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🌱 Ep 23. Stitching together South American Folklore, Migration and Community with Jennifer Droguett Espinosa (x Fashion District)
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Special episode by No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District
In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, host Mili speaks with Jennifer Droguett Espinosa, a Colombian and Chilean Sustainable Fashion Designer and Creative Director, and the founder of Anciela. Jennifer shares how her early experiences with migration, identity, and upcycling shaped her personal and creative outlook. She discusses her journey from making her own clothes as a child through to studying fashion in Amsterdam, interning with Viktor & Rolf, and building her career and community in London.
Jennifer talks about the origins of Anciela, a brand deeply rooted in storytelling, South American folklore, and experimental tailoring, and grounded on the pillars of culture, sustainability, community, and visibility. She details her creative process, how she layers history, literature, music, and personal memory into collections, and the stories behind some of her signature pieces.
The conversation covers Anciela’s approach to circularity, including sustainable material choices, zero-waste techniques, refresh and repair services, and pioneering digital product passports for transparency. Jennifer opens up about collaborating with Latinx creatives, working with diaspora charities, and making fashion more accessible through inclusive events and workshops. She reflects on her time with the Fashion District’s Evo Fashion programme and the British Fashion Council’s low-carbon initiative, highlighting the challenges and rewards of growing a purpose-led business.
Jennifer concludes with advice on conscious consumption, the importance of small actions, and the need for more brands to center community, inclusivity, and honest storytelling.
Anciela: Website I Linkedin I Insta
Mili Tharakan: Website I Linkedin I Insta I Buy me a coffee
Resources
Evo Fashion - a four-month experiential support programme for emerging brands and fashion technology businesses. It will help you to integrate sustainability into every aspect of your business, taking a holistic approach to business strategy and focusing on supply chain sustainability, ethical working standards, channels to market, and investment readiness. Deadline: 4th August 2025
Low Carbon Transition Programme for SMEs report by British Fashion Council
The travels of a T-shirt in the global economy, book by Pietra Rivoli
One Hundred Years of Solitude, book by Gabriel García Márquez
If you enjoyed this, please share the episode with a friend or colleague. Subscribe and leave a review, I love to hear your feedback.
Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash
Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we explore innovations bubbling away at the intersection of textiles, emerging technology, sustainability and craft. I'm your host, Millie Tharakin, a textile researcher and innovator.
Meet Jennifer Drugue Espinosa
00:00:21
Speaker
Today, I'm delighted to welcome our guest Jennifer Drugue Espinosa, a Colombian and Chilean sustainable fashion designer and creative director with over a decade of experience in luxury fashion.
00:00:34
Speaker
Jennifer began her career at Victor & Rolf in Amsterdam before moving to London, where she worked with brands like House of Holland and collaborated with talents such as Phoebe English.
Founding Anciella
00:00:45
Speaker
Jennifer is the founder of Anciella, a circular luxury women's wear brand who layers South American folklore and culture into her practice, along with her strong, sustainable and circular design approaches.
00:00:58
Speaker
Anciella is recognized for its handcrafted pieces and its commitment to conscious consumption, education and community engagement. Her work has appeared at London Fashion Week, the South Bank Center and in publications like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
00:01:15
Speaker
ah She's also been a panelist at Billie Eilish's Overheated event in
Partnership with Fashion District London
00:01:20
Speaker
2023. Jennifer is a passionate advocate for Latinx creatives in the UK and does a lot of work to support and highlight this diaspora.
00:01:28
Speaker
This is another special episode I bring to you in partnership with Fashion District London, a dynamic hub for fashion innovation in East London, supporting startups with innovation networks, affordable spaces, business guidance and investment opportunities.
00:01:42
Speaker
And I wanted to quickly mention about an exciting opportunity brought to you by Fashion District. They're now accepting applications for their EVO Fashion Program. This is a four-month hands-on support program for emerging brands and fashion tech businesses designed to help you embed sustainability across your business, from supply chain and ethics to market channels and investment readiness.
00:02:06
Speaker
The deadline is 4th of August, 2025. I'll leave a link in the show notes below for more details. So check it out.
Jennifer's Fashion Journey
00:02:13
Speaker
And this is an incredible program. And in fact, our guest today, Jennifer, was part of a previous Evo Fashion cohort.
00:02:19
Speaker
And you'll hear about how valuable this experience was for her and her business. All right, enough from me. Let's join Jennifer now on a journey to discover how heritage, innovation and sustainability shape her unique approach to fashion.
00:02:40
Speaker
Hi Jennifer, it is absolutely lovely to have you here with us today on the No Ordinary Cloth podcast. I'm so excited to get a peek into the heart and mind of someone who creates such fun and magical fashion collections ah through which you explore quite heavy ah themes, I would say, such as migration and childhood memories.
00:03:00
Speaker
There's lots to talk about, lots to dive into. um So let's get started. Your background and heritage is a big part of your work. So maybe let's start there. Tell us about yourself, Jennifer, where are you from, your background and when did you make London your home?
00:03:15
Speaker
First of all, thank you for having me. This is very exciting and that's a beautiful question. um i mean, guess I'm originally Colombian. I was born there, um but my father is from Chile, so I had the privilege to live in in both countries.
00:03:29
Speaker
But we all um really loved living in Colombia but back in the 2000s. It was really dangerous. So we you know had to leave basically. it was you know the time of kidnappings and all the, i guess, legacy that you know civil war and like drug cartels left.
00:03:46
Speaker
So my dad said, well, perhaps we should go to Chile, which is a little bit ah more stable. And because he is from there, it was an easier transition. So in a way, we explored that as a family unit, like the sort of leaving places.
00:04:02
Speaker
And the fact that you couldn't take, you know, things with you sometimes. So that idea of like, oh, you need to be very careful about what you take with you, because it's not a choice, you know, like have to leave your dog behind or, ah you know, and not being able to see like family that often, like decisions like that um on an early age became quite prominent. And um I suppose also the the sort of concept of identity,
00:04:26
Speaker
became something because all of a sudden you have different accents, but then you go to different country. So then you feel like you don't really belong you know anywhere because then you're not Colombian enough or you're not Chilean enough. And in a way you're never like fully like ah fit for places because you look different or you sound different.
00:04:45
Speaker
So that i was kind of living it since I was a child. So It was hard at times, but it also opened my mind to like, okay, we're all different and you explore different cultures, you know, and I sort of took it as a sponge. So I was always really fascinated by discovering new places and traveling.
00:05:04
Speaker
And I guess my dad, he used to be a professional cyclist. So he used to travel like to many places because of the sports. So then he would he went to the Olympic Games twice. So he would bring little souvenirs and things. So that idea of like traveling also came from him. And and it was kind of lovely to leave it through his like storytelling.
00:05:25
Speaker
He would tell us about, I don't know, Japan, or he would tell us about, you know, somewhere like remote or like Korea or, you know. And that was really, really nice, I guess, as a child, very exciting, that storytelling part of it.
00:05:37
Speaker
So um after that, I don't know, I was fascinated. I was like, I think I need to go somewhere else. And I didn't really know what fashion was. So... I guess for me, it all started, i don't know for the religious people here, like I was brought up as a Catholic, I'm not religious anymore, but there was the first communion, you know, where you take like the Eucharist for the first time. And um we didn't have like, um we have very little of money growing up. So we didn't like buy a lot of clothes or anything. That just was not a thing. It was a lot of hand-me-downs and secondhand things.
00:06:06
Speaker
But this was the first time that you could get a little dress made for you. wow It was kind of mini wedding dress in white or cream. So i remember we went to see like seamstress in Colombia, went to the bar, get to choose a fabric.
