Front Row To Front Bench Podcast

This week, Fashion Roundtable's Davina Appiagyei speaks with Shakaila Forbes-Bell. Shakaila, the Fashion Psychologist, discusses her journey into her profession, her research around race in fashion and breaks down the wonderful world of Fashion Psychology - such as how styling or posing choices can evoke certain emotions or attributes.  Instagram: @davinaakos and @shakailaelise

Fashion Roundtable's Davina Appiagyei chats to Robert Jesse - Owner of Prsnl Hobby and atelier designer at Cold Laundry shares how he discovered his love for fashion, stories from fashion school, transitioning into a fashion career, and designing.  Instagram @davinaakos and @robertjesse_

In this first podcast of the Black in Fashion series, Mena and Fashion Roundtable's Policy Researcher, Davina Appiagyei, discuss the new journey Mena is embarking on: Modelling. Listen to an honest conversation about navigating the industry, navigating identity and navigating self confidence.

Jodi Muter-Hamilton - Strategy and Communications Director at Fashion Roundtable and Founder of Black Neon Digital - is in conversation with two of the biggest names in fashion activism - Jamie Windust and Wilson Oryema. Hailing from London, Windust was named one of London's most influential people in the storytelling category by the Evening Standard and is an award-winning non-binary author, presenter and model. With a background in fashion business, Windust aims to shed light on issues of accessibility for transgender people within the creative industries. Joining Muter-Hamilton and Windust is Wilson Oryema. Oryema is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, writer, social entrepreneur and sustainability advocate. Oryema's work primarily focuses on human consumption and sustainability and has pioneered the Regenerative Futures project, intending to bridge the generational gap through innovative ideas and social change.  In this podcast, Jamie, Wilson and Muter-Hamilton talk about:  What 'activism' means to them and the downsides of that label;  The pressures of being considered an activist; Representation and inclusion in the fashion sector; Oryema's 'Regenerative Futures' social change initiative; Windust's exciting plans for 2021!

In our final episode of 2020, Fashion Roundtable's Tamara Cincik is in conversation with the iconic Katharine E. Hamnett CBE - the First Lady of fashion activism and a loyal supporter of Fashion Roundtable.  A British-born designer, Hamnett has been leading the charge for activism in fashion since 1989, and is best known for her eye-catching political T-shirts that have printed bold slogans such as 'CANCEL BREXIT', 'STOP CLIMATE CHANGE' and 'WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR BAN NOW.'  As one BBC article in 2010, Hamnett's "statement slogans became a staple of 1980s fashion, catching the imagination of a disillusioned generation." This episode is a unique opportunity to hear more about Hamnett's thoughts on policy, politics and activism in fashion. Hamnett previously studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art and began her journey of political protest in fashion once she learned of the atrocities occurring in garment factories around the globe and the devastating environmental impact of chemical use in textile production.  Since then, Hamnett has continued to use her activism to encourage greater ethics and sustainability in the sector and, at one point, even met with then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In this podcast Katherine E. Hamnett CBE and our founder and CEO Tamara Cincik chat about:  The impact of Brexit on the fashion industry; What leaving the EU means for fashion businesses;  What 'good political leadership' looks like in the UK;  Why the sector needs to make its voice heard by Government;  When Hamnett met Prime Minister Thatcher and;  Labour exploitation in the fashion industry.

In this episode, Fashion Roundtable's Tamara Cincik chats with the inimitable Karen Binns - Fashion Director at Fashion Roundtable.  Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Binns has worked in the fashion sector for over 20 years. Her career began as muse to legendary artist Jean Michel Basquiat and she continued to make a name for herself across fashion, celebrity and music, with a stellar roster of clients all over the world. Binns previously worked on designer Andre Walker's Paris catwalk shows, and is the creative director for Tori Amos. Binns has consulted for designers including Ashish, Maharishi and Kanye West, and sits on the British Fashion Council's Diversity Steering Group.  For Fashion Roundtable she has represented us at many events, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum, GFW, Port Eliot Festival, SHOWstudio for our Fashion and Brexit panel, as well as writing seasonal reports from Fashion Weeks. This summer she hosted our Black Lives Matter and the Fashion Industry webinar , where speakers included former Bottega Veneta Creative Director Edward Buchanan.  For this episode we pick the threads of this conversation and more; Karen and our founder and CEO Tamara Cincik talk about:  Discrimination in light of the US Presidential Election. The impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on fashion.  Breaking into the creative industries.  Representation and inclusion in the fashion sector, what it means to be a black woman in the industry, our on-going work since we launched on this and why she is an agent for change.  How Karen hosted the first-ever warehouse party in Manhattan. Her ones to watch talent list of new generation designers and her hopes for the future. Note: Karen's thoughts and comments on this podcast are entirely personal. 

