In episode 253, Kestrel welcomes Hilary Jochmans, the founder of consulting firm Politically In Fashion, to the show. Politically In Fashion & Hilary’s name have been popping up a lot in the fashion space, after she helped pen an official letter to President Biden, calling for him to appoint a fashion czar.
“You think about all the different areas that touch fashion and fashion, in respect, it touches as well. You've got immigration, you've got trade, you've got tax issues, you've got water resource issues, you have sustainability issues, you have labor issues, you have a myriad of issues that are currently handled in Washington in a dozen different agencies. So, the idea of the fashion czar was to pull someone who could look at all these different spaces (sort of at the 30,000 foot level) and say — 'okay, here's where we need to have everyone come together'.”
-Hilary
Have you heard any of the chatter advocating for a fashion czar? And you may be asking - what in the world is a czar anyways?
Throughout history, the U.S. government has appointed czars for various reasons — they have focused on the auto industry, drugs, energy, and beyond. A czar is basically someone senior in the administration who has a very defined role and mission and most importantly - someone who has the ear of the President.
Hilary helped pen a letter to President Biden earlier this year, requesting that his administration appoint a FASHION czar to help regulate fashion like other big sectors — and to help elevate the issues and needs of the fashion & retail industry directly to the President.
This is just a glimpse of what we explore on the show. It’s all about the politics of fashion — from requesting a fashion czar to breaking down what The Green Guides mean, to unveiling more ways we can all get involved, this conversation is centered around deconstructing how policy intersects with fashion and sustainability.
Quotes & links from the conversation:
“President Biden, Appoint A Fashion Czar!” in Fast Company, the original article by Elizabeth Segran that sparked the idea to send a letter to President Biden
“I think the days of just ignoring government and pretending that there’s not going to be regulation — I think those days are over.” -Hilary
If you don’t know who your members of Congress are — go to congress.gov and type in your address, and they will pop up.
In their last update (2012), The Green Guides DID NOT touch on sustainability and they DID NOT touch on organic and natural.
“I think it’s important — even if we don’t define the word sustainability — that we put some sort of guardrails on the term, cause if you’re just throwing the term around — this is sustainable, that’s sustainable, and there’s nothing to back it up, it’s gonna lose all meaning.” -Hilary
“Speaking of beauty and cosmetics, The Cosmetics Act has not been updated since 1934.” -Hilary
“FTC’s Updated ‘Green Guides’ Could Clamp Down on Greenwashing” in WWD
“The Politics Of Fashion” in Marie Claire
“Allbirds, ThredUp, More Ask Biden to Appoint ‘Fashion Czar’” in WWD
““We Have The Power Of The Purse”: Why It’s Our Duty To Keep Up The Good Things Happening In Fashion” in Vogue
Federal Advocacy Guide by Politically In Fashion
Green Guides 101 by Politically In Fashion
Politically In Fashion website >
Follow Politically In Fashion on Instagram >
S05 Episode 240 | Maxine Bédat on why circularity won't save us, how the origin of business was not to maximize profit & what that context tells us about the current fashion system
S05 Episode 239 | Ganni on the importance of action over labels & their 44 responsibility gameplan goals
S05 Episode 238 | Best friends Jazmine (@thatcurlytop) & Gabby (@gabrielasage) on reclaiming "influence" & finding balance as content creators and sustainable fashion advocates
S05 Episode 237 | OEKO-TEX®, green chemistry & navigating the nuances of product labels
S05 Episode 236 | Educator Emi Ito and Gina Stovall of Two Days Off on collaborating to honor a legacy & getting creative to infuse fashion with more accessibility, generosity and inclusivity
S05 Episode 235 | Mikaela Clark of Hansel on balance in partnerships, welcoming the evolution of your creativity, and inclusivity in upcycling
S05 Episode 234 | Rethinking upcycling, questioning trends & reimagining what "seasons" mean
S05 Episode 233 | Katherine Theobalds of Zou Xou on sensible shoes and resisting mindless consumption & markdowns
S05 Episode 232 | Kara Fabella on the nuances of "influence" today, splashing color across ethical fashion + her Living In COLOR(ISM) series
S05 Episode 231 | GOODS & SERVICES ON MODERN SHOE REPAIR + REFRAMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SNEAKER LIFESPAN — AKA SNEAKER REPAIR IS POSSIBLE!
S05 Episode 230 | KIANA KAZEMI ON THE OPPRESSIVE HISTORY OF ENGINEERING + TECH, THE NEED TO REFRAME THE "PROBLEMS" ENGINEERS ARE TRYING TO FIX, AND WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH FASHION
S05 Episode 229 | DANI DES ROCHES OF PICNICWEAR ON STATEMENT PIECES + FUTURE VINTAGE OVER FUTURE GARBAGE
S05 Episode 228 | CATHERINE MCKINLEY, AUTHOR OF THE AFRICAN LOOKBOOK, ON THE DEEP MEANING CONNECTED TO CLOTH, THE POWER OF THE CAMERA AND SEWING MACHINE + RECLAIMING VISUAL NARRATIVES
S05 Episode 227 | YESSENIA FUNES OF ATMOS ON RACE AND THE ENVIRONMENT + CENTERING FRONTLINE ORGANIZERS AS THE WRITERS OF THEIR OWN STORIES
S05 Episode 226 | MATT HICKEY OF BE KIND VIBES ON KINDNESS + PLANTING THE EARLY SEEDS FOR CONSCIOUS CHATTER
S05 Episode 225 | URBAN NATIVE ERA, "YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND" + LEADING WITH STORYTELLING
S05 Episode 224 | TWO DAYS OFF, APPROACHING FASHION THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LENS + HOW EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED
S05 Episode 223 | MAGGIE MARILYN ON TRANSPARENCY, RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY + THE NEED TO ALIGN VALUES WITH BUSINESS MODELS
S05 Episode 222 | SELINA SANDERS ON UPCYCLING, HOW FASHION CREATES CULTURE + HOW HER PHILIPPINE HERITAGE INFLUENCES THE BRAND'S AESTHETIC
S05 Episode 221 | ROOPA PEMMARAJU ON HONORING ARTISANS + THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF INDIA
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