The Swap Society Podcast with Nicole Robertson

Fair Trade practices put people and the planet first. Beautyologie.com founder Robin Tolkan-Doyle talks about fair trade and sustainably-sourced beauty products, points out harmful ingredients to avoid, and identifies the key product categories for a non-toxic beauty routine. She also shares her love of secondhand and fair trade clothing, what’s inspiring her right now, and what makes her feel optimistic about the future. Robin Tolkan-Doyle is a 25-year beauty industry veteran with successes as a writer, editor, public relations/media expert, and entrepreneur. Following a bucket list trip to India, Robin witnessed firsthand how Western consumerism impacts developing nations – and decided she didn’t want to perpetuate this cycle any longer. She fueled her passion for beauty, love of traveling and exploring global cultures, an unparalleled ability to cultivate relationships, and media savvy to found Beautyologie.com, an online beauty marketplace catering to consumers who want their dollars to make a difference. Use promo code SWAP20 to get 20% off anything on Beautyologie.com. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Gary Anderson is an American architect, urban planner, and the designer of the recycling symbol. In 1970, at the age of 23, Gary won a design contest that sought a symbol to identify products that were made from recycled materials and/or were recyclable. Today, Gary’s now iconic design is one of the most recognized symbols in the world. In this episode, Gary shares the influences behind his design including the emerging consciousness of environmentalism and the first Earth Day, Bauhaus, Buckminster Fuller, MC Escher, The Möbius Strip, paper processing and the printing press, Ron Cobb’s Ecology Symbol, the Woolmark logo, and more. He also talks about the evolution of the symbol and an encounter with it that struck him more than when he learned he had won the competition. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

“My power lies within my dollar, how I spend it, how I spend my time, where I shop, how I shop, what I put on my body. I can make those personal decisions every single day, and so that’s where I choose to put my effort.” This episode features former fashion publicist turned secondhand fashion influencer and author of “From #Selfie to Selfless” Kristen Perino-Merjanian. She creates positive content on Instagram @selfietoselfless that encourages others to have fun styling secondhand clothes. Kristen reflects that she may not be able to change the fashion executives, but she can control her own purchases and inspire others to embrace ethical fashion. Kristen talks about her personal and professional transformation, shares her passion for secondhand, and debunks common myths about thrifting. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Joanne Brasch, PhD, is a textiles lecturer and Special Project Manager for the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC), an NGO specializing in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Dr. Brasch also holds two appointments with the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). In this episode, Dr. Brash outlines SB 707, a first-of-its-kind EPR textile recycling and repair program that has been introduced in California. SB 707 would require producers to implement an end-to-end system that would reduce textile waste going to landfills and promote a circular economy in the state. Dr. Brasch also shares tips for reducing textile waste at home and what not to put in your recycling bin. Plus, she shares our favorite fashion love story to date! For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

While designing costumes for television & film, Jillian Clark began to reflect on the impacts large film productions had on the environment. After becoming disillusioned with the wasteful practices of the industry and costume's reliance on fast fashion brands, Jillian founded Roboro in 2017. Six years later, Roboro has grown from an upcycling retailer to a dynamic sustainable textile waste management company and a leading partner in LA city’s pioneering pilot programs to manage the city’s growing textile waste problem. Jillian still works as a costume designer and stylist and now approaches each project with a more mindful and sustainable approach. In this episode, Jillian discusses the massive textile waste problem, shares the ways she incorporates sustainability into her costume design, and talks about they way TV and film influences fashion trends. She also shares what’s inspiring her right now, and what makes her feel optimistic about the future. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

