The Selvedge Podcast

In this episode we stop and smell the roses, discovering on the way an enduring connection between fabric, flowers and philosophy. I talk to a textile researcher who has dedicated her career to preserving and recreating hand-painted chintz, an expert on South Asian textiles and an advocate for traditional Swedish dress. And the curator of the Dom Robert Tapestry Museum in the South of France.

Red is a colour with a distinct history. Throughout the centuries, it was favoured for its chromatic appeal and for its pre-dominance over other colours. For millennia, wearing red clothes expressed the legitimation of social status, political authority, religious rank, and cultural identity. Since ancient times human beings have tried to find dyestuffs that could reproduce the powerful tint of blood, fire, and flowers. However, it’s not always pretty - ingredients include rancid castor oil, sheep’s dung, bullocks blood and urine. In this episode we ask why red is the hottest colour. We uncover the roots of ancient colourants and discover how today’s designers are taking advantage of they’re their inherent qualities. We talk to a Zapotec weaver from Mexico about cochineal, a Dutch design duo who are finding new ways with natural dyes and an Ajrak printer who reminds us of the long history of madder in the Khatri community in Gujarat. 

What is it about cloth that is so appealing? Now more than ever, there is a hunger for sensual experiences that can only be satisfied by touch. We are surrounded by smooth surfaces, from computer screens and kitchen counters, to cars and sadly clothing. Clothing is increasingly constructed from a narrow range of mostly synthetic fibres – while momentarily appealing to the eye and the purse, these fabrics leave us starved of the tactile stimulus we need. In this episode we ask why only 42% of our clothes are made from natural fibre, when it is generally considered that they are better for the environment and feel better against our skin. Furthermore, why does one fibre - cotton - account for 39% of our clothing? Always keen to support the underdog, in this episode I talk to proponents of marginalised or undervalued fibres: an angora rabbit farmer from Sweden, a weaver from Shreenagar, the beautiful lake capital of Kashmir in Northern India, and a crofter and a knitter from Fair Isle in Scotland. 

The topic for Episode 2 is plastic. Is it as bad as we think it is? To answer this question, I speak with a product designer redefining how we look at plastic bottles, an Italian designer who combines polyurethane with post-production textile waste, and a Senegalese partnership which brings vibrant African design to a European market.

The global textile industry is a huge polluter and landfills are groaning with barely worn clothing, so there is no better topic for our first episode than up-cycling. With its roots in the make-do and mend mentality, up-cycling has the potential to make a tremendously positive environmental and social impact. In this episode, I speak with a German designer whose last collection was made entirely from recycled fabric, an indigenous Guatemalan craftsman and an Athenian designer redefining our understanding of coats.