Hot Buttons

Latest Episodes:

The latest food group is the micro plastics we’re wearing — and digesting Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

This week, we’re talking about microplastics and what they’re doing to the environment and our bodies. We’ve heard plenty about the giant plastic trash island out in the Pacific and beaches across the globe littered with plastic bottles and bags. But we’re talking about plastic microfibers, the ones that make up the majority of apparel produced today. These nearly invisible fibers have been found at nearly every depth of the ocean, and they’re showing up in the food chain and our bodies. They are commonly found in apples and carrots, lettuce and broccoli, and they’ve recently been found in 24 of 36 samples of human breast milk. Dr. Alexis Jackson from the Nature Conservancy joins the pod to help us understand the enormity of the challenge ahead.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail in an upcoming episode.

Resources:

The Guardian on the first study to quantify the microfibers problem
The New York Times on California’s new plastics law
Sourcing Journal on studies of microplastics and apparel
The Nature Conservancy’s Dr. Alexis Jackson

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Made In the USA: American Giant’s Immortal Hoodies; Canceling Ye; Amazon Does Resale Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

This week, we’re talking with Bayard Winthrop, CEO of American Giant. Bayard’s journey as the founder of an apparel company obsessively committed to sourcing domestically has resonated with the industry and with us. We talk with him about his journey over the past 11 years, what he’s learned about sustainability in this market, and where he sees opportunities for further impact.

And, as always, we look at the week’s news. Everyone is dumping Kanye and we love it. But we also want to talk about the dangers brands face when they align with celebrities and influencers.

The luxury resale market gets another shakeup with the entry of Amazon, through a partnership with What Goes Around Comes Around. It’s bags and accessories for now, but all signs point to this expanding. When Amazon comes for a market, they come to win.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail in an upcoming episode.

Resources:

The Fashion Law on the partnership between WGACA and Amazon
Business Insider on the Kanye-Balenciaga split
Bloomberg on Bayard Winthrop’s approach to business at American Giant

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Treet CEO Jake Disraeli joins to talk Shein Exchange; and Shein's labor practices exposed Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

It was a busy news week in sustainable fashion, and Shein once again sucked all the oxygen out of the room. From being fined for a data breach to suffering a damaging investigation into its treatment of workers to announcing a peer-to-peer resale platform powered by Treet, the fast fashion powerhouse popped up everywhere.

We talk with Jake Disraeli, the co-founder and CEO of Treet, about its work powering the Shein resale marketplace called Shein Exchange, and how it works with brands. Then we look at Goodwill’s new luxury e-commerce efforts and its new site goodwillfinds.com, and we like it!

We also answer a listener question about all the packaging she sees from brands claiming to be sustainable.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail in an upcoming episode.

Resources:

Sourcing Journal on Shein’s worker problem
Sourcing Journal on Worn Again’s fundraise
Fast Company on new moves by North Face
Retail Dive on Goat Group buying Grailed
Sourcing Journal on Goodwill's curated luxury fashion site

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walmart is getting serious about apparel made in USA Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

We don’t always talk about haute couture; this week we’re taking a look at the new deal between Classic Fashion and Walmart, which will exclusively supply Walmart with cut-and-sewn apparel from a new production facility outside of Los Angeles. It’s a positive sign in a market that has spent too much energy offshoring garment work. We also take yet another look at Shein; not at its fast-fashion practices, but its value. Where not long ago it was raising capital at a valuation of $100 billion, reporting lately suggests its recent fundraising has been at valuations from $65 to $85 billion. Does this signal a turn for the worse at Shein? We doubt it, and we talk it through.

We know we need to keep fashion out of landfills, and we’ve talked a lot about resale in the past month, but this episode we’re getting back to basics, and going deep on caring for the clothes we already have. From how to wash our clothes for longevity, to mending, repairing, and yes, even darning, how we care for our clothes determines how long we keep them, so let’s learn how.

Our guest this episode is Doug Greenberg from Garde Robe, a company specializing in luxury garment storage and preservation. They know a lot about caring for clothes and Doug is here to share his best tips.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show.

Resources:

Sourcing Journal on Wal-Mart’s deal with American Classic
Sourcing Journal on Shein’s new valuation
New York Times on repairing clothes
Vogue on luxury garment storage
Garde Robe online

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

VERGE 22, taking place Oct 25-27 in San Jose, CA, will convene more than 4,000 leaders working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem. Register today and use the code V22PSMEDIA for 10% off of the pass type of your choice: https://bit.ly/3f2f2FQ

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is sustainability in menswear any different? Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

Don’t miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism.

This week we’re responding to listener questions, and the first ones are from men: how is sustainable fashion different in men’s and women’s apparel? How has men’s fashion evolved over the years, and is it more or less sustainable today than decades ago? And what about wool? Is something as innocuous seeming as a natural textile as sustainable as it may seem, and how do we trust the brands to tell us?

