Conscious Chatter With Kestrel Jenkins

In episode 194, Kestrel welcomes Shahidha Bari, author of Dressed: A Philosophy Of Clothes, to the show. A Professor of Fashion Cultures and Histories at the London College of Fashion and a fellow of the Forum for European Philosophy at London School of Economics, Shahidha is dedicated to contributing a discourse around fashion to the philosophy field. “I feel like there has to be some sort of intellectual, cultural shift about the way that we regard our clothes— the forms of attention we give them — not just in how we buy, but how we think about them as artifacts: artifacts that have passed through many hands before they come to our own and artifacts that are expressive of our humanity.” -Shahidha Bari, Author of Dressed: A Philosophy Of Clothes On this week’s show, Shahidha shares more on her background and how her unique experiences with dressing throughout her childhood along with her synesthesia have influenced the work that she does today. While Shahidha was writing her book, Dressed: A Philosophy of C

In episode 193, Kestrel welcomes James Bartle, the Founding CEO of Outland Denim, to the show. Outland crafts premium denim jeans designed to bring the worlds of their seamstresses and their customers closer together. They made history as the first-ever denim brand to win the Thomson Reuters Stop Slavery Award in 2020. “It’s like they absorb history — they’re kind of like a song where they take you back to a memory and it’s for that reason that you don’t throw out a beautiful, premium pair of jeans even when they’re worn out — you want to leave them in your cupboard because of those memories that are associated with that product. And again, I think that’s what gives it so much power in being able to impact people.” -James Bartle, Founding CEO of Outland Denim On this week’s show, James shares more on how he went from being a freestyle motorbike rider to building a denim brand, after learning more deeply about the realities of human trafficking. James also shares that with Outland Denim’s model, their seamstr

In episode 192, Kestrel welcomes Brian Bushell, the cofounder of By Humankind, to the show. A personal care brand, By Humankind’s products are designed to reduce single-use plastic waste from your daily routine. “We really wanted to be able to make an impact — we wanted to allow our customers to truly reduce their own single-use plastic waste function just by going through their morning routine.” -Brian Bushell, Cofounder of By Humankind On this week’s show, Brian shares more on how a scuba diving trip initially inspired him to look further into the global issues surrounding single-use plastic waste. When he discovered that one third of all plastic waste in landfills comes from a personal care product, he saw a need to build a personal care brand that not only cared about creating clean formulas, but also clean containers. Brian explains how he started with one idea — to make a natural deodorant — and worked with a chemist to see if he could build a good product. After working on this for six months, and rea

In episode 191, Kestrel welcomes Kimberley Smith, the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Everlane, to the show. Known for their messaging around radical transparency, Everlane prides themselves on building timeless products that are designed to last. “We can be better — I mean we’re not perfect in any way. It doesn’t happen overnight, and I think that’s something that — our customer, just be patient, but we are listening … we really admire them, and we really want their feedback. And so, I think that that’s important for them to continue to challenge us.” On this week’s show, Kim shares more on her background, and how she found her way into the sustainable fashion world. She also walks us through more on how Everlane’s product has evolved over the years, starting with a focus on natural materials, and now evolving toward more sustainable materials and solutions. Kestrel asks Kim to respond to a petition that nonprofit Remake authored on Change.org, called “Ask Everlane To Share Worker Conditions (And Stop Greenwa

In episode 190, Kestrel welcomes Erin Flynn, the CEO of Cladwell, to the show. A personal styling app, Cladwell allows users to add in their clothes (without taking photos) and it will generate daily outfits personalized for their weather. ”I would go to my closet and say the same thing which is, I have too many clothes and nothing to wear, which was ridiculous because I had over 450 items hanging in my closet — so, there was no reason that I should have nothing to wear.” -Erin Flynn, CEO of Cladwell On this week’s show, Erin shares more on how the financial crisis got her originally into fashion blogging and entrepreneurship. Also, she explains how she first got connected with Cladwell, and eventually decided to purchase it to have more autonomy over the gradual growth of the company. Kestrel and Erin talk a lot about personal style and finding ways to appreciate the clothes we already have. For Erin, she believes that if you don’t understand your personal style, it’s difficult to build a closet that you lo

