Govind Tekale
At a sustainable fashion event held Thursday morning, Kering and Marie Claire unveiled the launch of a joint podcast. A spin-off from the consumer magazine & luxury conglomerate’s partnership that began in June 2022, the “Fashion Our Future” podcast expands on in-person learnings. The Thursday event, which took place in Manhattan, followed an inaugural flagship event that convened in Paris last year, showcasing panel talks, workshops, and design expositions more focused on fashion & sustainability.
After a seated breakfast, media, influencers, industry professionals, & students donned plush headphones to sample the sound of rushing streams & songbirds while seated, ironically, multiple stories above the skyline. A voiceover repeated phrases like “We’re consuming” or” Isn’t it nice to slow down”, all underscoring that sustainability necessitates slowing down by principle. The first consumer-geared podcast episode drops Thursday on Spotify.
The news accompanied a handful of panel conversations & precedes further news from Kering. For the first session, Kering’s sustainability head, Marie-Claire Dave, spoke of the company’s fear of ditching fur as well as the optimism that drives her profession.
“You don’t work in sustainability, if you aren’t optimistic,” underscored Daveu.
The conversation continued with actress Kerry Washington & sustainable designer Brother Vellies founder Aurora James, Angel Chang & Studio 189 cofounder Abrima Erwiah.
Washington, who recently wore an archival Donna Karan dress to the Oscars, said storytellers are the true power wielders at ERS in shifting the sustainable fashion narrative. “Real change happens when the message is being delivered in multiple stages in the process. If people are walking down the street and they see a huge [billboard] of what Kering is doing they [can] turn on their phone and scan a QR code, and they walk past the store. People get information in multiple places and understand this is not just a fashionable moment. This is not a trend. This has to be a life shift for the health of our planet.…There are multiple opportunities to contribute to that narrative.”
Erwiah spoke on a panel with Hassan Pierre, co-founder of ethical retailer Maison de Mode, & Natasha Frank, founder of digital supply chain tool Eon. The final conversation was between Fashion Institute of Technology president Joyce F. Brown & sustainable fashion & climate activist Saad Amer.
A selection of sustainability-inclined FIT student designers also showcases their work. These conversations & more are what’s expected of the podcast, though further details were not revealed.
