Forget brands for a minute, the real circular fashion economy is the repair shop on your high street…

Do you have a fab local cobbler or clothing alterations service? This episode is a reminder to thank them for being here and fixing our stuff.

They are cornerstones of the circular fashion economy, and not some distant future dream - they’re already here, and in many cases have been for decades. Honing skills that simply can’t be learned overnight. They’re the best! Here’s to them! Keep giving them your business, and make sure you tell them you appreciate them. Everyone loves to be appreciated.

My local cobbler, Roger of the (locally) famed Roger Shoe Repairs is gold. And this classic Roger conversation is a treat. That’s all. Enjoy!

Clare x

P.S. Here are the links to the crowdfunder for my documentary, Urban Forest.

Your support is much appreciated.

https://www.pozible.com/project/urban-forest-a-documentary

Got something to tell me? Find me on Instagram @mrspress

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Bobby Kolade is the designer behind Ugandan fashion label Buzigahill - which puts the politics of upcycling and waste colonialism at its core with the brilliant, provocative concept: Return to Sender.

Buzigahill's collections are made from items of secondhand clothing donated in the global north, and increasingly being dumped on the global south in unsustainable numbers. Why “return to sender”? Because much of Buzigahill’s clientele is in Europe and North America.

Like Kantamanto in Accra, Ghana; Owino Market in Kampala receives huge numbers of bales of second-hand clothing every week, from countries in Europe, from the US and Canada. As a result, in 2023 second-hand accounted for 80% of all domestic clothing sales in Uganda.

But how much is too much? Who is monitoring for quality and consistency? Are we right to keep talking about "donations" in the context of this undeniably big business? As Bobby says, it's not charity - it's a trade, and too often an unequal one with many impacts on local economies as well as the environment when it becomes textile waste. So surely it's good, right, when a receiving country finally says: "No more! We don't want your cast-offs." Or is it? As usual, there’s no simple answer...

This enthralling conversation was recorded before Uganda’s government announced a ban on second-hand clothing towards the end of last year. A situation that continues to evolve.

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We don't believe in barriers to entry and are determined to keep this content free.

If you value it, please help by sharing your favourite Episodes, and rating and reviewing us in Apple or

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Thank you!

Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do your clothes say about you? Dear listener, I bet you've thought about this before. Fashion is a language in itself. But, what about the language we use to describe - and by extension to include, or to exclude - the people who wear it? Or don't get to wear it? The people we're marketing it to, or employing.

Fashion communication isn't just about the clothes. It's about how we talk to each other.

Meet Lou Croff Blake, a Berlin-based non-binary fashion practitioner, scholar, artist and community organiser. Their work merges queer theory with community-building, advocating for intersectional equity and amplifying the visibility of marginalised genders. Which sounds like a of words! Because it is. Carefully considered words chosen to challenge the dominant narrative.

Open to learn? Join us on a deep dive on DIEB - diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging - as we consider the existential question: do we really want to build a more ethical fashion industry? If so, doesn't that have to be one where everyone can feel a true sense of belonging?

Check the shownotes for links & further reading.

Tell us what you think!

Can you help us spread the word ?

Wardrobe Crisis is an independent production.

We don't believe in barriers to entry and are determined to keep this content free.

If you value it, please help by sharing your favourite Episodes, and rating and reviewing us in Apple or

Spotify.

Thank you!

Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.