Championing African Brands In A Western Market With Akojo Market

At The Vendeur we work with a lot of small sustainable brands and we truly believe that they are the future for a more sustainable world. However, it’s not easy owning a brand. And this year, a pandemic and world wide lock down made it even harder! So I thought it was appropriate to speak to someone who knows about building and sustaining brands. She's done it herself and now she helps other people to realise their dreams. Sustainable Fashion AcceleratorShannon Lohr is the Founder of {r}evolution Apparel and her experience inspired her to go on to start Factory 45, an online accelerator programme for sustainable and ethical brands. We talk about a few of their success stories like capsule brand Vetta and size inclusive label Poppy Row. This episode isn’t just for brands or aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s also a handy inside look for consumers as to what a sustainable brand goes through to bring you a product and why they make the decisions they do. The Importance of Transparent FashionShannon believes that there is no such thing as perfectly sustainable. She’s a big fan of ‘progress over perfection’. Which is why it’s so important to have honest and open communication when marketing your brand. If your products aren’t as sustainable as you would like, tell your customer. Explain to them how you are working to make your product better and include them in the development. While I have Shannon, I ask her the ugly question. Why are you helping brands create more stuff? And so far she's the first person to give me a credible answer.Thank you to our fabulous guest, Shannon Lohr of Factory 45Mentioned In The EpisodeAlumni stories on Factory 45Market 45Fashion Revolutions 2020 Fashion Transparency IndexEarth Overshoot DayOrganic Cotton - Organic September With Soil AssociationThe SociétéGroupMore Information About The Société Please Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Diamonds Are A Girls Best FriendWhile diamonds are usually seen on women, the diamond industry itself has been traditionally male dominated. From the mines to the heads of large jewellery houses like Graff and De Beers. Its a topic we spoke about in more detail in episode 5 with Jewellery designer Maryline Kekeli. However this has been changing gradually over the last few years as natural diamond companies emerge as models for sustainable practises and gender equality. The diamond industry supports the livelihood of roughly 10 million people worldwide so it’s important that this community is supported. Thats where the Natural Diamond Council comes in. They provide insights and transparency for the diamond industry, promoting sustainability and ethics. The NDC works directly with diamond companies and mines to educate and encourage them to build on important areas of ecology, human rights and gender parity. One example of positive transformation is Botswana, now the second largest diamond producer in the world.Gender Parity In Diamond MiningExcitingly women are rising to the top of diamond businesses and taking important roles in decision making. Women represent 30% of the workforce of the worlds largest diamond producers. More and more women are being bought  into highly skilled but traditionally male dominated roles. This includes women in upper management, arguably the most key change of all. Because when diverse voices (both in gender and race) are heard at the top of companies, positive change follows. Naseem Lahri was recently appointed Managing Director of Lacura Botswana. In this episode Lucy speaks to Raluca Anghel Head of External Affairs at the Natural Diamond Council. They talk about incredible grass roots initiatives that are being built, about gender parity throughout the industry and the exciting environmental schemes that are being pioneered.With thanks to the wonderful Raluca Anghel from Natural Diamond CouncilSpecial thanks to Nafisa Boateng & Amie Tran Mentioned in the episodeMaryline Kekeli - How To support Black Owned BusinessesNassem LahriLivia Firth on Fashionscapes: The Diamonds of BotswanaDe Beers Mineral Carbonation Please Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

The Future Beyond Single Use PlasticsIn this episode we’re moving away from fashion, but only temporarily to talk to Isabel Aagaard, Co Founder of LastObject. The day we recorded this episode it was a happy accident that it was also the day that the UK banned the production and sale of plastic cotton buds, straws and stirrers. So without access to single use items like cotton buds, what do we do? Well Isabel and her team came up with the perfect reusable solution, the LastSwab. A reusable silicone swab that can be washed and used again. That was in 2019. Their aim was to eliminate 1.5billion swabs that are produced everyday. Designing For A Sustainable WorldLastObject are purposely choosing the smallest objects that you wouldn’t give a second thought to and reimagining their use. From cotton