00:06:19
Speaker
And I mean, having any talking to these seamstress to say, okay, I want this little ruffle here. And then she took my measurements. And before even knew what fashion was, this is made me feel so special.
00:06:30
Speaker
yeah And I was like, when I put it on, I mean, it was not the best fabric, like terrible, but probably polyester fabric back then, what we could afford. But just the feeling of like, this is made for me. i think that relationship with like clothes, it started there because it sparked something. i was like, this is such a special moment. And, you know, it's something that you choose and is bespoke made for you. And I thought I never forgot that feeling.
00:06:54
Speaker
Beautiful. Yeah. So, you know, fast forward to now, it's like now I know what fashion is and, you know, and and I feel that with with my clients, you know, that special relationship of when that feeling of making someone feel good because the clothing, that armor, it's it's for them and it's special. And it was, they know who made it. And, you know, so I think that's where it started. you I started up cycling, I guess we call it like that now, but back then it was like, oh, mom, you know, this old pair trousers, can I play it around? and And she was like, sure. and
00:07:25
Speaker
and then, you know, turn trousers into a skirt or, you know, just finding ways I didn't really know how to sew or anything. i think my mom wasn't very handy. um My grandma, she used to make this ugly quilt.
00:07:37
Speaker
Okay. But like, no one was like really skilled or anything. So I was just like that. My weekends were spent like just exploring and just trying to see how I could rush this or stitch this.
00:07:48
Speaker
And um that's how I spent a lot of my weekends. And I suppose it was what was available. So in a way, made me really aware of like, okay, materials are scarce. It is very special. You don't have that much. So you have to make the most out of it.
00:08:01
Speaker
And I guess, and but when I was 14, then my dad said, Oh, you kind of like this. Like i see you spend a lot of time sewing and doing things with like clothes. And then he gave me my first sewing machine when I was 14. Oh, lovely. yeah We went to the shop and then he said, I think you really like this.
00:08:18
Speaker
yeah And that's in a way how i was like, oh, wow, this could be something that I can do. And I started learning how to, you know, it was quicker and like nicer to explore things. And I guess that's that was the
Anciella's Core Pillars
00:08:29
Speaker
beginning of all. and But again, coming from South America, studying fashion or art is just not a thing that you do from when you're from a working class family. and So it was a bit like, okay, this is a hobby, but, you know,
00:08:42
Speaker
What can you do with it? We're not sure. Like there was a lot of pressure on like, you know, trying to like be a doctor or a lawyer, you know. So in a way it wasn't even for myself, that pressure was like, I think I can do this.
00:08:54
Speaker
But again, you know, coming back to going into university or a degree and a big debt, you know. So I was also thinking mom and dad, like, I don't know, like, I'm not sure.
00:09:05
Speaker
what to study. So I'll ah'll take a year, like a gap year off, I'll go work and do something and try to figure out what I want to do before you go into this like debt for life, you know? and And then I came to London actually, um came here to like study English and work.
00:09:21
Speaker
This was in 2008. And I mean, it opened my mind. i was like, London is crazy. I love it, but it's crazy. and And it was my first ah first encounter to fashion, like an industry of fashion.
00:09:36
Speaker
You know, going down, like um I used to work at a tea shop down in Brompton Road. And I mean, the Harrods and the, you know, that was like my walk and just thinking, wow, okay, this is like the industry and there's like a huge world, this customer and this like items and you can feel the the cloth and, you know, so all of that, it was like for the first time introduced to me and I thought, this is fantastic. So um i used to visit the V&A, like in my lunch break and I was like, it's a free museum, this is Amazing. I know. It's incredible, right? Victorian dresses. I was like, wow, and I can see them and it's beautiful. So it really opened my mind to, okay, maybe i could work in fashion. I could study this perhaps, you know, but I will have to move.
00:10:21
Speaker
So that was always the idea. Like, I don't think this industry exists back home as as it does here. So that's when I became, you know, quite aware of it. And so when I went back home, I was like, yeah, I think this is, this could be great. I actually took a short course at LCF.
00:10:36
Speaker
Yeah, about pattern making. And then was amazing because it was a small introduction of like, okay, you can make things just like patterns. Anything that I did before was like, I would drape it on me. It was very self self-taught, very DIY.
00:10:49
Speaker
Whereas this was like, no, you you know, there's rules and this you can do. so it all sold my mind to the options. But yeah, obviously I went back home and, you know, London was like not really affordable fashion schools. So I started looking into other options. I moved to Buenos Aires for a little bit and did, but it was really fashion business in Buenos Aires. So I was like, I think I'm a maker. I like making things.
00:11:13
Speaker
I'm not so much of like a business person. Even though now ah maybe I am, but you know. so that was funny. um And then when I decided to see that what the options were, my life took me to Amsterdam, where they were like um English courses, but it was way more affordable. So it was a real option.
00:11:33
Speaker
um And then my boyfriend at the time was Dutch. So was like, okay, this is beautiful. Then I moved to Amsterdam for fashion school over there. And it was really different. But it was, so you know, an English course, like beautiful city, like small. And, you know, it was easier as a student, I would say. And that's where I did fashion school.
00:11:52
Speaker
ah But I always had London there in the background. said, this is a city that has a beautiful energy that drives me through it. And I just, I love how international it is. I think that really stick with me through the years and I knew I had to come back.
00:12:05
Speaker
So like everyone else, applied for internships. And then I got a lot of interest from London. So I thought, okay, maybe this is the place I need to be. So I moved here with an internship.
00:12:16
Speaker
And then that got me my first job after at House of Holland. and And that's how it all started. Wow, that's quite a journey. Across multiple countries. I mean, I really relate to that because I grew up in different countries. I really relate to what you said about your identity and and you're kind of taking things from everywhere and you're like a sponge, you're absorbing all of it. But when people meet you, they're a bit confused about who you are.
00:12:43
Speaker
So um you trained as a pattern cutter and that's where you did your internship and then continue to work in that space. At what point did you feel like you wanted to step out and set up your own brand?
00:12:54
Speaker
Yeah, that was another journey. Like I thought about it for many years because I mean, again, i was just so happy and I felt so privileged to to work in fashion. In Amsterdam, I worked at Victor & Rolf, which was a dream. I mean, yeah me there, I'm like just the first Latina that I've ever seen here, like, you know, in couture.
00:13:12
Speaker
And we went to Paris twice. And I mean, they had the ready-to-wear collection back then. So I experienced the ready-to-wear and the couture shows in Paris, it was a dream, making like little dolls clothes for the museum.
00:13:25
Speaker
I mean, it was so wonderful, that experience. It was a lot of work, but you know if i was quite good. I'm a good source. So so you know they really opened up and told me many things, which was wonderful.
00:13:36
Speaker
But at any point I was like, okay, this all seems like it needs a lot of money and influence and connection. So at any point I could dream or think that I could do this. So when I moved to London, I was very realistic in the sense of i need to hustle just to get my you know foot on the door. And I did the internships and and then they say, okay, you're good. And then they get you a job and you go from there. And then word of mouth, people recommend you and you keep working.
00:14:01
Speaker
So I could never really dream of, just felt really lucky. However, I'm talking about perhaps 10 years ago, we weren't talking about cultural appropriation. That wasn't really a thing that people were talking about.
00:14:12
Speaker
Sustainable fashion was like just touching the surface, you know, with the true cost and and fashion revolution. It was still very early on, but it there was something that ah it bothered me in a sense so of, um you know, you're researching, doing all these mood boards, creating these garments that have beautiful inspirations.
00:14:31
Speaker
But then they're all from abroad, you know. um And I think at a point we were researching something about Mexican culture and i was just thinking, oh, it's a bit strange. You know, I'm the only Latina here. And in most cases, the only even like woman of color there. Like that's how times were different back then.
