Moderator Shilla Kim-Parker (CEO and Co-Founder of Thrilling – a marketplace for independent mom n’ pop secondhand and vintage shops across the country) led three panelists through a discussion of what makes fashion’s impact on the environment so dire and what can be done going forward.
Rachel Kibbe, founder of the advisory firm Circular Services Group, addressed the question of why we should care about fashion’s impact on the environment and why it is so problematic? “Apparel/textiles is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States. They are about 7% of our landfills now. In the last 25 years, textile waste has grown 80%, meanwhile, every other waste stream (electronics, food, organics, paper) has only grown about 25%.” In addition to these alarming statistics, she reminded us, “With globalization, it’s kind of been a race to the bottom and a huge supply chain issue – you may be growing cotton in one place, spinning and weaving it in another, dying it in another and cutting and sewing it in another. Just the shipping alone to chase cheaper and cheaper cost of production has become really problematic from an environmental and labor standpoint.”
“We’re also creating garments that aren’t re-sellable, they are disposable. How do we produce for durability, for resale, for repair?” – Rachel Kibbe
Plastics also exacerbate the problem, according to Alexis Jackson of The Nature Conservancy. She serves as the Ocean Policy and Plastics Lead for TNC’s California Oceans Program and is working on how plastics enter the environment from all sources – including the fashion industry where plastic looks like nylon, polyester, and acrylics. “Throughout the lifecycle of all these materials, when they’re being woven, designed into clothes and we’re washing and wearing them, they’re letting off these small fragments which are known as microfibers. That water that we are dying and washing these clothes with, that water can carry these microfibers into the environment”, Jackson pointed out. The microfibers then “end up in our oceans, in our food, and in our bodies”. She stated, “… just from clothes washing. And that’s not even the upstream side of what’s happening in textile mills. It’s opened our eyes that plastic comes in many shapes and forms and what can we do.” Furthermore, “we know that fibers are one of the most prolific shapes of plastic found in the environment that kind of work their way up the food chain – they’ve been found in carrots and apples. We know their impact on smaller wildlife – can impact their reproduction and their feeding behavior.”
Panelist Devin Gilmartin has created a platform for small emerging brands from around the world called The Canvas. Most clothing brands don’t have access to the vast physical spaces that an H&M, for example, might have. In addition, most malls or shopping areas have empty retail spaces and this is where The Canvas comes in – they reach out to landlords and ask them to revenue share with the emerging brands. Each small brand also comes in on the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. In this way, Gilmartin “believes that small brands can help break through the fast fashion barrier.”
The question then becomes, what kind of policy responses have been made to the fashion industry? Although this is a global issue, there is not one global answer. According to Kibbe, “I’ll focus mainly on waste policy because that’s my area of focus and I think I can speak to it best. In France, they have banned the destruction of unsold goods. In Holland, the policy on deck for I believe 2023, where brands would be responsible for paying for the collection of used clothing which is really interesting to me because that’s been a focus in my career – trying to get brands to support the waste management of our used clothing. I know in Scotland, I think they have a similar bill on deck to France that would ban the destruction of unsold clothing. You’re seeing different policies globally mainly coming out of Europe focusing on waste. In Boston, in Massachusetts, they are outlawing textiles to landfills.” In New York, she referred to a bill that is going through the process of public response now that would require any company doing business in New York with revenues over $100 million to disclose their environmental impact maps, about 40-50% of their supply chains, make science based target commitments and track those commitments. When asked, she also said that her dream bill would include a production cap on fashion companies.
“What does that look like to build an innovation contest that allows us to think more creatively about getting the technology on the market or thinking about redesigning clothing the things that we need to get the markets there, and the end goal is that capture component.” – Alexis Jackson
Jackson also believes policy is essential, but it might not be applicable because of the global nature of fashion and how each local and regional area is so different. Her suggestion was a more streamlined approach, like “let’s get policies in place to put filter in washing machines. The policy doesn’t have to be perfect.” Jackson is an advocate of setting goals and letting innovation get there since some of the technology is already on the market, including in the manufacturing space.
When asked what we can do as individuals, Gilmartin had one very concrete suggestion, “From a shopping perspective, I think we need to move away from shopping with the fast fashion giants, I think there are more and more alternatives, yours (Thrilling) being one of them, I think the resale platforms for the issues they’re still figuring out are amazing and growing very quickly and will probably start taking a market share from the bigger companies.” Jackson had a couple of ideas about care of garments: “The first is wash your clothes less often which is not always the most popular solution. Colder loads, shorter loads. If you’re in the market for a new washing machine, buying a front loading washing machine. And then you can think about buying a filter to include on your hose capturing some of these microfibers.”
