D Sustainability Issue

In this episode of “D Sustainability Issue” Dessie welcomes João Botelho. João has been working on sustainability projects with Farfetch, a Luxury Fashion online marketplace. He studied Business at WU Vienna, and has been passionate for sustainability and circular economy for a long time, having started his own initiatives such as Recycle Geeks. We talk about Positively Farfetch - Farfetch’s dedication to sustainability, which has three main focus points - Circularity, Reduction, and Consciousness. To hear all about Farfetch’s approach to sustainability and João’s personal take on the topic, join us and listen to the full interview.

LovedClothesLast Book - Orsola de Castro

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54367214-loved-clothes-last

Japanese concept wabi-sabi - repairing broken items with gold.

Recycle Geeks

https://recyclegeeks.pt/

Find Joao here

https://www.instagram.com/just_joao/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaobotelhosilva/

Positively Farfetch

https://www.farfetch.com/uk/stories/positively-farfetch.aspx

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of “D Sustainability Issue” Dessie welcomes Farah liz Pallaro. Farah is a mentor, an educator, and an author. She started her career as a fashion designer 20 years ago, and in 2009 she launched her own consultancy for trend research, brand management, and teaching. Recently she also launched her own online community platform for self-discovery, alignment, and growth. She’s collaborated with some of the most renown international brands and institutions such as DelPozo, Dolce & Gabbana, Borsalino, Luisa Via Roma, Marangoni, Coventry University and so many more.

In 2018 she published her book: “Fashion.Business.Spirituality: A call to the light workers of the fashion industry”, which is a manual for fashion professionals who want to approach their work in a more mindful way. Despite that, the wisdom and practices shared in her book are applicable to pretty much any work field. Her goal is to contribute to a more ethical and human-driven fashion industry. I talk to her about everything from the toxic fashion business environment and the industry’s ethical problems, to trauma, mental health, and healing. We discuss the most pressing problems in a society driven by fear, and how to deal with them.

Farah studied law at UCM in Madrid, Fashion Design in both Madrid and London, and most recently “Entrepreneurship and Professional mentoring” at the IOEE of London UK.

Some useful links:

Tara Mohr

https://www.taramohr.com/

Osho

https://www.osho.com/

Find Farah here:

https://www.farahlizpallaro.com/

https://www.instagram.com/farahlizpallaro

For more sustainable fashion inspiration, reach out to me on Instagram @dsustainabilityissue

In this episode of “D Sustainability Issue” Dessie welcomes founder and street style and vintage enthusiast Liisa Jokinen.

As Coco Chanel said, “Fashion comes and goes but style lasts forever.” Liisa Jokinen’s life philosophy is a full embodiment of that quote. As she says of herself, she is not into fashion at all, but into style. Style tells a story and says more about a person than any fashionable item can.

Liisa is a real street style legend, having photographed street style since back in 2005. Originally from Finnland, she now lives and works in New York. She is the creator of NYC Looks and Her Looks street style sites. Since most recently, she is the founder of Gem Vintage search app - a search engine for vintage fashion globally that you should definitely give a try. Alongside the benefits of shopping vintage and expressing yourself through it, we discuss super practical tipps for shopping successfully for vintage online. I could definitely take a few away, and I’m sure you will too. Check out the full podcast episode for all of them and our super inspiring conversation.

Find Liisa here:

[email protected]

www.Gem.app

Instagram.com/gem.search

https://nyc-looks.com/

https://hel-looks.com/

Photo by Debbie Yard

Janelle Abbot’s website:

https://janellerabbott.com/

For more sustainable fashion and mindfulness inspiration follow Dessie on Instagram here.

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of “D Sustainability Issue” Dessie welcomes Jasmin Huber, founder of the fashion rental platform WeDress Collective.

Jasmin is an expert in sustainability, circular economy, and mindful consumption. She has more than 10 years of business experience - from finance to fashion tech. Jasmin wrote her bachelor thesis about sustainability in the European fashion industry and did a master in sustainability and responsible businesses. She’s been working as a consultant and auditor at KPMG Austria, where she established the department circular economy.

In March 2020 she founded WeDressCollective - a fashion rental platform with the vision to build an ecosystem where everyone can enjoy fashion in a sustainable way. With its peer-to-peer rental system, WeDress Collective allows for consuming fashion in a sustainable way, by giving you access to a wide range of clothes and accessories while reducing your environmental footprint. In this way, you can live out your love and passion for fashion without the negative side effects of traditional shopping.