buds, to packets of tissues and now cotton rounds, the company is not only seeking to change your consumption, but also your habits. Isabel and her team delight in problem solving. They create incredibly considered designs for real life. With one intention, eliminating single use items and plastics. We talk about the lifecycle of single use products and how much of an impact they make before you use them once then throw them away. And how little changes can make a huge difference. After we recorded this conversation, I got an email from Last Object announcing that their LastRound kickstarter campaign had achieved 3000% funding. This goes to show that people do want a reusable alternative to the things we buy and discard every day. With thanks to our amazing guest, Isabel Aagaard, Co Founder of LastObjectSpecial thanks to Kathleen of Be Influential PRMentioned in EpisodeLastRound KickstarterReusable NappiesWho Gives a CrapSupport Garment Workers With Sophie Slater of Birdsong - Style With Substance Please Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Sexism and Garment WorkersWe hope you enjoyed last week’s chat with Natasha at Akojo Market. We discussed the valuable role that can be played in lifting up African Artisans and makers in order for them to grow their businesses. This weeks episode is in a similar vein but we’re a bit closer to home. In 2019 the UK fashion industry was estimated to be worth £118 billion. However it takes a major Fashion CEO just 4 days to earn what a female garment worker in Bangladesh will earn in her entire lifetime. So it’s clear that a huge gap in wealth exists in the industry but why is this. Women, specifically women of colour make up 80% of the garment maker workforce. So it’s safe to say that sexism and racism play key roles in reducing the value of the work done. Even though the work is highly skilled and technical, I couldn’t sew a hem to save my life and yet so many of us look down our noses at people who make our clothes.A Blueprint For Future Fashion BusinessesThis week we're speaking to Sophie Slater, the co Founder of Birdsong. The brand is widely recognised as being a pioneer in the social impact and sustainability spaces. 90% of women's organisations in London have had funding cuts since 2010. Birdsong work specifically with these charities, supporting the incredible makers and skilled artisans that exist in the UK. The brand aims to create a blueprint for a more localised, sustainable and fair fashion industry. It’s the very definition of slow fashion. The charities and organisations that Birdsong work with have said that through their partnership they feel less vulnerable to funding cuts. And we’ve spoken many times about the dangers of the ‘Made in UK’ tag on your clothes somehow negating the need for any work place responsibility on the part of brands. As we found out recently, factories in England are just as guilty of labour rights violations as those in the global South. Lockdown left many garment workers, especially migrant workers open to exploitation. Sophie is incredibly knowledgeable about supply chains in general, but knows her own like the back of her hand. Birdsong is more a community than it is a business. She is truly inspiring and Birdsong is proof that the old misogynistic and colonialist way of doing business is outdated and is not fit for purpose. We hope you enjoy this episode. Please show your support for the podcast by subscribing and leaving us a review, it helps other people to find us.With thanks to our amazing guest Sophie Slater, Co Founder of Birdsong.Mentioned in EpisodeTo Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out The World, by Lucy SiegleFashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index featuring H&MReport by Trust For LondonHidden FiguresInside Misguided: Made In ManchesterIn The Style DocumentaryFixing Fast Fashion by the Environmental Audit CommitteePlease Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

An Online Marketplace With A DifferenceNatacha Buchler is the Co Founder of Akojo Market, founded in 2019 with Annie Rudnick. Akojo Market is an E-commerce platform championing independent and ethical brands across Africa and the diaspora. It acts as a tech enabler, providing direct routes to market for brands and makers, bridging the gap between designers and a possible customer base in the West. Since launching last year, they now have 40 brands on the platform ranging from fashion and jewellery to homewares and beauty. Natasha and Annie are passionate about creating a unique retail experience. They are passing the mic to incredible brands, rooted in sustainability and ethics. Brands that are merely lacking a springboard to new customers. It’s all about the stories and the makers.Building Awareness of African Design and CraftmanshipNatasha makes it clear that this isn’t about appropriation, the brands are very much in control. Instead it’s about building an awareness and appreciation of people who live a fundamentally sustainable lifestyle.  