Best Giant Size Team Up Network Podcasts (2025)

1
Is Luxury Fashion 'Sustainable by Nature' - Lessons from Loro Piana 42:47

8d ago42:47

42:47

According to Antoine Arnault, CEO of Loro Piana: "Luxury products are sustainable by nature." Hmmm. What do we think of that, then? Just because it's expensive doesn't make it ethical. In case you are not across these names, Arnault is a member of the LVMH dynasty (his dad, Bernard, is one of the 10th richest people on the planet) and Loro Piana is…

1
Too Hot to Handle - Garment Workers in the Era of Extreme Heat 44:36

16d ago44:36

44:36

We've all had tough days at work, right? But I'm going to bet your last one didn't involve multiple colleagues fainting from heat stress. My guest this week is researcher and academic Cara Schulte, author of an important new report, for Climate Rights International, that looks into the effects of the effects of extreme heat on garment workers in Ba…

1
Indigenous Star Knowledge and Changing the Narrative with Cultural Astronomist Ghillar Michael Anderson 59:41

27d ago59:41

59:41

To mark NAIDOC week in Australia, which officially celebrates & recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we bring you this interview with activist, astronomer and knowledge holder Professor Ghillar Michael Anderson, who was central in the setting up of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra…

1
Update After the Kantamanto Fire - Resilience, Creativity, Community 39:13

1M ago39:13

39:13

This week's episode is an update from Accra, Ghana, and the situation at Kantamanto markets. It was recorded during the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, where I met up with Liz Ricketts from The Or Foundation. Liz was with several community members from Kantamanto, including market trader Mary and upcycler Latifa - both featured on the podcast.…

1
Wine Waste, Algae and Co-designing Bacteria - Welcome to the World of Future Fabrics 49:40

1M ago49:40

49:40

Over the past few weeks, we've been diving into the world of weaving with natural fibres, exploring local textile traditions and capabilities, and don't get us wrong - we will always love that. But there's also a whole world of sciency possibilities shaking up the future of fabrics and fabulous ways. Pack your (metaphorical) bags for a European inn…

1
Old-School Sustainability - A Visit to Australia's Longest-Running Weaving Mill 41:48

2M ago41:48

41:48

Welcome to another episode about why it matters that we can make stuff locally. After last week's ep on Yorkshire's centuries-old wool recycling expertise, this time, as promised, Clare's taking you back to Australia, to see another inspiring mill in action. We're in Launceston, Tasmania to visit Australia's oldest continuously operating weaving mi…

1
Waste Not, Want Not - Mungo, Shoddy, the History, Process and Modern Times of Mechanical Wool Recycling 30:43

2M ago30:43

30:43

Ever wondered how mechanical textile recycling actually works? What shoddy and mungo is, and why we called it that? What the rag n' bone man collected back in the day and how the trade grew up, then scaled back? And what it will take to bring it back and keep what's already here, going? Wonder no more! John Parkinson has a masterclass for you, comp…

1
A Love Letter to Local Textiles Skills, with Julia Roebuck 47:46

2M ago47:46

47:46

What if the best place was the one you're already in? Meet Julia Roebuck, the powerhouse organiser behind Thread Republic Textile Reuse Hub and social enterprise in Huddersfield, UK. We're talking about textile skills, mending, repair, sewing, the wellbeing economy and what that might look like - at home. What fashion can be when we remove the tran…

1
Clare's Take: 5 Lessons from Australia's First Big Sustainable Fashion Conference 40:32

3M ago40:32

40:32

How do you feel about competition? Do you think it’s healthy? Natural? Are you that person who has to win at Scrabble or tennis or the pub quiz? Or maybe you've read your Gaia theory and are hooked on the idea of a harmonious, post-patriarchal ecosystem that's all about balance and working together. Many of us have come around to thinking that, at …

1
Human Rights and the True Cost of Fashion - it's time to get real on this persistent issue 50:43

3M ago50:43

50:43

Want a side of modern slavery with that? Didn't think so. Modern slavery is organised crime, and no one wants that lurking in their supply chain. Yet fashion and textiles are key industries implicated in this travesty that traps an estimated 50 million people worldwide in forced labour, debt bondage and human trafficking. Twelve per cent of those i…

1
Fab Scraps, Clever Pattern Cutting and Why Apparel Factories Need Design Thinkers, with Industrial Upcycler Agustina Comas 39:43

