PODCAST

THE SWAP SOCIETY PODCAST

Host Nicole Robertson interviews thought-leaders and change-makers who are working to create a more sustainable and equitable world through fashion, art, and activism. The Swap Society Podcast shines a light on the fashion industry and its impacts on climate change and human rights. Tune in for a dose of climate optimism and chats about sustainable fashion, fair trade, the circular economy, labor rights, minimalism, overconsumption, slow living, zero waste, counterculture, and more. Join us as we envision a brighter future and challenge the status quo.

Nicole Robertson is the founder and CEO of Swap Society, an online clothing swap that makes it easy and affordable to mix up your wardrobe sustainably. Alt-currency SwapCoin™ gives multi-dimensional value to garments and makes swapping super fair.

EPISODES

EP 31: FROM FASHION MODEL TO SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR WITH ZOË MELO

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 @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. 

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EP 30: Making a Statement by Upcycling with WearEmOutTees Owner Camille Lee

“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.

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EP 29: Women Helping Women with Fair Trade Long Beach Co-Founder Teresa Baxter

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.

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EP 28: Refashioning Couture with Converted Closet Founder Kate McGuire

“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. 

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EP 27: Launching Sustainable & Ethical Fashion Brands with Factory45 Founder Shannon Lohr

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. 

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EP 26: Ethical & Sustainable Plus-Size Fashion with Style Ethic Founder Kat Eves

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. 

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EP 25: Slow Fashion Meets Jewish Culture with Bubuleh Founder Jordan Star

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. 

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EP 24: Eco-Friendly Event Planning with Opus Events Founder Belinda Lau

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. 

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EP 23: Composting: A Climate Crisis Antidote with Compostable LA Founder Monique Figueiredo

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.

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EP 22: Recycling Facts with Zero Waste Guy Jonathan Levy

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. 

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EP 21: Overproduction & Overconsumption with Fashion Product Developer Christy Lin

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.

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EP 20: From Fast Fashion to Upcycling with KINDOM Founder Claire Powers

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.

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EP 19: How to Stop Attracting Clutter With Professional Organizer and Dclutterfly Founder Tracy Mccubbin

Our emotional attachment to things can make it hard to let go of clutter. Decluttering Expert and Professional Organizer Tracy McCubbin shares her tips for releasing “clutter blocks” so you can finally get rid of the items that don’t serve you.

But why do we attract clutter in the first place? If we don’t address the underlying emotional reasons that we attract clutter, we can get caught in a cycle of overconsumption. Tracy shares her tips for identifying and overcoming our “clutter magnets” so we can “make space for happiness” and create the joyous lives that we want.

Tracy McCubbin is the founder of dClutterfly and the author of two books, “Making Space, Clutter Free” and “Make Space for Happiness.” 

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EP 18: The Spirituality Of Secondhand Clothes With Reiki Master Maria Lopez

“If you are concerned about the energetic imprint that your clothes will have when you put them on, and you purchase something new, then it is, in my opinion, impossible to separate the ethics of how the clothing was made from the energy that it will imprint on you.”

Reiki Master and Spiritual Life Coach Maria Lopez talks about the spirituality of secondhand shopping, the energy of buying something new (particularly if it was unethically made), how we can incorporate mindfulness throughout our day, the importance of being an imperfect activist, and how we can create the world we want.

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EP 17: Sustainable Shoemaking With Suggies Co-Founder Mary Sue Papale

Fashion insider and co-founder of sustainable footwear brand Suggies, Mary Sue Papale, shares footwear industry secrets from her years working at Esprit and Bebe, and talks about what it takes to make shoes with an end-to-end ethical and eco-conscious manufacturing process. Mary Sue explains how American companies outsourcing to China in the 70s and 80s changed the fashion landscape, how ready-to-wear helped create a shift in consumer behavior, how the rise of fast fashion took us from 4 seasons to 52 micro-collections a year, and how fashion brands get away with stealing designs. She also talks about the challenges of manufacturing in the USA and her commitment to paying a living wage. 

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EP 16: Democratizing Secondhand Style with Style Crush Co-Founder Jennifer Mielke

Jennifer Mielke is a sustainable style coach and Co-Founder of Style Crush, a co-op marketplace that aims to change the way we thrift shop by democratizing access to styling services. Jennifer stopped shopping for brand new clothes 13 years ago when she learned about the social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry. Her passion for secondhand fashion and helping people find their authentic style has led her to become a sustainable fashion tech entrepreneur working to make shopping for secondhand an easier first choice. Jennifer talks about her journey, being a mom and a startup founder, avoiding the destructiveness of capitalism, and doing things differently with a focus on equitable economies that enrich communities.