For our first-ever podcast, Fashion Roundtable's Tamara Cincik speaks with Kate Hills - a woman on a self-proclaimed mission to save UK manufacturing.  Following a 20-year fashion career with jobs at Burberry, Marks & Spencer, Levi's and Debenhams, Kate created her website Make It British in 2011 to celebrate brands that manufacture their products in the UK. "To me the offshoring of production seems very short-sighted. Britain was a successful industrial nation for centuries - the industrial revolution started here after all - so why would we want to lose all that skill and the ability to make things on our doorstep? Worried about the skills we were losing, I started to do some research on the brands and manufacturers that were left in the UK, and I found that despite what the majority of people thought, there were still lots of manufacturing being done in the UK", says Kate. A passionate advocate for all things made British, in this podcast Kate and our founder and CEO Tamara Cincik talk about:  Why Kate set up Make it British in the first place Why we should all be passionate about British manufacturing How to uncover the amazing businesses that are still making in the UK Make It British's collaboration with Fashion Roundtable to push the Government for greater UK-made, reusable PPE The social benefits of onshoring UK manufacturing and Brexit!      

Front Row To Front Bench is a monthly podcast show brought to you by Fashion Roundtable.  Fashion Roundtable are the leading think tank for the fashion industry, improving people's lives by influencing policy and outcomes. We'll be speaking to the diverse voices of the fashion industry alongside policymakers, parliamentarians, NGO's and charity organisations who through our work and now in this podcast, we bring together to create long-term, inclusive, sector growth.

For this episode of the Front Row to Front Bench podcast, Alix Coombs speaks with Amelia Twine, Founder of Sustainable Fashion Week Following a decade working in sustainability in food systems and hospitality, Amelia now works in campaigning for a just transition to an equitable, regenerative fashion industry. Amelia ran a sustainable womenswear platform before founding Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) in 2020. SFW works in creative community engagement to inspire consumer behaviour change, highlighting the different entry points to sustainability in fashion to make it more relevant and accessible to people from all backgrounds. SFW ignites community-led action to inspire, empower and upskill people - equipping them to change their fashion habits. Amelia provides consultancy and project management for various organisations including The Good Clothes Show, South West England Fibreshed and is the co-chair for Fashion Roundtable's Sustainability & Social Justice Committee.

For this episode of the Front Row to Front Bench podcast, Harriet Flecther-Gilhuys speaks with Kate Turnbull from The Secret Dyery where they discuss the world of natural dyes and how they can be incorporated into supply chains and regenerative practices. Kate Turnbull is natural dyeing practitioner, educator and advocate. She divides her time between Headington School, Oxford as Eco Lead and in her dye house in Oxfordshire, working either on her own projects or collaborations. Recent collaborations have included suspending naturally-dyed plant based fibres above the Chelsea Flower Show 'Dye Garden for Fashion Revolution', producing a unique range of naturally hand-dyed dresses for Anna Mason London and developing a natural, seasonal colour palette for a project at The Centre for Sustainability. Kate has an MA in Fashion & Textiles from Central St Martins, is honored to be represented by The Guild of Master Craftsmen and is a member of The Society of Dyers and Colourists. In 2022 she was nominated for Teacher of the Year for designing and implementing the country's first eco A Level textiles course    

For this episode of the Front Row to Front Bench podcast, Tamara Cincik speaks with Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey, a crossbench peer in the House of Lords about the release of her memoir 'Eight Weeks', published by Penguin. Eight Weeks is a deeply moving and inspiring memoir that tells the remarkable life story of Baroness Young of Hornsey, from her childhood in foster care, to becoming one of the first Black women in the House of Lords. Lola Young has been an actress, an academic, an activist and campaigner for social justice, and a crossbench peer. But from the age of eight weeks to eighteen years, she was moved between foster care placements and children's homes in North London. It would take many decades before she was able to begin the search for answers to the long-standing questions that would help her make sense of her childhood. In Eight Weeks, through her care records, fragments of memory, and her imagination where parts of her story are missing, Lola assembles the pieces of her past into a portrait of a childhood in a system that often made her feel invisible and unwanted. Alongside glimpses into her life as a peer, activist, and campaigner it tells the powerful story of her determination to defy the odds. Eight Weeks is a spirited, eye-opening and beautifully written account of being a child in care and a Black child in a white family and is a vital part of contemporary Black British history.

For this episode of the Front Row to Front Bench podcast, Tamara Cincik speaks with Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys, Zoe Fletcher and Maria Benjamin, the team behind our collaboration with The King's Foundation and YNAP for the Modern Artisan Collection, the Great British Wool Revival. This October marks Wool Month, which celebrates British Wool. This discussion includes the background into how the team got together and why there is a need for a Great British Wool Revival.