3M ago39:43

39:43

Continuing our theme of fashion's crazily wasteful ways, and our focus on Latin America, this week, more Brazilian goodness, as Clare sits down with São Paolo-based industrial upcycler Agustina Comas. We're talking fast fashion, big business, athleisure's reliance on synthetics and rethinking pattern-cutting. BTW: how much do you know about pattern…

1
"Don't buy, rescue!" Fixing the Trash Pile of Clothes in Chile's Atacama Desert 53:28

3M ago53:28

53:28

Hello! What are we actually doing? Our unwanted clothes don't belong dumped in Chile's beautiful Atacama Desert... Everyone knows reasons why the global north exports used clothing to the global south - it's because fashion is too fast, quality is too low, volumes are too high, and for rich countries it's often cheaper to export your problem than i…

1
"23 billion pairs of shoes every year and we're throwing out 22 billion!" - Chandni Batra on What the Sneaker Giants Don't Tell You 1:05:38

4M ago1:05:38

1:05:38

Twenty-two billion! What are we playing at?! Things get worse when we look at the materials most commonly in use. The sports shoe category in particular is a giant, influential sector, yet its waste footprint and chemical inputs tend to fall under the radar. And don't get us started on the Crocsification of everything! Injection-moulded EVA is comi…

1
Everything's Better When the Sustainability Team is in Charge - the Inspiring Tale of Lafaani 38:20

4M ago38:20

38:20

In the third of our four-part mini series on sustainable fashion in India, Clare sits down with Drishti Modi and Rashmick Bose, the duo behind slow fashion brand Lafaani. It's focused handcraft, handloom weaves, and natural dyes, and their clothes are gorgeous - we want them all! But the founders didn't always dream of fashion careers - they're sus…

1
From Vintage Seller to Artisanal Manufacturer: Is Ritwik Khanna India's Most Promising New Designer? 39:17

4M ago39:17

39:17

More from our visit to India! If you listened to the last episode with stylist Daniel Franklin, you'll have heard Clare promise more to come from India's burgeoning sustainable fashion scene. This week's chat is with one of Delhi's most promising young designers, who's just shown his collection at Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai, and who won last year…

1
Lakmé Fashion Week Special: Styling India's New Wave Designers, with Daniel Franklin 45:02

5M ago45:02

45:02

Mumbai and New Delhi take turns to host Lakmé Fashion Week, and this season it's the former that will be exploding with creative runways and high-craft fever, starting next week. To get you in the mood, we're bringing you an Indian mini-series of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast, starting with this delightful conversation with stylist Daniel Franklin. D…

1
Woke! Anti-Woke! What's with all the Corporates Ditching DEI? 1:00:38

5M ago1:00:38

1:00:38

A disturbing shift away from diversity, equity and inclusion is spreading through the corporate world. Following US President Donald Trump's lead, some of the world's most powerful companies have rushed to dismantle years of positive work that's been done in this area. Race and gender are central to this discussion, but diversity and inclusion prog…

1
Oh Hey Ripu Daman Bevli... Meet The Plogman of India 40:37

5M ago40:37

40:37

It's time for some more trashtalk, my friends. Remember plastic pollution? Of course you do - because it's still with us. According to the UNEP, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic enter the world's oceans, rivers and lakes EVERY SINGLE DAY. And while there was a great deal of excitement around the prospect of a Global Plastics T…

1
The Future of Fashion Artefacts, According to Leo Carlton (Hint! It's Printed) 47:02

6M ago47:02

47:02

London fashion week spotlight: In a markedly hatless era, forward-marching British New Gen accessories designer Leo Carlton is turning their talents to digitally-printed crowns, elf ears, breast plates and mysterious sculptural masks. Some of these genre-defying fashion artefacts feel a bit witchy, with pagan undertones. Others, firmly futuristic. …

1
New Gen: Essie Kramer talks Upycling Church Cast-Offs, Mastering the Digital Printer and Nearly Dressing Julia Fox 40:16

6M ago40:16

40:16

Experience matters. Everyone always tells new design graduates that it's best to work for someone else while you find your feet. But at what point do you know that you are ready to strike out on your own? While on the surface this conversation with emerging German fashion designer Essie Kramer seems to be about the joys of sourcing old ecclesiastic…