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EP 15: Paying Artisans a Living Wage with Purse and Clutch Founder Jen Lewis 

Jen Lewis talks about why she created Purse & Clutch, her commitment to fair wages, how she works with her artisan partners, on becoming a B Corp, and the difference between Fair Trade Certified and the Nest Artisan Guild. She also tells us about the importance of taking good care of our clothes and accessories, her favorite high-waisted Everlane pants, the art that’s inspiring her right now, and how she stays optimistic.

Purse & Clutch produces ethically made handbags, working directly with artisans in Guatemala, India, Mexico & Ethiopia. They are on a mission to help end the cycle of poverty and to be a force for good in the fashion industry.

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EP 14: Tips for Creating a Conscious Closet with Conscious Style Podcast Host Elizabeth Joy

Elizabeth Joy shares her tips for creating a conscious closet, debunks misconceptions about sustainable fashion, and offers clues for spotting greenwashing. Elizabeth also talks about the ups and downs of her own slow fashion journey, and how she went from shopping as a hobby to becoming an ethical fashion advocate. 

Elizabeth Joy is the founder and editor of the Conscious Life and Style blog and host of the Conscious Style Podcast. 

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EP 13: Striving for Sustainability with Fashion Designer Masha Titova

“We’re not going to sugar coat it, sustainability is hard. Really hard. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.” 

Fashion designer Masha Titova is the founder and CEO of Titov, a sustainable lingerie brand. From working with BCBGMAXAZRIA and Kanye West’s line YEEZY to creating her own sustainable fashion brand, she shares what inspired her to create Titov, and discusses the many challenges of sustainability throughout the fashion supply chain. Masha also talks about the recent Victoria’s Secret documentary, offers tips for measuring bra size, and tells us how she stays optimistic. 

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EP 12: Deconstructing Fashion and Beauty Standards with Artist Libby Newell

Artist Libby Newell highlights the words and work of garment workers through textile art. Learning about the plight of garment workers was a catalyst that changed her life and her view of the world. In this episode, Libby shares her slow fashion journey and talks with Nicole about overconsumption and the importance of taking care of the clothes we already own. Her thought-provoking collage art breaks down beauty standards and deconstructs her relationship with religion.  

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EP 11: Shutting Down the Largest Urban Oil Field with Climate Activist and Cancer Survivor Nalleli Cobo

Nalleli Cobo became a climate activist at the age of 9 when she learned that the toxic oil-drilling site across the street from her home in Los Angeles was responsible for making her sick. Now in her early twenties, Nalleli's activism continues. Her fight against urban oil extraction has led to a unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to ban new oil exploration, and to phase out existing oil drilling sites in LA, the largest urban oil field in the United States. Nalleli shares her inspiring story.

Nalleli Cobo is the co-founder of People Not Pozos, the co-founder of South Central Youth Leadership Coalition, and a 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize winner.

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EP 10: Creating a Circular Economy by Improving Textile Recycling with Matoha's Fabric Identifier

Textile waste is a mounting problem, but textile recycling rates are very low. Matoha's Head of Business Development Lieve Vanrusselt, and Head of Sales and Marketing Chris Newton, talk about the challenges of recycling textiles, and how their fabric identifier Fabritell makes it easier to identify fabrics to speed up sorting and to improve recycling rates.

Matoha is the maker of Fabritell, a fabrics identification device that uses infrared analysis techniques and machine learning algorithms to identify pure textiles and fabric blends in about a second.

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EP 9: Tips for Reducing Microfiber Pollution with Dr. Lisa Erdle of the 5 Gyres Institute

Every time we wash a load of laundry, microfibers are released into the environment, polluting aquatic ecosystems. Our clothes are a major source of plastic pollution, and microfibers are the most common type of microplastic (plastic pieces less than 5 mm in diameter). It is extremely difficult to clean up microfibers, so it is critical that we do our best to prevent this type of pollution from entering the environment. 

The Director of Science & Innovation at The 5 Gyres Institute, Dr. Lisa Erdle, is a Microplastics researcher who completed her PhD at the University of Toronto, where she researched the sources and effects of microfibers in the environment. Lisa explains why microfibers are harmful and shares practical tips for reducing microfiber pollution at home. 

