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 >
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S04 Episode 159 | POSITIVE LUXURY + THE BUTTERFLY MARK
S04 Episode 158 | BOYISH ON DOING BETTER DENIM
S04 Episode 157 | REMAKE + MADE IN MEXICO
S03 Episode 156 | CAN SUSTAINABLE BE DAPPER?
S03 Episode 155 | INFLUENCER JAYDE ARCHIVES ON PROUD OUTFIT REPEATING
S03 Episode 154 | MOHINDERS + HEIRLOOM LEATHER TRADITIONS
S03 Episode 153 | ELEVATED LAYERS + BALANCING WASTE IN THE INFLUENCER ERA
S03 Episode 152 | REWILDER + SALVAGING INDUSTRIAL TRASH FOR DESIGN
S03 Episode 151 | ORGANICUP + COMBATING MENSTRUAL WASTE
S03 Episode 150 | LISA GRALNEK + BALANCING AUTHENTICITY AMIDST A TIME OF DISRUPTION
S03 Episode 149 | IKKIVI, TWOFOLD + THE SLOW FASHION SCENE IN INDIA
S03 Episode 148 | BEL KAZAN AND THE POWER + CHALLENGES OF OWNING YOUR OWN FACTORY
S03 Episode 147 | FIREWIRE + DISRUPTING THE SURF INDUSTRY
S03 Episode 146 | RAFA + MAKING VEGAN SHOES IN LA
S03 Episode 145 | TRIBE ALIVE + THE POWER OF INVESTING IN WOMEN
S03 Episode 144 | KNIT WIT ON GOING DIGITAL + WHAT'S HOT IN THE CRAFTING SCENE
S03 Episode 143 | ABLE, LIVING WAGES + THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLISHING THEM
S03 Episode 142 | LEFT EDIT + ESSENTIALS THAT MAKE AN IMPRESSION
S03 Episode 141 | SUSTAINABLE STYLING + CURATING THE MINIMALIST WARDROBE SHOP
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