In episode 189, Kestrel welcomes Clarenda "Farmer Cee" Stanley, a fifth generation farmer, to the show. In addition to being the CEO of Green Heffa Farms, a medicinal plant and hemp farm in Liberty, North Carolina, Cee is also a senior principal gifts officer at The Nature Conservancy's World Office. ”We hustle, and the reason for that is being a black-owned farm, a black woman-owned farm — I mean, you gotta look at the numbers: 96% of all private farm land is white-owned — that leaves 4% for everybody else.” -Farmer Cee, CEO of Green Heffa Farms On this week’s show, Cee shares more on what led her eventually back to farming, after having grown up on a farm as a child. She also highlights more on the extreme discrepancy that still exists within agriculture today, and how 96% of all private farm land is white-owned. For Cee, beyond farming, it’s also important for her to provide education to black women and women of color who are interested in learning more about growing. Kestrel asks Cee to outline more on w

In episode 188, Kestrel welcomes Adriana Galijasevic, the Denim and Sustainability Expert at G-Star RAW, back to the show, alongside Sofie Schop, G-Star RAW’s Sustainability Director. Less than 2 years since the last time G-Star RAW came on the show, this conversation provides an opportunity to check in on the brand and how far they’ve come with their sustainability goals. ”It’s a journey of continuous improvement, and always looking for the solutions. And we always look at these challenges as actually enablers of new design, rather than looking at them as barriers or obstacles to what we do.” -Adriana Galijasevic, Denim + Sustainability Expert at G-Star RAW On this week’s show, Adriana and Sofie share more on G-Star RAW’s recently updated denim icons. Basically, they took their iconic styles that have been selling well, and applied their circular principles to these designs. 100% recyclable, these styles have received the highest denim product certification yet issued by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovat

In episode 187, Kestrel welcomes Dana Thomas, the author of Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, to the show. A regular contributor to The New York Times Style section, Dana has also written for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar, among others. She was recently named the editor-at-large for Vogue Business, which is based out of London. “They’re saying from day 1 — no, we’re going to start our company with this zero-waste idea, as opposed to trying to change it. And I think that they’re the ones that are going to survive and the old dinosaurs who are stuck in their ways — they’re going to go down, they’re going to go down hard — big and hard.” -Dana Thomas, Author of Fashionopolis On this week’s show, Dana shares more on how she got started in the fashion industry working as a model in the 1970s. After leaving modeling to get an education to pursue a career in journalism, Dana found herself back i

In episode 186, Kestrel welcomes creative consultant, writer, author and photographer Olivia Lopez to the show. Known for her aesthetics-driven Instagram presence and design-travel-and-fashion blog Lust For Life, Olivia is also the founder of Bon Weekender, an art and objects shop featuring vintage sourced from around the world. She also recently published her book “Lust for Los Angeles: A Cultural Guide to LA”. “I’m spending so much more time investing in dance classes and all these other things that just provide a richer experience … I feel like that feels more sustainable than shopping … before, shopping was the ultimate form of entertainment, but you know — after I attain a garment, that’s pretty much it.” -Olivia Lopez, Founder of Lust For Life + Bon Weekender On this week’s show, Olivia shares more on how she started her blog way back in high school, and how she grew up in a unique era, where digital hadn’t yet become the powerhouse that it is today. Also, Olivia talks about what vintage has meant to h

In episode 185, Kestrel welcomes Amanda Parkes, the Chief Innovations Officer at Pangaia, to the show. A materials science company, Pangaia is on a mission to save our environment. “We are moving into the bioeconomy, which is this very notion that biomass is at the base of both agriculture, materials and energy. So, we can think about the circle and the interchange between all of those systems — it’s the basis of the true circular economy.” -Amanda Parkes, Chief Innovations Officer at Pangaia On this week’s show, Amanda shares more on her multidisciplinary background, and how she’s found a way to bridge her expertise in science, tech, and art with her work at Pangaia. She talks about the unique attributes of Pangaia’s business model — how they bring together scientists, technologists, and designers in their work; and the way they make an R&D plan that goes 8 years out, which no fashion companies are doing today. Additionally, Amanda breaks down more on Pangaia’s newest innovation — FLWRDWN™, what it’s re

