Sustainably Influenced

In today's episode we discuss how you can make swaps this Christmas in favour of more conscious or sustainable items, from giftware, to tree decorations to a purely plant based Christmas dinner, listen to Bianca & Charlotte chat through the changes that you can make in time for the big day!  

We wanted to take a moment to say thank you for your continued support over the past 2 years.  We love creating this podcast and cannot wait to be back in the New Year 💕

Products/Services mentioned in today's show (please note no products mentioned are endorsed by the brands):

Dissolvable Wrapping Paper: https://cleanwith.plus/products/the-dissolvable-gift-wrap

Treedom Trees: https://www.treedom.net/en/

The Week Junior: https://theweekjunior.co.uk

Todays episode is another live one! Listen to Bianca & Charlotte discuss how Sustainably Influenced came to be.  Thank to The Cheltenham Literature Festival and Voicebox for the incredible opportunity.

Watch the live episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfJUftYOkRA&t=704s

There are many ways that eco-conscious fashion lovers keep their closets low-impact and fashion rental is just one of them.  In today’s episode, we will be discussing how fashion rental is a positive way to consume and how mainstream retailers can pivot into non-traditional routes to market with Victoria Prew, the co-founder and CEO of HURR, the fashion marketplace changing the way we wear.  HURR aims to address an underserved market of women who want access to the latest trends, without the commitment of purchase. Prew is the first to tap into the growing market, spearheading rental fashion and shifts in millennial behaviour.

Headquartered in London, HURR aims to address an underserved market of women who want access to the latest trends, without the commitment of purchase. Prew is the first to tap into the growing market, spearheading rental fashion and shifts in millennial behaviour.

Prew studied Real Estate, launching her own technology product before training as a Chartered Surveyor. The entrepreneur identified an opportunity born from two complementary movements: the rise of sustainable fashion and the rental revolution. The website showcases an unlimited ‘virtual wardrobe’ for luxury rentals, including curated edits, the latest trend pieces and celebrity wardrobes. HURR carries over £10 million+ of inventory and is showing no signs of slowing down. Partnerships with Depop and Selfridges are putting HURR on the map as a pioneer of the fashion tech sector.

Rent today: https://www.hurrcollective.com

As influencers are no strangers to photography and photoshoots, but what impact does what we do and the wider fashion industry have on the environment? Can photography be carbon neutral as well as environmentally and socially impactful?  We are speaking with Eunice Pais, founder of Pais Agency to find out just that…

Eunice Pais is a photographer and co-founder of PAIS.  PAIS is a photography production agency specialized in carbon neutral and socially impactful fashion photo productions.  The agency focuses on addressing systemic imbalances in fashion photography by supporting people and celebrating a diversity of voices through deep engagement in the ethical fashion community.

As an artist, Eunice creates bodies of work that explore, aesthetically, all things related to human-nature interactions.

@pais.agency

Welcome to the first live episode of Sustainably Influenced! 

Our Panel:

Harriet from @Saywoo.studio - responsible sourcing and ethical manufacture. Small quantity stock model.

Teresa from @this_is_Revive - vintage sourcing and revival through embroidery and painting - small collection drop model.

Tabby @Re_considered - Repurposing and remaking - small collections and bespoke service.

Sara @Simastylistlondon - sustainable fashion influencer and conscious shopper.

The Circular Block Party is a new initiative bringing together a collective of small brands and start-ups to celebrate their sustainable and circular approach to creation and showcase their brands. A unique shopping experience, the Circular Block Party provides a creative atmosphere for audiences to interact, create and learn from the brands and industry experts through workshops and events.  Today's episode was recorded back at the end of August 2020 in front of a live audience so you may hear a few other voices!

Today we are going to discuss the steps after sustainability. To be sustainable is great and it is something we strive for here on Sustainably Influenced, however the term “sustainability” itself is unclear.  What exactly are we trying to sustain? What can we do to rebuild after the mass devastation to the planet? We need to look forward and look towards the future.