1
Clare's Take: Dressing Melania - Decoding the Meaning of Big Fashion's Right Wing Power Play 37:42

6M ago37:42

37:42

A note from Clare: This week, I'm experimenting with bringing you something a bit different. I'm calling it CLARE'S TAKE and it's a sort of op-ed slash invitation to start a conversation about a issue in the news. It's just me, no interview this time. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the interview format! Normal programming will resume next week, bu…

1
Photographer Axl Jansen on the Coolness of the Berlin Fashion Scene and how “Art is Always a Kind of Danger in Itself” 53:05

7M ago53:05

53:05

Ears here! Do yourself a favour and take a break from doomscrolling Trump... Berlin fashion week is about to roll around again, and we're inspired. Not least because last year Fashion Council Germany became the first to officially adopted Copenhagen Fashion Week's sustainability framework, complete with 20 minimum standards for participating design…

1
Meet Mr McCall. A Chance Encounter with Count Buttons (Or, Why You Should Talk to Strangers at Fashion Shows) 45:42

7M ago45:42

45:42

Happy New Year! When was the last time you admired someone's style from afar, say from across the street? Or when you found yourself sitting next to them in a public place, a cafe perhaps, at a fashion show or on the bus? Did you strike up a conversation? Because we mostly don't. Mostly we just think how fab they look and that's that. I like to thi…

1
Now Here's a Dazzling Idea: Smell as Material, with Susan Irvine 59:33

7M ago59:33

59:33

Breathe in deeply through your nose... What can you smell right now? Can you identify it? How does it make you feel? Is it fresh, bright, pleasant? Nostalgic? Disgusting? How often do think about smell? If you only tend to notice when it's something particularly lovely - your favourite dish being cooked, a preferred flower - or horrid (let's not go…

1
What's Going on in Bangladesh? A Must-Listen Convo with Fashion Manufacturer Shafiq Hassan 56:22

8M ago56:22

56:22

"Bangladesh has come out of a lot of difficulty in the past. Bangladesh is a place of hope, is a place of resilience ... We could again come together as a nation, with the ertailers and the brands supporting us, and make the transformation. It's a huge, huge opportunity." Rousing words from this week's compelling interview with manufacturer Shafiq …

1
Tapestry! Embroidery! Quilting! Tailoring! Can Textiles Change the World? You Bet 44:18

8M ago44:18

44:18

From Victor & Rolf's "Get Mean" frock through Jordan Gogos's radical upcycling projects to Paul McCann's "Sovereignty Never Ceded" gown, certain items of clothing speak loudly - with intention - about the times we find ourselves in. Let's not forget the long traditions of tapestry-making, quilting, embroidery, and the newer but related concepts of …

1
Scottish New Gen Fashion Talent: Tartan, Tennent's, Tam O' Shanters - but with a Twist 31:02

9M ago31:02

31:02

New York, London, Milan, Paris? So last season! It's time to spotlight less discussed design centres. This time, Dundee, which is home the two emerging menswear designers you're about to meet - both recent graduates from the Jimmy Choo Academy. First we'll hear from Sasha Clegg, whom with a wink, called her label The English Man. Despite being neit…

1
Jimmy Choo - How to be Successful: Sage Advice from the Iconic Shoe Designer 40:19

9M ago40:19

40:19

It's not every day you get to sit down with a proper fashion world icon and pick his brains for free! Dear listeners, you're in for a treat this week, as Clare meets the one and only Jimmy Choo. This magic name in shoe design is now professor - he runs his own fashion school, the Jimmy Choo Academy in London's Mayfair. This is a warm-hearted genero…

1
Is Fashion Ready for Ecocide Law? with Lucy Tammam and Jojo Metha 39:42

10M ago39:42

39:42

If you listened to last week's interview w. Jem Bendell and wondered, "What on Earth do I do now?" And you weren't up for moving to Bali and getting collapse ready by starting a self-sufficient permaculture farm...we've got you! This week's episode is about practical action being taken right now to protect the rights of Nature. Clare is sitting dow…

1
Jem Bendell's Dangerous Ideas - What if Sustainability Is Just a Big Green Fairytale? 55:01

10M ago55:01

55:01

Okay, brace yourselves... Brands love to set sustainability goals. But what if it's all nonsense? What if net zero, the obsession with carbon, and the idea that renewables are taking over from fossil fuels, are all part of a fake green fairy tale that we tell ourselves because the alternative is too difficult to imagine. Or that corporations tell u…

