Wear Abouts

Manchester Fashion Institute

Wear Abouts is a podcast from Manchester Fashion Institute that explores why fashion matters and how it fits into everyone’s lives.  Hosted, produced, edited and scored by current students from across Manchester Metropolitan University, the show invites some of the fashion industry’s foremost voices to break down the issues, innovations and ideas that emerge from our relationship with clothing.  Follow Wear Abouts on Instagram at: instagram.com/wearabouts_pod Follow Manchester Fashion Institute at: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstuteor visit us at: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk 

  1. May 15 ·  Bonus

    Bonus Episode: MFI Showcase 2026

    We're back this week with a special episode previewing our Manchester Fashion Institute Showcase, taking place on Tuesday, 19th May. It's one of the best days of the year at MFI, and this year, we want to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the events.  We've got four great guests in this episode...  Christian Kuhwald, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design Technology and MFI Showcase Lead. He's the man who orchestrates our jaw-dropping catwalk shows, so we're getting the scoop on what to expect. Rowan Simms-Ridgway is one of our final-year BA Fashion students, whose collection will be part of the first show on the night. (@rsr.fd / @proonwdasn) Amina Jeng's work will feature in our fashion communications exhibition. She's studying BA Fashion Art Direction. (@amina_jeng) Last but certainly not least is Shivani Bali from BSc Fashion Business and Management, whose project will be part of our business showcase event. (@shivanibali_) You can tune in to our livestream of the catwalks here from 5:20pm. Or, there might still be time to grab one of the last few tickets for the screening of the livestream in our SODA cinema here.  Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬 Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review. They help to ensure this project continues. Join Wear Abouts over on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/wearabouts_pod You can also follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstitute And check out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk

    26 min
  2. Apr 20

    Jess O'Riley and James Robinson on setting up Making Room

    This week, we welcome two of our recent graduates back on campus so they can catch us up on their game-changing project that's bringing garment production back to Manchester.  Jess O'Riley (@j.o.studioo) and James Robinson (@coldonasunday) met for the first time on one of their last days on campus at MFI and realised how much they had in common, as well as how differently they were building their respective fashion brands. What unifies them is a passion for designing and making clothes, but that's hard to do as a small brand.  Rather than tap out, they joined forces to establish Making Room (@making_roommcr), a micro-factory and open studio in Manchester, dedicated to ethical, onshore fashion manufacturing. It's about time that small brands can have their collections made in Cottonopolis again. In this episode, we discover the back story, the mission and what the future holds for the city's most accessible micro-manufacturer.  Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬 Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review. They help to ensure this project continues. Join Wear Abouts over on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/wearabouts_pod You can also follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstitute And check out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk

    44 min
  3. 04/07/2025

    Product Innovation and Design with Jalaj Hora

    As the Global Vice President of Product Innovation and Customer Creation at Nike, Jalaj Hora sat at the cutting edge of digital technologies in fashion design and manufacturing. From that perspective, he worked on and witnessed many positive moves towards sustainable practices, but also identified areas where things weren't joining up.  In this episode, we find out how he's looking to fix some of those issues to help brands design in ways that move the needle when it comes to sustainability. We discuss fashion manufacturing challenges, how brands typically calculate their carbon footprint, AI as a design tool and much, much more.  This is our sixth and final episode of series one, so it's a goodbye from Miriam, Laura and the crew. Wear Abouts will be back next year with a new team.  We hope you've enjoyed the series. Thank you so much for your support, reviews, comments and feedback. We have loved making this show and seeing it start conversations around the world. 🫶🌍 Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬 Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review. They help to ensure this project continues. Join Wear Abouts over on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/wearabouts_pod You can also follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstitute And check out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk

    44 min

Trailers

About

Wear Abouts is a podcast from Manchester Fashion Institute that explores why fashion matters and how it fits into everyone’s lives.  Hosted, produced, edited and scored by current students from across Manchester Metropolitan University, the show invites some of the fashion industry’s foremost voices to break down the issues, innovations and ideas that emerge from our relationship with clothing.  Follow Wear Abouts on Instagram at: instagram.com/wearabouts_pod Follow Manchester Fashion Institute at: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstuteor visit us at: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk 

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