However they have been forced away from this natural path because of a Western appetite for fast fashion and disregard for waste. Akojo Market places a huge  importance on financial independence too. Their innovative impact tracker shows us that it’s not just a worker who benefits from fair pay and working conditions, but their many dependents too. Colonialism and Western style capitalism took agency away from these people, Akojo Market are putting it back in their hands. With thanks to Natasha Buchler of Akojo MarketMentioned The Root PodcastDominique Drakeford Please Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Introducing Our Inspiring PanelLea Wieser is the co founder of Arkitaip. Together with her Mother she creates impossibly chic linen wear and her mother hand crochets swimwear and accessories too. Karen Yates is part of another Mother Daughter team, she is the Co Founder along with her daughter Ellen of Taylor Yates. The ethical leather bag brand creates beautiful and personal handbags with their responsible leather tannery in the UK. And finally, Rebecca Rose is the founder of To The Fairest, a luxury fragrance that is challenging the traditional role of a perfume company through their social impact work. Creating Positive ImpactIn the episode, recorded live over Zoom for our audience, we discuss creating positive impact. It’s an ethos that all the brands share. Whether through their manufacturing methods, charitable partners or their environmental footprint. All three founders are emphatically pro People, Planet, Purpose, the new triple bottom line. And incorporate giving initiatives and charitable partners as core aspects of their companies.The panel also discuss circularity and why it’s important, even as a young brand to consider the lifecycle of their products. Thank you to The Maiyet Collective for bringing these amazing brands together in their current pop up and for making this live podcast recording possible. Unfortunately due to the most recent lockdown they were forced to close the South Molton Street store but we hope to see it back very soon. In the mean time you can shop via The Maiyet’s virtual marketplace.With thanks to our guests, Karen, Rebecca and Lea. And a very special thank you to Olivia and the team at The Maiyet Collective.Mentioned in the EpisodeEAC Fixing Fashion: Clothing Consumption & SustainabilityTaylor Yates Sustainable UK Based TanneryTHRIVEBuilding METhe Vendeur Supporting Small Sustainable Businesses - The Societe Please Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Education For AllLockdown was hard for everyone but what we don’t hear about are the stories of those who faced starvation and destitution, simply because they couldn’t go to school. This was the situation faced by students of the Malaika school in the Democratic Republic of Congo only a few months ago. The school, founded 13 yrs by model and philanthropist Noella Coursaris Musunka provides a free and holistic education to 370 girls from the ages of 5-18. Before the school, the village had no water, electricity or healthcare, but since then it not only has a school and community centre, but 20 wells providing clean water. As well as this they provide sports programmes, adult vocational skills and IT classes to around 5200 people. So you can see that this is a much needed and impactful programme.Women Supporting WomenPost lockdown there is a lot of work to be done. Malaika have partnered with rental platform Hurr to raise much needed awareness and funds for the school and community. I was incredibly lucky to get to speak to Noella and Victoria, the CEO and Co Founder of Hurr on the day the campaign launched. Wear to Care offers renters an opportunity to rent pieces donated by incredible celebrities including Helena Christensen, Thandie Newton, June Sarpong, Eve and Natalia Vodianova, as well as brands such as Vilshenko, Roland Mouret and Roksanda. All the money raised goes directly to the school. Not only that but Hurr are using the amazing community that they have fostered around their peer to peer rental service to encourage women to sponsor girls at the school. The campaign seeks to highlight the power of female friendship and the importance of empowering each other through knowledge, finance and holistic support. We all know that when young girls are given these things, their potential to thrive is improved exponentially. We hope you feel uplifted and inspired by our conversation with these two amazing women.With thanks to our inspiring guests, Noëlla Coursaris Musunka and Victoria PrewMentioned in the episodeMalaika SchoolHurrCharlie CollinsVideo of girlsHurr InstagramMalaika InstagramPlease Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Wool WeekIt officially feels like Autumn now, the leaves are turning, acorns and conkers litter the ground, and it’s Wool Week. Yes this week the Campaign For Wool is celebrating one of the oldest, but certainly the most impressive natural fibre we use. Last week we spoke to