The 5 Gyres Institute is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution. 

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EP 8: Personal Style with Fashion Therapist Stephanie Gisondi-Little

The Founder of Composed Co, Stephanie Gisondi-Little is a fashion therapist, personal stylist, and closet organizer who has been featured in InStyle, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, and the Hollywood Reporter. She shares tips for how to determine your style, talks about how our style evolves over time, mom style and the importance of getting dressed, only wearing comfortable clothes, and loving The Preppy Handbook.

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EP 7: Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action with Clare Richardson

Clare Richardson from Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action (XR Fashion Action) shares why she became a fashion activist, how fashion is often overlooked in the broader climate crisis conversation and why Extinction Rebellion chose to focus on clothing, the apparel industry's inextricable ties to colonialism, what it means to be "anti-fashion," and what people can do to help make positive change.

XR Fashion Action is a decentralized activist group pushing for radical system change within the fashion industry. XR Fashion Action is a sister organization to Extinction Rebellion and uses non-violent civil disobedience to bring about a transition to a fashion model that does not rely on the exploitation of people and the planet.

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EP 6: Writing Your Own Style Rules with Secondhand Stylist Maggie Greene

"In personal style, there are no rules. Clothing itself inherently has no gender, no age, there are no restrictions. If there are going to be any rules at all, you get to write them for yourself." —Maggie Greene

Secondhand Stylist Maggie Greene talks about unlearning fashion rules, styling beyond gender norms, the importance of gender affirmation and her work with the LGBTQIA+ community, body positivity, eliminating the word "flattering" from her vocabulary, and how she became a sustainable personal stylist.

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EP 5: The FABRIC Act with Garment Worker Center's Nayantara Banerjee

Nayantara Banerjee of the Los Angeles Garment Worker Center discusses the recent passage of California SB62, The Garment Worker Protection Act, and how its passage has impacted the lives of garment workers in California; explains the recent introduction of the FABRIC Act by the U.S. Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand, which would expand similar protections to garment workers across the USA; and shares her journey from seamstress to labor rights activist.

Garment Worker Center is a worker rights organization leading an anti-sweatshop movement to improve conditions for tens of thousands of Los Angeles garment workers. Through direct organizing, GWC develops leaders who demand enforcement of strong labor laws and accountability from factory owners, manufacturers, and fashion brands.

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EP 4: A Business Model for Good with Elisha Chan of Fair Trade LA

“Fair trade is a business model for good. We’re talking about trade and not aid. Fair trade is not just philanthropy work. It is actually a business model that I believe is sustainable.” — Elisha Chan

Executive Director of Fair Trade LA Elisha Chan defines fair trade, explains the differences between fair trade certifications, gives tips on how to avoid fair-washing, shares her insights on which product categories to prioritize, and talks about her journey to working in fairtrade.

Fair Trade LA educates and inspires consumers to embrace Fair Trade products so global farmers and artisans have the opportunity to earn a fair and sustainable living.

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EP 3: The Search for Vintage Clothing with GEM Founder Liisa Jokinen

Street style photographer Liisa Jokinen shares her thoughts on fashion versus style, reinventing fashion trends and adding her own twist with vintage, how colorful clothes make her happy, and what led her to create Gem, a search engine for online vintage clothing.

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EP 2: Swapping with Global Fashion Exhange Founder Patrick Duffy

Patrick Duffy, Founder of Global Fashion Exchange, shares his journey from working in hospitality to launching his international clothing swap events business, how his work intersects with United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UN SDGs), his transformation from overconsumption to minimalism, and how he’s keeping the eco-anxiety at bay.

Global Fashion Exchange (GFX) creates content-rich experiences that are designed to catalyze change. Their team of experts creates custom supply chain strategies, marketing communications platforms, and brand experiences that positively impact people, the planet, and your business.

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EP 1: Remake's "NO NEW CLOTHES" Campaign with Emily Stochl

Emily Stochl, Remake’s Director of Community Engagement and Education, talks about the “No New Clothes” pledge, the passage of the Garment Worker Protection Act, how she got into fashion activism, and what’s keeping her optimistic about the future.

Remake is a community of fashion lovers, women’s rights advocates, and environmentalists who are on a mission to change the fashion industry’s harmful practices on people and our planet. Emily is also the host of Pre-Loved Podcast.

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