Conscious Chatter With Kestrel Jenkins

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

In episode 280, Kestrel welcomes Nadia Bunyan, a fashion designer & the cofounder of Growing A.R.C., to the show. Growing A.R.C. is a nonprofit that creates spaces and opportunities for people to activate, reciprocate and cultivate their relationships with all beings. Through plants, material culture, and bioregional design, they are engaging in a conversation on sustainability through active participation. What started as an experiment – tossing some flax seeds into the ground in the backyard, has now led to the creation of a community-oriented nonprofit, that’s using the concept of farm to closet to shift peoples’ mindset on consumption; reinforcing their connection to the local environment and expanding their understanding of biodiversity to include the diversity of human perspectives, and experiences from diverse communities (because while we are trained otherwise, yes – we, humans, are also a part of nature). Nadia gives us an education on the need to try new things, to jump in without the fear of ma

In episode 279, Kestrel welcomes Jono Salfield, the cofounder of Afends, to the show. A sustainability-focused brand based in Byron Bay, Australia, Afends recently started their own Hemp R&D facility – Sleepy Hollow Farm — delving into farming to grow their own hemp for future collections. “Sustainability is just an evolution and being more innovative and looking at alternatives and trying things, to basically improve the way that we impact. Because we’re always gonna impact. And if you say that you’re not impacting, then you’re lying, really.” -Jono We’ve definitely explored HEMP on past shows. We’ve explored the challenges in cultivating the fiber commercially, due to legislation that prevented that for the last century or so. We’ve talked about the many uses of the plant – from feeding to housing to healing to clothing you.   And this week, we’re talking about how to actually GROW THE PLANT for fiber production.  Our guest, Jono, is the cofounder of an Australia-based brand, Afends, and now, you could

In episode 279, Kestrel welcomes Shubhi Sachan, a multidisciplinary designer and the the founder of Material Library of India, to the show. A research and design space, Material Library of India is the first material library in India, and is focused on remodeling the use of industrial & agricultural waste materials, by combining the knowledge and skills of traditional crafts with modern materials. "We are not talking about waste holistically. And to be able to get the best output in my experience when you’re working with recycling or post-consumer for any industry (not just picking on textile industry), you have to think about system change, because the more marriages you make while making that particular product or a material, the more complex the recycling cycle is. And the more complicated the recycling cycle is, the more difficult it is to get anything out of that, at the end of life.” -Shubhi When we talk about *textile industry waste* – what comes to mind? For me, it’s fabric piling up, off-cuts sca

In episode 277, Kestrel welcomes Jesus Herrera — a model, clothing designer, vintage curator, and poet — to the show. Also known by their moniker Donatella because of their Instagram handle @donatellaversanchez, Jesus is the cofounder of the vintage jesus online store and Les Jesus fashion brand. “I’ve also brought space to my partnerships. I’ve also brought an understanding that I should not interfere and I should not demand from a culture that has existed for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years in one specific way, just because I have a purpose or just because I have a need or just because I have a goal in mind. My purpose, my need and my goal are my own. But my purpose and my need and my goal should not interfere with somebody else’s happiness, with their way of life, with how they think that the best quality of life is lived or led.” -Jesus Have you ever noticed the way that certain garments are valued more than others? Or the way that some craftsmanship styles are aligned with couture or exceptiona

In episode 276, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Dion Terrelonge, a chartered psychologist, to the show. A researcher and stylist, Dion’s work explores the connection between clothes and human expression. “We live so much of our lives in clothing and we experience the highest points and the lowest points of our lives often in clothing. So, I really do think the stories and the relationships are there, but what has happened, I believe, is with fast fashion and online shopping, is because there is so much clothing being pumped out, this endless conveyor belt of clothes, that we don’t really have as much time to build relationships with our clothing.” -Dion When you think about shopping, what feelings come up for you?  One emotion that tends to surface for a lot of us is HAPPINESS. We have come to a place where we often align the act of shopping with a state of happiness.  I mean, I can definitely understand the alignment between shopping and emotions. As Dion reminds us, there have been a lot of narratives that have reinfo

In episode 275, Kestrel welcomes Liz Ricketts (the cofounder and Director of The Or Foundation), alongside Sammy Oteng (a fashion designer, researcher, and the Community Design Lab Manager at The Or Foundation), to the show. A nonprofit based in the USA and Ghana, The Or Foundation’s primary goal is to catalyze what they call a justice-led circular economy. “What’s so unfair about what fast fashion has done is that it’s created a situation where every single garment that’s created, whether it was from me or from Sammy or if it’s upcycled or recycled — it’s still waste until proven otherwise, because we just have so much excess in circulation right now, and it’s just very unfair to anyone who’s trying to do the right thing.” -Liz Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Before we get into it, there’s one thing I want to contextualize. And it’s probably something you’ve heard about - maybe something you’ve even heard a lot about recently. That thing is – Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR. EPR policy would i

In episode 274, Kestrel welcomes Michelle Zhu, the CEO & cofounder of Huue, to the show. In an effort to replace toxic chemical dyes in apparel, Huue are developing biosynthetic dyes — their initial focus is to provide an alternative to synthetic indigo. “We are creating a biosynthetic solution that is a one-to-one drop-in replacement into the textile supply chain. We’re creating these bio-identicals that can minimize the footprint of production of these dyes and pigments, but without disrupting the supply chain process that is required to make the authentic look and feel of denim that everybody knows and loves.” -Michelle Zhu Are you familiar with biosynthetics? If so, do you understand what they are or how they operate? So often terms like this get thrown around in the *sustainability* space, without a lot of context or definitions. They are assumed to fall into the good box or the bad box, when yet again – there is a lot more information needed to understand the bigger picture. So, here’s the super bas

In episode 273, Kestrel welcomes Kesiena Onosigho, a textile and mixed-media artist, to the show. Through the study of materials and patterns, Kesiena intuitively explores textiles and a range of media to create atmospheric abstractions focused on intersectionality, as coined by Kimberle Crenshaw, engaging in themes of social & environmental justice. “My work really is about reclaiming and retelling these narratives around Black cultural contributions to textiles and crafts and sustainability. And really dedicating my work to uplifting and centering Black women in particular, but Black people in general, their work and their history across the African diaspora.” -Kesiena This week’s guest is a natural dyer, a knitter, a botanical ink-maker and beyond. An exceptional textile and mixed media artist, Kesiena’s work is grounded in historical context and lived experiences, and focused on themes around social and environmental justice. Growing up within a very matriarchal family, surrounded by a community of Bl

In episode 272, Kestrel welcomes Angela Weinberg, the cofounder of Kolorete, to the show. A luxury color cosmetics brand, KOLORETE is focused on creating hydrating lipsticks made with organic ingredients. “Lip balms and lip products are traditionally very underregulated. So, when we think of this organic, consumerism ecosystem and conversation, what do we usually think about? I think we usually think about food … it’s less common, less mainstream to think about how the lipstick that we apply to our lips or even the makeup we apply to our face — you know, our skin is an organ, and especially with lipstick, it’s connected to our mouth so we can really consume lipstick the same way we would consume our food.” This week, we’re talking lipstick … that oh-so-fun tint so many of us don our lips with.  Taking a step back — you could say lipstick is popular. According to Allied Market Research, the lipstick market size was valued at $8.2 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach $12.5 billion by 2026. But just like fa