Hanna Fiedler about her use of alpaca which is a really sustainable fibre with a low environmental impact. This week Lucy is joined (remotely of course) by Debbie Luffman from Cornish outdoor brand Finisterre. With its origins as a cold water surf brand, they look to find the very best sustainable fabrics to keep you warm and dry when you find yourself surfing off the Cornish coast. If you’ve taken a dip in that part of the world then you know that the water can be insanely cold! As the company's Product Director, Debbie works with all sorts of fabrics but wool is her favourite. As with linen, which we discussed in episode 8, wool has a lot of amazing attributes that make it sound really techy and man made, not natural and environmentally friendly.Whats Up With WoolDebbie talks about wool’s amazing qualities, it’s durability coupled with it’s ability to regulate temperature and wick away sweat. We also hear the inspiring story of a dying breed of merino sheep, bought back from the brink to thrive in Devon. The Bowmont Flock continues to thrive after near extinction thanks to their support. Finisterre are proud to work with this one of a kind sheep farm. Debbie and the wider team at Finisterre are dedicated to deepening their knowledge and understanding of wool fibre and how to produce it more mindfully across their supply chains. When we understand the amazing journey that a wool jumper goes on, it helps us to truly understand the value we should all be placing in our clothes. ‘Wool is surprising, when you explain why wool is such an incredible fibre, people are shocked.’ - Debbie LuffmanWith thanks to our incredible guest Debbie Luffman, Product Director at FinisterreMentioned In The EpisodeCampaign For WoolWhat Makes Linen So Sustainable With Lea From Arkitaip Episode 8Finisterre’s Recycled Wool FleeceLesley Prior and The Bowmont ProjectPlease Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Wool WeekFor 10 years, the Campaign For Wool has drawn attention to the wonderful wool offering available in the UK, and it’s incredible attributes. Today we are investigating a slightly less known wool available in the UK, Alpaca. Did you know that we have alpacas, right here in the UK? Along with Europe, the UK began farming alpacas for their super soft wool in the 90’s. So when we discovered that designer Hanna Fiedler was using alpaca wool for her collections, we had to find out more. Slow Fashion & Local SourcingHanna is a German born, now London based designer, taking the fashion industry by storm. Her precise and considered approach to fashion takes into account not just a sustainable work ethic, but also making less impact on our environment. However her approach to creating clothes is a lot slower than most brands and she prefers to do everything as locally as possible. Finding a balance between her love of fashion and her love for the environment, Hanna sources and manufactures in the UK as much as possible. When she discovered alpaca wool on her doorstep, (or a short 4 hour car journey from London) she jumped at the chance to find a way to incorporate this gorgeous fabric into her collection. Being farmed and spun in the UK means that the carbon footprint of the alpaca fibre is greatly reduced. We also know that alpaca have very little impact on the environment, making their wool an ideal sustainable fabric to use. With thanks to our amazing guest, Hanna FiedlerMentioned in the episodeBritish Alpaca companyPlease Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd 

Luxurious LinenWhen you think of a really luxurious linen brand, Arkitaip is surely top of your list. Lea Wieser co created the company with her Mum. Together they design the clothes and Lea’s mum crochets the beautiful bags and swimwear that the label offers. Lea herself is a big fan of linen. Like cotton and wool, it has a lot of amazing hidden properties that make it sound more like a really techy sports fabric, rather than a natural and biodegradable material. Lea knows a lot about natural linen and shares with us why it inspired her to begin her own fashion label.Natural & BiodegradableLinen fabric is really great for our skin, because it’s hypoallergenic and temperature regulating. This makes it a kinder fabric for people with sensitive skin, plus it can be worn all year round. Unlike growing cotton, growing flax linen uses rain water and doesn’t compromise the land for growing food later on. It also doesn’t need pesticides. In her words, organic linen fabric is the perfect durable low impact clothing, grown and made in Europe, which minimises the companies carbon footprint. Lea’s love for the fabric and for the amazing artisan work of her Mother is infectious, you’ll be a linen nut too after this episode.Thank you to our fabulous guest Lea, Co Founder of ArkitaipMentioned in episodeMaiyet CollectiveMasters of Linen MarkHow to take care of linenPlease Support The Vendeur & Join Our CommunityInstagramFacebookPinterestSeries Credits Host Lucy KebbellTheme created by Joe Murgatroyd