Unspun
26 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsUnspun, is a podcast by Population. Three sustainability experts, Lauren Hill, Danielle Arzaga and Catherine Tedrow unravel what’s holding us back from regeneration and liberation in the fashion and home industries. The world was already at a tipping point when the pandemic hit. Fashion brands cancelled orders, leaving garment workers unpaid. Not long after, the same workers put their lives at risk to make PPE. In the midst of all this, a racial reckoning swept the U.S. triggering the greatest wave of wokewashing the country had ever seen.
It may not seem like it, but these problems are all interconnected. On this podcast we look at the whole system—and the people within it—to discover why and what it will take to create change.
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Episodes
Part IIII: Fibers of Pactics Capsule
July 27, 2022 00:05 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBFibers of Pactics is a 4-part capsule series, produced by Population, in which employees and management at Pactics, a unique manufacturer in Siem Reap, share their invaluable perspectives on the manufacturing industry in Cambodia. Throughout this series, we have heard some of the challenges facing the manufacturing industry in Cambodia and what the industry should focus on when looking to the future. We have also gotten insight into the experiences of working in the industry and at Pactics...
Part III: Fibers of Pactics Capsule
July 18, 2022 18:54 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBFibers of Pactics is a 4-part capsule series, produced by Population, in which employees and management at Pactics, a unique manufacturer in Siem Reap, share their invaluable perspectives on the manufacturing industry in Cambodia. Previous parts of this series have touched on some of the benefits of working at Pactics. In Part III of Fibers of Pactics, Kelsey Tsuchiyama and Dorian van der Mullen expand on this with Lay Sreyem, Pactics’ Group Treasurer, and Thim Chanreaksmey, Pactics’ Compl...
Part II: Fibers of Pactics Capsule
July 11, 2022 16:25 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBFibers of Pactics is a 4-part capsule series in which employees and management at Pactics, a unique manufacturer in Siem Reap, share their invaluable perspectives on the manufacturing industry in Cambodia. Tune in to Part 2 of the series to hear from Mrs. Vong Hoy, an operator at Pactics, and Mrs. Chanthea Srim, a supervisor at Pactics, to talk about their experiences working in the manufacturing industry of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, some of the changes they’ve witnessed in Cambodia’s manu...
Part I: Fibers of Pactics Capsule
July 04, 2022 19:15 - 40 minutes - 37 MBFibers of Pactics is a 4-part capsule series in which employees and management at Pactics, a unique manufacturer in Siem Reap, share their invaluable perspectives on the manufacturing industry in Cambodia. Tune in to the first part of the series where Kelsey Tsuchiyama and Dorian van der Mullen sit down with Sopanhchakpor Phet, Pactics’ Digital Printing and Sublimation Development Manager, and Eang Khoing Pav, Pactics' General Manager, to discuss the changes they’ve witnessed in Cambodia’s...
Reframing Supply Chain Narratives
December 28, 2021 17:27 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MB"I wanted to show people that the framing of the problem itself was problematic...I think a lot of people in powerful positions really do subscribe to this savior/empowerment narrative. And those narratives need to be 'unspun' in their heads and their decision-making. At least be honest about what you're doing." On this episode of Unspun, Bangladeshi scholar and NYU Professor Dr. Dina Siddiqi joins Danielle, Catherine, and Lauren to talk about her work undoing harmful narratives of Banglade...
Representations of a Universal Garment Worker
December 13, 2021 20:29 - 29 minutes - 41.1 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Lauren, Danielle, and Catherine sit down with recent NYU Stern School of Business graduate Kelsey Tsuchiyama, to talk about her human and women’s rights approach to the industry’s most pressing issues. Transforming garment workers into emblems of the labor movement largely ignores the complex power dynamics they experience as workers with varied identities whether it’s gender, geography, race, or class. This narrative also intensifies existing power structures in ...
Creating the Supplier Code of Conduct
November 30, 2021 00:37 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Arjen Laan, the CEO and one of three partners of Pactics, speaks with Catherine, Danielle, and Lauren about the manufacturer’s approach to seeking values-aligned partnerships and the shortcomings of current supplier-brand relationships. At the heart of this effort, is Arjen's desire to create a Supplier Code of Conduct—a long overdue and crucial part of the equation for equitable partnerships in the supply chain. To learn more about Arjen’s experiences at Pactics ...