We recorded our interview about two months ago, and since Jasmin has relocated to Germany, where the company is currently expanding. WeDress’s very first campaign (which is so, so great and I cannot wait to see more of) is launching soon - at their first ever WeDress Pop-up Live Experience! Where? In Berlin, Friedrichstrasse 67, from 23 to 29 September (11am - 8pm). Great fashion, panels, music, drinks, and friends are awaiting you - make sure hot to miss it if you are around! Also, use CODE DESSIE10 for 10% off your first order on https://www.wedresscollective.com/

Find WeDress Collective on Instagram here

and Jasmin here

For more sustainable fashion and mindfulness inspiration follow Dessie on Instagram here.

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode Dessie is on a quest to find out what "Made in Europe" and "Made in EU" tags actually mean, especially since her home country Bulgaria is a large garment producer for some of the world's most luxurious brands.

The fast fashion industry relies on cheap labour countries to keep production costs for its 52 seasons of clothes a year low. This is why most of our clothes are nowadays being produced in Asia or Africa. Nevertheless, the growing number of conscious consumers are looking for more local alternatives, and this is where the "Made in Europe" label comes in. The problem with it is that it doesn't tell the whole story. According to law, the label states the country where the last "substantial transformation" of the piece has been made. It leaves out the processes before sewing a piece together, such as harvesting the cotton etc. completely out of the labelling, which is misleading. What is more, with the current fashion system and labelling laws, it is very easy to find legal loopholes through e.g. sub-contracting between factories. What can we do about this? Listen to the whole episode to find out.

Pretty Progressive article: 20 best podcasts about ethical sustainability of 2021 https://prettyprogressive.com/20-best-podcasts-about-ethical-sustainability-of-2021/

Resources

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-balkans-clothing-idUSTRE55H0DT20090618

https://www.tekstilrevolutionen.dk/project/why-the-made-in-the-eu-label-can-be-misleading/

https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/made-europe_en

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs-4/international-affairs/origin-goods/non-preferential-origin_en

Music credit

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of “D Sustainability Issue” Podcast, Dessie welcomes Alina Bassi - a Chemical Engineer turned entrepreneur with a big passion for sustainability. With seven years experience designing and building factories that turn waste into energy and biofuels, she decided to start her own venture, Kleiderly, to tackle the issue of textile waste. She has developed an award winning, patent pending solution to transform textile waste into a plastic alternative, which can be used to produce anything from furniture to clothing hangers to sunglasses. Hence Kleiderly is solving two environmental problems with one solution.

Alina is an advocate for women in STEM (Science technology, engineering, and mathematics), as well as one of the founding members of Tech In Colour, an initiative supporting female founders of colour to raise investment. More recently, she joined the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2020, in the Manufacturing and Industry category. Besides fashions’s waste problem and it’s solution, we talk about leadership, as well as mindfulness practices that support Alina as a founder.

Connect with Alina Bassi on

Instagram

LinkedIn

Find Kleiderly on

their website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but the majority are less-than-friendly to the environment and the people involved in the mining and production process. In this episode of “D Sustainability Issue” Dessie welcomes the founders of Aether (https://aetherdiamonds.com/) - the world’s first positive-impact and truly sustainable diamonds: alchemized from air and hand-set in responsibly-sourced metals.

Ryan Sherman, Co-Founder and CEO of Aether, is a mechanical engineer turned entrepreneur with a background in material science and over 10 years of experience in jewelry and tech. Early in his career, he joined David Yurman as one of the first hires on their new Men's team, where he specialized in the development and introduction of new product collections. His work touched on everything from design through to large-scale production and he was responsible for overseeing the development of some of the brand's most iconic and commercially successful collections at the time. Ryan transitioned to the tech world in 2013 when he founded his first startup, Fusar, a direct-to-consumer brand that developed tech-enabled safety products for the motorcycle market. As founder and CEO of Aether, he combines his passions for technology and jewelry with his personal mission to help solve the climate crisis. In his free time, Ryan can be found riding his motorcycle, teaching his dog new tricks, and spending time with his family.

