In episode 239, Kestrel welcomes Lauren Bartley, the head of sustainability and CSR for GANNI, to the show. A Danish contemporary ready-to-wear fashion brand, Ganni is known for building a cult following in the fashion space.
“Nowadays, sustainable or sustainability — it means different things to different people. To you, it might mean plastics and to me, it might mean human rights or circularity or carbon. You know — it’s so broad. I just think we need to move away from this broad brush approach to the subject and I guess, be more specific with which issues actually we’re trying to tackle.” -Lauren
On this week’s show, Lauren shares a bit of background on her distinct way into the fashion industry, and how she found her way to working with Ganni.
We talk about the brand’s resistance to labeling themselves as “sustainable”, how their 44 responsibility gameplay is driving them, and some of the ways they are working to creatively reduce their overproduction and waste, by adjusting their business model.
Soil Association - their mission is to help everyone understand and explore the vital relationship between the health of soil, plants, animals and people. Lauren worked with them in the past.
“For us, we’d like to focus the conversation on trying to become a more responsible company and making responsible choices. In saying that — when we say we don’t identify as a sustainable brand or sustainable company, it’s not excuse-making essentially. And I think that’s where maybe some of the confusion is coming from lately — just to say, “we’re not sustainable” is not an excuse not to act. It's more so that it’s so complicated and it’s so convoluted and there’s so many things to it, that we just prefer to focus on saying responsible and becoming more responsible.” -Lauren
“Out of what we’ve seen so far, we have a higher amount of reorders from all channels — wholesale, resale and e-commerce — instead of an initial large volume purchase, so it already means that we’re buying much closer to demand than previously, and then reducing that risk of wastage. However, with reorders and what we now need to measure actually is if the impact on multiple shipments actually balances out the potential of the waste that’s been saved.” -Lauren speaking about Ganni’s findings thus far, addressing Goal 14: MEASURE IF BY CHANGING COLLECTION DROP STRUCTURE IT HAS AN IMPACT ON OVERPRODUCTION BY 2021
Open Apparel Registry, an open map of global apparel facilities
Fair Wear Foundation, Ganni is working with a consultant to further explore what a living wage means throughout their supply chain
Fashion On Climate Report by McKinsey x Global Fashion Agenda
circular.fashion
Ganni’s 2020 Responsibility Report
Ganni Repeat, Ganni’s rental platform
Ganni’s Responsibility page
Follow Ganni Lab on Instagram >
Follow Ganni on Instagram >
This week's episode is brought to you by OEKO-TEX® - a worldwide association of 18 independent research and test institutes that sets standards for safer textile and leather production and products. The OEKO-TEX® portfolio of independent certifications and product labels help all of us make responsible decisions to choose products that are safer, more environmentally friendly, and manufactured in a socially responsible way.
Learn more about their labels at www.oeko-tex.com.
Scientist Dr. Lisa Erdle of 5 Gyres on what we know about microfiber shedding from clothing & the solutions can make an impact
Liz Spencer of Dogwood Dyer on growing organic natural dye gardens to coax color from plants & acknowledging the cultural origins of dyestuffs along the way
Researcher Anjana Baburaj on the pervasiveness of Shein & the ways in which social media and the drive to increase social status are directly fueling the overconsumption of clothing
Lizz Leral of Quilting For Community on the links between quilting and mental health, and how accessing the flow state via hand-oriented activities can help unlock answers to life's questions
Kelly Drennan of Fashion Takes Action on the importance of youth education that centers fashion's impact on people + the planet
Rayouf Alhumedhi, creator of the hijab emoji, on examining Gen Z's shopping behavior & highlighting why product designers should rethink existing product before designing new
Jeff Garner of Prophetik on how synthetic fabrics & toxic chemicals connected to our clothing are impacting our health
Jenna & Jon of Revival Eyewear on what makes deadstock vintage eyewear superior in quality & how conglomerate Luxottica has created a monopoly-like hold on today's glasses industry
Denica Riadini-Flesch of SukkhaCitta on rediscovering Indigenous regenerative farming and dyeing techniques & challenging the status quo
Abby Mills (aka @abbyontheinternet) on the de-influencing *trend* & questioning whether this movement can help us combat overconsumption
Samata Pattinson, the CEO of RCGD Global on their Sustainable Style Guide, how it's being distributed to all attendees of Academy events this Oscar® season & the power of generative conversations
Amy Powney of Mother Of Pearl on the new documentary *Fashion Reimagined* and the need to reconnect to the people, the land & the process behind our clothes
Trish Langman of Sovereignty on the need for comprehensive fashion education from childhood and beyond, to help collectively shift awareness about how our clothes are made
Sage Paul of Indigenous Fashion Arts on why thinking sustainably is innately an Indigenous cultural practice & why we must see Indigenous designers on a global stage
Doen's Director Of Impact Kristine Kim on their 2030 Roadmap & the importance of welcoming discomfort when navigating value chain impact work
Kelly Lottahall on making art out of old clothes and bringing the fashion & art worlds together to tell stories about *waste culture*
Angel Chang on why listening to Indigenous knowledge & preserving textile traditions can offer solutions for a more sustainable future
Kristin Morrison of All Species asks: what if we *embodied* our garments by actually wearing the land?
Katia Dayan Vladimirova on The Hot Or Cool Institute's new report, what a 1.5 degree wardrobe could look like & questioning how much is enough
What are *healthy clothes* & understanding that our clothing actually enters and impacts our bodies
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