1
Regenerative Thinking: "What Does A Bee Want?" Carole Collet on Designing with Nature in Mind 42:27

10M ago42:27

42:27

What is the role of a fashion designer today? Thinking purely about gorgeous clothes is so last season. Gone are the days when designers could consider only a collection, how it will sell and what the customer might be looking for. Forward-thinkers are already beginning to take more holistic view and adopt a living systems approach. They’re asking …

1
Get Your Secondhand September On with Eunice Olumide 25:52

11M ago25:52

25:52

Happy Secondhand September! Six years ago Oxfam UK came up with the idea of using September to encourage people to: "Shop second hand to take a stance against fast fashion and dress for a fairer world." They say it's a moment to come together “to choose a more planet-friendly way to shop, and dress for the world you want to see." How does preloved …

1
How to Network - First Nations Designer Liandra Gaykamangu on Living the Fashion Dream 41:20

11M ago41:20

41:20

Fashion month is about to kick off again, with all eyes on New York, London, Milan and Paris. But the obsession with the so-called fashion capitals has long seemed out of touch. Yes, that's where the money is (well, Paris is anyway), but in our globalised world, there are many more fashion capitals that should not be overlooked. There are fashion w…

1
Underconsumpton Core! Rule of Five's Tiffanie Darke on What to Wear and Why 52:27

11M ago52:27

52:27

#underconsumptioncore is a thing! For this episode, we’re in London visiting British journalist Tiffanie Darke to talk about her viral wardrobe challenge, The Rule of Five. She’s also got a new book coming out in the US. What to Wear and Why, Your Guilt-Free Guide to Sustainable Fashion promises to get you "rethinking what clothes we buy, wear, and…

1
A Refreshingly Honest Conversation about the Ups and Downs of the Fashion Biz with Danish Designer A. Roege Hove 32:56

12M ago32:56

32:56

Welcome to the last of our Copenhagen Fashion Week interviews (if you missed the previous Eps, do go back & take a listen). This one is refreshingly honest conversation with Danish knitwear designer Amalie Røge Hove about her much-loved label, A. Roege Hove, and the ups and downs of being an independent fashion business. Widely celebrated as the ne…

1
Crafternoon Delight! Meet Rolf Ekroth, the Finnish Former Polka Player Dazzling the Fashion World 28:05

12M ago28:05

28:05

Our Copenhagen Fashion Week special continues! Clare sits down with Finnish menswear designer Rolf Ektroth. Last season, his hand-knits, made with Finnish yarn manufacturer Novita, were made available as pattern and yarn kits, so that home knitters could recreate his runway pieces. He loves macramé and hand embroidery, yet his collections have a mo…

1
Copenhagen Fashion Week Special: Alectra Rothschild, Masculina - Make Your Own Rules 31:10

12M ago31:10

31:10

If you're not in Copenhagen for fashion week, here's your (virtual) ticket :) Last week, we talked to Ane from Alpha about studying fashion in the Nordics and how to make it as an artistic designer. Over the next three episodes, we’ve got interviews with some of the most exciting names to watch from the region. First up is Alectra Rothschild, whose…

1
"But Who's Gonna Wear It?" - How to Succeed as Artistic Fashion Designer, with Ane Lynge-Jorlén 50:00

1y ago50:00

50:00

We hear it all the time: fashion students are overwhelmed by overproduction and the ruthless churn of creative directors at the big luxury houses. How can they forge a creative path without contributing to the problem? If they decide to operate outside the system - crafting extravagant one offs, for example, or only making to order - how will they …

1
Who Cares? Radical Ideas for Changing the Fashion System 58:43

1y ago58:43

58:43

Empathy, kindness, wellbeing, caring, sharing, repairing - not traditionally the first words that spring to mind when I say "FASHION!" But things are changing. Are we moving towards a new paradigm where who cares, wins? If we accept that the old ways (overproduction, exploitation, rampant shareholder capitalism, waste) don't serve us, why not redes…

1
Regenerative? Part of the Wellbeing Economy? Imagine! Talking Future Scenarios at the UK's new National Centre for Fashion & Sustainability 47:14

1y ago47:14

47:14

Complete this sentence: The future of fashion will be… Welcome to Series 10 of Wardrobe Crisis! We're kicking off with a conversation about the future of fashion, recorded live earlier this year when Wear Next came out in the UK. Clare is in conversation Tamara Cincik, Professor of Fashion & Sustainability at Bath Spa University, at the first ever …

