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Hot Buttons

Latitude Media

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Hot Buttons is a show about the future of fashion and culture on a changing planet. Each week, Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker unwind the breaking news, industry moves, cultural trends, and tech breakthroughs that are shaping sustainable fashion. The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters. Can we change it?
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Top 10 Hot Buttons Episodes

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08/11/22 • 40 min

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One way to curb overproduction of clothing is to keep the clothes we have longer. It’s an old-fashioned solution but a simple one: instead of tossing worn and torn clothes in the trash, repair them. Major outdoor apparel brands have embraced repairs as a way to stay close to their customers, and luxury brands have long offered repairs as a service to their clients. But with fast fashion jumping in on the trend, is this just sustainable theater or can it move the culture toward caring for clothes?

Then, Rachel, Shilla and Christina dig into a new technology from Swedish company Renewcell. Circulose is made from 100% textile waste and is used as a raw material to make things like viscose and lyocell. Zara announced they’re using it in a capsule line of clothing, including dresses and sweaters in natural colors. H&M is an investor in the company, as well. Does this signal an important step forward in recycling technology? And is it scalable enough to have an impact?

Resources:

  • Harper’s Bazaar: The restoration revolution: the best luxury repair services to take note of
  • Sourcing Journal: Arc’Teryx and Eddie Bauer Target Repair and Resale
  • Sourcing Journal: Uniqlo launches repair services at NYC flagship
  • Retail Detail: H&M trials new store concept in Amsterdam
  • The Circular Laboratory: What Is ‘Circulose’ ... And Is it Sustainable?
  • Sourcing Journal: Zara x Circulose Fashion Capsule Shows Off Sustainable Circular Fiber
  • Bloomberg: Renewcell and ZARA Collaborate to Create a Capsule Collection Made from Material Produced with Circulose (R)

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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08/11/22 • 40 min

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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

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09/16/22 • 47 min

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For the first topic of our first episode, we are asking a simple question: what is fashion’s actual impact on the environment?

We know the environmental impact of fashion is vast. But has it been properly quantified? It turns out, no. And that’s a problem for figuring out how to fix it.

Then, we turn to the most visible problem in the fashion industry: textile waste.

Rachel and Shilla are both involved in an effort to bring more transparency and regulatory scrutiny to the textiles industry. We’ll dig into some possible solutions for textile waste.

We’ll finish with one of the hottest stories in fashion: Shein.

In April, the Wall Street Journal revealed the Chinese mega-retailer had raised over $1 billion at a $100 billion valuation. Shein is now one of the most valuable private companies in the world — built off an ultra-fast fashion model that pumps out thousands of new styles per week.

What does Shein’s rise tell us about the tension between consumer desires for sustainable products and actual buying habits? And can Shein clean up its operations in a meaningful way?

Additional reading:

  • New York Times: how fashion giants recast plastic as good for the planet
  • Vox: fashion has a misinformation problem
  • New York Times: the biggest fake news in fashion
  • WWD: New working group to tackle textile waste
  • Business of Fashion: the sustainability regulations that could reshape fashion.
  • Sourcing Journal: Critics say Shein’s textile waste solution isn’t good enough
  • WSJ: Shein valued at $100 billion funding round
  • Daily Beast: Has Shein killed the dream of sustainability in 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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06/16/22 • 58 min

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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

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12/15/22 • 47 min

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The metaverse became a household term after Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook as Meta, and Fortnite gamers started attending virtual concerts wearing Balenciaga hoodies. And now the utopian web3 vision has come for fashion.

Brands are framing their digital clothes, shoes, and accessories as a sustainability play. This week, Christina, Rachel, and Shilla look past the marketing hype and think through the long-term impact.

Then, has fast fashion ruined thrifting? Second-hand retailers are being flooded with donated clothes from the likes of Shein, H&M, and Zara, and seasoned thrifters are despondent. It’s driving up prices and making those desirable vintage and unique items harder to find. What is the future of thrifting?

We’ll finish with a dose of optimism by sharing some of the trends and companies that are keeping us feeling positive about the fashion industry.

Resources:

  • Wired: The metaverse could radically reshape fashion
  • WWD: Metaverse as a magic sustainability bullet? Think again.
  • New York Times: 'The golden age of thrifting is over'

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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07/14/22 • 53 min

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07/28/22 • 48 min

This week, we take our first look at the beauty industry – skin care, cosmetics, hair care, and wellness supplements – and find it wanting.

Kim Kardashian’s line of skincare, SKKN, got off to a bumpy start with lots of social media backlash around its packaging. And many others make claims around sustainable ingredients that don’t hold up to scrutiny.

Then, Gucci has an environmental impact report out, and has partnered with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to embrace circularity in its business. A classic luxury brand sending a powerful message to the industry around sustainable practices. Will it stick?

Finally, we turn to biotech, where innovators are building nylon out of plants. This gets us excited, as it goes beyond the challenges of recycling plastic to avoiding fossil fuels altogether. Science!

Resources:

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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07/28/22 • 48 min

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07/21/22 • 42 min

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

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07/21/22 • 42 min

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There’s no turning away from today’s reality: the demand for sustainability has come for the fashion industry.

Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker are here to talk about it.

Hot Buttons features weekly observations and lively debate about the future of the fashion industry as it reckons with its impact on the climate, natural resources, and worker rights. The show is not just about reducing emissions in the supply chain – it’s about the culture of fashion, the high-stakes decisions inside the industry, and how we rethink the very idea of growth.

Subscribe to Hot Buttons everywhere you get podcasts. Episodes drop every Thursday starting June 16.

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

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06/07/22 • 5 min

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In this episode, we’re talking about the policies behind sustainable fashion with fashion law expert Betina Baumgarten. Betina’s career has included years as a civil litigation attorney, a fashion stylist, a specialist in fashion law, and now a consultant to companies looking to advance their sustainability goals with real action. She’s also a tireless advocate for policy change in the industry and has authored important journal articles on critical topics in fashion law.

We cover a lot in this episode, including:

  • Labeling, and how it can underpin a level of transparency necessary to hold brands accountable to their sustainable claims
  • The resale market, and how it can be better supported with new regulations and a legal framework to better support a sustainable fashion mission

Resources:

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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08/19/22 • 49 min

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08/04/22 • 51 min

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

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08/04/22 • 51 min

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FAQ

How many episodes does Hot Buttons have?

Hot Buttons currently has 30 episodes available.

What topics does Hot Buttons cover?

The podcast is about News, Fashion & Beauty, Business News, Podcasts and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Hot Buttons?

The episode title 'Repairing our way to sustainability' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Hot Buttons?

The average episode length on Hot Buttons is 49 minutes.

How often are episodes of Hot Buttons released?

Episodes of Hot Buttons are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.

When was the first episode of Hot Buttons?

The first episode of Hot Buttons was released on Jun 7, 2022.

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4 Ratings