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236 Plays1 year ago
The future of Textile awaits and we are stitching it together one episode at a time....
Join me in this podcast series to learn and be inspired by all the incredible textiles that is radically changing the very landscape of fabrics as we know it.
Whether you are an expert in the field or just curious about textiles and fashion, this podcast will capture your imagination and give you a glimpse into the future of Textiles.
Please subscribe to this podcast and listen in as I bring you the best and brightest minds from the industry and shed light into their world and works.
Connect with Mili Tharakan:
Insta: @noordinarycloth
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:08
Speaker
Hi and welcome everyone to the No Ordinary Cloud Podcast where we talk about the fascinating world of textiles and the people who are pushing its boundaries to bring us some of the most advanced fabrics that is changing the very meaning, role and function of textiles as we know it.
Podcast Goals and Themes
00:00:27
Speaker
With this podcast, I hope to inspire and inform you about the latest developments across the textile landscape. Everything from smart textiles, biotextiles, nanotextiles, circular and sustainable textiles, textile art and all the other shades of textiles out there.
Millie Tharken's Journey in Smart Textiles
00:00:46
Speaker
When I started working in Smart Textiles back in 2003, it was a lonely journey. There were no roadmaps for Smart Textiles. It was really tough. I didn't know how to get started or what a career could look like. I didn't know much about electronics or what new skills I needed to learn to be able to work in Smart Textiles. I didn't have a community to learn from or ask the many questions that I had. I struggled to get visibility and connect with other interesting people in the space.
00:01:14
Speaker
Over time and after stumbling around in the dark for a bit, I began to slowly carve out a successful path for myself in this nascent industry. But this was a journey that took a lot of perseverance and failures. And this is the podcast I wish I had back then to inspire and inform me and connect me to others who were leading the industry and building its future.
Connecting and Inspiring the Textile Community
00:01:37
Speaker
To give me insights into how people think and work and find their way while developing emerging technologies.
00:01:44
Speaker
No matter what area of research or innovation you might be working in, whether it's textiles, materials, engineering, technology or whether you're a student or a veteran in your field, there are inspirations to take and lessons to be learned from the stories of others who have hacked and built a path where there was none.
00:02:02
Speaker
With this podcast, I want to help you find a community who are creating the extraordinary and changing the landscape of textiles as we know it. And I want to inspire and enable you to follow your passion and lead the way. Having been in the trenches of the smart textile industry for about 20 years now, I've met and worked with some of the most inspiring people who are doing work that is transforming the textiles and fashion industry.
00:02:28
Speaker
Through my interview with textile makers, material scientists, researchers, engineers, artists, designers, manufacturers, biochemists, I want to bring you the depth and breadth of textile innovation.
Exploring Innovators' Stories and Processes
00:02:42
Speaker
With each episode you get a peek into the thinking behind their experiments and inventions, hear their personal journeys, learn from their creative processes, successes and failures,
00:02:52
Speaker
Find out what makes them tick and how they followed their vision and navigated through uncharted territories to become leaders in their field. So listen in and grab a front row seat to see what the next 20 years in the industry could look like.
Millie Tharken's Passion for Textiles
00:03:08
Speaker
In case you're wondering who I am, I'm your host Millie Tharken and I am passionate about all things textiles. As geeky as it sounds, everything about textiles just lights me up. My love for textiles started at a very young age when I used to watch my grandma making lace and embroidering beautiful baby clothes for my siblings.
00:03:29
Speaker
And growing up in India, the rich textile heritage crafts were always a big part of my life as well and influenced my work.
Host's Career and Cross-Disciplinary Connections
00:03:37
Speaker
I've since followed my passion and built a career in smart textiles, starting first in academia, conducting foundational research at universities such as the Swedish School of Textiles and National University of Singapore, and then moved to the industry where I designed, developed and brought products to market.
00:03:54
Speaker
During my career, I had the privilege to work with a range of people from around the world, everyone from craftsmen and women in remote communities in India, Oman, and Sweden, to researchers of cutting-edge technology at leading institutes such as MIT Media Lab, engineers from companies like Intel and Tata, textile and electronic manufacturers, artists, and many more.
00:04:17
Speaker
Now with 20 years of experience in the field I look back at a muddy trail I trod to a rewarding journey of innovation and learning with a lot of sweat, tears, failures, winds and laughter mixed into it. I now see an industry that is taking shape and growing and I sense a momentum building up and I believe we're at a cusp of big change and I'm eager to see what the next 20 years will bring us.
00:04:45
Speaker
One of the things I enjoyed most in my career was to work with people from widely different backgrounds and expertise and bring together people from different disciplines which otherwise might not have crossed parts. I saw innovation and creativity thrive where people from diverse backgrounds came together to solve a problem. The energy in these groups were electrifying. Through this podcast, I want to make a million more of these connections and create a space for ideas to seed and
Community Engagement and Feedback
00:05:14
Speaker
grow.
00:05:14
Speaker
Now, if all this sounds like your cup of tea, please subscribe to this podcast so you get the latest episode in your podcast library. I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to contact me at mili at militherican.com or visit the No Ordinary Cloth website to send me your comments. You can also find all the episodes on our YouTube channel, No Ordinary Cloth, where you can leave feedback as well.
00:05:39
Speaker
I would deeply appreciate your reviews on the podcast platforms. This will make it much easier for other people to discover us as well. The links to our website and social media platforms are all mentioned in the show notes. Thank you for listening in and hope you will join me as I weave together a tapestry of innovation one episode at a time.