What’s next for ethical fashion? recycling, AI, and industry shifts
We’ve reached the season finale of Fashion, Really?, and our hosts, Emma and Joshua aren’t holding back. From thrifting treasures to tech disruptions, this episode is a ride through fashion’s most pressing issues right now.
We’re digging into the industry news shaking things up—from Germany’s breakthrough in poly-cotton recycling to big-name sportswear brands finally walking away from kangaroo leather.
We’re also tackling the buzz (and the BS) around AI in sustainability, and looking into the complicated rise of lab-grown leather. Meanwhile, a major legal case puts luxury fashion’s ethics under the microscope.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Fashion, Really? without calling out greenwashing. This time, we’re naming names: Leather UK and Odd Muse are both in the hot seat for misleading claims and murky marketing.
Despite it all, we’re ending on a high—highlighting signs of real progress in the industry, and holding on to hope for what comes next.
Stay tuned for a season break bonus ep!
Each of our episodes will be broken down into short and sharp sections, find this episode's breakdown below:
0.00: Welcome!
0.23: First things first: what are we wearing?
3.07: The latest fashion gossip and news… but green
20.07: You’ve got to read this
32.13: Green-wash of the month
49.27: Season wrap-up
Book, articles and other things to look at:
I asked ChatGPT to find me a responsibly made white T-shirt. Here’s what happened
Adidas halts use of wild kangaroo skins in shoes: 'No longer justifiable'
eeden Closes €18M Series A Financing to Scale its Breakthrough Textile Recycling Technology
TikTok Account: @plzdontbuythat – greenwashing de-influencer.
Italian luxury fashion brands continue to be tied to sweatshop scandals, but they’re only getting a slap on the wrist
https://www.alexmurrell.co.uk/articles/the-age-of-averageas https://www.alexmurrell.co.uk/articles/the-age-of-average-encore
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50:36
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50:36
Brand new vintage... huh? + Orsola de Castro's repair rebellion
In this episode of Fashion, Really?, we’re talking about fashion not just as self-expression—but as resistance to a culture of carelessness and cruelty.
Our hosts kick things off with a peek into their own wardrobes, before getting serious dissecting a hard-hitting report revealing that most brands—yes, even ones that seem sustainable—are failing the planet by having no real climate action goals.
We are then so pleased to have Orsola de Castro join the conversation, the author and co-founder of Fashion Revolution, who lays down the politics of repair. Why is mending your jeans a form of protest? And what does it mean to reclaim these “lost” skills in the age of overproduction?
Plus, Emma and Joshua call out brands playing fast and loose with the word “vintage,” and question Faragamo’s misleading claims about bio-based leather (spoiler: it’s tanned calf skin).
If you care about what you wear—and what’s behind it—this episode brings the sugar and spice.
Each of our episodes will be broken down into short and sharp sections, find episode one breakdown below:
0.00: Welcome!
0.40: First things first: what are we wearing?
4.04: The latest fashion gossip and news… but green
10.35: You’ve got to read this
17.42: Hear from the expert: Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution and author, on how craft and repair in fashion can be a kind of resistance.
34.24: Green-wash of the month
42.38: Wrap-up and next time
Book, articles and other things to look at:
Good On You Fashion Planet Boundary Report
Adidas Greenwashing Lawsuit
Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution
Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act - Orsola De Castro
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Art and Animals by Giovanni Aloi
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43:02
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43:02
Pay up, babe: fashion worker wages
Fashion, Really? is back with a fresh take on the fashion industry's latest chaos: from half-baked sustainability policies to corporate greenwashing with a glossy finish.
This week, we’re catching up after a whirlwind of fashion events and runways, before it’s time to unpack some big moves (and missteps): the EU’s watered-down sustainability regulation, India’s bold decoupling strategy, and whether the fashion industry is actually making a dent in its decarbonisation promises.
We’re also joined by the brilliant Delphine Willot from Fashion Revolution, who gets into the thick of it on what it really means to pay a living wage to fashion’s garment workers.
And of course, it wouldn’t be an episode without our favourite segment—greenwash of the month. This time, we’re calling out the Natural Fiber Alliance and WWF for dressing up misinformation in eco-friendly packaging.
Make yourself comfortable, this episode is jam packed. It’s fashion and politics for people, animals and the planet—unfiltered.
Each of our episodes will be broken down into short and sharp sections, find episode one breakdown below:
0.00: Welcome!
1.36: First things first: what are we wearing?