1
A Provocation: You Need to Support Small Sustainable Enterprises if you Don't Want to Sink into a Boring Big Brand World - Meet High Tea with Mrs Woo 57:16

1y ago57:16

57:16

What does it take to make it as an independent, small, local ethical business in a global world that favours big brands? How can we work together to ensure that our local businesses and creatives are literally sustainable - in that they thrive and stick around, and continue to give us the awesomeness that, at times, we maybe take for granted? It's …

1
This is the Real Circular Fashion Economy - Meet Roger, My Local Cobbler 28:23

1+ y ago28:23

28:23

Forget brands for a minute, the real circular fashion economy is the repair shop on your high street… Do you have a fab local cobbler or clothing alterations service? This episode is a reminder to thank them for being here and fixing our stuff. They are cornerstones of the circular fashion economy, and not some distant future dream - they’re alread…

1
Return to Sender: Buzigahill's Bobby Kolade on Fashion Waste Colonialism in Uganda 44:15

1+ y ago44:15

44:15

Bobby Kolade is the designer behind Ugandan fashion label Buzigahill - which puts the politics of upcycling and waste colonialism at its core with the brilliant, provocative concept: Return to Sender. Buzigahill's collections are made from items of secondhand clothing donated in the global north, and increasingly being dumped on the global south in…

1
Lou Croff Blake Talks Pronouns, Fashion For Every Body and the Language of Belonging Beyond the Gender Binary 45:45

1+ y ago45:45

45:45

What do your clothes say about you? Dear listener, I bet you've thought about this before. Fashion is a language in itself. But, what about the language we use to describe - and by extension to include, or to exclude - the people who wear it? Or don't get to wear it? The people we're marketing it to, or employing. Fashion communication isn't just a…

1
Access Some Areas? Model Junior Bishop on Fashion's Disability To-Do List 51:56

1+ y ago51:56

51:56

Can fashion lift its inclusivity game? When 28-year-old British model Junior Bishop - who just so happens to be a wheelchair user - spoke at the Houses of Parliament recently, she called on the fashion industry to do more to tackle its disability access issues. Levelling the playing field is integral to the wellbeing economy - what’s the point of o…

1
Are You Posh & White Enough for a Career in the Creative Arts? Rahemur Rahman on Strategies for System Change 55:10

1+ y ago55:10

55:10

Rich, white and privileged - the creative arts sector has a class problem. Particularly in class-obsessed Britain, where middle-class people are twice as likely to work in creative jobs than their working class contemporaries. According to the Evening Standard, "the worlds of TV, film, music and the arts are dominated by straight, able-bodied white…

1
Caryn Franklin, Beyond The Clothes Show - Fashion, Identity, Representation and Belonging 1:01:10

1+ y ago1:01:10

1:01:10

We all know clothes have meaning, beyond just looking nice. We’ve often talked on this podcast about the importance of how they are made. This week, we’re considering how fashion’s meaning stretches beyond supply chains and our wardrobes, to shape our culture and the way we see ourselves collectively. How does fashion see itself when it comes to ra…

1
Irish Artist Richard Malone, Who Gets To Make It in Fashion? 1:00:17

1+ y ago1:00:17

1:00:17

How much is enough? How can creatives incorporate the idea of sufficiency in their output? If you make physical objects, what does it really mean to be sustainable in your practice? And, how can you, as my guest this week, Richard Malone, puts it, "do your own thing and stick to it" in the context of fashion's relentless push for newness? Also, whe…

1
Magnificent Michaela Stark - From Insta Bans to Victoria's Secret, Meet the Body-Morphing Couture Lingerie Maker 1:01:03

1+ y ago1:01:03

1:01:03

Why does fashion have such a problem in accepting all bodies they way they are, and recognising the beauty in different shapes and sizes? I know, I know, we’ve heard it all before, yet depressingly little changes. Our guest this week has had enough! Self-described as “that body morphing b*tch”, Michaela Starck is a super-talented London-based Aussi…

1
From Natural Dyes to Reading Nature's Signals, Re-Finding Knowledge Disrupted by Colonialism 43:46

1+ y ago43:46

43:46

If you’re interested in natural dyes, or want to know more about hands-on textile techniques, this episode is a joy. It's also a great one if you are into ideas around seasonality and connection to Nature. Aren't we all?! Continuing our Pacific theme (don’t miss last week’s Episode with Fiji Fashion Week’s Ellen Whippy-Knight) these two stories are…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Giant Size Team Up Network Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide