ARE YOU LISTENING?

Words: Daniël Geldenhuys | Images: Supplied
If you’re yet to mount the podcast bandwagon, now is a great time. It’s the perfect way broaden your intellectual horizons while dealing with mundane tasks such as driving, doing the dishes or working out. (It’s also high-quality content that’s absolutely free with minimal advertising.) Through the fashion lens, here are five conversations relevant for today. Just hit play.

Episode: 224. Tackling systemic racism in the fashion industry

Guests: Brandice Daniel, Harlem Fashion Row’s chief executive; Sandrine Charles, Black in Fashion Council cofounder + Henrietta Gallina, brand marketing creative consultant

This is a business equality starter pack that every CEO (of a fashion business or otherwise) should listen to. With fashion companies finally acknowledging the ways in which their structures discriminate, the conversation looks at how brands can go about creating a diverse workforce throughout its various functions in a practical way. Each guest is an expert on the subject and the heads of various organisations working with global fashion companies to ensure Black voices are heard, hired and integrated in a meaningful way. The most valuable parts of the conversation address the necessity of going beyond the simple optics of hiring and restructuring: the importance of creating a positive work environment where everyone feels valued and acknowledged. Listen here.

Episode: Making it as a young creative today

Guests: Jasmine Lasode, visual artist; Priya Ahluwalia, fashion designer + Robyn Lynch, fashion designer

Although you’re listening to four Brits talk about breaking into the international fashion world via a London-level education, there are a lot of universal guidelines that can be applied to the life of a young creative anywhere in the world. The conversation touches on practical sacrifices necessary to get your foot in the door, whether or not tertiary education is essential and how to make your work stand out and feel relevant. The last few minutes are a quick-fire round of extremely valuable tips for creative productivity and success. Listen here.

Episode: 4. Augmented reality | How to engage tomorrow’s consumers

Guests: Carolina Arguelles, head of global product marketing for Snapchat’s camera and AR products; Daniel Beauchamp, head of AR and VR at Shopify + Dina Fierro, vice-president of global digital strategy at NARS Cosmetics

You’re already familiar with augmented reality, thanks to Snapchat and Instagram’s face filters, but the technology has far bigger potential than flower crowns and puppy ears. Take online shopping, for example: in a few years it’ll be standard practice to try (and share, for sage advice from friends) a new shade of eyeshadow, a new pair of sneakers or even a couch – before purchasing. The conversation opens your mind to a future where physical and digital worlds merge in ways you’ve never considered. Listen here.

Episode: Aqeelah Harron Ally aka Fashion Breed

Guest: Aqeelah Harron Ally

Looking for a little intellectual comfort food? Listening to two of SA’s well-known influencers chat about their lives. Aisha and Aqeelah go way back, so it feels like catching up with a bestie. Come for the social media and career tips, stay for the banter including everything from almost tripping over a mega influencer in Manhattan to botched sessions with plastic surgeons. Aisha and Aqeelah have a casual confidence that’s better than inspiring: it’s infectious. You’ll probably want to listen to this one again. Listen here.

Episode: Who made my clothes: Garment Workers’ Voices

Guests: Sarah Ditty, Fashion Revolution; Dr Mark Anner, Penn State professor and Director of the Center for Global Workers’ Rights; Kalpona Akter, Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity + Debbie Coulter, Ethical Trading Initiative

Most of us are unaware of the conditions under which the clothes on our backs are manufactured. That’s due to a lack of transparency throughout the supply chain, but it’s no excuse. This podcast, triggering as it may be, is an introduction to the economic reality of garment workers in Bangladesh, a global garment industry hot spot. The industry has the potential to uplift the millions of people (primarily women) it relies on, but legal and violent obstacles on the journey to unionise and a lack of interest from global consumers paint a grim picture. It’s easy to listen to a podcast like this and feel somewhat helpless, but self-education is a valuable first step. Sharing that information with others is a valuable second. Listen here.