Dan Wojno, Co-Founder and COO of Aether, has more than a decade of experience in jewelry manufacturing and product development. Dan’s jewelry career has taken him around the globe - it began in New York City, working for David Yurman, where he worked closely with Mr. Yurman to bring his designs to life and developed the $10 million Labyrinth collection — D.Y.’s largest to date. After three years in the NYC HQ, Dan moved to Bangkok, Thailand to setup David Yurman’s Asia operations. After DY Dan has served as Director of Advance Quality with Pandora in Bangkok, where he managed an international team of 60 and was responsible for the success of all new product launches. Dan was tapped to be Head of Group Quality at Pandora’s global H.Q. in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dan holds a Masters of Engineering and Management from Case Western Reserve University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University. After nearly seven years abroad, Dan is thrilled to be back in the U.S. with his wife and dog and welcoming his first child in 2021.

Follow Aether on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook here:

https://www.instagram.com/aetherdiamonds/

https://twitter.com/aetherdiamonds

https://www.facebook.com/aetherdiamonds/

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Iris Skrami was born and raised in Milan, Italy. She started out her career in digital and innovation at various multinational companies including Luxottica, NIKE, and PVH, because of which she relocated to the Netherlands. In February 2020, Iris co-founded Renoon (https://renoon.com/), the smartest tool for finding sustainable clothing from multiple websites at once. Since its launch, Renoon has been recognised on a global scale as a top10 startup by FemaleFounders and Startupbootcamp, as well as having received investments from industry veterans including the ex CIO of Gucci, CTO of Yoox, CFO of Moleskine and ex MD of Spotify Southern EU.
In 2020, Iris was selected as one of the top70 ‘pioneers of the new world’ according to Sifted (Financial Times) and was on the Forbes Under 30 Italy 2021 list.

Iris is also part of the Leaders for Climate Action community, which works to bring together climate-conscious leaders. Her commitment to a more conscious lifestyle also reflects in her personal life – she is a certified yoga instructor with a Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJQZvtgu53VboDNCyL5qxbA) which has generated over 10 million views.

We talk about her Startup Renoon - a platform that helps you shop more sustainably on multiple websites online. We break down the tool, the business model behind it, and how it can help shift the industry towards more sustainability, how does the team define sustainability and what does this mean for the products you find on the platform. We also touch upon her passion for yoga, and how this journey has influenced her career.

Follow Iris on Instagram here

Follow Renoon on Instagram here and check out the app here and in the app store.

Check out Feedspot and the “Top 30 sustainable fashion podcasts in 2021” here (https://blog.feedspot.com/sustainable_fashion_podcasts/)

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode Dessie welcomes Janice Sommer - a model, podcast host, sustainability activist and sustainable business growth strategist. She is half German, half Singaporean, and has a MA in International Relations and Economics from the University of St Andrews. After a few years of corporate finance life, she completely switched careers to start working creatively as a model, podcaster and in the field of social entrepreneurship. She is passionate about finding smart solutions to help make the world of fashion more sustainable. In order to explore these topics, she founded and is the host of the podcast and blog "In Conscious Conversation" (https://www.inconsciousconversation.com/), which features interviews with the founders of sustainable fashion brands that are transparent across their entire supply chain, and make a real social impact. She is also part of Model Mafia (https://www.instagram.com/modelactivist/), an organization that fights for a fairer, safer, and more inclusive fashion industry. Janice is particularly excited about community-led entrepreneurship and innovation, and enabling sustainability-focused entrepreneurs and founders to learn from each other and tell their stories. They talk about career switches, what is it to be a model activist, and how to take better everyday fashion choices.

In this episode Dessie welcomes Joanna Dai, founder and CEO of innovative womenswear brand DAI. Dai delivers comfort-empowered performance for the modern woman, designing at the intersection of eco-certified technical fabrics, minimal aesthetics, timeless silhouettes, and purposeful versatility. The brand is committed to empowering women and making positive environmental and social impact. Since launch in 2017, Dai has been on a tremendous growth trajectory and is a pioneer in sustainable materials innovation, tech-enabled fit and e-commerce experience.

Joanna is a US expat based in London and was previously an investment banker for 8 years at J.P. Morgan in New York and London. She graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and hails from Southern California which could explain her obsession with comfort and ease.

Check out DAI’s website here: https://daiwear.com/

Follow DAI on:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dai/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/daiwear.official

Twitter https://twitter.com/daiwear

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.fr/daiwear/_saved/

Follow Joanna Dai on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/joannadai/

Follow D Sustainability Issue on Instagram here for more sustainable fashion inspiration: https://www.instagram.com/dsustainabilityissue/

Music credit:

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/