Update After the Kantamanto Fire - Resilience, Creativity, Community
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. Ultimately this is a story of resilience, entrepreneurship, creativity and skill.Kantamanto is one of the world’s biggest for physical markets for second-hand clothing, receiving an estimated 15 million used garments from the global north, EVERY WEEK. On the night of January 2nd, 2025, a huge fire ripped through 10 of the 13 sections in the market, affecting the majority of the estimated 30,000 people working there. It's a miracle more people weren't killed. Six months later, the market structure has been rebuilt, but there's still work to do. Find out how fundraising has been deployed, improvements have given all stallholders access to electricity and a new association of traders has been set up along with a unified security force trained in fire management. However problems persist around waste, the quality of what's in the bales and the dangerous work of female porters...Find Episode 150 with Liz, here.Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.comFind all the links for what's mentioned in this episode at thewardrobecrisis.comTell us what you think? Find Clare on Instagram @mrspressGot recommendations? Hit us up!And please leave us a rating / review in Spotify/ Apple & help us share these podcasts.THANK YOU x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Wine Waste, Algae and Co-designing Bacteria - Welcome to the World of Future Fabrics
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 innovation tour!And get ready to answer some wild questions, like... What if bacteria could help us co-design a new generation of sustainable fabric dyes? Could we build a machine for that?Where does all the grape waste go from France's vineyards, and hey, what if we turned it into a fancy new animal-free leather alternative?And, how might one creative woman figure that out, DIY style, starting with a coffee grinder in her home kitchen? We all know polyester is plastic, right? So how come we expect our exercise gear to be moisture-wicking, when we're all at the gym encased in what's essentially sweaty, non-breathable, plastic-baggings? Who's ready for the ugly truth about the massive list of potentially toxic fabric finishing agents that fly under that radar? Okay! Don't panic - there's a new generation of clean, safe, bio-based alternatives...Featuring:Charlotte Werth, a bright young German Biodesigner specialising in bacterial dyeSamatha Mureau, an almost-French former fashion buyer turned alternative leather pioneer working with waste from the wine industry in the South of FranceMatthias Foessel, the infectiously upbeat force behind Swiss green chemistry company Beyond Surface TechnologiesFuture Fabrics Expo is on in London now - discover here.Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.comTell us what you think? Find Clare on Instagram @mrspressGot recommendations? Hit us up!And please share these podcasts.THANK YOU x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Old-School Sustainability - A Visit to Australia's Longest-Running Weaving Mill
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 mill.Waverley Mills has always worked with local wool, and over the years has woven all sorts of fabrics, from tweeds to flannels, but it's their blankets that made them famous. This is a story of tradition (during WW2 they produced blankets for the army), innovation (think, collaborating with Nudie Jeans to make the world’s first recycled blanket out of old denim), and continuity. But above all, it's about community - who's worked here for decades and who is apprenticing to learn the trade today; who grows the wool, and who has seen the ups and downs of this place over the years, and has a long view on why it matters. It's a story about ethical manufacturing, the possibilities for re-shoring, fibre sovereignty and being able to manufacture textiles where we live - just, all the important sustainability stuff! Enjoy!Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.comTell us what you think? Find Clare on Instagram @mrspressGot recommendations? Hit us up!And please share these podcasts.THANK YOU x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Waste Not, Want Not - Mungo, Shoddy, the History, Process and Modern Times of Mechanical Wool Recycling
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, complete with magic and secrets. For 200 years, Yorkshire made recycled wool cloth for the world. But don’t think its all disappeared. John’s mill in Huddersfield is aptly called iinouiio - an acronym for It Is Never Over Until It Is Over. With centuries of accumulated of skill and knowledge, they’re doing what they always did, only better.Find all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.comTell us what you think? Find Clare on Instagram @mrspressGot recommendations? Hit us up!And please share these podcasts.THANK YOU x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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A Love Letter to Local Textiles Skills, with Julia Roebuck
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 transactional, when it's not just about shopping. And the immense satisfaction to be gotten from making something with your hands that you’re proud.Discover Thread Republic here:threadrepublic.co.ukFind all the links & further reading at thewardrobecrisis.comTell us what you think? Find Clare on Instagram @mrspressGot recommendations? Hit us up!And please share these podcasts.THANK YOU x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
WARDROBE CRISIS is a fashion podcast about sustainability, ethical fashion and making a difference in the world. Your host is author and journalist Clare Press, who was the first ever Vogue sustainability editor. Each week, we bring you insightful interviews from the global fashion change makers, industry insiders, activists, artists, designers and scientists who are shaping fashion's future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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