Hot Buttons

We wanted a minute of Gisele Fetterman’s time to hear about her advocacy work, how she champions thrifting and vintage, and what she learned from last year’s bruising campaign on behalf of her husband, Senator John Fetterman. But we got so much more! Gisele gave us the inside scoop on the culture of Capitol Hill, her work on behalf of those in need in Pennsylvania, and the racism she’s experienced as a Brazilian-born activist who married into U.S. politics (let’s just say she’s been mistaken for the hired help more than once…). Plus, the wild card we never saw coming – she’s currently training to become a volunteer firefighter! 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. Full transcript here. Resources: Vogue on the Fettermans’ political power dressing Gisele Fetterman on her childhood and her advocacy, in Teen Vogue Washington Post profile of Gisele Fetterman A list of Gisele’s favorite thrift shops in the Washington, DC area 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

Happy New Year! We’re back with our review of 2022, and predictions for 2023. But first, we have to say goodbye to Dame Vivienne Westwood, and take a few more shots at Balenciaga for what can only be described as a rather cowardly approach to repairing their brand. There was a lot to like about climate and sustainability progress in 2022, and we’re coming into this year hopeful we’ll see more of it in action, not just words. We talk about climate bills, progress at COPs, taking on greenwashing, new policies addressing fair labor, and new technologies that take us closer to a circular economy. But skepticism abounds, so we’ll talk about that, too. 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. A lightly edited transcript of the episode can be found here. Resources: Vogue Business on the life of Vivienne Westwood Hypebeast on the potential for a year of “Nothingcore” New York Times on the industry’s struggle with the concept of degrowth 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

This week, Charles Conn, Chair of the Board of Directors at Patagonia joins us to share his story of how the company made the landmark decision to “make Earth its only shareholder.” This was news not just in the apparel industry, but everywhere. Patagonia had been private its entire existence, and as its founder Yvon Chouinard looked to step away, he opted for something entirely unique: give all the company to a 501(c)(4) and a perpetual purpose trust designed to put the profits to work exclusively for the planet. The market is still digesting this move: will it signal a new path for purpose-driven companies? Will it alter the course of late-stage capitalism? Charles Conn had an insider’s view on the process of coming to the decision to embrace this unique model, and continues to be actively involved in bringing it to fruition. Patagonia is an apparel company, too, so we talk about how they approach sustainability, from measuring their emissions throughout their supply chain, sourcing all their textiles and materials, and participating in resale and circularity. And finally, Yvon Chouinard was recently given the outstanding achievement award at the British Fashion Awards, and Charles was there to accept it on his behalf. So, we had to ask what he wore. 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: Charles Conn in Fortune Magazine on Patagonia’s evolution WWD on Patagonia’s transformation Inc. naming Patagonia company of the year WWD on Yvon Chouinard receiving the outstanding achievement award at the Fashion Awards in London Full transcript of this podcast here 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

We want your feedback! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Patagonia gift card. First, we have to talk about Balenciaga. If you type “Balenciaga child porn” into Google right now, you get 2.6 million hits. That is not good and they have only themselves to blame for an ad campaign that posed toddlers with bondage-themed plushie bear handbags and booze glasses, like they’d walked in on the tail end of of a sex-fueled all-nighter. For the time being, the CEO, Cedric Charbis, and designer Demna Gvasalia have managed to avoid taking direct responsibility for this blunder, which is a real mess. The brand issued an apology using the royal “we.” We also take a look back on Raf Simons’ career as he shutters his label after a 27-year run, and then wonder what happened behind the scenes at Gucci that led to them parting ways with Alessandro Michele. COP27 ended with a whimper, so we brought on our Executive Producer, Scott Clavenna, to give us his takes on what was accomplished and what was left to next year’s delegates to address. Then we take a quick look at the holiday season for retail this year, and it’s not all bad. There are some bright spots for resale, and hopefully less bright for fast fashion. And speaking of fast fashion, luxury resale powerhouse Vestiaire Collective announced they’re banning fast fashion from their platform. And H&M released an ambitious carbon reduction plan. 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: WWD on Raf Simons Vogue Business on COP27 and fashion The Fashion Law on the rise of resale this holiday season Vogue Business on Balenciaga making a series of “grievous errors” Sourcing Journal on H&M’s decarbonization plan 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

It’s COP27 week, so we look at how well the fashion industry is doing keeping its promise to dramatically reduce emissions. A recent report from Stand.earth gives most major brands a failing grade and shows how much work they still have to do to clean up their supply chains. We also look at how some luxury brands are embracing the digital ID as a way to show where their materials are sourced and improve resale value. Then, we take a walk outside the world of fashion and find the scourge of disposability has come for furniture. We have lots to say about that, particularly the parallels with fast fashion. Finally, vegan shoe startup Loci has raised money, and Leonardo DiCaprio is on the cap table. We have some thoughts on vegan leather we’d love to share with him. 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: Stand.Earth on fashion industry emissions New York Times on “fast furniture” Vogue Business on digital IDs Sourcing Journal on Leonardo DiCaprio’s investment in vegan footwear brand Loci 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

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

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

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

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

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

This week, we’re talking about returns. The more we shop, the more we return. And the more we shop online, the worse it gets. Retailers have embraced easy, free returns as a way to grab market share, but it’s coming at a cost to the companies and the planet. We’ll look at just how bad the data is, talk about what can be done to manage returns, and hopefully find some companies who are getting it right. This won’t be the only time we talk about returns, but we’re starting out today with a look at just how bad the problem has gotten. Then, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is getting serious about holding fashion brands accountable for their sustainability claims. They announced an investigation into Asos, Boohoo, and Asda after a preliminary look at the brands’ claims in January. Will other countries follow suit? And how are brands responding? Resources: New York Times: Retail’s “Dark Side” McKinsey: Improving returns management for apparel companies BBC: Asos, Boohoo and Asda investigated over green claims New York Times: Why a Vogue Cover Created a Controversy for Olena Zelenska 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

H&M has an uphill battle to be taken seriously as a sustainable fashion brand, and last week it got even worse. Quartz published an investigation into H&M’s use of an environmental impact scorecard to misrepresent the sustainability of its clothing lines, finding the company used faulty data to make claims that were patently false. Not a good look for a brand trying to remake its image. We’re delighted to have the author of that article, Amanda Shendruk, as a guest this week. She’ll talk us through the details of H&M’s missteps. Then we take another look at the industry’s challenges around transparency, and talk through the Fashion Transparency Index for 2021, which ranks fashion brands by “what information they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts, in their operations and supply chain.” The results aren’t encouraging. Brands have a long way to go in wages and worker conditions, supply chain carbon emissions, purchasing practices, their COVID response, and supply chain traceability. Resources: Quartz: Quartz investigation: H&M showed bogus environmental scores for its clothing Fashion Revolution: The Fashion Transparency Index 2021 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