When asked which companies are close to getting it right, Kibbe responded, “Everybody wants to know where to shop and who to shop from. The thing is, I don’t have a great answer because it’s always buy used.” Gilmartin did have a couple of suggestions:
“On the production side, footwear is a huge contributor to these issues and there’s a company based in Germany called Zellerfeld. They are building 3D printing boxes basically where you can scan your foot with an app and in ten minutes, have a perfectly printed pair of shoes custom to your foot. They’re building these amazing printing farms, they’re going to be in the US soon, but when you’re done with that footwear, you’ll be able to send it back to them. They’ll shred it up and create an entirely brand new piece of shoe from your previous shoes. You basically subscribe to their service one time and you’re wearing that same shoe for the rest of your life. I think this is an amazing physical material fashion innovation.
On the media side, there’s a New York-based editorial agency called Monad Agency. I think a lot of the issues when it comes to sustainable fashion is it needs to be aesthetically appealing, it needs to be desirable and Monad is creating great content around sustainable fashion. They’re working with small brands and giving them Vogue-level content production and I think that’s kind of what we need on the media side. More focus and larger reach for the small brands.”
“It will really take all of us working together to solve the problem.” – Alexis Jackson
We hate to admit that Enjoyable Listens led in the ranks of the most “enjoyable” set at SXSW 2022, but they – ahem, HE – totally did. While the Oxford-based act normally performs as a duo, brainchild Luke Duffett appeared solo this time around, as his bass guitarist partner-in-crime was stuck overseas for WORK. (Something he mentioned multiple times during his set.)
In all honesty, we almost didn’t stay for the set. We had the privilege of covering an array of international artists over the course of the week, and when a slightly sunburnt man in a suit with a bolo tie and slicked-back hair was sound-checking, I prematurely judged him and suggested we leave the Registrant’s Lounge. Luckily, our dear friend Whiteclaw (sorry – they sponsored the fest and I was already a few deep) kept us glued to the spot when Duffett took the stage.
While their Facebook page boasts that they are “a bloodstained fur coat floating on the undulating beat of street talk,” we were absolutely delighted by the theatrics employed by Duffett on that fated Saturday afternoon. He introduced the act, pushed a button on the soundboard, and walked off the stage to make a grand entrance. And this was only after he verbally commanded the attention of everyone in the area three separate times.
A type of Baroque-pop, the music took on an experimental vibe at times. This man was absolutely the manifestation of if one of our best friends from high school had a child with Rick Astley. In all honesty, the vocals and blazer were the only traces of Astley. (After sending a video to Erin’s husband, we received word that we weren’t the only two who had this exact thought.) His vocal range was unexpected and alluring, while the lyrics were poignant, funny, and utilized an expanse of vocabulary. (One of the best ways to pinpoint a favorable lyricist, if we do say so ourselves.) At times, he would do more of a spoken word situation over the music, which we found later to be a common thread in the recorded versions of the tracks. He would also interrupt his own songs to talk to the audience. He even warned us about “spontaneous clapping” and “crowd surfing” he predicted for later in the show — all of this to a still rather small crowd.
But as his set went on, the crowd grew. And the smiles multiplied. And his dance moves got even more outlandish. He jumped off the stage, lunged at attendees, and performed for the (non-operating) camera, all the while maintaining this artistic persona that we all grew to love over the course of his set.
If you get the chance to see this act live, run… do not walk. I promise it will change your life.
On our second full day experiencing SXSW 2022, we wandered into the JW Marriott to check out what was going on shortly after getting our hair done at the JVN pop-up. “What the She-Cession Will Teach Us About Hiring” was listed on the board, a panel starting in mere minutes upstairs. So, we meandered up the escalator and got our seats. (After a brief stop to the Indeed Lounge for an iced latte and hot cocoa, of course.) The panel was led by Jessica Jensen, the CMO at Indeed, and included Mandy Price (CEO, Co-Founder of Kanarys, Inc.), Janet Gipson (VP of Talent Acquisition for Global Medical Response), and Jennifer Tracy (VP of Talent Acquisition at Spectrum).
So, we were in the presence of greatness. Incredible women in C-Suite positions doing good things in the hiring world.
And then the stats hit.
90% of the 50 million people who left the workforce permanently during the pandemic? Women. 70% of women who reduced hours or left jobs during the pandemic in the US did so because of a lack of support in the workplace. 89% of these women admitted that their male partners weren’t as negatively affected.
