Magnifeco Radio

It wasn't until California-born fashion designer Peggy Sue Deaven-Smiltnieks settled into Canada that she found her roots and motivations as a designer; to design with respect for people, their traditions & the lands they live on. One of the first to translate fibreshed (the 'localization' of fibre sourcing) to runway, Peggy Sue joins Kate to discuss the interconnectedness of farmer, maker and creator.

The Global Fashion Exchange (GFX) has helped save 19 tons of clothes (nearly 40,000 pounds) from going to landfills through seven events held on three continents, in four global cities. Kate sits down with GFX co-founder Patrick Duffy to discuss getting the world to swap.

Andrew Morgan is an internationally recognized filmmaker focused on telling stories for a better tomorrow. His experience includes a broad range of work that spans narrative and documentary storytelling for multiple film and new media projects. He is probably best know for his film 'The True Cost'. Andrew joins Kate to discuss the role of storytelling to make change.

After a decade in the fashion industry, Mimi Plange launched her own label in 2010. She joins Kate to discuss the current FIT exhibition "Black Fashion Designers' and how African influenced and American made are the cornerstones of her label.

Entrepreuer Tal Dehtiar started his shoe company Oliberté in 2009 with one thought, 'can we not change they way commerce is done within Sub-Saharan Africa and support a thriving economy by focusing on manufacturing/' With the first Fair Trade Certified footwear factory and a thriving line of men's, women's and babies footwear and accessories, Dehtair joins Kate to discuss doing sustainable good.

If consumers spent an extra 1% on U.S. goods, they would create 200,000 jobs. Sounds easy, but things have changed: in the 60’s, 95% of clothing sold in the U.S. was manufactured in NYC’s Garment District, today that number has decreased to 3%. Can all brands be manufactured in the USA? Today's guest, Anthony Lilore is a fashion designer and Production Process consultant with over 30 years experience in NYC's Garment Centre and he joins Kate to discuss, domestic manufacturing - the future.

As we start a new year and new season, artist, activist, fashion theorist, and Associate Professor in Integrated Design at Parsons, The New School for Design Otto von Busch joins Kate to reflect on fashion’s role in our lives. Are we addicted to fashion? And what can we do to change?

As with beauty and fashion, the ethical element of jewelry is dependent on source and supply chain. While arguably the brightest and possibly most expensive items in our wardrobe, the glitter of jewelry can mask the deplorable conditions that are rampant in this industry. What is being done to combat these issues? To discuss is renowned sustainable jeweler and co-chair of the CFDA's Sustainability Committee - Melissa Joy Manning.

After an internship at Carolina Herrera, and launching his own zero-waste cocktail/evening wear collection, NYC-based designer Daniel Silverstein wanted to do more. He began collecting scraps from local factories and creating a flat textile from them. He then started making his own designs from this newly created yardage. He's begun offering the service to other fashion houses in NYC, and brands like Eileen Fisher are sending him scraps and buying his 'ReRoll. So far this year, Daniel estimates that his company, Zero Waste Daniel, has diverted roughly 2,000 pounds—literally a ton—of material from landfill.

Cotton is heavily embedded in the identity of this county. Often thought of as 'natural' and as the "fabric of our lives", we picture white tee-shirts, blue jeans, sheets hanging on the clothesline. By examining the role cotton played in slavery, this episode will delve into ways in which a large portion of the U.S. population, specifically people of color, continue to be impacted by the role of cotton in the fashion industry. Guest Moriah Carlson, former co-founder of ethical fashion brand Feral Childe, has taught fashion and sewing in New York City for the past decade, educating young people about fashion and its impact on the world. In Moriah’s own words, “The more I work in fashion, the more I see it has to be a kind of activism. From cradle to grave, garments surround us and envelop us. 10 years in, I now teach fashion as a charge to do better, to know more, to speak out.”

Behind agriculture, artisan activity is the second-largest employer in the developing world. According to the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise, “hundreds of thousands of people in the developing world, largely women, participate in the artisan sector. For many, their livelihood de- pends on income earned from their artisan activities.” In this episode Kate is joined by Jennifer Gootman, Vice President of Social Consciousness and Innovation at West Elm (Jennifer also serves as the Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for West Elm’s parent company, Williams Sonoma, Inc.) to discuss supply chain transparency, artisan sourcing and the role of commerce in supporting craft.

Consumers are understanding the effect of gut health on their overall health, but what about for their face? Microbial balance in the gut is a new frontier and skin micro-biotic balance is even newer. Today's guest, founder of Marie Veronique Skincare, is at the forefront of skin science and will discuss skin health.

The fashion industry continues to promote shopping 'new', while minimalists encourage not shopping at all. Neither is sustainable. Guest Rie Yano, co-founder of Material World, believes that by choosing quality fashion that can continue to be reused and shared by many, that sustainable consumption is possible.

Today's guests discuss the Fibershed movement, local transparent supply chains and how Climate Beneficial Wool can lessen draught by building soil, sequestering carbon and holding water. Fibershed develops regional and regenerative textile systems on behalf of independent working producers, by expanding opportunities to implement carbon farming, forming catalytic foundations to rebuild regional manufacturing, and through connecting end-users to farms and ranches through public education.

Soapwalla Chef, Rachel Winard, spent years experimenting in her kitchen to create skincare products that wouldn't aggravate her sensitive skin issues caused by systemic lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition that almost always affects the skin. Soapwalla premiered December 2009 and is a luxurious skincare line crafted from the highest quality organic, vegan and food-grade ingredients, in small batches in Brooklyn NY. Soapwalla's signature, all-natural yet powerful deodorant cream is loved by fans around the world.

in 2015, Americans discarded 15.1 million tons of clothing and other textiles, and 85 percent of that wound up in landfills. Cities all over the world are scrambling to figure out what to do with textile waste. But it’s not just consumers – New York is a big manufacturing hub and today’s guest has launched a new business to help them get rid of their commercial (or pre-consumer waste). Jessica Schreiber is the Founder of FABSCRAP, which provides convenient pickup and recycling of fabric scraps from businesses in New York City. Prior to launching FABSCRAP, she was responsible for New York City’s textile recycling and e-waste recycling contracts and programs as a Senior Manager in the Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability at the Department of Sanitation.

This week, Kate is joined by Brooklyn-based fashion designer Tara St. James of Study NY to discuss Slow Fashion. Slow Fashion is a movement of designing, creating and buying garments for quality & longevity. Slow Fashion encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints and (ideally) zero waste.

The US produces 254 million tons of trash each year, yet NYC-based Lauren Singer is living a nearly 'trash-free' life. Author of the Zero Waste blog 'Trash is for Tossers', the amount of trash that she has produced over the past four years can fit inside of a 16 oz mason jar. Through her blog, she has empowered millions of readers to produce less waste by shopping package free, making their own products, and refusing plastic and single use items. She is also the founder of organic cleaning product company The Simply Co.

This episode delves deeper into the benefits of health and beauty products made from certified organic and non-toxic ingredients. Kiran and Nicole, the wife and daughter of the late Horst Rechelbacher (the "Father of Safe Cosmetics" according to the NYTimes, and founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients), join Kate in the studio to discuss why everything we put in and on our bodies must be nutritious and safe.

It's Climate Week in NYC, guest Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion will join to discuss the role of cheap fashion on the environment, plus her current project(s) and what you can do to change.