00:14:51
Speaker
and But no one felt like it was weird. i think I was the only one that thought, okay, this might be a bit strange. like We're taken from a culture that is not ours. or you know We're like ah romanticizing or um these concepts that perhaps don't but really belong to us. But I didn't really know how to phrase it or what it was.
00:15:08
Speaker
So I guess from there, like my curiosity sparked and I thought... But who is doing it differently, like from people I'm working, like who, and I saw there was like this resurface of perhaps like African diaspora or you know, Southeast Asian diaspora and new designers that were doing that at the time i was working for Supriya Lily and,
00:15:27
Speaker
I thought, well, maybe there is something here. like you know um And I feel, you know, I worked in a lot of workshops close to Tottenham and there was this big Latin community. They used to have lunch, like a Latin restaurant.
00:15:39
Speaker
And then i thought is we're here, like it's a quite vibrant diaspora. And they know there's a lot of talent around here, but no one knows we are here. So we yet are really invisible So I was like, there maybe there is something here. Because obviously, while you work in fashion, you realize it's not just about making the the clothes, but it's also about creating that culture and how to show it. So you're creating images, you're creating ah fashion campaign, you're creating an experience, a fashion show, fashion film.
00:16:08
Speaker
there's so much more to just a piece of clothing. So there's a whole team involved and a whole storytelling aspect to it. And I thought, maybe there's a way, maybe there's a way of making, you know, or creating a label that is celebrating culture at the heart, sustainability, inclusivity, because at the end of the day, fashion is a platform. Like, you know, when you sort of study it through time, you can see what was happening at the time because of what people were wearing. So there's a whole side guys context of clothing and the importance of that identity, that clothes,
00:16:42
Speaker
builds, you know, in us human beings. So I thought maybe there's a way, but i was like, I don't know. I have no money. i have no connections. Did not go to a famous fashion school. So it's very clear and that because I lived and I worked for those people that had gone through the CSMs and the RCA's of the world. And, right you know, they had the money, the connections. And I thought, oh my God, I don't think this could be possible. So I started very small. I remember one of my best friends said, just do it. Like he said, you have friends, you know how to make things.
00:17:10
Speaker
You don't have to start it all perfect. He said, people like to see the process and the evolution. said, if everything's really shiny and perfect, it won't be relatable. And that that was the best piece of advice.
00:17:21
Speaker
i was say you know what? You are absolutely right because this is who I am, you know, and it has to be grassroots. I'm like, I know the the the communities. I know the people are. And it's my stories at the end of the day. its It's my own story from my own perspective and there are heavy themes in there, but it's like, it's my perspective. And I thought perhaps there's other people that can feel what I feel and they're you know having exactly the same experience, but from different points of view, different families, perhaps.
00:17:49
Speaker
So that was the most beautiful thing. I thought, well, it's an experiment. let's keep it very lean, let's keep it very grassroots and let's hustle and see what, you know, a friend had like a space in Brixton. He was like, um knew the manager of the market there in Brixton Village.
00:18:07
Speaker
So I thought, you know what? He said, there's a space if you want to use it This was pre-pandemic. So we did a little lunch. I had a few friends that were dancers and then I said, oh, I can come dance. And, you know, that was it.
00:18:20
Speaker
It was family. My sister did the makeup and the hair for the girls. It was very small, very organic. Like, I think we made the food ourselves for the lunch, you know, it was very like family, friends, um community.
00:18:33
Speaker
But that's how it started. And I thought, well, maybe there is something there. And slowly things, I guess, became like more ambitious as we thought there was some interest for this. you know Slowly I was getting like DMs on Instagram from other Latin creatives, maybe like a photographer or stylist, or we were actively looking for Latinx talent and Instagram was a tool to do it.
00:18:56
Speaker
So then I realized, okay, there is something to this. There are other people who are amazingly talented. They also feel we need more representation across disciplines, not only unique to fashion. And then it really made me excited. I was like, perhaps it could be, this could be it, you know?
00:19:13
Speaker
So that's it started. Amazing. That was really bold step to take. And this was in 2019. Is that right? Yes, that's correct. And um so you had this, clearly this drive and motivation. What was that vision that you had in the beginning? And how has that vision evolved over the last many years?
00:19:31
Speaker
So I guess it was always about the pillars. I was like, it has to be, i never wanted to be part of the problem. Like I was really aware also having worked in fashion for some years and being like a really active with fashion revolution.
00:19:43
Speaker
so okay, we have clothing for six generations, the landfills like now in Atacama desert in Chile, I never thought that could happen, you know? And it hits home, it hits there. So I thought if I create something, it has to be with purpose. It has to be solving a problem.
00:19:58
Speaker
So if the problem is like, okay, the, Visibility is not there for some creatives. The empowerment is not there for communities. A better garment that's made with traceable materials, traceable supply chains.
00:20:10
Speaker
So I thought, okay, maybe this is something that I can address because it's what I know. So I was like, okay, it needs to be culture, sustainability, community, visibility, always. So then that that's for me, it's like if that's in embedded in my um business model, it always has to be there. So every problem, every project has to be addressed with those four pillars.
00:20:29
Speaker
Otherwise we can't do it or it's not for us, like which is fine. So it becomes like a clearer way to operate and also keep it very lean and very adaptable, which I think is the only advantage when you're small.
00:20:41
Speaker
So I suppose that vision, even though started very organic, like sometimes I didn't even know how to name it that way. But now six years down the line, I'm like, no, this is it. This was the values that have always been with me.
00:20:52
Speaker
And now I'm really confident and I feel really powerful about it keeping them and with everything that I do through my supply chain and all the value chain, everyone who we cross pathways, like it has to be that and it has to have a purpose deeper than just for my own ego or to making, you know, Because for me, it's like I'm thinking in the long term as well. More than creating like my own brand or this is what I've done.
00:21:17
Speaker
It's more like the legacy that we can create. And if anyone can like continue that legacy, even after I'm gone, like that is the concept that is stays. And I think that's beautiful because we do need those brands that are engaging with community and are celebrating culture and community. We don't have enough of them coming from the real source and telling the real stories. So I guess for me, it's like...
00:21:39
Speaker
Perhaps when we don't need that anymore, then there's no need for for the brand like that strongly believes in these values. But I feel like you know we're still needing this engagement and this visibility. So um that's what the mission. and you know At the end of the day, using fashion as a platform to do that.
00:21:57
Speaker
I love that you said you didn't quite know how to name this and that the the clarity about the four pillars came over the years. Sometimes you feel like you need to figure it all out in the beginning, but it's only through the process. And like you say, you just do what you can with what you have. And and that brings clarity.
00:22:15
Speaker
The name of your brand is Anciella. Is there a story behind the name? Yes, there's a story. And again, I guess that's the only thing that I really thought about very deeply at the beginning of what to name it.
00:22:26
Speaker
I did not want to name it like, you know, a namesake brand. I thought because then it becomes about me. And I thought what could be nice to celebrate that heritage. So it's actually a mix of my grandparents' names.
00:22:38
Speaker
So Angel or Angel and Graciela, but we all called her Ciela for short. And I thought that's nice because then it's in the name, that sort of celebration of roots and heritage and the mission, because they're not longer with us,
Cultural Influences in Fashion
00:22:52
Speaker
sadly. um They kind of passed away quite young.
00:22:55
Speaker
So it's, In a way, it's celebrating that story, their stories and my story and you know, that legacy in a way. So it's that reminder and everybody has grandparents. I think it's beautiful too, especially when you speak to diaspora. Sometimes I get to know, you know, immigrants that have been here for like 30, 40 years and you know, for generations of Latinos here. And it's really special because everybody has their own story and remembers things in a certain way.