The numbers are absolutely devastating. Women – who are often relied on for extra work throughout their lives – were stretched thin when things took a turn for the worse two years ago. After all, who was widely expected to make sure kids in the household were logging into Zoom for schooling and keeping them entertained while they were trapped inside? Who is always encouraged to keep a tidy home, cook, and possibly even have a full-time job to financially support a family or any dependents? Plus, women are often tapped to be caretakers/caregivers when family and friends become less capable of handling their own things. The pandemic brought that into even harsher light than ever before. And women aren’t, truly, asking for that much from their employers. The panelists went on to outline common needs women seek from their place of work:
Pay
Happiness and a sense of belonging
Flexibility to make work and life
Caring managers
Luckily, the massive change in workforce dynamic during the pandemic led to a few realizations by companies across the United States. “Organizations became more thoughtful as to when they scheduled meetings – are they scheduled during the day or during the times childcare would be more problematic,” elaborated Mandy Price. “We also saw organizations realize that, just because you weren’t on camera, didn’t mean you weren’t working.”
“We have to collect the data and see who is exiting the workforce, what is their profile and how can we support them,” encouraged Janet Gipson. “Starting at the top, women are exiting faster and leaving for more flexible work and lucrative pay (travel nurses, for example). Moving down the tree, women of color are leaving even more.” In fact, examining intersectional dynamics has been key in a lot of their upward movement over the past few years. And it needs to be a practice that more companies – especially at a corporate level – employ and expand on.
As for changes within their respective companies? “When we look at the ability to change healthcare, our company is innovating in how we deliver healthcare,” Janet said. “We’ve partnered with Mobile Health and are delivering paramedics, EMT’s and the like to homes of patients. People do not have the dollars or reimbursements for 4 or 5 days post-surgery. We deploy health care professionals to take vitals, check-in on patients, etc. This has allowed a couple of things – The pay is more competitive. The other thing is the flexibility. The data, along with changing how we schedule and do work are key to keeping and retaining the women in the work force.“
Which, by the way, isn’t always as easy as it seems. Many jobs require physically demanding work that women aren’t historically linked to. However, many women are more than capable nowadays to tackle heavy lifting and challenging physical roles. But that doesn’t mean they’re being considered in the same ways men are. Explains Jennifer of Spectrum’s current hiring process and capabilities, “65% men, 35% women. 86% of hiring is frontline. Some roles have historic physical barriers. 80+ pound ladders. We have a tool on our site called ‘Fit Finder’ – a candidate can take this and it allows them to be served jobs based on their personality. Launched two years in the past, we have seen gender representation in those frontline roles has increased, simply because we have made the suggestion that women may be a good fit for this role.”
In addition to software updates and more open-minded hiring practices, Spectrum has brought their 80lb ladders down to 50lb ladders, a feat that benefits people of every gender and helps relieve pressure and unnecessary tension as we all age.
Jennifer, perhaps, made the most poignant statement on how to move forward in the hiring process to retain talent that will stick with you, and reduce turnover and disappointed employees. “Working to remove education requirements and focusing on skills and abilities. Working to expunge criminal records. Proactively retain your talent, not just acquisition.“
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I found the Indeed Lounge to be an especially absorbing stop in my day. It seemed to be much more tailored to the whole person, rather than just the resume of a person. The Share Your Salary to Support Equal Pay was fascinating – people were encouraged to write their job titles, location, and salary on a card to post for all other participants to see. In this way, salary is not a closely held secret, but rather knowledge to help in your own negotiations.
Indeed had headshot photographers, coffee, appointments with a career coach, and tarot readers. Yes, tarot readers, which make all the sense in the world in a job search. It is important to identify your own possible strengths and fears and tarot is the perfect vehicle for this understanding.
Alt-pop entertainer Maude Latour is certainly making a name for herself in the industry. Her sold-out North American tour kicks off next month, a result of the popularity of her sound on streaming platforms. Latest track “Headphones” is no different. The song is a testament to her talent, letting her play with autotune around natural vocals that are no less than entrancing. Explains Latour of the track:
“Headphones” starts exactly after where the “Strangers Forever” EP left us — heartbroken and experiencing loss, but slowly finding strength, as we say goodbye to a person of our past. “Headphones” is an opening of a new world; it is the first ray of light as the storm begins to end. I was lying on a hardwood floor, realizing I was truly alone in my head, no more romantic partner to lean on, when I first heard a voice in my head. It was my own. I wanted to learn to love myself, I wanted to grow within. “Headphones” is that terrifying leap into our future, and into our deeper selves.
