Smart Casual Podcast Emma Do

New year, new episode (finally!). If you've ever wondered how clothing stores end up with a similar set of items each season, this episode is for you. 

We interview Tully Walter, Sportsgirl's in-house trend forecaster, to find out how fashion trends are birthed and what they say about the social and political mood of the moment. (There's a reason why tie dye is taking off right now and it involves more than Justin Bieber.) 

Amie then spills the beans on what it's like for her to design clothing under the pressures of our turbo-speed trend cycle. Spoiler: it involves a lot of Zara. 

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Long time no see! We're back in the studio to talk about Instagram scams, drop shipping geniuses and Alexa Chung. Elsewhere in the episode, we round up the most enduring 2010 trends and make our predictions for 2020 and beyond (yeehaw!). Plus, what Amie learned from a spreadsheet of her fashion purchases. 

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What does Made in China mean today? For some shoppers, the phrase throws up images of sweatshops and shoddy quality. Yet, luxury fashion houses like Balenciaga, Prada and Burberry all produce parts of their line in 'the world's factory'. So, are our perceptions of Chinese-made fashion accurate? 

Rong Jake Chen – co-creative director for AMXANDER and business director for Jonathan Liang –  tells us about why he's proud to make high-end, contemporary clothing in China, and how the manufacturing industry is evolving in surprising ways.

Print designer Imogen* gives us the fast fashion account – sharing her insights on the day-to-day experience of working with Chinese factories for an Australian high street brand. 

*Name has been changed.

Further reading (you can find the same links on our Facebook page for ease of reading):
- "Made in China Doesn't Really Mean What It Used to"
https://qz.com/417052/made-in-china-really-doesnt-mean-what-it-used-to/
- "How China Turned Itself From World's Sweatshop to Global Innovator in Just One Decade
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2124317/made-china-created-china-how-nation-turned-itself
- "China Moves Factories Back To The Countryside"
https://www.ft.com/content/fe86f76c-1215-11e8-8cb6-b9ccc4c4dbbb
- "China Is Turning Ethiopia Into A Giant Fast Fashion Factory"
https://bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-02/china-is-turning-ethiopia-into-a-giant-fast-fashion-factory

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No longer just for students and bargain hunters, the secondhand fashion market could very well outpace fast fashion in the next decade according to ThredUp's 2018 report. Brands are catching on, reissuing sought after archive designs in a bid to get a piece of the pie (looking at you, Tommy Hilfiger and FILA).

So what does this all mean for our shopping habits? Slow fashion stylist Jenna Flood joins us to talk about the changing nature of secondhand shopping in Australia, the pitfalls of seemingly 'guilt-free' thrifting, and about the helpful role clothing libraries can play in our future retail landscape.

Also in this episode: a chat with Liv and Mon of Recycle Boutique Australia on how the consignment store can be an inclusive shopping experience for all, plus a 101 on selling 2000s era 'trash' with Depop-er Tatyana Rutherston. 

Links:
Thread Up report: https://www.thredup.com/resale
Join the Tumnus Clothing Library: http://www.tumnusproject.com/
Jenna Flood, The Ironic Minimalist: www.instagram.com/ironicminimalist

 

Fashion's latest infatuation is gender-bending, gender-neutral and unisex clothing. But do clothes even have genders? How do you make gender-neutral clothing? We ask Australian fashion labels Seeker x Retriever and JBC Lingerie to weigh in. Then we chat to our mates Andy, Leah and Holly about what shopping is like when you're gender non-conforming.
Also in this episode: the origins of that woven straw bag you've been seeing everywhere, why t-shirts and blazers are a combination best left in the 2000s.

A quick lowdown on some terms in this episode:
unisex clothing: suitable for both sexes (implicitly acknowledges only two genders)
gender-neutral / gender free clothing: clothing undefined by any gender
cis: short for cisgender. Describes a person whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex
non-binary: a gender identity that is not restricted to either male or female

Head to our Facebook page for this episode's further reading list: https://www.facebook.com/smartcasualpodcast/

In this two-part special, we bring in Sigrid McCarthy of Intent Journal to discuss how ethical and sustainable fashion can win over more consumers.

If you've been shopping around for ethically made clothing, you might have noticed a lot of muted linens, loose shapes and classic white shirts floating around. In part one, we get stuck into why ethical fashion looks the way it does, and why prices are still at a premium. We look into the size issue and ask: how can ethical fashion avoid becoming an elitist pursuit? How can brands bring truly accessible, responsibly-made clothing to us all?

Enjoy! And as always leave us your feedback on Insta or Facebook @smartcasualpodcast.