Today's guest, Giovanna Vieira, founded a sustainable fashion tech company: The Fashion Blueprint. It is a space and community of fashion entrepreneurs, brands and supply chain partners working together to change the fashion industry from the inside out, with the main goal being to build solutions to reduce waste colonialism. Giovanna is a citizen of the world with a multicultural background whose ambition to take the fashion industry by storm started at a young age. With grit and perseverance, she built her experience and eventually her own business to drive change in an industry that often shuns inclusivity or fair practices.
The Fashion Blueprint holds a special place on the London sustainability scene, bringi. It bringsse community into the heart of the solus that will improve the industry.
Website: https://www.thefashionblueprint.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefashionblueprint.co.uk/
In this episode, I talk to Ria Ana Sejpal, founder and brilliant creative behind Kenyan brand LilaBare. We dive into the creative process of a designer who creates at the heart of community. She recounts how it took almost three years to find the right banana farmer to develop a unique banana fibre and how she works with nuns who crochet love and light into the brand's pieces. Ria brings her village into the creation of her collections. We also talk about her experience at Lagos Fashion Week, what makes African fashion incomparable to any other and what to get excited about in her next collection.
Shop Lilabare on Moda Operandi:
https://www.modaoperandi.com/women/designer/lila-bare?srsltid=AfmBOor48qTJCOAZfaxIqKjyGDq0wKBpJSeME8SsMp8X35ugsJPtU0mZ
See more about Lilabare and the new collection here: https://linktr.ee/LilaBare?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZupznSqf5VCagR7fSznD3H1Cmg3xFZG2vDz_zENT7sSHr7M7_bmPNU8Xw_aem_ouJ0pDrvpBac1qZHsQZGMQ
We collaborated with the amazing team at Bed Stuy Clothes swap, a community-based safety net for NYC residents. We helped them create an educational platform weaving circular fashion principles from Ghana into conversations and games about the fashion industry for their clothes swap event at the Brooklyn Museum. This resulted in the creation of this video, which was showcased within the space. It highlights the Oye Adie Yies of Accra, who are a testament to Ghana’s deeply entrenched cultural sustainability. Bed Stuy Clothes Swap collectively moves against the grain of New York’s hyper-capitalist systems that encourage over-consumption and the destruction of our environment, displace long-term community members, and exploit and subjugate Black and Brown communities.
This time around we talk to Alyssa Erin Kardos Loera and Tiffany Bopha, a fantastic duo. Alyssa is the Executive Director of Re-Made in Cambodia while Tiffany is the Designer and Global Ambassador of the organisation. We met at the GFA this year and immediately connected. They were both so authentic and truthful in the work that they do so I wanted to have them here to talk about the solution they have developed around the textile waste issue in Cambodia through their sustainable fashion enterprise. Remade In Cambodia is a fashion enterprise that transforms recovered textile waste into wearable products, empowering local designers and raising awareness about the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Elevate the next generation of Cambodian designers to become trailblazers in the global fashion industry, while championing Cambodian arts and fostering innovation.
Featured in Magazines like Grazia UK, Sooki Sooki Vintage oozes power, joy and irreplicable style. Founder Lapoze McTribouy beautifully embodies all these qualities that reflect through her craftsmanship. From her talent in hunting down unique vintage pieces to mending and upcycling to create unique one-offs and her sheer joy, she’s definitely one to watch and support in the sustainable fashion space. In this episode, we talk about her beginnings, inspirations and her courage to pursue her talents and dreams, and how sustainability has always been embedded in her Congolese culture. Get ready to be inspired!
A brief insight into the future of Style & Sustain as an online magazine. In this episode, I highlight the new Style & Sustain Magazine, explain our core values, our new consultation offering and the expansive ways we are working with authentic sustainable and ethical brands we've always loved. S&S Mag is a modern-day welcoming of the future of fashion and beyond, come explore the future of fair fashion with us!
Happy 2023 everyone! It's the first episode of 2023 and I'm talking to the fantastic Stephen Steele, founder of the organic brand Kind Socks. What can I say, get ready for positive vibes and lots of dopamine in this episode as Stephen and I talk about why he created a sock brand, his journey as an entrepreneur and what it means to give back to community in a powerful way. Take a listen!
It’s true we live in a world of rules and regulations. 3 ways to do this or 5 ways to achieve that and yes that helps tremendously, especially when you are a beginner at something. But, we are all unique and sometimes trying to fit into a standardised box is exhausting. When it comes to sustainable fashion, there seems to be a “formula”, standards to live by, but what if I told you that the only formula is to adjust and shift your perspective to create a mindful lifestyle that’s uniquely yours? Let's talk about the rules to break when it comes to eco-fashion!
In this episode, I talk about four brands or as I like to call them fashion's wolves in sheep's clothing - these brands sit in that grey area, easily mistaken for sustainable and ethical brands but a deep dive into the behind the scenes show that it's not exactly the case. I also recommend authentic sustainable and ethical alternatives to go for instead. Can you guess what these brands are? Let's dive in!