For this episode of the Front Row to Front Bench podcast, Tamara Cincik speaks with designer Wayne Hemingway MBE about his bi-annual event the Classic Car Boot Sale, which returns to Kings Cross, London on 27th & 28th April 2024. The weekend will give the public a last chance to see Paul McCartney's iconic 1972 Wings Tour Bus before it is auctioned to find a new home as well as celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Ford Mustang. The popular festival also includes quality sustainable shopping, entertainment, street food and DJ's. Wayne founded the hugely successful British fashion brand Red or Dead in the 80's, which went on to win the British Fashion Council's Street Style Award in 1995, 1996, and 1997. He is the founder of Hemingway Design, and partners with Maria Chenoweth CEO of TRAID to bring you Charity Super.Mkt, where they are taking charity fashion to the next level. Maria also pops on for a few minutes at the end of the episode! More information on the Classic Car Boot Sale here Follow Wayne here Keep up to date with Charity Super.Mkt here  

For this episode of the Front Row to Front Bench podcast, Tamara Cincik speaks with writer, fashion critic and curator Charlie Porter about his new book, 'Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and the Philosophy of Fashion' published by Penguin Random House.  Charlie is one of the most influential fashion journalists of his time, and has written for the likes of the Guardian and iD magazine, as well as co-running the London queer rave Chapter 10.  The book, rather wonderfully, uses clothing as a way to look at six iconic Bloomsbury figures, while seamlessly addressing the evolution of how we dress today. This leads on to the fact that clothing can be an intellectual and sexual liberation, or conversely an instrument for patriarchal power. The book came about after Charlie was asked to curate an exhibition called 'Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and Fashion,' at Charleston in Lewes. Through the inaugural exhibition Charlie explored the dynamic relationship between the Bloomsbury group. Here, clothing provided a route into learning more about the key figures in the Bloomsbury group and how, for some, fashion provided a language with which to explore their break away from tradition. This ultimately fed into the process of researching and writing his book.  The conversation centres around the beginnings of the Bloomsbury group, who were at the vanguard of a social and sartorial revolution. Virgina Woolfe and her sister Vanessa Bell escaped to Bloomsbury from an oppressive and abusive upbringing, rejecting the fashions of the time for something new and this is unpicked.  Homosocialism comes into the conversation where Charlie discusses his own experience of being gay from a working class background, and connecting this to E. M Forster and his struggle to be gay. The connection between Isabella Blow and Lady Ottoline Morrell is also explored by Tamara and the similarities of how they hosted and nurtured talent, but were mocked relentlessly.  Finally, Charlie and Tamara talk about Vanessa Bell and the way she made her own clothes and how this has played out in a life-changing way for Charlie where he now makes his own clothes with a new philosophy of living and consuming fashion.   To learn more about Charlie's amazing work or to buy the book, click below:    Buy the book here  Follow Charlie Porter here Bring No Clothes: Bloomsbury and Fashion: Exhibition details here  Book tickets to visit Charleston House here

Victoria Jenkins co-chairs our Representation and Inclusion Committee and is a garment technologist with 14 years of experience in the fashion industry who became Disabled in her 20s. She is behind the sustainable adaptive fashion brand Unhidden. The idea was born after a chance encounter with a woman with cancer that changed the course of her life. As she watched the woman during her own hospital stay, she realised that there were no adaptive clothes on the market and this is how Unhidden was born.  Now Victoria is listed as one of Vogue's Top 25 Powerhouse Women, redefining Britain and co-presents and designs on Channel 4's Unique Boutique. A must-watch where inclusive fashion lovers and designers create bespoke outfits for every-body in a custom-built shop.  Meg Pirie and Victoria speak about future plans for a not-for-profit arm of Unhidden, training people with disabilities and chronic health conditions how to sew adaptive alterations so they can then work as and when they choose making adaptive alterations for any one who doesn't sew. There are also plans for workshops that will cover how to adapt clothing you already own yourself so there is no barrier to accessing adaptive clothing and re-loving your existing wardrobes. Finally, Victoria shares her key policy asks to ultimately make fashion more inclusive. A full transcript can be found on our Substack here.  To learn more about Victoria's amazing work: LinkedIn Website Instagram X Facebook  