4.53: The latest fashion gossip and news… but green
19.58: You’ve got to read this
31.42:: Our two cents: wages: with guest Delphine Willot from Fashion Revolution
45.47: Green-wash of the month
56.07: Wrap-up and next time
Book, articles and other things to look at:
The EU has massively watered down what were meant to be landmark sustainability regulations impacting large fashion brands
Vogue Business: is fur still a faux pas?
Vogue Business: Can India triple the value of its fashion sector while halving emissions?
Ecotextile: US secondhand fashion market ‘up 14% last year’
Learn more about next-gen leather materials
full 26 page complaint by Tanja Gotthardsen and Forbrugerrådet Tænk (a consumer council think tank) submitted to the Danish Consumer Ombudsman reporting both CPHFW and participating brands for green-washing.
PwC’s second annual state of decarbonization report
Fashion Revolution
Fashion Transparency Index by Fashion Revolution
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57:18
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57:18
We’re gettin' wild, and SHEIN is ridiculous
Fashion, Really? is back with another deep dive into the messy and hidden truth behind our clothes. This time, Emma and Joshua unpack the political forces shaping fashion from the California Fashion Act and a French fast fashion bill to Vietnam’s push for a circular economy.
We also shine a light on the hidden victims of fashion’s supply chain: wildlife. From deforestation for leather and wool to the far-reaching impact of land use on global biodiversity, we’re exposing how biodiversity destruction is tied to animal exploitation that’s literally woven into the industry’s fabric.
Plus, we’re back with one of our favourite segments, green-wash of the month. This time, we’re chatting about the sneaky misuse of "recycled" labels to the illusion of ethical productivity in marketing. Join us as we challenge the status quo and explore what it really takes to make fashion responsible when considering people, animals, and the planet. We’re doing it while keeping it cute.
Each of our episodes will be broken down into short and sharp sections, find episode one breakdown below:
0.00: Welcome!
1.27: First things first: what are we wearing?
4.41: The latest fashion gossip and news… but green
15.30: You’ve got to read this
23.49: Quick fire summary: wildlife
39.40: Green-wash of the month
48.09: Wrap-up and next time
Book, articles and other things to look at:
Scaling next-gen materials in fashion: an executive guide
Coyote America by Dan Flores
Biodiversity: The next frontier in sustainable fashion
Circumfauna
Designer Nancy Gonzalez sentenced to prison for smuggling crocodile and python handbags
Collective Fashion Justice submission into the Australian Parliamentary inquiry into greenwashing
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48:33
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48:33
AI instead of transparency… no thanks
This episode kicks off with a very special ‘what are we wearing’ with Joshua sharing the stories woven into his vintage ensemble and Emma breaking down the incredible innovation behind her shiringa bio-leather jacket. (watch this episode on YouTube for full effect as well as our documentary, SHIRINGA: Fashion Regenerating Amazonia).
We also tackle some of the industry’s biggest headlines from the last month: the devastating Kantomanto market fire in Ghana, UK parliamentary scrutiny of Shein’s labor practices, and the ethical minefield of vintage fur’s resurgence. Plus, we unpack key fashion legislation updates, from the New York Fashion Workers Act to the latest greenwashing controversies in the wool industry (AI images on a webpage about transparency and sustainability?!).
Join us as we challenge the status quo and explore how fashion can (and must) do better – while looking good.
Each of our episodes will be broken down into short and sharp sections, find episode one breakdown below:
0.00: Welcome!
0.47: First things first: what are we wearing?
9.40: The latest fashion gossip and news… but green
25.12: You've got to read this
42.59: Green-wash of the month
49.25: Wrap-up and next time
Book, articles and other things to look at:
SHIRINGA- watch on Waterbear
Watch Fashion, Really? on YouTube
SHIEN UK Parliamentary Hearing
Grazed and Confused
United Nations. convention to combat desertification report on fashion and land called ‘Unraveling the Environmental Impact of Fibers’
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
In Collective Fashion Justice’s new podcast, join a New Yorker and an Australian who love fashion but hate what it does to life on our planet, as they gossip about the month’s fashion industry stories and how they impact people, animals and the planet. Quick, critical, a little sarcastic and queer, this is a podcast for people in and into fashion. Who feel like creativity could make our culture better. Who want to talk about the serious problems and have a bit of fun. Because we can.
Fashion, Really? is a podcast from Collective Fashion Justice’s founding director, Emma Hakansson, and CFJ board member, Joshua Katcher. With one brand, four books, a charity and endless lectures on responsible fashion between them, each episode touches on culture, sustainability, ethics, and another idea for transforming fashion that they can’t shut up about.
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