In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews eco fashion designer and filmmaker Jeff Garner. He and his sustainable label Prophetik are on a path of transformation, leading the evolution of fashion and changing our perception of luxury by creating sustainable, plant-based fashion.
Born in the Civil War town of Franklin, Tennessee, and raised on a horse farm, Garner grew with a connectedness to nature and a peaceful understanding of the world. His ultimate vision is to bring awareness to the toxins found in commercial synthetic fashion and the health implications to the human body to allow everyone the power of choice.
His documentary, Let Them Be Naked, exposes the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals found in everyday clothing and reveals the devastating health impacts of these unregulated substances, shedding light on their role in chronic diseases such as cancer. The film advocates for a radical reimagining of garment production, highlighting how the choices we make as consumers affect both our health and the planet.
Jeff Shares:
- How he got his start in fashion dressing his musician friends for their bands
- The importance of practical education through learning on the job
- The dichotomy of growing up wearing handmade clothing with natural materials versus the synthetic materials he had to work with in his early career interning for mainstream fashion brands
- How natural fibers used to be the norm and his mission to convert us back to that so price points go down
- How synthetic fibers are made to look and feel like natural fibers
- The factors playing in to why more people aren’t buying natural, from economic to educational
- The policy change necessary to regulate the fashion industry and make materials more transparent
- The lack of accountability for fashion conglomerates versus small designers actually creating their clothing
- How fashion conglomerates can start phasing in non-toxic, natural clothing without sacrificing the rest of their inventory
- The hidden products used on what would otherwise be organic clothing
- How the end clothing products need to be tested before reaching consumers
- A participatory model of fashion where people buy undyed clothing and dye it naturally, throughout the years changing its color to reinvigorate it
- The best way to get rid of plastic-based clothing
- The component of consumer education that is needed to bridge the gap between what is seen as a quality product versus natural
- The issues with certifications supposedly regulating materials and manufacturing processes
You can connect with Jeff through Prophetik and Let Them Be Naked:
Website: www.prophetik.com
Website: www.letthembenaked.com
Instagram: @prophetik
Instagram: @letthembenaked
Facebook: @prophetik
Sound Mix by Andrew Pals
Intro/Outro by Ken Belcher
