This week I started a new podcast called The Pontail Show and couldn't be happier to kick it off with my first guests Nigel and Sophie Cabourn over in Newcastle. The idea behind the podcast is really 'Seeing the world through a new pair o glasses', the show's slogan. I want to show the world not only how diverse the fashion business is, but in turn to be inspired by the many different perspectives that creative people have on our Universe.

My idea for a podcast in this space, was in reaction to the imminent collapse of the fashion industry, catalysed by the Covid-19 pandemic. To me, this is the perfect storm to take a stand against unethical practice in the rag trade. Since the introduction of the fast fashion business model in the early 2000's, the industry has been pumping out clothes on an unimaginable scale. This has been at an exponential rate, impossible to slow down. The domino effect pushing consumers to buy clothes frequently and impulsively. This was a disaster waiting to happen. Staggering amounts of unworn clothing is sent to landfill, simply because its cheaper for a company to burry shoddy clothes made on cheap labour - than to make them responsibly in smaller quantites. The latter in my opinion, makes for the most beautiful garments.

There’ll be much change in the fashion industry when we come through this Covid-19 tunnel. Unethical practices that once inflated the industry’s fantastical bubble will no longer be tolerated. Why? because it’s now that us small businesses and consumers will band together, demanding real transparency. This is what they call ‘the new normal’.⠀ ⠀ Now it’s time to name big issues that have festered like bad smells. I want us to hold companies accountable for using cheap labour; overproducing garments; trading stolen intellectual property; perpetuating online price wars; and the unimaginable volume of unworn garments that are going into landfill. In the coming weeks I’ll be calling on friends and colleagues in the industry to speak up on the podcast. Now in stillness, its time to reshape the industry.

Big thank you to Nigel and Sophie for the invaluable input into our first episode. You can check out Nigel's brand here.