From designing for Levi's to launching her own denim brand, Deco Denim Founder Sarah Mattes dishes about all things denim. Sarah shares tips for taking care of your denim so it lasts for many years, including how to wash jeans. She also talks about what it’s like to work as a fashion designer for a major denim brand, the environmental impact of denim, the challenges of creating an ethical and sustainable fashion brand, and her mission to inspire others to embrace slow fashion. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Plastic pollution has created a lot of ocean pollution, and it has wreaked havoc on The Great Lakes too. Michigan-based artist of "The Trashy Collection" and sustainability educator Hannah Tizedes turns the trash she finds while doing beach cleanups into works of art. Hannah uses her art as a tool to raise awareness and educate others about the plastic waste crisis in the Midwest and beyond. In this episode, she shares sustainable living tips, easy ways to reduce waste, and how to limit microplastic pollution at home. Hannah also talks about her love of secondhand clothes and furniture, her local Buy Nothing group, and how getting involved with her local community keeps her feeling optimistic about the future. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Miles Lewis is an artist, educator, community organizer, and director of the Valley Art Workshop. His murals monumentalize environmental systems with the hopes of transforming culture and the way we think about the world around us. Miles talks about the connection between his art and environmentalism including his experience with zero waste, native plants, soil health and more. He also shares his unique perspective on the climate crisis, what's inspiring him, and what makes him feel hopeful about the future. Miles’ partners include Tree People, 11:11 Projects, Kiss the Ground, and the Theodore Payne Foundation. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

In this episode, Zoë Melo shares her journey from modeling to social entrepreneurship. She talks about how the fashion industry has changed since her modeling days in the 80s and 90s, reflects that it’s an industry built on exclusivity, and shares her vision for making fashion and design more accessible through sustainable community events held in public spaces. She remarks that couture and high fashion can only be afforded by the 1%, and how those models of fashion production are not the solution to the environmental and societal problems created by the fashion industry, particularly in this time of fast fashion overconsumption. Zoë also shows some of the upcycled designs she’s helped bring to fruition, so make sure to check out the video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/swapsociety Throughout her career, Zoë has collaborated with renowned artists, designers, photographers, and art directors in fashion, art, and product design all around the world. Zoë’s brand TOUCH is a social enterprise that uses design as a tool for social and environmental change. Her brand Neighbors by Design is a community-centered platform that uses design as a tool to bring neighbors together and in the process create products made out of waste materials from the neighborhood. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

“I cannot fix the fast fashion crisis, but what I can do is interrupt a small piece of it.” We love a good statement tee, but novelty t-shirts are flooding the waste stream. 15 million discarded novelty tees are imported to Ghana each month alone, 40% of which ends up being landfilled, incinerated, or dumped into the ocean. When you consider that it takes approximately 713 gallons of water to make a single brand-new t-shirt, it’s crazy that we are making so many that are worn once and then tossed into the trash. Camille Lee’s brand WearEmOutTees designs statement t-shirts by upcycling secondhand blank tees instead of working with virgin resources. Camille shares her journey from working in fashion retail to becoming a circular fashion advocate, how thrifting changed her relationship with clothing, and how she’s doing what she can to disrupt the fast fashion industry with her small business. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Teresa Baxter is the Co-Founder of Fair Trade Long Beach, a coalition of activists, advocates, and ethical businesses working to increase the availability and use of Fair Trade products. Teresa has been involved with Fair Trade since 2006, when she began volunteering at Ten Thousand Villages in Pasadena. She shares her story of how she came to work in the fair trade space and the moment she realized how much women can lift each other up. She also talks about the realities of modern slavery—from chocolate production to fashion sweatshops—and the many ways her store is supporting communities locally and around the world. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

“Refashioning and redesigning clothes is the new cool.” Kate McGuire is a refashion designer, sustainable fashion advocate, and the founder of Converted Closet. She makes couture fashion sustainable by redesigning clothes that already exist instead of working with brand new textiles. In this episode, Kate shares how she started upcycling clothes for fun, but watching The True Cost movie led her to find deeper meaning in her work. Through fashion activism and sharing her upcycled fashion designs with the world, Kate hopes to inspire others to give their unworn clothes a second life. Kate shares her excitement about Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw wearing her designs in season 2 of the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That. She talks about her dreams of seeing more celebs wearing refashioned clothing on the red carpet, reveals her design process for upcycling fashion (it’s easier than you might think!), and she dishes about fast fashion. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Factory45 Founder Shannon Lohr mentors fashion entrepreneurs to help them build sustainable and ethical fashion brands from the start. Shannon talks about her journey from chasing fashion trends and shopping fast fashion to creating her own minimalist fashion brand. She shares the challenges she faced in creating a sustainable and ethical supply chain for her business and how that inspired her to create an online business school for fashion startups. Shannon also shares tips for avoiding greenwashing and finding truly sustainable and ethical brands. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/