Sharing the Burden of Financial Risk
November 16, 2021 00:42 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Kim van der Weerd, co-founder and host of Manufactured podcast, joins Catherine, Lauren, and Danielle to discuss how the unequal distribution of financial risk shapes the relationship between brands and suppliers. Kim describes herself as a “student of human rights turned garment factory manager turned sustainable fashion critic.” While she always had an interest in the global political economy and supply chains, she wanted to learn more about what this looks lik...
Manufacturing in L.A.
November 02, 2021 00:06 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Kristen Gonzalez, founder of contemporary fashion label, SELVA \ NEGRA, sits down with Danielle, Catherine, and Lauren to talk about the struggles and triumphs of being a small, sustainable brand manufacturing in L.A. and why incorporating her culture into the brand was so important to her. Kristen is committed to a community-rooted approach to business, prioritizing ethical production and sustainable materials sourcing. SELVA \ NEGRA was an early supporter of th...
Entrepreneurship & Small Business Sustainability
October 19, 2021 16:06 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Benh Pham, founder and owner of jewelry brand Year 901, sits down with Danielle, Catherine, and Lauren to talk about everything from the origin of what she makes and her intentional sourcing, to the future growth of her small business, as well as, the maker and artisan community at large. To hear more of Benh and her experience transitioning from a corporate career to owning her own jewelry brand, what being a small maker means to her, and her approach to sustain...
Sewn Goods and Serving the Underinvested
October 04, 2021 22:21 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB“I THINK THAT WE’RE ABLE TO SCALE WHATEVER WE WANT TO SCALE AND...IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT WE VALUE.” On this episode of Unspun, Ngozi Okaro, Founder and Executive Director of Custom Collaborative sits down with Lauren, Danielle, and Catherine to discuss her work with Custom Collaborative and her vision for a US-based sewn goods industry at large. At the heart of her work and this discussion is the disconnect between the skilled work required in the sewn goods industry and how that work is value...
Overconsumption & Textile Waste
July 12, 2021 23:40 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Marisa Adler, Senior Consultant at Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), joins Danielle, Lauren, and Catherine for a conversation about overconsumption and textile waste, recycling, and what’s holding us back from a circular system. From studying national resource management conservation in school to working for local solid waste departments and the NYC Department of Sanitation, Marisa Adler brings a waste and recycling perspective to textile circularity. Several yea...
Collective Action for a Circular System
June 29, 2021 21:13 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBOn this episode of Unspun, Lewis Perkins, President of the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), sits down with Lauren, Danielle, and Catherine to discuss the genesis of circularity and what needs to change for it to advance in the fashion and home industries. Perkins got his start with circularity when he worked at Mohawk Industries, where at the time the carpet industry was facing major backlash for their contribution to global landfill waste. Perkins brought this early experience into the fash...
The Advances & Limitations of Circularity
June 15, 2021 01:47 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBCatherine, Lauren and Danielle discuss the advances and limitations of a circular textiles system, the limitations to the current frameworks the industry is operating within, and the fact that there is no silver bullet and no one path to take in building circular business models. Numerous companies are exploring circularity to capitalize on the second sale of their products, reduce their production costs, as well as manage risks associated with not taking end of life responsibility of thei...
Cotton Diaries: From Seed to Shelf
June 01, 2021 16:42 - 36 minutes - 33 MBMarzia Lanfranchi, independent sustainable fashion consultant and founder and director of Cotton Diaries, joins Danielle, Lauren and Catherine for a conversation about her personal mission to shape a healthier fashion system by breaking company siloes and building bridges across supply chains. Cotton Diaries is a global community of storytellers and professionals committed to making cotton supply chains more sustainable. She brings with her a unique experience having directly worked with a...
Transparent & Traceable Value Chains
May 18, 2021 15:45 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBFor almost ten years, the fashion industry focused on transparency and traceability as a tool for ensuring social progress in supply chains. Prior to this, the industry relied on social compliance to improve labor conditions. Unfortunately, the social compliance system is plagued with dysfunctions (corruption among them) and audit fatigue (an exorbitant amount of a facility’s resources, time and money being exhausted by multiple audits from different clients throughout the year). Responsib...
The Legacy of Colonialism and a Living Wage
May 04, 2021 04:04 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MB“That’s where the paternalistic, but also the colonialism aspect comes out as well. It’s almost like you are slapping these people in the face and saying I’m sorry but you don’t know what’s good for you, so we’re going to come in and tell you, and if you don’t like it we’ll just go to another country and source our goods there.” On this episode of Unspun, Christian Smith joins Danielle, Lauren and Catherine for a conversation about the sustainable fashion industry, his thoughts on the white...
