Conscious Chatter With Kestrel Jenkins

In episode 174, Kestrel welcomes Rachel Faller, the founder of Tonlé, as well as Sreyoun, the General Manager of Tonlé’s production operations in Cambodia, to the show. A zero waste, ethical fashion brand, Tonlé is on a big mission, to reduce waste generated by larger factories and change the way business is done in the fashion industry. “Lots of people define zero waste in different ways, and for us, it’s basically about reducing the waste that’s already being created in the fashion industry, and using every piece of our own waste.” - Rachel Faller, Founder of Tonlé On this week’s show, Rachel shares more on her journey, and how a Fulbright fellowship to Cambodia helped plant the seeds for her to build Tonlé. Also, we explore more in depth what zero waste means to the brand, and how for Tonlé, it naturally overlaps with their approach to manufacturing, and addressing social issues. Sreyoun, the General Manager of Tonlé’s production operations in Cambodia, also shares how she started working with Tonlé, orig

In episode 173, Kestrel welcomes Ethan Song, the cofounder of Frank and Oak, to the show. Inspired by ethical and sustainable thinking and with an eye to the future, Frank And Oak has set out to create clothing that is made for good living. “So I think that for us, the idea is actually to create a deeper relationship with our customers, and make sure that we really understand them before we create something.” On this week’s show, Ethan shares more on how his entrepreneurial dreams led him to the fashion industry, and how Frank and Oak was initially the response to he and his cofounder not being able to find brands that shared their values. Also, Ethan dives into what sustainability really means to Frank and Oak, and how for them, it’s about: first —minimizing impact, second — restore. Kestrel asks Ethan to comment on sustainability when it comes to subscription box services. For Ethan and Frank and Oak, they believe their subscription service can help them learn more about their shoppers, and in turn, produc

In episode 172, Kestrel welcomes Jen Long, the CEO and Creative Director of Noble Carriage, to the show. A thoughtfully curated store, Noble Carriage offers a collection of organic & sustainably made baby goods. “I think as a new mom, you’re told that you need to buy all of these things — that you need all of these things to make raising your child easier or just to survive, and I don’t believe that. I think you need fewer, better things.” -Jen Long, CEO of Noble Carriage On this week’s show, Jen shares more on what led her to starting her own curated shop for little ones. She also talks about how she thinks sustainability as a lifestyle can really start with moms, as they are already tuned into starting fresh and doing whatever they can to provide a safe, healthy environment for their babies. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Watch more on Noble Carriage’s story > “You need to lead with good design — good design I think can change the world. I felt like that was

In episode 171, Kestrel welcomes Anabel Maldonado, the founder of The Psychology of Fashion™, to the show. A platform that explores why we wear what we wear, and the relationships between emotions, personality and aesthetic, The Psychology of Fashion™ also examines current issues in the fashion industry through the lens of psychology. “You know, if we get away from this sort of like trends just because, buy it because all these people have it — if we think about who we are, why we like what we like, the way that fashion actually can be powerful for us, I think we’re going to buy less but buy better, and invest in things because we’re sure.” -Anabel Maldonado, Founder of The Psychology of Fashion™ On this show, Anabel shares more on her background, and how she has fused her interests to build The Psychology Of Fashion™. When she realized she wanted to build this platform and write about these topics together, she started a research project, to develop a framework to better talk about fashion through the lens

In episode 170, Kestrel welcomes Nicole Rattner, the founder of Sourcery The Label, to the show. A brand focused on cleaning up fashion with beautifully designed, naturally sourced garments, Sourcery is known for their Innovative Machine Washable silk. “I think it’s important that we start to offer the customer, the consumer, something that works for her too, and invite her into this world of sustainability through better functionality. So, for me, a washable silk kind of did both of those things.” -Nicole Rattner, Founder of Sourcery The Label On this week’s show, Nicole shares more on her past experiences working in design and textile development with larger brands like Victoria’s Secret, Polo Ralph Lauren, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom and others. Through working on more of a global scale with these bigger brands, Nicole started to realize that, as the designer, she had a larger responsibility to start working to clean up fashion. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: “60