In episode 184, Kestrel welcomes Kelly Phenicie + Ellen Saville, the cofounders of The Endery, to the show. A brand born in Lima, Peru, The Endery plays with color using quality fibers to create lifelong knits that would otherwise have become waste. “And just the whole manufacturing system has always been built around making what you need or want, rather than using what already exists. So, it is a lot of work to get people to think and work differently. There’s certainly not a blueprint for using deadstock, so we really just have to learn as we go.” -Kelly Phenicie, Cofounder of The Endery On this week’s show, Kelly and Ellen share more about how their work in the knitwear industry led them to want to find a creative way to address the excess and leftovers building up around them. Ellen breaks down some of the reasons why for The Endery, they believe alpaca is one of the most sustainable fibers. Also, Kestrel, Kelly and Ellen discuss what makes a garment last in your wardrobe, and whether colorful designs ca

In episode 183, Kestrel welcomes Megan Villa, the cofounder and creative content director of Svn Space, to the show. A female-focused multimedia platform, Svn Space is dedicated to educating the mainstream on the lifestyle benefits of Hemp, and how the plant can feed you, house you, clothe you, heal you and beautify you. “We were kind of dumbfounded when we realized how incredible hemp is — you know, it has over 25,000 known uses. Like our motto is: hemp is a plant that can feed you, house you, clothe you and heal you, which is pretty incredible that one plant can do all of that.” -Megan Villa, Cofounder + Creative Content Director of Svn Space On this week’s show, Megan breaks down more on why she and her cofounders are pushing to rebrand hemp, and give it a modern facelift. On their platform, they strive to showcase clear, easy-to-digest information, in an effort to “reverse stigmas, reveal the truth, and modernize the perception of this often-misunderstood plant”. In addition to sharing some of the 25,000

In episode 182, Kestrel welcomes Brian Linton, the founder of United By Blue, to the show. A sustainable apparel brand, United By Blue removes one pound of trash from U.S. oceans and waterways for every product sold. “This year, we’ll have sold over a million products for the first time, and we’ll pick up, therefore, over a million pounds of trash next year.” -Brian Linton, Founder of United By Blue On this week’s show, Brian shares more on what led him to have such an interest in ocean conservation from a young age. Turns out, he wasn’t hanging out on the beach, hiking in the woods, or spending tons of time outdoors — he was spending time in his bedroom with his 30 fish tanks, learning about the importance of clean water for their survival. Kestrel and Brian also talk about how much United By Blue has evolved over the last decade since they launched, and what they are focusing on moving forward. One of UBB’s newest initiatives is the #QuitSingleUsePlastic pledge, where they are working to remove plastic fro

In episode 181, Kestrel welcomes New York-based author, journalist, and expert on consumer culture, fast fashion, sustainability and labor rights, Elizabeth Cline, back to the show. You may already know of Elizabeth from her widely read book, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion; and she recently released a follow-up book called The Conscious Closet: A Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good. “The book in a lot of ways is very informed by moving away from fast fashion — so, really remembering that clothing is not a disposable good, because it just requires too many resources and too much energy to create.” - Elizabeth Cline, Author of Overdressed + The Conscious Closet On this week’s show, Elizabeth shares with us what she’s been working on, as well as her perspective on how much the fashion industry has shifted, since the last time she was on the show, almost 4 years ago. Kestrel + Elizabeth dive into some of the inspiration and details about her new book, The Conscious Closet

In episode 180, Kestrel welcomes Kat + Ryan Huston. the cofounders of Huston Textile Company, to the show. With a focus on making high quality, small-batch cloth, Huston Textile Company uses vintage American-made machines in their manufacturing process. “The main concept for me, at least as a kid, that I took away was — you can’t expect to have a manufacturing job in the U.S. if you’re constantly buying things that are manufactured outside of the U.S.” - Ryan Huston, Cofounder of Huston Textile Company On this week’s show, Kat and Ryan share more on their backstory, and how anticipating the birth of their first child was what instigated them to go down this path of manufacturing textiles in the United States. They also explain more on the sorts of challenges they face on a regular basis, going against the grain, and using vintage machines. For Kat + Ryan, the goal is the build out an entirely local / region textile chain from the fiber to the finished textile, and while they are able to source some fibers in

