Podcast: Fashion and Beauty

32: Desserto – Vegan Cactus Leather.

How a chance meeting in Taipei, Taiwan brings birthday twins together in their home country of Mexico, to create vegan leather. We talk to co-founders Adrian Lopez and Marte Cazarez of Desserto, where they create a highly sustainable plant-based vegan-leather made from cactus, with its characteristic softness to touch and yet a great performer in a wide variety of applications, complying with the most rigorous quality and environmental standards.

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24: Inai – Buy With Love

We talk to Shruti Ashok, the founder of Inai. Inai is a creative space, where timeless leather pieces are crafted using upcycled Italian leathers, handmade by skilled Indian artisans in Madras, India. The designs are made to serve a specific purpose — a bag for everyday living, new adventures, emotional milestones and so much more. ‘Inai’ is a Tamil word, derived from ‘Inaippu’ which translates to ‘connection’. – you to connect with what you buy. Inai aims to inspire people to treasure and value the products they consume and the stories behind them.

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23: Alabama Chanin – For a Modern Sustainable Life.

We talk with the founder and slow design pioneer Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin. The company that has become what Alabama Chanin is today began early in 2000 with Natalie creating hand-sewn garments made from cotton jersey t-shirts. They are a leader in elevated craft due to a strong belief in tradition and dedication to locally sewn garments and goods—both hand and machine-sewn. They maintain responsible, ethical, and sustainable practices holding themselves to the highest standards for quality. At Alabama Chanin, they preserve traditions of community, design, producing, and living arts by examining work and life through the acts of storytelling, photography, education, and making. Natalie in her soothing mellifluous voice walks us through her journey in creating Alabama Chanin. Come take a listen.

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22: Mayu – Luxury Created Sustainably

We speak to Mayura Davda Shah the founder of MAYU, a sustainable luxury lifestyle brand which promotes a conscious way of life. Designed in New York with fish leather and vegan materials sourced from Europe she crafts goods for the betterment of our people and planet. Learn how waste can be used to create a luxury premium accessories brand. In fact, L’Officiel placed as one of the top 5 sustainable brands to watch out for along with Stella McCartney.

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20: Green Sole – Steps Towards Sustainability

Co-founders and runners Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami ran through 3-4 pairs of sneakers every year. They realized that the soles were still in good condition though the uppers were worn out. They refurbished them into trendy footwear for sale and slippers for donation. In fact they have donated half a million slippers since 2016. Listen to learn how Green Sole is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.

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17: Ricron Panels – Giving Value To Waste Plastics

Co-founder Rahul Choudhary of Ricron Panels talks about the motivation and the process of converting toothpaste and candy wrappers into a great cost-effective substitute for plywood and MDF. Join us on his journey.

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16: Outerknown – For Earth and For Planet

We talk to Megan Stoneburner Aseem, Director of Sustainability and Sourcing at Outerknown. At Outerknown every decision is made with the highest regard for the hands that build our clothes and the world we call home. From seeds to suppliers to a circular design, their mission is to protect natural resources, empower the people crafting the clothes, and inspire change within the industry and beyond. Learn how they do it.

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12: MUD Jeans – Circular Denim – A World Without Waste

MUD Jeans is a Dutch sustainable denim brand. In 2013 MUD Jeans introduced the innovative‘Lease A Jeans’ fashion concept. With this concept MUD Jeans has won various prizes such asthe Edie Award for Sustainability Business Models and the Peta Vegan Award. On a daily basis,the company engages and applies itself in the transition towards a circular fashion industry byrecycling or upcycling of resources where possible. MUD Jeans attains the high standards ofvarious sustainability organizations such as the worldwide B Corp. MUD Jeans is the first CO2neutral denim brand according to the BLUEdot certificate process and participates via BLUEdotin CO2 ‘positive’ projects by which it neutralizes its CO2 emission.

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10: Silver Spun Goods – The Healthiest Socks You Will Ever Wear

Through her curiosity and love of knitting, Laurie Gonyea discovered the magical and therapeutic properties of yarn spun with pure silver. However, this extraordinary material was not being produced in the U.S. for the hand knitting market. Laurie set out to change that. The result is a collection of modern, elevated essentials that are kind to your skin and the world around you. Each collection is designed and made in the US, infused with pure silver throughout the pieces and is produced in limited runs. Naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial, pure silver inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria and promotes healthy skin. Silver also has great thermal properties and conducts energy, keeping your feet warm.

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9: Two Blind Brothers – Ultra-Soft Clothing With the Sole Purpose to Fund the Cure for Blindness

Bradford and Bryan Manning are two blind brothers on a mission to cure blindness. At a young age, they were diagnosed with an eye disease that causes blindness over time. To fight back, they left their former careers to start Two Blind Brothers, a small charitable clothing company that donates 100% of the profits to drive life-changing research for a cure for blindness. Their condition inspired a special attention for details, a passion that carries over into the construction of their clothing line. Two Blind Brothers focuses on quality, comfort, and “sense of touch.”

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