In episode 169, Kestrel welcomes Adam Taubenfligel, the designer + creative director at Triarchy, to the show. An LA-based sustainable denim brand, Triarchy has a focus on conserving water, and reducing the massive consumption that is typically used to make jeans. “We’re trying to be as sustainable as possible, but then, if we bring something to market that’s not giving you those things you love about the jeans that hold you in and do all this stuff, then they won’t sell, and then you’re not running a business. And so, you have to also remember this is a business and not a not-for-profit sustainable thing.” -Adam Taubenfligel, Creative Director + Cofounder of Triarchy On this week’s show, Adam shares more on what led him from film to fashion, and how he discovered the destructive nature of the apparel industry. He also elaborates on how he believes mindfulness could be the key to transforming the fashion industry. After being on a month-long Instagram cleanse, Adam describes the power in disconnecting, when

In episode 168, Kestrel welcomes Erin Wallace, the brand director at thredUp, to the show. The world’s largest tech-powered resale marketplace, ThredUp’s platform gives you the chance to buy and sell high-quality secondhand clothes. “I mean if everyone in the U.S. bought just 1 item used instead of new this year, it would save around 6 billion pounds of carbon emissions, which is the equivalent of taking half a million cars off the road for an entire year.” -Erin Wallace, Brand Director at thredUp On this week’s show, Erin shares more on how the secondhand world brought her into the sustainability conversation — she got her start working at Crossroads years ago. We also chat about the thrill of the hunt when it comes to secondhand, and how we both got into thrift shopping, in search of those extra special pieces that nobody else would have. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: thredUp processes up to 100,000 items per day At this time, thredUp lists over 2 million uniqu

In episode 167, Kestrel welcomes Chrissie Lam, the founder of the Love Is Project, to the show. Connecting people around the world through a universal message of LOVE, the Love Is Project empowers artisan communities through an ethical supply chain. “There’s sometimes a lot of negative media and portrayals of people, and I wanted to show the positivity and humanize people. And I think the word love is very universal and it connects people.” -Chrissie Lam, Founder of Love Is Project On this week’s show, Chrissie shares more on her past adventures, and how she came up with this random idea to ask people what love means to them while on a flight to Russia. This led her to continue asking this question to strangers all over the world throughout her travels. Chrissie also shares more on how quickly the Love Is Project has evolved since the beginning. After starting in Kenya almost 5 years ago, the brand has now grown through their “pay it forward” social enterprise model, to be working with artisans in 10 differe

In episode 166, Kestrel welcomes Marielle Elizabeth, a body positive blogger, writer, photographer + self-proclaimed social media monster, to the show. A standout Instagrammer, Marielle is also known for her #slowfashionforall hashtag and blog Something Copper. “The conversation of ethical fashion already comes from a place of immense privilege, and if we are not making space for everyone, we are failing.” -Marielle Elizabeth, Founder of Something Copper On this week’s show, Marielle shares more on her slow fashion journey, and how it was inspired at a young age by a cool, local shop in the town she grew up in. She also dives into more on the idea that revolutions must be inclusive. As Marielle said in an interview with Clothed In Abundance, “Revolutions are for everyone and the biggest disservice we can do is to make it exclusive.” Marielle reveals some of the results from the Size Inclusive Survey that she hosted through her Instagram in March 2019, and how she intends to utilize these numbers to help chal

In episode 165, Kestrel welcomes Brendan Synnott, the CEO of Pact Apparel, to the show. Offering head-to-toe basics, Pact believes in crafting clothing differently: sustainable materials, kindness toward humans and the softest clothing you’ll want on every layer. “If I wanted to change everything in my wardrobe — if I just changed everything to organic cotton, how much more is that really going to cost me? And it turns out it’s not that much, and what impact does that make.” -Brendan Synnott, CEO of Pact On this week’s show, Brendan shares more on what originally got him interested in the health movement, and how impactful it was for him to see his grandfather shift his diet after being diagnosed with heart disease. Also, Brendan shares more on Pact’s supply chain, and how they grow, spin, knit and sew their organic cotton garments in Fair Trade factories in India. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Bear Naked, granola company Brendan built and sold to Kellog’s Evol F

