but there tends to be a very distanced relationship – especially in the way that the fashion industry disregards the artistic aspects of fashion.  Here’s a couple examples – Garment constructi

In episode 284, Kestrel welcomes designer Angel Chang to the show. Over the last decade, Angel has been working with artisans in southwest rural China, making garments using zero carbon design / Indigenous practices (all-natural, locally-made, zero electricity). “For the past 20,000 years, we’ve been making our own fabric and you know, using ingredients from our own backyard. It’s only in the last 150 years that electricity was invented, that chemical dyes were created, that plastic and plastic textiles were created. And all the stuff that we say is polluting for the fashion industry — well, that was all created in the last 150 years. So, if we really want to create quote unquote sustainable clothing, we just have to make clothing like it was before then, before the Industrial Revolution." -Angel The sustainability and fashion narrative has an obsession with whatever is *new and innovative*. The focus regularly leans toward innovations in fabric development or tech-centered approaches to reduce carbon emissio

In episode 283, Kestrel welcomes Kristin Morrison, the founder and designer behind All Species, to the show. A textile arts and design studio, All Species investigates the potential to create regenerative garments and textiles. The below story was written by this week’s guest — it’s vision-inducing and reminds us of all the value that can come from further connecting ourselves to the natural world. It’s a beautiful way to envision what could happen if we work toward literally wearing the land around us. “Can we imagine together the rumble of 200 hooves- the vibration spiraling up from your feet to your heart as you witness wooly Rambouillet sheep running in the distance. Your work boots kick up dust as you run alongside to get a closer view. Sipping in the scent of wool, grasses, soil, you can sense the vitality of this wild ecosystem. Hooves till the soil…wild grasses are mowed by hungry animals and the carbon gases are sequestered safely back into the earth in the process. Today is a special day, sheep she

In episode 282, Kestrel welcomes Katia Dayan Vladimirova, a senior researcher at the University of Geneva, to the show. In addition to her research on fashion consumption, sustainability, and degrowth, Katia is the founder and coordinator at the Sustainable Fashion Consumption Network, and recently contributed to the Hot or Cool Institute’s Report – Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable. “Sufficiency is part of —very much interlinked with degrowth conversations today — it’s about abandoning economic growth in favor of wellbeing and enoughness as a positive vision of the future, in which we are content with enough and are not looking for more all the time.” -Katia I’ve been thinking a lot about the sustainable fashion narrative (over the last decade or so) and as I see it, we’ve seen a few big stages in the conversation – mind you, there are so many more nuanced narratives that have been out there, but these are the narratives I’ve heard the most noise around: Stage 1 – A focus on redirecting your consumption habits. T

In episode 281, Kestrel welcomes Sarah Danu, the founder of Danu Organic, to the show. Danu Organic is focused on making clothing that is healthy for our bodies, the earth and everybody involved in the growing and making process of our garments. When it comes to food, we are constantly bombarded with messaging around healthy choices, and we have been taught to weigh which ingredients or products are the HEALTHIER option. However, when it comes to our clothes, do you ever hear folks question whether or not a garment is HEALTHY? This week’s guest, Sarah, makes what she calls – HEALTHY CLOTHES.  While it’s often overlooked, when we put on clothing, its components can enter our body, which can impact our overall health. For Sarah, a personal health crisis years ago opened her eyes to this very real discovery. When an organic underwear set turned her skin red – she knew there was more to uncover beyond just the fiber choice – to truly understand what our clothing contains. While we’re starting to hear warnings fro