00:23:23
Speaker
so I feel like that's a reminder, constant reminder of it. So yes, that at the beginning was very clear for sure. Nice. Great. So now let's get into your creative process a bit more.
00:23:34
Speaker
How do you layer, I guess, craft and Latin folklore, childhood memories? These are all themes that you bring in migration. How do you layer all of that into your creative process and bring that out into your collection?
00:23:48
Speaker
That's really good question. I think for me, um I try to see what's happening now, or like a feeling that I sense okay. I started just before the pandemic as well. So then I think like, that became really clear of like, okay, we're in confinement, we can't really see our communities, our people.
00:24:06
Speaker
So that sort of, I think, okay, what stories remind me of this? So for instance, during the pandemic, i started then revisiting books and pieces of poetry or literature from Colombia or from South America that I remember, I'm like, okay, i think this was quite...
00:24:24
Speaker
similar to what we're living now. So then 100 Years of Solitude, that's a book that you have to read at school. And I revisited from like my gaze now as a woman, don't know, think 50 years later, I think it was really, yeah, 50 years ago.
00:24:39
Speaker
And then with my sort of female gaze of like, we were on the feminist side. And then I realized this is interesting because it talks about that confinement and also mistakes coming across generations and repeating themselves as a cycle.
00:24:53
Speaker
And I thought this is what the pandemic feels to me right now. Like this happened a hundred years ago. we have learned nothing. And, you know, that is sort of like layering... what's happening now, what has happened before, and then with some kind of story from Latin America somehow.
00:25:11
Speaker
So this is one of my favorite novels of all time. I think it's really like it encapsules what like Latin families are and the complexity of it all. And I think everyone can relate to those sort of problems and story and and they relate things to each other. And then I start putting... in ah references together. um I love research. So I'm always going into a lot of images and images from the past, the present, the future, like everything.
00:25:36
Speaker
And I love, I'm a consumer of culture in general. i love music, films, books, poetry, everything. So I create a playlist for each collection that I make. that That reminds me to things like music is so important to me and what I do.
00:25:51
Speaker
So I guess with everything together, I start piecing together how this would look visually. So with all the references and, you know, i started thinking, okay, historical garments, how did that look back then? Was the book set in certain time?
00:26:06
Speaker
And then it became really clear that this book was quite sexist. I was like, hmm. We're not celebrating the enough. Like the actual powerful characters of women are quite secondary, whilst they're very key to the story.
00:26:18
Speaker
So for me, in that particular collection, inspired by 100 Years of Solitude, it was about celebrating the female characters and their influence on this family and, you know, from their perspective.
00:26:30
Speaker
So that was really clear to me. This is what I'm going to do. Like, I don't, I'm not care... I don't per se relate too much to the men in the family, but to the women I do. So how would i sort of would take those characters and explore them you know, in their complexities and things and their qualities and problems and struggles. And so that's, for instance, in in that case,
00:26:54
Speaker
visually became ah a fashion film because it was ah during the pandemic as well. So all of a sudden I love film, um but I never thought I would make any films. But then you start asking people, okay, who knows how to open a camera and like, you know, we do this.
00:27:08
Speaker
And then we start researching about how would that look visually? And we make our own, you know, adaptation of it. And it's a very experimental, very low budget, you know, but it was such a great experiment to do because then we were exploring fashion as as an image.
00:27:26
Speaker
And, you know, in the garments of wear a vessel for it to tell that story. you know, I make all of the props I also saved up like during the pandemic, I um volunteered to make PPE garments with one of the NHS charities that was in my in my area.
00:27:41
Speaker
So again, we were making these PPEs amazing. And then every day, bags of waste, this plastic waste that is great. what are we going to do with this? So I took a few of these bags and I thought, I can make something with this.
00:27:54
Speaker
So I made the backdrop backdrops for that fashion film of that collection. i also macrame some pieces. So that was the head pieces. Because for me, it's like, perhaps it's not that obvious in the sense of like, it's inspired by something or it's not necessarily a very ah straightforward reference that you can see, yeah but it's more in the story of the material itself. Yeah.
00:28:15
Speaker
So it's coming from, again, and mistake from a humanity from 100 years ago. And I'm like crocheting and knotting it in this material a repetitive manner. And the character who's obsessed with like weaving and weaving the embroidery is wearing it. So there's this whole sort of layer. Perhaps it's No one knows unless I tell them the story. But for me, it's like really important that the symbolism that sometimes it's very graphic and obvious and sometimes it's not, it's it's there. And I quite like that. And I guess that's the only way you can layer it because I do take from many things and it's quite complex, but in a way visually it tells many, many stories, but I quite like that. I think I like it when people look at something
00:29:01
Speaker
And they don't know what to make of it. And then they're just thinking, what is this? And I realized that after the pandemic, we showed we had an exhibition with the Colombian embassy. And we showed these pieces to the public for the first time.
00:29:13
Speaker
I had to be there in the space. And people necessarily, they didn't know who I was. I was just there like looking after the space. So I could hear the feedback. And there was this jumpsuit with like a beaded bush.
00:29:25
Speaker
and But it was really oversized and like a skin color. And... And I remember people reacting to that. What is this? well you know and And in a way, I loved it because I thought, this is it. Like I've never heard people and everyone has their own stories and takes about it.
00:29:40
Speaker
And that fascinates me. I think that's fantastic when you start a conversation. And I think that's what I want sort of my pieces to be. Yeah, I mean, it sounds like you really create space for them to add their stories or are their past and reflect that onto your collection as well.
00:29:57
Speaker
You do describe your work as a little eccentric and magical. I absolutely love that. ah Tell us a bit more about this. How did that become part of your DNA?
00:30:09
Speaker
Well, I guess I'm a maker, right? So sometimes, you know, I get excited about many different things, you know, whether it's like a really complex sleeve pattern or fabric that's like woven with really special threads that my friend made, you know, i think everything is so magical. I'm just like, it's the beauty of the thread and the beauty of the making.
00:30:28
Speaker
And when you live through it, and I mean, everyone's a friend in our supply chain, so we all get so excited. Everyone's such a geek about different disciplines. And absolutely love it, you know. and Or there's a filmmaker that's obsessed with Super 8. And I'm like cycling the film to get it developed in like wood green. And, you know, i feel i think like it has to be fun because that's what fashion is at the end of the day. It's conductor for stories. So it has to be fun. and we But we all get excited about very different things. Like, you know, a stylist and I would spend hours and hours talking about these characters that we love and what she's going to wear. And, oh, maybe what is she going to do? And yeah. I think for me, i'd it has to be fun. i mean, everything, it takes so much effort and resources.
00:31:11
Speaker
And again, it's going back to purpose. Like, I think at the end of the day, it will be silly not to, i think, to use fashion as the... it's like most outrageous expression of it all like of course it's you know it's wearable like I wear all of my pieces I wear them for cycling for working so they are functional pieces and I think it has to be functional like absolutely but also we can have fun like sometimes again could be a hidden in detail that no one knows why it exists but it is there for um to be explored to be felt like i'm a very tactile person so i think um sometimes on the picture you can't really translate how it feels like but then when people touch it i'm like oh my god this feels like this i didn't expect it you know so i i think it's it became sort of key again through the years and developing different experimental
00:32:00
Speaker
fabrics or shapes, it became very clear that it had to be that element. um It has to be exciting, I suppose. I think, you know, otherwise, why why bother? Like, I see so many, like, things and it's okay if you want to have a basic brand and it's okay. But also, in our times, I mean, it's quite urgent, you know, I feel like we don't see it enough that ah the world's burning. So what I'm saying is, like, yes, we all have, like, the freedom to express ourselves through our art and however you want to make it, but we also need to be responsible.