Vice President of PFG and head of their BOMBYX Silk division, Hilmond Hui leads a team in defining consciously-made silk for the industry. A second generation of his family’s international business, Hilmond has been immersed in the world of garment manufacturing all his life. From this family legacy and experience, he’s witnessed the challenges with conscious production methods in silk. In Hilmond’s mind, things like quality and construction have always gone hand in hand with social responsibility and sustainability to create a garment. It starts from the source of the raw materials, leading him to create the world’s cleanest silk at the very same point of origin of this ancient textile.  Hilmond has always followed a path that marries ancient and modern thinking. Having studied Communications at Ryerson University in Toronto, Hilmond brings a global perspective to operations. Currently, Hilmond works closely with numerous departments including raw material development and sourcing, product and development, merchandising, corporate social responsibility and sustainability, production, and marketing.

In this week's episode we speak with Founder of the UK’s first 100% renewable electricity supplier, Good Energy, Juliet Davenport. An environmental activist with the emphasis on ‘action’, she has dedicated her life to the practical solutions to the climate crisis. Known as an innovator, she has been developing technologies and empowering people to fight climate change and transform the energy sector for more than 20 years.

Juliet currently sits on the board of the Renewable Energy Association, Innovate UK and the Crown Estate — the latter a position to advise on how the organization's substantial land can be used for climate solutions. She is Vice President of the Energy Institute, and is a member of the advisory boards of leading UK think tanks, including Energy Systems Catapult, Aurora, Oxford Energy, and LSE’s Grantham Institute.

Juliet is also the host of Great Green Questions podcast, a lighthearted and witty exploration of some of the big questions that come up when trying to 'walk the green line' - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/great-green-questions/id1557916383

This week we speak to Josephine Philips, a 23-year-old recent graduate turned Fashion Tech entrepreneur working to make the fashion industry circular with her App, Sojo. Sojo makes clothing alterations and repairs an easy and hassle-free process. She created it after realising she was continuously falling in love with second-hand clothes that weren't her size and did not have a convenient way to get them altered. Sojo was made to simplify the process, and by promoting a circular model, Josephine hopes that it will aid others in their quest for a more sustainable wardrobe. You can find them here: https://www.sojoapp.co.uk/journal-1/thestartofsojo

This week we speak with our friend Keshia Hannam, global speaker, writer, and activist, who works to heighten individuals’ and groups' understanding of their own biases, the actions they can take, and how the climate crisis impacts brown and black communities most. Known as a global community builder and orator, she has spoken for The New York Times, Fortune 500 companies like Marriott and Macy’s, and at The United Nations. This is the second time we've had Keshia on the podcast and we could listen to her speak about climate justice forever. You can find Keshia on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/keshiahannam

This week we talk to Sophie Slater, the co-founder and CEO of ethical, sustainable, locally made fashion brand Birdsong. Together her and designer Susanna create ethical wardrobe staples, paying living wages to talented Londoners facing barriers to work to bring their designs to life. Sophie also freelances for social enterprises and occasionally writes and lectures in sustainable fashion.

www.birdsong.london

This week we're joined by Harriet Saywood-Bellisario and we ask the question on everybody’s lips… Why is sustainable fashion so expensive?

Harriet is a womenswear designer and creative director of the new Contemporary London womenswear label Saywood. She is a London College of Fashion Alumni who has worked with the likes of Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll & Paul Smith.

Today we’re joined by Published Scientist, Ecologist and model, Zinnia Kumar. We talk about performative sustainability & how sustainable fashion & ecosystems are linked.

Today’s episode we spoke to cult jewellery brand owner Monica Vinader about the launch of her new collection made from 100% recycled silver.

Founded in 2002, the Monica Vinader brand has created collection after collection of beautifully designed jewellery, a lot inspired by Monica’s travels and vintage pieces she has collected over the years through friends and family. Roll on 2020 and we see  Monica Vinader’s first-ever collection made from 100% recycled Sterling Silver, in collaboration with leading sustainable fashion influencer, Doina Ciobanu. A collaboration that heralds in the brand's commitment to moving completely away from mined materials, with all collections moving to recycled Sterling Silver by the end of 2020.

This week on Sustainably Influenced we talk clean curl care with Michele Scott-Lynch founder of haircare brand Bouclème. Michele tells us about her journey, how the business got started and about her biopolymer product bottles made from sugarcane.