In episode 179, Kestrel welcomes Maya Spaul Johnson, the Vice President of Apparel and Home Goods at Fair Trade USA, to the show. Certifying and promoting fair trade products, Fair Trade USA enables sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, fishermen, consumers, industry, and the earth. “I joined Fair Trade in 2004 — like 7% of people knew what Fair Trade was in the surveys we would do and the marketing testing, and now we’re over 60% of people in North America recognize that Fair Trade label.” - Maya Spaul, VP of Apparel and Home Goods at Fair Trade USA On this week’s show, Maya shares more on her background and how ethnobotany eventually led her to Fair Trade. She also guides us through a bit of history on Fair Trade USA, and how much the organization has grown and evolved over the last 21 years. Also, Maya shares more on where we are at today with shopper recognition of the Fair Trade label. Kestrel + Maya talk abou

In episode 178, Kestrel welcomes Tina Hedges, the founder of LOLI Beauty, to the show. Short for “Living Organic Loving Ingredients,” LOLI is the first ZERO Waste beauty brand that is completely waterless and uses food grade reusable containers and compostable plastic to package their products. “I had a crisis of consciousness. I said to myself, wow — for 15 years, in the big corporate beauty world, my whole job was to come up with ideas of products, develop them, position them, and convince you that this was the holy grail, and then whatever ingredient I was talking about in that product was going to transform your skin and your life.” - Tina Hedges, Founder of LOLI Beauty On this week’s show, Tina shares more on her background in the corporate beauty industry, as well as how growing up in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica influenced her beliefs around the ingredients we use in products. She also shares more on what led her to build LOLI, and what she felt like was missing from the mainstream beauty market. For

In episode 177, Kestrel welcomes Elizabeth Paton, a reporter for The New York Times Styles section, to the show. Covering the fashion and luxury sectors in Europe, Lizzie’s writing focuses on business, tech and sustainability, along with Fashion Week coverage from London, Milan and Paris. “For me, it’s about being fair in my reporting, but it’s also about not being afraid of blowback from a brand for writing the truth.” - Elizabeth Paton, Reporter For New York Times Style On this week’s show, Lizzie shares more on her background, and how she originally planned to be a lawyer, but the recession among other events led her to become a fashion journalist. Kestrel + Lizzie also dive deeper into some of her articles on The New York Times, including her writing about whether using prison labor in fashion supply chains can be ethical, and her questions around the new Fashion Pact. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Vanessa Friedman, Fashion Director for The New York Times, who

In episode 176, Kestrel welcomes Brianna Kilcullen, a sustainability and supply chain expert + the founder of ANACT, to the show. A brand new sustainable towel company, ANACT is all about taking simple acts to make an impact. “I chose hemp because it has these natural performance features that don’t need any manipulation with putting a chemical or a treatment or a finish on it. And so it made sense to me to use earth’s natural resources to solve these problems.” - Brianna Kilcullen, Founder of ANACT On this week’s show, Brianna shares more on her journey into sustainability, and how she built her own role at Under Armour, to become the first full-time sustainability employee on their team. She also walks us through the inspiration behind ANACT — basically, her search for a solution for smelly towels. :) Brianna explains several of the superpowers of hemp, and where we are currently in the United States when it comes to the industrialization of hemp. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up i

In episode 175, Kestrel welcomes Sloane, the founder and makers behind Eliza Sloane Jewelry, to the show. Handcrafting jewelry for over 7 years, and collecting crystals and sea glass for over 20, Sloane is a master maker, and creates all of her cast pieces for Eliza Sloane Jewelry from recycled metals. “I just think that not boxing ourselves in or pigeon-holing ourselves too much — that’s just what ultimate creative freedom is.” - Sloane, Founder + Maker Behind Eliza Sloane Jewelry On this week’s show, Sloane shares more of her journey, and how an internship sourcing vintage gems in New York City motivated her to build an Etsy shop, and eventually inspired her to start making her own jewelry. Sloane dives into more on how surfing inspires her creative work, and vice versa — and how they seem to feed each other consistently, helping her maintain a fluidity in both her lifestyle and creative work. Kestrel and Sloane also chat about the idea of scaling, how complicated it can be, and the challenges that come wi