00:32:34
Speaker
Like, you know, we can't, those days of life, doing things like for fun or for alone, because I think they're over. I think it has to be very intentional in solving specific problems.
00:32:47
Speaker
You know, so yes, it it needs to answer to certain problems, but it doesn't mean it it cannot be fun, basically. So I do think, yes, if you're making it and it's meaningful and it's solving a problem, I think it should be fun and ah full of meaning and and purpose. Yes.
00:33:01
Speaker
And so one of the fun pieces i thought from your collection is the sort of pillow head pieces that you create, which is very iconic, your signature style. Do you mind sharing what the story is behind that?
00:33:14
Speaker
Yes, that's a little bit, I was thinking, especially last year, it was, we we did our show at the South Bank. It was it was an open show, you know, for the public, kids, everyone, which was very exciting to me because I think,
00:33:27
Speaker
fashion should be lived through you know a medium that's open to everyone, like more inclusive, like fashion shows sometimes can feel very elitist or very closed spaces during fashion week, which we've done as well, which is really lovely. But for me, this was exciting that it was gonna be open to the public. So I thought, what is it that we need? Because most people perhaps experience fashion in a different way. People not necessarily know what it is or what purpose it serves. Like at the end of the day, we all live in that sort of bubble sometimes.
00:33:57
Speaker
So I thought, I guess what do we need, and last year, you know, with all the worst and the horrible things that are happening in our world, I thought maybe we need that connection. And I feel like we need to dream it first of the reality that we want in order to achieve it. Because if we kind of dream it, how can we achieve it?
00:34:14
Speaker
So the idea behind this piece was the dreamer look, and it was to... have a piece where people can interact and write their messages. So this show was inspired ah by the work of Tavares Tran that said, you belong here.
00:34:28
Speaker
and it was this neon sign of the South Bank, really big. And it was all about celebrating, yeah, migration and and the stories and that we occupy the space and we live in the city. So we took over the terrace of the South Bank. And then the the set design was the map of London and the Thames like taped on the, I can show you pictures as well. um Yeah, I'd love it if you could share that. Yeah. So then it was really great because kids would like run on it, you know, like interact with it. We had some ah trees made from upcycled, discarded garments from trade. So I went to the to their sorting facility in Wembley and they gave me, I was like, give me the rejects, what you don't want.
00:35:06
Speaker
And then I made these recycled trees with the with those fabrics and garments that otherwise they go to landfill or they compress them and who knows where they go. So... It was again to tell that story of like sustainable fashion can look like this, can to be fun, can be a fun tree where you can tie down little messages of hope and ah your dreams. And how do you feel? What does belonging mean, especially in a city that's um built um with migrants? And how do we celebrate our stories? so I thought if
00:35:36
Speaker
if I know I'm feeling like this. a lot of people must be feeling the same. So the idea was, how can we answer to this work together? And then through a fashion show, and we got all the same models that work for us for Fashion Week, and they're fantastic performers. So I told them, this is going to be open, and it's going to be you know, you'll have people there, and...
00:35:55
Speaker
kids and you you never know how they will interact, but they love the idea. And I think it's all about we need to show and make sustainable fashion more accessible. So then this final look, the dreamer look was the the finale piece.
00:36:08
Speaker
And um it had a really long cape of five meters. And I had brought a little piece of poetry that was made with offcuts and embroider on it, but it had a lot of space around it. So the idea was that people would come after the show with markers and write down their hopes and dreams.
00:36:24
Speaker
or something that, you know, inspired them that day. or And it was very, that was a really obvious reference of like, okay, I'm dreaming. And this is a piece. And it was also my, like an odd to Victor and Rolf, like they did that pillow look as well in the 90s, because that's where my journey started. and so it was like, you know, i i come from there and they they are dreamers.
00:36:46
Speaker
And it felt that way when I was there. So I took that from them, that storytelling and to dream. And especially when times are really hard, like we do need to keep that hope. I think the message was hope. We have these sponges that um were deconstructed and I undressed the model and then flat, they were um letters and it said hope.
00:37:05
Speaker
So was also just to, okay, like literally, it is about hope. It is about dreaming. And it is about writing down how we feel and what we do. And the beauty of this piece is like, it it keeps growing. So I took it then to our London Fashion Week event. So it was the signing book for like the guest book. The people wrote again their are messages about hope and dreams.
00:37:27
Speaker
Some people did little sketches, you know, everybody interpreted in a very different way, which is really lovely. Then we took it to the Good Clothes Show in Birmingham. Then it went to Yerevan Fashion Week in a more fashion space of like catwalk and then people coming in after the show. And again, it was really beautiful because people write in their own languages as well, you know.
00:37:46
Speaker
So it was, um we all, as different as we are, we all have hopes and dreams and we all want the same things, right? Like we all want a nice life and safe for our loved ones. And I think fashion is that vehicle sometimes, you know, to bring people together and have fun and people need to touch it as well. It's like, what is sustainable? What is a sustainable textile? What is recycled textile?
00:38:08
Speaker
Oh, this this is recycled, but you know they have a really different perception of what recycled is. And so I like that to play with like, no, touch it, feel it. um This is here for you to experience.
00:38:19
Speaker
Absolutely. So you've touched upon this and I'm glad you mentioned earlier, we can't just do things for fun and for our ego
Sustainable Practices in Fashion
00:38:25
Speaker
anymore. It has to be, you have to be responsible and very intentional.
00:38:30
Speaker
Could you share your approach to, you touched upon this now, but and in a bit more depth about ah your approach to sustainability and circularity and how does that translate practically into your work, into your collections?
00:38:43
Speaker
Absolutely. i mean, for me, i guess before we spoke about circularity as we do it now, for me, it was always like, okay, what is the journey of my garment? So I see it like that.
00:38:54
Speaker
There's a book I read that was Travels of a T-shirt. It's quite old now, but I thought book is fantastic because it really follows that journey of a garment. And I became obsessed by it because I thought it's it's right. Like where where is the clothes ending up?
00:39:09
Speaker
And it all starts when you choose at the design stage like to design, you know, things out of it that you don't want and design with the things that are good. Right. So I was like, if you're small, it's up to you. You make all the decisions when you work for big companies. Sometimes it's not up to you.
00:39:26
Speaker
Sadly, you have to work with what you're given and you have no choice, but that's the beauty of being a business owner. And you know making those decisions. They're not the easy decisions. Easier is business as usual, of course.
00:39:39
Speaker
But you know when you make that extra effort and say, okay, no, let's source something better. Let's go and speak to the mill. Can they do this? um you know So for me, it was always approaching the whole cycle of a garment.
00:39:49
Speaker
from the fiber. So where is that fiber coming from? Can we trace it? ah Where is it growing? Who's growing it? What's the quality of life of people growing it? um Where is it being like the the yarn was being made?
00:40:03
Speaker
Where's being woven into its fabric? How does the meal look like? Who's making it? So again, it's about people. i think ah um I love people. I'm fascinated with people's stories. And like I said of before, everyone's gigging about a certain aspect of fashion, which I love. Everyone's an expert in their field.
00:40:21
Speaker
And that fascinates me. So then... I go really deep into these stages of the supply chain. And for me, it's about analyzing those steps and simplifying it.
00:40:32
Speaker
Sometimes it becomes so complex that then no one knows what's happening. And think that's mainly the the issues that we experience now about why it's not sustainable, or why isn't it circular, because we don't know...