In episode 164, Kestrel welcomes Cayley Pater, the founder of Made Trade, to the show. An online marketplace, Made Trade curates artfully-designed, ethically-sourced goods that put people and our planet first, and they are on a mission to become the ultimate destination for conscious consumers who love design. “We love to shoot on bright, fun colors and to celebrate diversity in that way. Color is a big part of cultural representation.” -Cayley Pater, Founder of Made Trade On this week’s show, Cayley shares more on her background and what got her interested in the sustainability, and heritage conversations. Turns out, for her — language was her entry point. Having studied linguistics, and speaking multiple languages, Cayley was exposed to the power of sustainable business through some of her experiences abroad, that her interest in language originally connected her to. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Symbology, Cayley’s friend was launching this company nearby in Jai

In episode 163, Kestrel welcomes Mary Alice Duff, the founder of Alice Alexander, to the show. A size-inclusive, ethically and sustainably made womenswear brand, Alice Alexander is on a mission to radically change the fashion industry to one that is inclusive of ALL BODIES and is respectful of people and the planet. “It’s still the vision and our mission — when someone is shopping on our website, that they feel seen. And to not get the feeling that I got when I went shopping before I had my own brand, and all I saw were thin white women whose bodies looked nothing like mine, and it was very clear that this isn’t the place for me.” -Mary Alice Duff, Founder Alice Alexander On this week’s show, Mary Alice shares more on what led her to quit her reliable job as a social worker, and instead start a fashion brand. She also takes us back and shares more on the early stages of Alice Alexander, which until last year, involved working out of her home — cutting and sewing with her tiny team on her family’s kitchen tab

In episode 162, Kestrel welcomes Sarah Spellings, a fashion writer for New York Magazine’s The Cut. Having been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and CBS New York, among others, Sarah’s recent writing about sustainable fashion and going fast fashion free in 2018 has generated an array of interest. “A lot of my friends were like, ‘you’re no fun to shop with anymore.’ And she was like, ok, it’s the end of the year — basically, are you going to be fun again? And I was like ‘no, it’s a lifestyle change.’ And that’s what I realized is that it is more of a lifestyle change.” -Sarah Spellings, writer for New York Magazine’s The Cut On this week’s show, Sarah shares more on what she learned throughout her fast fashion free year. She talks about how she started the pledge writing about “what she was wearing instead”, but quickly realized that it wasn’t actually about buying — it was more about not buying, buying less, reusing and recycling. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:

In episode 161, Kestrel welcomes Brittany Sierra, the founder of the Sustainable Fashion Forum, to the show. A PR and marketing strategist by trade, Brittany has a deep passion for creating community and building connections, and she just recently produced the 3rd annual Sustainable Fashion Forum in Portland. “You know, when I created the event, it wasn’t as me, this expert, who knew so much and wanted to share it with everyone. It was more of me wanting to create a place where if you’re interested in this, you can come and learn from people who I felt were the experts.” -Brittany Sierra, Founder of The Sustainable Fashion Forum On this week’s show, Brittany shares more on her background in PR and marketing, and how that led her to working with fashion designers and creatives. After going to a sustainable fashion show event in Portland, Brittany got really interested in the idea of sustainable fashion, and so in order to learn more about it, she ended up creating an event — The Sustainable Fashion Forum. Pro

In episode 160, Kestrel welcomes Nathalia JMag, the designer behind her eponymous label, to the show. Nathalia is a luminary at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and was part of Project Runway Season 15. In addition to running her made-to-order brand Nathalia JMag, she is currently finishing her Masters degree at RISD in Nature Culture and Sustainability. “Overall, fashion needs to be more inclusive, but because we’re doing sustainable fashion, we should be ahead of the game. Like we’re already ahead of the game in fashion, so we need to get ahead even more in the sense that we need to be more inclusive of everyone.” -Nathalia JMag, designer On this week’s show, Nathalia shares more on her background, how she got exposed to sustainable fashion, her time at Project Runway, and what’s driving her as a designer today. We talk more about how she brings upcycling, zero waste and made-to-order approaches into her design process. Also, Nathalia shares her thoughts on whether today’s shopper is gaining more patien

In episode 159, Kestrel welcomes Diana Verde Nieto, the cofounder + CEO of Positive Luxury, to the show. Positive Luxury connects consumers that care with brands that care through their Butterfly Mark, which provides transparency of a brand's commitments to sustainability. Brands part of the Positive Luxury community include Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Gabriela Hearst, LVMH, and more. “Sustainability for a long time has been something that runs vertically on the business, so like the CSR Department or the Sustainability Department. Really, it should ride diagonally across the business, so every part of the business should incorporate the principles of sustainable development, in terms of how it operates.” -Diana Verde Nieto , Cofounder of Positive Luxury On this week’s show, Diana shares more on what led her to want to build Positive Luxury. She also provides insight into the power of the “trickle-down-effect” and how luxury fashion can be a driving force to shift the industry at large. Addition

In episode 158, Kestrel welcomes Jordan Nodarse, the founder and Creative Director of Boyish Jeans, to the show. While Jordan recently founded Boyish in 2018, he’s been around the denim scene for years — having been behind the launch of Reformation’s first denim collection, as well as Revolve’s GRLFRND denim. “I always tell people — it’s all about progress, not perfection. You’re never going to be 100% sustainable. Even when you feel like you’re 100% sustainable, you can always be more efficient. And the environmental impacts are always going to be evolving to become better and better, so you always have to evolve.” -Jordan Nodarse, Founder of Boyish On this week’s show, Jordan shares more on what first got him into denim — trying to make his own jeans. Being a musician at the time, Jordan wanted to have jeans that looked more like Bryce Springsteen in the era of bootcut, so he cut out the inseam of vintage jeans and altered them to get the look he was going for. Kestrel + Jordan also discuss more of the int

  In episode 157, the first show of Season 4, Kestrel welcomes Ayesha Barenblat, the founder of Remake, back to the show, along with Sajida Silva, a student at California College of the Arts, and one of the future designers who was chosen to join Remake for their Made In Mexico trip. A non-profit that believes that fashion can be a force for good, Remake makes the invisible women who power the fashion industry visible through firsthand documentary footage and stories. “That’s the thing, you know — people don’t empower people, the women we met are plenty empowered. What they need is for the system to stop oppressing them.” -Ayesha Barenblat, Founder of Remake On this week’s show, Kestrel reconnects with Sajida + Ayesha, who she joined last October on Remake’s trip to Mexico, as part of their documentary series. Ayesha sheds light on how distinct this trip was for Remake, considering that so many of the students and influencers spoke Spanish, as well as how we had to meet with the women garment workers outside

In episode 156, Kestrel welcomes Garik Himebaugh, the founder at Eco-Stylist, to the show. An online marketplace for eco-conscious and ethically made men’s clothing, Eco-Stylist was founded to search for an answer to the question, “can sustainable be dapper?” “I think you can create a really great outfit with ethical and sustainable options only, and then the options just keep getting better — so that’s an inspiring and positive trend as well.” -Garik Himebaugh In this week’s show, Garik shares more on what led him from fashion tech toward a more ethical and sustainable direction. He also reveals some of his favorite brands in the sustainable menswear realm. It’s motivating to hear that Garik does believe that sustainable fashion can be dapper. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:  Adelante Shoe Company, one of the first brands that truly inspired Garik Vustra, they make more colorful men’s button-up shirts Outerknown, a brand Garik suggests, listen to hear their epi

In episode 155, Kestrel welcomes Jayde Scukovic, the creative and influencer behind Jayde Archives, to the show. Originally from Australia, Jayde is now based in Switzerland, and she shares travel diaries, light packing guides, and eco living ideas through her blog + Instagram Jayde Archives. She’s also a self-proclaimed #ProudOutfitRepeater and capsule wardrobe addict. “The less I have, the more I cherish those individual items, and I really love that relationship I’m forming with my wardrobe and my clothing — and even myself. Since I’ve started taking things more slowly, everything feels a lot more positive.” -Jayde Scukovic, Founder of Jayde Archives In this week’s show, Jayde shares more on her background and how she made her way into the blogging / influencer world. She also shares more on why she loves capsule wardrobes, how less is more, and her push to celebrate proud outfit repeating. For Jayde, the restraints of space + finances first led her toward capsule wardrobes, and that direction helped insp