Pitfalls of Performative Marketing
April 20, 2021 04:04 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBPerformative marketing is what it sounds like: it’s when brands “perform” the role of being sustainable and ethical without backing up their claims with concrete actions. It can take on many different forms, from greenwashing to wokewashing, savior storytelling and tokenization. But what all of these have in common is that they aren’t accurate representations of brands. Lauren, Catherine, and Danielle explain why we need authentic narratives and how we can get there in this week’s episode of...
Part II: Equity in the Business of Fashion
April 13, 2021 19:45 - 39 minutes - 36 MBInvestors and those who finance the fashion industry hold the most power in the system. And at the end of the day, they’re most concerned with returns. The reality is these returns can only come as a result of highly unsustainable practices. On this episode of Unspun Rachel Faller, Founder and Creative Director of tonlé, joins Lauren, Catherine, and Danielle in a conversation about how power is distributed throughout the supply chain and what this means for creating sustainable solutions. t...
Part I: Equity in the Business of Fashion
April 13, 2021 19:36 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBUnequal distribution of risk and reward is prevalent in the fashion industry with garment workers often facing the highest risk and lowest rewards. Despite the industry being set up to maintain this unequal distribution, there are brands that operate outside of the status quo. On this episode of Unspun Sokpriya (Sreyoun) Yan, Head of Operations turned Partner of tonlé, and Founder and Creative Director Rachel Faller, join Danielle, Lauren, and Catherine in a conversation about how the compan...
Pandemic & Power Imbalances in the Fashion Industry
April 06, 2021 18:22 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBGarment workers have always been essential workers, the pandemic just showed us how essential they really are. As much as we’d like to blame all the current problems in the industry on the pandemic, this is simply disingenuous. The truth is these problems have existed long before the pandemic hit; however, this unprecedented time has magnified them to a point where they can no longer be ignored. And if we don’t change our approach, they will persist even after the pandemic ends. Daniell...
Part II: Reimagining the Future of Fashion
March 30, 2021 03:34 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MB“It’s hard to commit to sustainability when you don’t feel safe...when you start with the safety of Black consumers, everyone else is protected.” 2021 was a reckoning of all kinds for the fashion industry. The trend to ignore harm, while promoting a facade of good, has been played out. Not surprised by any of the responses and reactions of industry professionals–from green-washing to woke-washing–Whitney McGuire, co-founder of Sustainable Brooklyn and attorney at law, is still in relentle...
Part 2: Reimagining the Future of Fashion
March 30, 2021 03:34 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MB“It’s hard to commit to sustainability when you don’t feel safe...when you start with the safety of Black consumers, everyone else is protected.” 2021 was a reckoning of all kinds for the fashion industry. The trend to ignore harm, while promoting a facade of good, has been played out. Not surprised by any of the responses and reactions of industry professionals–from green-washing to woke-washing–Whitney McGuire, co-founder of Sustainable Brooklyn and attorney at law, is still in relentle...
Part I: Reimagining the Future of Fashion
March 30, 2021 03:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MB“Sustainability is synonymous with Blackness.” Sustainability is not a new concept and, despite what their seemingly ubiquitous presence in sustainability might imply, it was not created by white people. It has existed for centuries as a foundation of life for the global majority: Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Therefore, we must center the invaluable experiences of BIPOC in creating solutions to the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry at large. On this episode o...
Part 1: Reimagining the Future of Fashion
March 30, 2021 03:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MB“Sustainability is synonymous with Blackness.” Sustainability is not a new concept and, despite what their seemingly ubiquitous presence in sustainability might imply, it was not created by white people. It has existed for centuries as a foundation of life for the global majority: Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Therefore, we must center the invaluable experiences of BIPOC in creating solutions to the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry at large. On this episode o...
Trailer: Welcome to Unspun!
March 10, 2021 22:09 - 1 minute - 1.38 MBUnspun, is a podcast by Population. Three sustainability experts, Lauren Hill, Danielle Arzaga and Catherine Tedrow unravel what’s holding us back from regeneration and liberation in the fashion and home industries. The world was already at a tipping point when the pandemic hit causing fashion brands to cancel orders, leaving garment workers unpaid. Not long after, the same workers put their lives at risk to make PPE. In the midst of all this, a racial reckoning swept the U.S. triggering the ...