00:40:45
Speaker
We don't know where things are coming from. We don't know who are making um ah these materials or where is it made. Like, um again, I'm a maker myself, tailor myself. I make most of my patterns, ah most of my sampling.
00:40:58
Speaker
So you become really aware of things and and the effort that things make. It's all a craft that is developed through the years that is learned by experience and it needs to be appreciated, like appreciated.
00:41:10
Speaker
So, and I think, again, we're running out of time as well. So, you know, I'm happy to always experience and test different things. Like all of our textiles are experimental. They recycle weave ones.
00:41:22
Speaker
So I think we have to explore different options and perhaps a bigger company can then oh, okay, you, you know, you're the test ah study and case study that is kind of work is successful. People resonate with it.
00:41:35
Speaker
and then perhaps take it on. So I do think that perhaps can be a purpose of when you're small. And I mean, again, not everyone is on the same page. I think circularity or sustainability means very different things to many different people. Sometimes people adapt it to their own agendas and what it serves them.
00:41:52
Speaker
But I think in a way we're part of this ecosystem. So for me, how I approach it, it's like I'm living here in London. This is my ecosystem. It's a country that has very rich heritage in making and textile production and history that needs to be also respected.
00:42:08
Speaker
So the the best thing I can do is like minimize my impact. to do what I'm doing and how can I do that is understanding that ecosystem where I'm part of and how ah to work together with people. So collaborate, speak to people to try to solve problems together with the suppliers. You know, um now we're doing natural dyes.
00:42:27
Speaker
So again, it's a Mexican lady who has this knowledge, proper alchemist, gorgeous, ah you know, beautiful work that she does, but it all came about, hey, how can we make natural bleaching?
00:42:39
Speaker
You know, how can we approach this? How can we intervene, and like try to make new techniques with natural dyes? And she said, well, we can do it, but there is something about the pH changing into live pigments.
00:42:53
Speaker
And that's how we developed our sort of version of it, of natural bleaching. that was changing the pH of different natural pigments. So, you know, sometimes about um it's about solving these problems and approaching it, but in a collaborative way with our suppliers. So for me, that is being part of that ecosystem, but understanding that you're just part of it and you have to work together with people and it's about symbiosis and it's about working together, celebrating each other's skills and also how can we thrive together?
00:43:22
Speaker
and that's at every level, like from makers and also, you know, shows and campaigns and how to then promote that marketing. That impact also with the consumer, think is very important. Like we often don't talk about that user face, but it's also up to us to um give that knowledge, give that transparency to people.
00:43:41
Speaker
You were part of the ah Fashion District Evo fashion program. Were you part of the first cohort? or yes, I was part of the first cohort. So tell us a bit about what that experience was like and what happens during the program, because they're opening up calls right now ah for this program again. So just to get some insight from someone who's done it.
00:44:01
Speaker
It's a wonderful program. I mean, first of all, I i love Fashion District. I've been there with them since the very first festival in 2021. And I think it's just a wonderful space. They're very supportive and, you know, Helen and all the team are amazing. And I think they really understand what small businesses need.
00:44:20
Speaker
And sometimes it's that guidance, that sort of holding hand of like, look, it's fine. You can do this. You can do that. And they're always curated, really nice team of experts that are, you know, providing the sessions and even the workshops.
00:44:33
Speaker
And i think that's key because it's really important the best of the industry people that are doing it right now and driving in their space. So it's getting advice from the best. And I think that's quite instrumental. Like that's what you need. Sometimes it's about, you're doing the right thing, but it's about bouncing bouncing ideas with someone else who's in that space and sees very busy many businesses every day.
00:44:55
Speaker
So it's really good to get their take on it. So for me, it was really good to to have that space and to talk, you know, in a safe space with like other businesses, but also with the experts that they provided. I,
00:45:06
Speaker
Couldn't recommend it more. I think it's a wonderful program. Amazing. And was there any particular challenge that you took to the program, you know, as something you wanted to figure out and what was the outcome?
00:45:19
Speaker
Yes, I think scaling sustainably, it's the question, especially if you've been, you know, having a business for like five years. I think I started to having on my five year plan.
00:45:30
Speaker
But then you realize how how does sustainable growth look like? um because it's not the usual route of like, oh that let's get investors in and let's get, it's not, it doesn't quite work like that because you're not perhaps pursuing profit as money necessarily, or, you know, sometimes money is not going to solve all all your problems neither. So how does that look like? So I think that was my main concern. And then the the learnings were like,
00:45:58
Speaker
It's just a slower process and you are doing the right things, but you have to trust that process. And at the end of the day, it is about adding value for yourself, for your community, for your customers.
00:46:10
Speaker
So, you know, it is, it's just a slower, like the, the curve is not looking very steep. It's just a much more, you know, a steady growth and, and it's just sort of managing expectations of what growth looks like.
Evo Fashion Program Experience
00:46:21
Speaker
You know, perhaps it's not always reflected on, it doesn't have to be that extreme or exponential. So it has to be more in line with ah healthy growth. And I think for me, it was always about going debt free, you know, working for other people, you realize that it's very easy to grow too fast and getting a lot of debt. And at the end of the day, you have nothing to answer for or get like a lot of investors and then you have to answer it for them. And it becomes then about, you know, business as usual.
00:46:51
Speaker
So we're back into the slippery slope of what is the problem in the first place that is overproduction, overconsumption, know, waste. So I think, again, it's about looking at the long term and just having healthy growth. I think that's the the part of it that I have to learn about maybe operating a business that is not necessarily always pursuing, you know, heavy, really aggressive growth.
00:47:17
Speaker
And you believe that the Evo Fashion Program helped you sort of figure out how to grow in a more sustainable way? I mean, certainly they give you the tools also to with the new legislation coming in what does that mean as a small player, like what you need to be addressing.
00:47:32
Speaker
that was really useful. and And again, about really talking these difficult questions with the experts, I think it gives you a broader like perspective of where you are in this sort of crazy like industry.
00:47:45
Speaker
And then in 2025, British Fashion Council launched the report Moving the Needle Low Carbon Transition Program for SMEs. And you were one of the 50 London SMEs that were selected to be part of the program, which is brilliant.
00:47:58
Speaker
Could you tell us a bit about this initiative and what you did, what you learned from it, and how has this changed your approach in in creative process since... Yes, it was a wonderful program as well, like a great team of experts um helping you through it.
00:48:13
Speaker
I think the main challenge was to um get our heads around what ah concepts mean, like what does decarbonization mean, what does circularity mean, what options there are. i think they were really, the the first issues were to agree on that because everyone had their own ideas of what it was.
00:48:30
Speaker
I'm a true believer that it's a space that is changing and we're learning. So we're sort of figuring out as we go. So it was great to experience this as an SME. Again, you get to make all of the decisions and that comes with certain consequences and a certain and carbon footprint.
00:48:47
Speaker
But then it was also good to analyze on the material choices. One of the findings was that the biggest footprint is still at the making stages in the material choice. So then it even more so like imperative that we're aware of the materials we're choosing as a brand.
00:49:01
Speaker
So this was a fantastic, I think in a way i understood it because of speaking to people within my own supply chain, but now having it quantified and measured, ah think it really gave me that confidence on the material choices I was using and the, you know, how to navigate that in terms of volume as well. Because the more you produce, bigger your carbon footprint.
00:49:23
Speaker
So I guess... Having these numbers, you know, it's even more like, you know, like we don't throw away anything in our studio because we're like, if you can't visualize what waste looks like, you can't, you're like, okay, out of mind, out of sight. Right. So when you can see things in in this case in numbers or, you know, you, you can address them more effectively. So that's what that program did to me to really sit down. Sometimes it's crazy. You're managing all aspects of a business.
