Made Better ZERRIN

What does it really take to create an ethical fashion brand and supply chain? We catch up with Vanna Sann, the owner of ethical manufacturing company and slow fashion label Dorsu, to learn about their journey. Discover what it's like to work with deadstock vs virgin materials, their mission to create safer, more equitable employment for garment workers in Cambodia and how we can bring more inclusiveness and mindfulness to the fashion industry. 

Learn more about Dorsu here or follow @dorsu_cambodia for more.

If you enjoyed this episode of Made Better, please help us spread the word! Share it with friends and follow @zerrin_com or @susannahjaffer to join the conversation.

Ever read an ingredient list on the back of a shampoo bottle and wondered what all the jargon means? Us too. What do terms like green, clean and cruelty-free really signify when it comes to our skincare? In this episode, Susannah caught up with entrepreneur Jené Roestorf, the founder of green skincare label Luxe Botanics. 

A trained biological scientist, Jené has had a fascinating career which—along with a longing to create a brand connected to her South African roots—led her to entrepreneurship and creating a product range that would truly remedy skin concerns, all using only the finest, ethically-sourced ingredients. 

New to this podcast? Listen to our introduction episode here.

Discover products by Luxe Botanics here and follow @luxebotanics for more.

Follow @zerrin_com or @susannahjaffer to join the conversation.

In today’s Earth Day episode, Susannah catches up with Amanda McCourt, the co-founder of independent underwear brand Pantee. Launched through kickstarter in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, Amanda and her sister and fellow co-founder Katie couldn’t find underwear that ticked all of their boxes — sustainably-made without compromising on comfort and style. The game changing thing about Pantee’s designs is that they’re made from materials that already exist (deadstock t-shirts or deadstock fabric) giving them a circular, upcycled origin from the get go. Being big on transparency, body positivity and a realistic approach to sustainability are just a few of the reasons this label has caught not just our attention, but also the likes of Vogue, Drapers, The Observer and the BBC.

Deep diving into Amanda’s journey, we speak about navigating and building a supply chain as a small fashion business, her thoughts on representation in the lingerie industry, what building a brand community has looked like for her, and why they’re trying to move sustainability messaging out of their marketing. Curious? Tune in to find out more.

In this episode, Susannah chats with Alicia Tsi, the founder of Esse, an ethical fashion label bridging New Zealand and Singapore. Our conversation charts Alicia’s journey, from self-professed ‘fashion victim’ to slow fashion advocate, and her experience of building a brand based on the values of quality design, transparency and traceability.

We discuss the challenges of producing on preorder, what it took to create Esse’s latest transparency report (a great blueprint for other entrepreneurs to follow!) identifying greenwashing and clear washing and more. Discover full show notes to the episode here. New to this podcast? Listen to our intro episode.

Key moments: 

— Before she learnt about the true impact of the fashion industry, Alicia shares how she was a fashion victim and a shopaholic, chasing trends mindlessly with a closet full of “badly-made” clothes. (5.26) 

— Alicia discusses the brand’s effort in communicating openly with its customers in order to get feedback and improve their designs and processes. (11.22) 

— Alicia shares her take on greenwashing and clear washing in the industry and advises brands to ‘walk the talk’ instead of simply using sustainability as a marketing tool. (14.48) 

— “Transparency is a moving target and (…) right now transparency is a basic hygiene factor and a table stake. Transparency is really moving towards brands providing more granular information. (18.07)

— Alicia details their 2021 Progress Report which embodies two main pillars – the environment and social pillars. From working with ethical suppliers and their fabric usage, the report evaluates the brand’s practices against these pillars. (22.15) 

— The brand’s pre order model started as a way to bootstrap the business. However, they soon realised that this model allowed them to forecast demand and prevent overproduction (26.49) 

— Alicia notes that there are challenges with the preorder model as people are so used to fast fashion that some are just not willing to wait for their clothes. (27.33) 

— Moving beyond preorder, Alicia is shifting the business toward a ‘made-to-order’ model as a way to ‘add more value’ for their customers. (28.41) 

— To tackle fashion waste, Esse launched a repair programme last year as a way to extend the life cycle of their garments. (33.44) 

— We discuss whether viewpoints and perceptions of sustainable fashion are changing. (37.34) 

— Susannah and Alicia discuss the challenges of navigating sustainability and growth. (42.04) 

Learn more about Esse here or follow @essethelabel for more.