Latour released a video accompanying the new song. Latour gallivants around New York City in good spirits, driven by her own beautiful words and the track in her headphones. The idea that words or a song could set the tone for your day – or be the underlying soundtrack to your incredible life – is reason enough to get through the tough shit.
We understand the allure, and are excited to see what her live performance entails.
Regardless of how much effort you put into a relationship, sometimes it’s just not meant to work out.
San Francisco-based songstress Floyd expresses this painful reality with the video for her latest single, “Shadow Self (The Best That I Can).” The alt-country pop track, produced by Ed Clare and Georgann Ireland for Nova Noir Productions, is the first offering from the singer-songwriter since she released the holiday-themed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” last year.
As her musical influences range from feminist pop icon Tori Amos to new wave rocker Cyndi Lauper, it should come as no surprise that the visuals radiate a sense of vigor and determination as she performs the song in all-black attire.
Regarding the title of the single, Floyd says that the shadow self has to do with how everyone is doing the best they can in every moment and how sometimes their best is frankly not good enough for someone else. “That is a hard truth, but it’s an honest one,” she said. “And I think being honest should count for something.”
Watch the video for “Shadow Self (The Best That I Can)” below!
This past year has disrupted how I understand the concept of time within our society.
Staying inside for weeks felt like months, and primarily interacting with my peers via Zoom merely emphasized the ever-increasing feelings of physical alienation I was experiencing. However, in retrospect, I wish I had done more during this dark period the world was and continues to endure. Everything has made me realize how no matter what’s going on outside, life doesn’t last forever, and we have to enjoy the time we have while we still have it.
English indie heroes The Wombats illustrate this realization with the fourth single off their upcoming five studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World titled “Everything I Love Is Going To Die.” The harmonious guitars and punchy drums are captivating from the start, backing the lyrics sung by frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy that focus on how everyone needs to acknowledge and appreciate how beautiful their lives are in the moment before they are simply memories lost to time.
When explaining the song, Murphy described the song as being “about the impermanence of life and the beauty of each passing second.”
“The key line for me is ‘Icarus Was My Best Friend, So I’m Gonna Make Him Proud In The End,’ which I guess is a playful take on living life to its fullest even though the consequences of that might be dire,” he said. “Certainly not a call to Nihilism, however, but perhaps a call to being present and the joy that can be found in appreciating each moment we find ourselves in.”
All in all, the song is another jangly, electro-pop anthem from the band that won’t stop giving. Their new album Fix Yourself, Not The World comes out January 7, 2022, and you can pre-order it here. Less than two weeks later, they plan on starting their worldwide tour in support of the album in North America before heading overseas to Europe and the UK later in April and May. All dates are below.
North American Dates: January 20 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC January 22 – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA January 25 – Terminal 5, New York, NY January 26 – House of Blues, Boston, MA January 28 – Corona, Montreal, QB January 31 – St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI February 1 – Newport, Columbus, OH February 3 – Park West, Chicago, IL February 4 – The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN February 5 – The Truman, Kansas City, MO February 7 – Cannery, Nashville, TN February 8 – Buckhead, Atlanta, GA February 10 – House of Blues, Houston, TX February 11 – Emo’s, Austin, TX February 12 – House of Blues, Dallas, TX February 14 – Ogden, Denver, CO February 15 – Union, Salt Lake City, UT February 17 – Showbox Market, Seattle, WA SOLD OUT February 18 – Venue Nightclub, Vancouver, BC SOLD OUT February 19 – Revolution Hall, Portland, OR February 21 – The Regency, San Francisco, CA February 22 – The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA February 25 – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
European/UK Tour Dates:
April 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds April 15 – The O2, London April 16 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff April 18 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow April 22 – Mountford Hall, Liverpool April 23 – Mountford Hall, Liverpool April 29 – La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris (France) May 1 – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne (Germany) May 2 – Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg (Germany) May 4 – Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm (Sweden) May 5 – Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo (Norway) May 6 – DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (Denmark) May 7 – Huxley’s Neue Welt, Berlin (Germany) May 9 – Gasometer, Vienna (Austria) May 10 – Backstage Werk, Munich (Germany) May 12 – Estragon, Bologna (Italy) May 13 – Fabrique, Milan (Italy) May 14 – Komplex 457, Zurich (Switzerland) May 16 – De Roma, Antwerp (Belgium) May 17 – Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands) May 18 – De Oosterpoort, Groningen (Netherlands) May 19 – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Netherlands) May 26 – Open Air Theatre, Scarborough
Minneapolis-based rock band Hurrah a Bolt of Light returns with their new video for AN/ANIMAL 3, the single from their upcoming visual album AN/ANIMAL. With a style described as “pop music for sad people”, Hurrah blends rock, prog, ambient, and other genres to create a dense concept album in line as a return to form after the sugary polish of their last album. In a 16-minute music video spanning four tracks within segments, the album brings a cinematic experience combining atmospheric visuals with cryptic lyrics and a murky vibe. AN/ANIMAL 3 represents the darkest portion of the album’s narrative.