00:49:49
Speaker
This was really sit down and write everything down for the five next five years. And not only through decarbonisation, but also on circularity. So decisions that, you know, sometimes we don't account in circularity. For me, it's about the whole cycle, you know.
00:50:05
Speaker
ah user face as well, you know, care instructions. um It's about end of life. How does that look like? Could we go into different models of rental? Could we go into things of refresh for our customers?
00:50:18
Speaker
So well it was about teasing the idea of how we can also make um sustainability or circularity into a business and to viable ah revenue streams that perhaps we're not addressing.
Educating Consumers
00:50:29
Speaker
So it was really good to really take the space to analyze what the possibilities were for the future and also dream it. I think a lot of them perhaps are like really ambitious because we were doing really great work. And it's also about how can we make it more concise, more precise, more palatable and easier for our customers to also be part of it, be on the journey. And i suppose that's where the digital product passports were such an easy thing to implement because it's ah It's accessible, everyone can see it. And that's what we launched as well at the fashion district, our digital product passports.
00:51:05
Speaker
We'll get on to that. you mean in your In your work, you're as a pattern cutter, obviously you're sort of using zero waste pattern cutting techniques. And you you talked about your material choice. On the circularity side, what are the new kind of services or business models that you've explored recently?
00:51:20
Speaker
So we are um working with like telling people what to do basically with their garments. So all the care instructions are accessible on our website and we also have a refresh scheme.
00:51:32
Speaker
So we only been in business for six years. So the idea is always to have the best quality and longevity in our products, but Let's see, ah repair businesses, they can come to us, we can repair the garment for no extra cost.
00:51:43
Speaker
They can also have a refresh you know service ah towards the end of life. Or if they just don't want it anymore, they can also bring it back. So with our take back scheme, because I think it's important people sometimes perhaps don't know what to do with clothes. And i think this is a big issue on when they think, oh, maybe then I, if I give it to someone, donate it to charity, but then that brings other issues. And I think that is our of responsibility as brands as well to help people through that journey and tell them about their garment. And I designed with adaptability in mind as well. So then people can style the garments in different ways. Like I experienced it with myself. Like I love wearing garments for different, um you know, events, but also for a work day.
00:52:25
Speaker
And I think, um again, for those ah design decisions the beginning and like what garment you're designing, i think adaptability is quite key to extend the the life in the user face and just to add more value to the garments and to customers when they're sort of buying from you.
00:52:42
Speaker
I'll pop a link to that report in the show notes because I think there's really valuable ah resource for anyone, you know, who's got a small brand in fashion. Another topic that's really important to you is conscious consumption. That's a big part of empowering and educating customers.
00:52:59
Speaker
How do you do this? Yeah, I mean, we host these um free events in and out of Fashion Week. And sometimes it's in a form of panel talks. And then we invite some of our friends to talk about um incredible initiatives.
00:53:11
Speaker
And we always have a display so people can see pieces, can experience our recycled jackets or recycled um materials, upcycling. How does that look like? And it's always an interactive element to it as well.
00:53:24
Speaker
There are free events and people can sign up really easily through our websites. So I think it's about making accessible spaces for anyone, for any ages. Like we would host also workshops with our community, with our um ah um amazing Latinx charities or nonprofits.
00:53:42
Speaker
And then with their own communities, we offer for workshops and we use the offcuts from our studio to use for the workshops as well. So people can experience textiles and also understand, okay, maybe I can do this little patch over here.
00:53:54
Speaker
So the applications of repairing perhaps in their own time or... you know, and people from all ages as well. I think that's also really key to engage children, but also older people into the journey and also connect these people. i think that's really key to my community. Beautiful conversations arise in nice workshops as well.
00:54:13
Speaker
So I guess it is about accessibility and it became a thing. and We started in 2022. It was a workshop online and a lot of people showed up and I thought that that's fantastic. And people have these questions. It was during um Black Friday and it was about, you know, greenwashing and what to look out for and read the labels of our clothing. And for me then it was like, yeah, what's hard for the materials? You know, what can you do with this? and for me, that's when it became a little bit, it was organically. I didn't really plan to have these things, but I thought there is an interest and there is a necessity for people to understand more about clothes and, know,
00:54:51
Speaker
I guess when for you it's really obvious as a maker, you know what fabrics are, why not, but not for everyone. So I thought it's nice to be really transparent about it. And this is an easy way to engage as well. And yes, we love the shows and that's fantastic in the campaigns, but I think there's also these other um avenue to engage with either consumers or customers, but also students or, you know,
00:55:15
Speaker
people of all walks of life that just want to know more about it. And at the end of the day to go beyond the fashion sort of crowd, just to engage with, with, that with anyone. And, um And the digital product passport is one way that you can um share that information with customers.
00:55:32
Speaker
ah The DPP, the EU is still trying to finalize what kind of information is embedded in it, but you're doing this because you want to communicate information, not because you're trying to meet regulations, which I think is brilliant.
00:55:43
Speaker
What kind of information are you adding in that digital product passport? Because consumers are still not really familiar with this concept yet. So how are you making sure that they know that this is there and they can find information?
00:55:56
Speaker
Yes. So this was in collaboration with Smart DPP and they're a brilliant startup. And last year we launched an AR try-on feature. So they have a digital market space where you can buy the garment digitally and it looks exactly like the real one.
00:56:11
Speaker
You can transfer it to Roblox or Minecraft, or you can buy the real garment, but you can also customize the colors. So it was all about thinking how people can engage with fashion, not necessarily as like the real piece that you can buy, but also try it on first. And it was a really fun, interactive thing for consumers um consumers to do.
00:56:31
Speaker
And then they launched now the Smart DPP. So then they asked me if I would like to collaborate. And I said immediately, yes, because we know all of our suppliers. And I think for me, it's going ah back in the beginning of the journey of the garments, so from the fibers and you can see everything here from um where the fiber is coming from, um materials, any certifications, suppliers, dyes,
00:56:57
Speaker
how the garment is being made, like location, places, then also care instructions that are really important. You can also see on the fun side, the if any celebrity has worn the piece, which is quite fun as well. um And then also the what to do after end of life. So then ah refresh, take back scheme, then what to do. and also you can try it on the the filter there and the try-on feature is embedded also there.
00:57:26
Speaker
So you can try it on directly with a ur URL. You don't have to download the app anymore. So that's quite fun to do too. And it's in the form of tags. it's just a QR code that you can scan.
00:57:37
Speaker
So we launched it like that at the fashion district.
Celebrating Latin American Culture
00:57:40
Speaker
It's a tag that people could engage with You've designed clothes for, as you mentioned, London Latinx musician and songwriter Desta French. And CLI has become a real platform for the Latin American diaspora here in the UK, right? And that's you talk about it so much here.
00:57:56
Speaker
Could you share some of the other ways that you celebrate and champion this community and the creatives and makers here in London? Absolutely, yes. I mean, I've been so privileged to meet so many beautiful people, you know, by doing what I do. And it's quite multidisciplinary. Like sometimes, you know, if we made a film, we make sure that not only the talent or the people in the film were diverse and, you know, from the diaspora, but also the crew.
00:58:23
Speaker
That's really important as well because often we didn't want to fall into, okay, let's just put a token person and that's what we're celebrating. But it's also the people behind the the the crew and, you know, the camera person, the stylist, the director, everyone um somehow is like from the diaspora. And I think it's important because in a way um we have to celebrate each other's work and there's a lot of talent and sometimes we don't have the visibility. So,
00:58:50
Speaker
it's important to team up and and celebrate these stories. In the case of Testa French, I mean, she is wonderful. and she's done also so much on her side for engaging and having visibility of very talented musicians in that space.