If you enjoyed this episode of Made Better, please help us spread the word! Share it with friends and follow @zerrin_com or @susannahjaffer to join the conversation.

In this episode Susannah chats with Francisca Pineda, the founder and creative director of vegan footwear label Bhava. A former New Yorker and a Parsons-trained accessory designer, she developed severe chemical sensitivity and sickness while working with leather which set her on a path of completely transforming her lifestyle and outlook on the fashion industry. After finding a lack of options on the market, she decided to design training to launch her own label Bhava using high-quality, cruelty-free vegan leather, experimenting with both microfibres and plant-based fibres.

We speak about her journey in fashion, the effects of the leather industry on developing countries, what actually goes into making vegan leather and why plant-based leathers may not necessarily be the answer for some fashion segments – yet. We also discuss the lack of transparency in brands' leather supply chains, as revealed by the recent Stand.earth research report created in partnership with climate justice non-profit Slow Factory. Finally, we also touched upon a lot of useful advice for fashion entrepreneurs, why being a small business can give you an advantage (and the things she wishes she’d been more consistent with) plus, why a better fashion industry means a greater focus on true transparency.

Key moments: 

— How Francisca became sick from working with leather as a designer (4:44)

— What (actually) is vegan leather and what she looks for when sourcing (12:39)

— The current drawbacks of fully plant-based options and why big brands tend to be able to access the most innovative materials first (16:35)

— Why she believes in making products made to last and focusing on quality (20:57)

— The truth behind the leather industry, river poisoning and discussing the Stand.Earth/Slow Factory report (23:41) 

— The product matters over marketing and the joys of building relationships with customers in the sustainability space (29:53) 

— The advantages of being nimble as a small business (31:23)

— Her advice for aspiring fashion brands on getting your product right (33:07)

— The difference between the fast fashion and sustainable fashion consumer, creating loyalty and the power of word of mouth (33:33)

— Why a better fashion industry means moving toward true transparency, including the world's biggest brands revealing how much they're really making (37:16) 

— Francisca and Susannah discuss fast-fashion brands and conscious collections, and why selling sustainable fashion in huge volumes isn't necessarily the answer due to waste and lack of transparency. (40:53)

 New to this podcast? Listen to our introduction episode here.

Learn more about Bhava here and follow @bhavastudio for more.

Follow @zerrin_com or @susannahjaffer to join the conversation.

It’s easy to forget our clothing’s connection to the natural world. In this episode, we explore the relationship between nature and what we wear through the lens of entrepreneur Mahima Gujral. She has a unique take on the matter, being the founder of slow fashion label SUI, a brand which works exclusively with natural, organic and ancient fabrics. Her team designs and produces versatile clothing with a ‘green heart’ that takes cues from the natural world through motifs and fabrics, and they treat their makers and tailors (who they fondly called their threadspellers) like family.

This conversation takes us through her journey to aligning her personal values to building a fashion business rooted in sustainable values. We cover some interesting points, like how traditional fabrics like Kala cotton are naturally organic yet not necessarily certified – which begs the question, when it comes to independent businesses, how much weight should consumers put on certified fabrics as the be all and end all?

We also touch upon the appropriation of artisan work by big brands, how sustainable brands must be as transparent as possible when communicating their value and higher price point, and ultimately what it takes to create a conscious fashion business that respects people and the planet.

Read full episode show notes here, and discover more from label Sui on ZERRIN's marketplace or through their website.

If you’re new to this podcast, listen to our introduction episode here.

Follow @zerrin_com or @susannahjaffer to join the conversation.