Can fashion be truly ethical if it’s not inclusive? And what would it take for a fashion brand to actually achieve inclusivity? Kat Eves is a sustainable, ethical, and inclusive fashion stylist and the founder of Style Ethic. She talks about the challenges of finding plus-size clothes (and the even greater challenge of finding ethical and sustainable plus-size clothes), and suggests ways that fashion brands can better serve the 67% of American women who wear a size 14 or larger. Kat talks about fast fashion, overconsumption, and shares how reading Elizabeth Cline’s book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion inspired her to go from shopaholic to doing a shopping ban. She also talks about her favorite pieces in her closet, what’s inspiring her right now, and what makes her feel optimistic about the future. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Bubuleh is a sustainable and ethical clothing brand that is inspired by Jewish culture. In this episode, Bubuleh Founder and CEO Jordan Star talks about his grandparents’ influence on launching his brand (“bubbeleh” is a Yiddish term of endearment that means sweetheart), his focus on evergreen styles instead of seasonal trends, and the importance of using only high quality, vegan materials that are made to last. Jordan also shares the steps he takes in his personal life to live more sustainably, raves about his favorite vintage jacket, and talks about antisemitism and how 18% of all Bubuleh sales for the rest of the year will be donated to the ADL. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

From weddings, to celebrity events, to community gatherings, Belinda Lau’s Opus Events creates sustainable experiences in collaboration with eco-conscious vendors across the Los Angeles area. Belinda shares her journey from professional opera singer to event planner, how the excessive waste generated by events both big and small inspired her to create her own sustainable business, and the ways she embraces sustainability in her day-to-day life. She also talks about how she made the shift from fast fashion to thrift shopping, and what makes her feel optimistic about the future. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Monique Figueiredo is building community through composting with her sustainable business Compostable LA. She talks about how composting reduces food waste, regenerates soil, and helps reverse climate change. Monique shares composting tips, talks about the book that keeps inspiring her, and offers suggestions for keeping climate anxiety at bay. She also talks about her love for thrifted denim and her favorite pieces in her sustainable wardrobe. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Jonathan Levy a.k.a. “Zero Waste Guy” is a waste and recycling consultant who works with businesses to help them systemically root out wasteful practices to reduce environmental harm. Jonathan shares how working as an operations supervisor at a 2 million square foot Target warehouse (optimizing the flow of single-use disposable items) led him to a career in waste reduction. Jonathan talks about what’s recyclable or compostable, what isn’t, and what really happens to our trash. He also gives tips for reducing waste on an individual level, why we can’t actually achieve “zero waste” or fit all of our trash in a mason jar, and talks about the importance of legislation to effectuate change. Jonathan also touches on the astonishing amount of textile waste that is produced in Los Angeles and the challenges the city and its waste haulers face dealing with enormous volumes of textile scraps. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Christy Lin is a product development and sustainability consultant for fashion brands. She talks about the fashion industry’s overproduction problem and its accomplice—overconsumption. Christy explains how many people it takes to make a garment and what goes on behind the scenes to get clothing designs produced and in the stores. She also speaks candidly about the challenges fashion brands face trying to balance sustainability, ethical production, and the bottom line in a capitalist economy. Christy is also a creator, podcaster, and the host of Afternoon Equalitea. For show notes visit: https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast

Former fast fashion clothing designer Claire Powers talks about why her experience in the fashion industry led her to create her own ethical and sustainable fashion brand KINDOM, how she keeps pushing her company to be more sustainable, and how they give back to garment workers. Claire also talks about her commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how she strives for zero waste by upcycling her designs. KINDOM uses sustainable, natural, recycled, reclaimed, and indigenous materials, fair trade-made in ethical and compliant facilities, while also offering size-inclusive & gender-inclusive fashion. For show notes visit https://www.swapsociety.co/pages/podcast