The track combines a visceral clash of garage-rock-inspired guitars with instrumental breaks reminiscent of progressive rock, spawning a beautiful yet eerie sound enhanced by its content centered on despair and death. The music video reflects its macabre vibe, featuring a man kidnapped and attempting to escape his captor, ultimately facing brutal consequences. The cinematography is a perfect complement to the song’s horror-esque tone with a sense of surrealism as the video’s events occur in a loop. Admits the artist of the track:
“An/Animal 3” is the third piece of the four part puzzle that is AN/ANIMAL. For this point in the story, I wanted to create a song that was frantic, frenetic, confrontational and wild. Key changes and mood shifts run amok, land, and then veer off elsewhere. The video mirrors those vibes as well and shows both the protagonist and antagonist in various states of distress and agitation that conclude with their violent meeting. The visuals only scratch the surface of what the story as a whole might mean. It’s a bit unclear on purpose.
I wrote the music and recorded nearly all the instruments for this song and AN/ANIMAL in general. Except for the drums and some keyboards because I am not that good at drums and some keyboards. This part of the movie was particularly difficult to film and execute because I had to a) be in my underwear for the majority of the film and b) be chased outside in late fall wearing said underwear. It was very cold.
Check out the premiere of the new video below and stay tuned for AN/ANIMAL, which is slated to drop in January 2022.
Love is weird. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a relationship going and continue finding things to love about them. But on the other hand, there are some instances where it’s just easy to fall right into someone’s eyes and instantly start adoring every detail about them, regardless of what others think. Memphis-based multi-instrumentalist Dylan Dunn illustrates his thoughts on the latter with his latest single, “Such A Freak.”
The first minutes off the lead single from Dunn’s upcoming independent debut Blue Like YouEP feels like a charming ballad about a loved one featuring simplistic, acoustic stylings similar to that of Cavetown. However, once that first chorus hits, these sweet symphonies evolve into a stark contrast of everything thus far, that being something much more striking and reminiscent of the dark, angsty pop of Conan Gray.
Overall, the track is a genre-bending bop that makes me look forward to listening to more material from the singer-songwriter later this year. Until then, I bet I’ll be hearing this on alternative radio stations in the weeks and months to come.
People have struggled for decades, if not centuries, to understand those who identify as being transgender. However, with the help of activists such as musician and public speaker Ryan Cassata, this expression of gender is slowly but surely becoming more acceptable within our society.
Over the past decade, Cassata has grown up in the public eye after coming out as transgender FTM (female-to-male) and becoming a full-time activist at 15-years-old before receiving top surgery several years later in January 2012. These actions have resulted in a lot of publicity towards the singer-songwriter, both positive and negative, which deeply affected his teenage years. He recounts this time of his life in addition to how he coped with a traumatic breakup on his eighth studio album Magic Miracle Mile, which came out today, Friday, October 22.
The 45-minute project was self-produced and recorded by Cassata, and is a unique combination of numerous genres, including but not limited to alt-pop, folk, R&B, and even slam poetry. In an announcement he posted via Instagram on October 4, the musician elaborated upon the deeper meaning behind his latest effort.
This is the deepest I’ve ever went on a record… this album deals with loads of grief. It’s emo as fuck. But it’s also empowerment. I lived to tell the tale and I hope this album screams that you’re not alone in your struggle. I’m here with you…. If you are spiraling out, I’m here with you…
Although I do not personally identify as transgender, I find Cassata’s story to be incredibly inspiring. It fills me with joy to see his fans leaving an abundance of comments under his posts and videos about how much they relate to his music, with many stating how “this is exactly how I feel.” Everyone deserves proper representation within the music industry, no matter what anyone identifies as or believes in, as it ultimately helps break down the old-fashioned, derogatory barriers set in place and demonstrate how no one is ever truly alone in this world of ours.
With that said, I’m unable to speak on behalf of the transgender community and how they feel about Cassata’s material, but I think user The Shellander stated it best with their comment under the music video for the singer’s single “Hometown HEro” in which they said, “this is a song so many of us need.”
Stream Magic Miracle Mile and watch the video for “Hometown HEro” below!