00:59:04
Speaker
And I think we're just like-minded that way. So she's collaborated for years already. She's been in many shows, on fashion films, during fashion week. And I just really love what she does. And i think her immediate is the music is what unites people. And so it's fashion is that, you know, but those garments that create certain image and can connect as well. So for me, that's how we do it. And on the practical side as well, working with diaspora charities and non-profits,
00:59:31
Speaker
And also engaging with all sorts of people, not necessarily just in the creative space, but also like creating those spaces that are more accessible. I think that's also important and connecting, but you know just giving more access also for everyone everyone beyond the creative spaces. I think that also has become like really important.
00:59:50
Speaker
Yeah, well, I'm a new big fan of Desta, so do tell her that. I was i loved her um This is a question I ask all my guests and I think maybe you touched upon this already, but I wonder if there's another story that you can tell us.
01:00:05
Speaker
You understand the power of garments and storytelling and you mentioned about your first dress for your the first Holy Communion service. Is there any other piece of textiles or garment that holds really deep meaning and value to you and something that you hold on to dearly?
01:00:20
Speaker
I feel like you might have lots of examples. well Pick your favorite. Wow. I mean, yes, that is... That's a really good question. I think from our very first collection from Anciela that was inspired by my city of Medellin, where I come from. So the whole idea was celebrating sort of other migration stores that you take, like when you have to leave somewhere in a hurry or, you know, when it's not safe.
01:00:44
Speaker
You can only take the very precious things. So the idea of like, how do you take that with the clothes that you're wearing and how do you take home? it could be in the form of a print or like a lot of pockets that are in your garment. So there's a very special piece. It's this jacket that has like these 3D pockets that is also inspired by the mountains where where I come from, ah beautiful valleys and mountains.
01:01:06
Speaker
So I thought it's so nice that you carry like home with you. And it's a metaphor, of course, but I think it's really special. So this keepsake or things that you take as a migrant and they hold importance to you and maybe not to anyone. like I love little objects and you know pets or little yeah keepsakes. And I feel like in this garment, you could keep those and it's small and things. So I i adore this jacket and and think it holds that story. And again, it's a story that...
01:01:35
Speaker
You don't but necessarily see it. You see a cool garment or a 3D garment, but there's also like the secret meaning of it. And i love that it's perhaps something that you only know and it's precious to you.
01:01:45
Speaker
But we all have these stories. so I think it resonates with a lot of people too, which I quite like. It's such a nice feeling as well to use fashion that way.
01:01:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it looks like you've captured quite a few memories from that time. ah When you were young, what what were age were you when you left Colombia? was 10. 10. are some of the happy memories you have from the from your time there?
01:02:10
Speaker
and Just music, dance, yeah colorful, like um nature. ah think that's the, I forget every time I go back is, you know, everything's lush and green and giant monsteras and it's the sort of nature is there and it's very lush and the vibrant colors.
01:02:28
Speaker
It's something that is really beautiful and I get inspired a lot by nature as well. and But also like people and the sort of the contrast of like big nature, but it's in the city in a way. It's like,
01:02:38
Speaker
together. so you have to, you live with it. It's not like, oh, let's go to a forest over there. It's like it's in there. so I like that sort of um ecosystem. That's like, you know, the barrios, sort of regular neighborhoods that are a bit, you know, humble or like where I grew up at least, and they have like colorful places and colorful houses. And i think that inspires me a lot. It's that contrast of opposing things, I suppose.
01:03:06
Speaker
Beautiful, invasive nature, but also like concrete and DIY colored house and, you know, different materials together, tiles and things that are, you know, materials. I think that's a big inspiration as well. And music, a hundred percent. I mean, if you, yeah, any Colombian child that stayed up until 3 a.m. because of the family party and there's music and dance along with food. and Yeah, yeah. Sounds like a lot of fun.
01:03:34
Speaker
Are there any recommendations that you'd like to make to the listeners of books or podcasts or websites where they can learn more about yourself, but also um some of the aspects you shared about circularity and sustainability?
01:03:47
Speaker
Yes. So we have refresher websites. So we're adding like new content every day. we're also working on our YouTube channel and Ciela Fashion where you can see our beautiful shows.
01:03:58
Speaker
But also we're starting a series of... um celebrating our suppliers. So we're going to do exciting videos about everyone who's been involved. So you can really hear the stories behind the work we have created, but also new things and always like a little touch of education with how we do things in Anciella and how you can also do it and how easy see it can be.
01:04:21
Speaker
um resources that are amazing always always fashion revolution Ellen MacArthur foundation books of course travels of a t-shirt I think you that's it's it's an oldie but a really good book that I think everyone needs to understand especially it would make sense to you now that we have stories like Cantamanto or Atacama desert and you understand where clothes are going so Trashin, also great.
01:04:45
Speaker
um Yeah, I mean, many organizations doing amazing work, they are foundation. I mean, yes, I think things are coming along as well. Like I think at the end of the day, it is about creating more awareness and not everywhere is perfect, of course. So you have to, what I always tell people is like, study a lot, get a lot of resources and then make your own conclusions and see how you can apply it in your life.
Conclusion and Reflections
01:05:06
Speaker
I was in a competition last week and my feedback was that I was doing too much. And I thought, perhaps people are not doing enough, you know, because that's very subjective as well. So I think nowadays the urgency is there. So I think we all, it doesn't need to be perfect, but just do what you can. And that comes with researching and knowledge and getting your own perspective and how you can improve, you know, life around you as well. And it can be small gestures. It doesn't have to be all big things. Right. Yeah. But we all can make a difference. So.
01:05:38
Speaker
Oh, that's a beautiful, beautiful note to end on and a call to action for anyone who's listening. We should be doing a lot more. And thank you so much, Jennifer, for such a, I had just felt like I just journeyed with you through different countries and through your life. And yeah, I could really sense your passion and your energy for the work that you do and and the vision and the mission that you're on. And I love that you do that through a community. It's not just about you, it's about the community and you take people along way.
01:06:08
Speaker
um on that journey with you. I'm really looking forward to your new collections and hope to run into you somewhere in London at some point. Thank you so much for having me. That's really kind and it was such a beautiful conversation.
01:06:20
Speaker
Thank you so much for having
01:06:27
Speaker
I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Jennifer's world, whose work is rich in storytelling as it is in craftsmanship and sustainability. What an inspiring story from her time in Chile, just not understanding or knowing about the possibilities in the world of fashion and to see her in London as a thriving luxury fashion business.
01:06:48
Speaker
Jennifer's journey really reminded me that fashion can be a powerful vehicle for cultural celebration, community empowerment, and positive change. Through Anciella, she's not only redefining what luxury means, but also showing us how creativity, responsibility, and inclusivity can shape a better future for fashion.
01:07:08
Speaker
It was just wonderful to hear about Jennifer's experience at Evo Fashion. Again, this is a fantastic program and I would highly recommend that you check it out and apply for it if you are eligible. The link is in the show notes below and the deadline is on the 4th of August, 2025. If you'd like to learn more about Jennifer, be sure to check out their latest collections, workshops and educational resources on their website.
01:07:31
Speaker
I've added a link to the British Fashion Council report on decarbonisation that we discussed earlier and all the other resources that Jennifer mentioned. I've popped some links in the show notes as well. Great. Well, thank you again for joining me today. Stay tuned for more episodes and don't forget to subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of textiles, technology, craft and sustainability.
01:07:53
Speaker
A review from you would mean the world to me. So please take 30 seconds to leave a message and I would really appreciate that. And until next time, I'm Millie Thurakin reminding you that there's no such thing as ordinary cloth.
01:08:06
Speaker
Every thread tells a story.