Simon Costin's journey into fashion might be described as a happy accident – when a student at Central Saint Martins wanted to borrow some of his conceptual jewellery – little did Simon realise the designer would turn out to be the eponymous #AlexanderMcQueen and the start of a firm creative working friendship. Simon talks of other industry heavyweights he has collaborated with, from legendary artist and filmmaker #DerekJarman, to his work more recently with Gareth Pugh and Charles Jeffrey and existing within this highly creative oxygen. As well as his work as a leading British fashion-set-designer, Simon runs two museums: the British Folklore Museum and the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. The British Folklore Museum exists to promote, celebrate and revitalise the folk heritage of Britain. The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic was established in 1949 and is the world's largest collection of objects related to witchcraft and the occult. This halloween at midnight will be Simon's 10th year anniversary of being the present custodian of the Museum. The conversation leads to the fact that witchcraft is having a revival of interest and Tamara's obsession with Powell and Pressburger. Simon's recent project curating the exhibition for the  BFI Southbank – #PowellandPressburger, 'The Red Shoes Beyond The Mirror' opening 10th November leads to more on Powell and Pressburger's subversive and  breathtakingly inventive cannon.  You can follow Simon Costin here  The British Folklore Museum https://www.instagram.com/museum_of_british_folklore/?hl=en    The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic  https://www.instagram.com/museum_of_witchcraft_and_magic/?hl=en Tickets to the British Film Institute Southbank 'The Red Shoes Beyond The Mirror' – more here

In 2019, Alden Wicker was asked to comment on a lawsuit that was being filed by a Delta flight attendant against Lands' End, because the newly introduced uniform had caused a myriad of health issues, such as skin rashes, shortness of breath, hair loss, anaphylaxis and in one instance death.   In her book, 'To Dye For', award-winning journalist and sustainability expert, Alden Wicker, decided to break the story of unregulated toxic chemicals in fashion and their impacts on health and wellbeing.   Historically, in The Victorian era, women garment workers dyed fabrics using arsenic green dyes, and the blame lay on the women for consuming this fashion and not the men who owned the factories or dye houses. Skip forward to this century and the issue remains the same. In her research, Alden discovered the patriarchal issue that almost all of the experts and consultants were male, when it is the women who are far more likely to be affected by the toxins that are in fashion in every way.  What follows is a candid conversation about how dyes can affect our immune systems; how this affects women far more – from those working in fashion, to those consuming fashion, and those in caretaking roles of children with ailments such as asthma. In the US, endocrine disruptors were found in school uniforms, and so Alden talks in detail about ways in which we can reduce our exposure, including staying away from items with productivity promises such as 'easy care' or ultra fast-fashion with drop shipping.  The conversation leads to how we can better legislate against these issues. Particularly with new trade deals in the pipeline, deregulation on textiles and dyes could result in a saturation of fast fashion.    To buy Alden Wicker's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dye-Toxic-Fashion-Making-Fight/dp/0593422619  Hive books: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Alden-Wicker/To-Dye-For--How-Toxic-Fashion-Is-Making-Us-Sick---and-How-We-Can-Fight-Back/28571586    Read our 'in conversation' interview with Alden here: https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/news/in-converstion-with-alden-wicker    Publisher:  Penguin Random House  Website: EcoCult  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aldenwicker/  Instagram: EcoCult 

An honest and thought-provoking conversation – Public Policy Editor Peter Foster of the Financial Times, speaks with Tamara Cincik about his book, 'What Went Wrong With Brexit: And What We Can Do About It'.  Foster is one of the few editors who is tracking Brexit and the ever adjusting life after the single market. A fashion-centred conversation of what leaving has meant for business; the realities of the barriers to trade; the confrontational relationship which 'Brexit at all costs' has created between ministers, civil servants and industry; and the need for policymakers to make decisions based on the reality of the issues that industry as a whole is facing.  Finally, while there's no quick fix, Foster describes the importance of the relationships that are negotiated moving forward with the EU and the call for transparency about the trade-offs that come with trade deals.  To buy Peter Foster's book, follow this link: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-went-wrong-with-brexit/peter-foster/9781805301257 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterfostertelegraphjournalist/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmdfoster    More on how Brexit has affected the fashion sector:  https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a1431a1e5dd5b754be2e0e9/t/63309fbfdcdec6661dbcc7e1/1664131009325/Fashion+Roundtable_Brexit+FollowUp+Report_060521.pdf   

Not to be missed! As #SecondhandSeptember ramps up, Tamara Cincik speaks with vintage queen Bay Garnett. Drawing on their shared backgrounds as international stylists, they discuss how second-hand shopping allows for a more creative and dynamic experience to storytell through clothes – sustainably; the iconic Anita Pallenburg; Bay's iconic 'banana top'; getting to the source of iconic designer inspiration via vintage and charity shops; and of course Bay's collaboration with Oxfam for #SecondhandSeptember and her concept to extrapolate the idea into a visual fashion campaign.  Website: https://www.baygarnett.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baygarnett/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/bay_garnett?lang=en    For more on Secondhand September and statistics, please visit: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/second-hand-september/   

Fashion Roundtable's Meg Pirie is in conversation with Ruth Rands, founder of British knitwear brand Herd.    They discuss Ruth's mission to bring heritage and quality back to British wool, with provenance at its heart. Ruth talks honestly about what is possible here in the UK, sourcing everything within 150 miles; how Kate Moss just bought one of her knits; and her long-term vision for her aspirational label.    https://www.herdwear.co  https://www.instagram.com/herdwear/