Doing Sustainable Fashion, Not Buying It: Loanhood and Peer-to-peer Clothes Renting

Deadstock is the term given to clothes and fabric that didn’t make the cut… but why do We Are Kin and Last Yarn make it such a central element to their brands? It’s bad enough that a huge amount of perfectly good surplus fabric ends up in landfill but Burberry made dead-stock especially scandalous in 2018 when they were reported to have sent £28 million worth of their materials up in smoke so that their brand didn’t risk being devalued by blackmarket resales and fabric recycling. In this episode our podcast hosts Aamina and Aaliyah speak to Ngoni Chikwenengere and Deborah Lyons about how their journeys began, some common misconceptions about what dead-stock means and the importance of inclusivity. Get full access to YKWU’s Substack at ykwu.substack.com/subscribe

The rental industry could be a perfect solution to both our single-use fashion problem and something called ‘wardrobing’ (the term for returning worn purchases). These issues are bad for the planet and bad for business and although clothing rental has been around for over a century some nifty entrepreneurs have seen a gap in the market. On this episode of the Clean Fashion Podcast, our hosts Aarmina and Reanar speak to two out of the three minds behind Loanhood, the app creating a new fashion rental community. Join us in conversation with Lucy Hall and Jen Sharon about their peer-to-peer fashion rental app the is championing an inclusive and circular retail experience. Get full access to YKWU’s Substack at ykwu.substack.com/subscribe

With fashion’s obsessive focus on new materials, we question what happens when we reinvent materials that have existed locally for centuries. In conversation with founder of CQ Studio, Cassie Quinn we unravel her research on diversifying the use of flax as a material and her journey into regenerative practices. Flax is traditionally harvested and spun into linen and has a strong connection with Ireland. In this episode, we talk about the hidden benefits of natural materials; the big issue with misinformation (aka greenwashing); whether we will achieve biodegradability in fashion and more. A bountiful future can be made possible through past intricate methods, in Cassie’s view. Get full access to YKWU’s Substack at ykwu.substack.com/subscribe

It's time to uncover the magic and mystery behind mushrooms as the fashion industry's newest obsession. This episode invites Fashion Designer Eirinn Hayhow and Fungal Materials Specialist Ashley Granter to delve into why mushrooms and fungi are growing on us here in the UK. From being a more ethical alternative material to leather and pleather; the misconceptions on foraging and insightful lessons from the hidden world of the mycelium eco-system.Hosted by Aaliyah Facey and Reanar James.(1.00) - Introducing Podcast, Eirinn Hayhow and Ashley Granter(3.22) - Beginning of Mushroom Journey - Eirinn Hayhow(6.09) - Beginning of Mushroom Journey - Ashley Granter(13.23) - Eirinn’s design process(14.33) - Ashley’s design and work process(23.05) - Bio-Materials & Longevity of Mushrooms(26.37) - Growth of fungi fashion within the fashion industry(32.42) - Eirinn and Ashley’s career journey’s in design(34.34) - Advice on beginning your own mushroom journey / using plant-based materials within design(35.35) - Biggest misconceptions of using mushrooms in design(39.25) - Reflection section Get full access to YKWU’s Substack at ykwu.substack.com/subscribe