In the news, Korea’s internet giant Naver has announced they’ll buy Poshmark for $1.2 billion, making a huge move into the US resale market, and Shein has a little money for the Apparel Impact Institute, and we’re yawning. We also have to talk about Kanye West, and we’re not happy at all.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show.

Resources:

Sourcing Journal on Shein
New York Times on Naver acquiring Poshmark
WWD on Levis net-zero pledge
New York Times on evolving fashion regulations around the world

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ultra-luxury resale is part investment, part sustainability Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

This week, Secondhand September takes us all the way to the top of the fashion resale market: ultra-luxury. And we have questions. Is it a sustainability play? Is it an investment market akin to fine art? How do you police fraud?

We talk with Sarah Davis, founder and president of Fashionphile, a re-commerce platform for high-end accessories to get her take. With more than 20 years in the luxury resale business, Sarah helps us understand what’s working and what’s needed to keep this market thriving and sustainable.

And, of course, Christina has stories from Milan Fashion Week!

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show.

Resources:

Fashionphile
Sourcing Journal on PVH Corporation joining Aii’s fashion climate fund
The Guardian on Lululemon’s dirty supply chain
WWD on Balenciaga’s new resale market, with Reflaunt

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patagonia’s radical business move for climate Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Secondhand September is going strong here on Hot Buttons. And this week, we’re talking with social media activist and slow-fashion advocate, Venetia La Manna. She’s a prominent voice of the slow fashion movement, and has lots to say about how we interact with fashion, whether celebrity partnerships with fast fashion brands can ever have a sustainable impact, and where she likes to shop for resale.

First, we’ll kick the show off by talking about Patagonia. The founder has given the company away to a special trust and a non-profit, with a special mission to take the profits and combat climate change. The move has brought enthusiasm and some criticism. We love it – and hope it’s a signal to others to do the same.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show.

Resources:

The New York Times on Patagonia’s founder giving the company away
Venetia La Manna channel on YouTube
Sourcing Journal on H&M’s decision to end “conscious choice” labeling
Buziga Hill fashion brand from Uganda

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big brands are entering the resale market with “pre-loved” merchandise Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

Don’t miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism.

It’s Secondhand September, and we’re here to dive in. All this month we’re talking with experts and offering up some of our own insights into how the resale market is evolving. This week, we talk with Andy Ruben, founder of Trove, a re-commerce platform for brands to enter the resale market on their own terms. Trove is one of a number of companies that work with brands to create white-label resale solutions that let them take back their used clothing, clean it, prepare it for resale, and sell it again as a “pre-loved.” Trove’s latest partner is On sportswear in a bold move into athletic shoe resale.

We also cast a cold eye on Pretty Little Thing’s new resale marketplace, Kourtney Kardashian’s “sustainable fashion journey” with Boohoo, and applaud Rachel Comey’s breakup with Uline packaging. And it’s New York Fashion Week, so there are stories, and Christina has some good ones.

Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show.

Resources:

The Guardian is having none of Kourtney Kardashian’s partnership with Boohoo
New York Magazine on Rachel Comey breaking up with Uline
Bloomberg describes Trove’s resale partnership with On
Glamour on the ascendant resale market

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can fashion weeks ever be sustainable? Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we’re loving on fashion weeks. And not just the Fab Four of New York, London, Paris and Milan. Before these even kick off, Copenhagen fashion week had everyone talking earlier this summer. The combination of Scandinavian designers, a focus on sustainability, and a mix of digital and live events made it a contender to join the big European weeks forever.

We’ll preview the upcoming fashion weeks – where sustainability may have an impact, which designers to watch, and whether these fashion weeks can ever truly be sustainable.

Resources:

Vogueon fashion weeks and sustainability
Vogue Business on Copenhagen fashion week
WWD on NFTs and fashion weeks
Sustainability Magazine on Stella McCartney’s new fund
The Fashion Law on the YNAP and Farfetch deal

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How we got so addicted to fast fashion Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

Gen Z is driving the fast fashion machine. Seventy-two percent of college students say they have shopped fast fashion in the past year, and 40% say they scroll fast fashion sites and apps at least once a day. For many, it’s an addiction. But this generation of 20-somethings is also more concerned about sustainability, climate change, and workers’ rights than any other. So how do they reconcile the two?

In this episode, Christina, Shilla and Rachel look at the problem of fast fashion addiction and how we got here. Plus, ThredUP has a new fast fashion confessional hotline. Is it just a marketing ploy? Or can it really help Gen Z kick the habit? We also take a quick look at how the unprecedented heat wave in China is impacting the fashion industry, and call out celebrities in LA for being water hogs.

And we want to tell you about our new call-in line! We want to hear from you - what you'd like us to talk about, subjects you think we're missing, sustainable fashion shopping advice, rants, praise, whatever you'd like to share. We'd love to hear it all. Leave us a voice mail at (508) 622-5361‬ and maybe we'll feature it on an upcoming episode of the show.

Resources:

ThredUP’s Fast Fashion Hotline
Inside Climate News on fast fashion addiction
The Guardian on Gen Z and its complicated relationship with fast fashion

Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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