As the Global Vice President of Product Innovation and Customer Creation at Nike, Jalaj Hora sat at the cutting edge of digital technologies in fashion design and manufacturing. From that perspective, he worked on and witnessed many positive moves towards sustainable practices, but also identified areas where things weren't joining up. In this episode, we find out how he's looking to fix some of those issues to help brands design in ways that move the needle when it comes to sustainability. We discuss fashion manufacturing challenges, how brands typically calculate their carbon footprint, AI as a design tool and much, much more. This is our sixth episode of series one, and after this, we'll be taking a little break so that our student team can focus on their assignments. Miriam, Laura and the crew will return to the airwaves before they graduate, with one (or maybe two) last episode(s). We hope you've enjoyed the series so far. Thank you so much for your support, reviews, comments and feedback. We have loved making Wear Abouts and hearing it start conversations around the world. 🫶🌍Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review, they help to ensure this project continues.Follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstituteCheck out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk
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44:06
Designing for Disability with Ellie Louise Brown
University is often a journey of ups and downs and plenty of us get in some scrapes along the way. When Ellie Louise Brown fell over the "tiniest step" and badly broke her ankle during her time at Manchester Fashion Institute, she found herself feeling pretty frustrated. The experience of losing her mobility sparked an interest in designing for those whose disability makes finding usable, stylish clothes a huge challenge. Fast forward three years and Recondition is an award-winning fashion start-up based in Manchester, that's just shown at London Fashion Week. With the UK Government proposing sweeping cuts to a huge range of disability benefits last week, businesses like Ellie's go a long way to acknowledging the needs of the disability community. Everyone deserves to feel empowered through their clothes and we're delighted to welcome Ellie to the show this week to learn more about her journey as a fashion entrepreneur and disability ally. Follow Ellie on Instagram here. Follow Recondition here. Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review, they help to ensure this project continues.Follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstituteCheck out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk
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41:04
Caring and Repairing with Sneaker Pharm* Founder Vinnie Tao
Luxury shoes have long been resoleable and considered an investment piece that, properly cared for, can last a lifetime. Trainers (or sneakers if you prefer) have been the dominant segment in the footwear sector for a while now and look set to hit almost £70 billion in revenue in 2025. Luxury sneakers are established as a go-to fashion item and the re-sale market pushes lots of models into a luxury price range. So, why aren't we taking care of them like they're major investments? Sneaker Pharm* founder Vinnie Tao launched his business in 2019, offering a cleaning service to restore his customers' prized kicks to their former glory, but over the years his offer has expanded. Now, he repairs, resoles, adapts and creates, bringing a new generation of consumers round to the idea that their trainers can go the distance. In this episode we learn about Vinnie's journey into fashion, how he thinks brands could extend the life of their products and pick up some great tips on how to get our favourite trabs looking mint again. If you don't already, follow Sneaker Pharm* on Instagram here. Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review, they help to ensure this project continues.Follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstituteCheck out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk
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43:32
Building an Inclusive Fashion Industry with Daniel Peters
The fashion industry can seem hard to gauge from the outside in terms of diversity. In some respects, it seems one of the most inclusive, open, creative industries, with intersectional representation throughout. On the other hand, it's often considered a closed-off space, with power and influence truly held by a select few. Many regard that routes into a career in fashion are far easier if you have the contacts and means, but what does an expert on the situation think? Daniel Peters founded the Fashion Minority Report in 2020 and his mission is to create inclusive workplace cultures where people of all backgrounds have equal opportunities to thrive. In this episode, we learn about his journey so far, get a real temperature check of how inclusive the industry is and learn what the crucial next steps are for an industry which seems to thrive when it truly embraces diversity. Follow Daniel and Fashion Minority Report on Instagram and check out FMRs website here. Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review, they help to ensure this project continues.Follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstituteCheck out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk
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40:29
How Robotics Can Empower Small Fashion Brands with Susan Postlethwaite
Susan Postlethwaite is Professor of Fashion Technologies at Manchester Fashion Institute and the Director of the Robotics Living Lab a £3.9million AHRC-funded project that has brought cutting-edge robotic technology to the campus. In this episode, we learn about Susan's career in the industry as a designer for the likes of Giorgio Armani, her time in academia and her focus on robotic tech as a means of helping fashion brands to reshore their production. The Robotics Living Lab is working towards a "factory in a box" model to provide a feasible and sustainable alternative to producing garments overseas. It's such an exciting project to have in the heart of our buildings and it officially launches this week, so we're thrilled to share this episode with you. Follow the Robotics Living Lab on Instagram here. 🤖Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review, they help to ensure this project continues.Follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstituteCheck out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk
Wear Abouts is a podcast from Manchester Fashion Institute that explores why fashion matters and how it fits into everyone’s lives. Hosted, produced, edited and scored by current students from across Manchester Metropolitan University, the show invites some of the fashion industry’s foremost voices to break down the issues, innovations and ideas that emerge from our relationship with clothing. Follow Manchester Fashion Institute at: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstuteor visit us at: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk
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