Hot Buttons

Latitude Media

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

Charles Conn, Board Chair of Patagonia, on the company’s past and future
Dec 15 2022
Charles Conn, Board Chair of Patagonia, on the company’s past and future
This week, Charles Conn, Chair of the Board of Directors at Patagonia joins us to share his story of how the company made the landmark decision to “make Earth its only shareholder.” This was news not just in the apparel industry, but everywhere. Patagonia had been private its entire existence, and as its founder Yvon Chouinard looked to step away, he opted for something entirely unique: give all the company to a 501(c)(4) and a perpetual purpose trust designed to put the profits to work exclusively for the planet.  The market is still digesting this move: will it signal a new path for purpose-driven companies? Will it alter the course of late-stage capitalism? Charles Conn had an insider’s view on the process of coming to the decision to embrace this unique model, and continues to be actively involved in bringing it to fruition. Patagonia is an apparel company, too, so we talk about how they approach sustainability, from measuring their emissions throughout their supply chain, sourcing all their textiles and materials, and participating in resale and circularity.  And finally, Yvon Chouinard was recently given the outstanding achievement award at the British Fashion Awards, and Charles was there to accept it on his behalf. So, we had to ask what he wore. Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail in an upcoming episode. Resources:   Charles Conn in Fortune Magazine on Patagonia’s evolution WWD on Patagonia’s transformation  Inc. naming Patagonia company of the year WWD on Yvon Chouinard receiving the outstanding achievement award at the Fashion Awards in London Full transcript of this podcast here Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DressX has designs on fashion's digital future
Dec 8 2022
DressX has designs on fashion's digital future
We want your feedback! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Patagonia gift card. This week, we’re setting our news feeds aside and spending our time with Natalia Modenova of DressX, a multi-brand retailer and innovator for Web3. If you’ve followed digital fashion at all lately, you’ve definitely heard of DressX. Since 2019 they’ve been in every conversation about what fashion in the metaverse could be. They’ve created a retail ecosystem for digital fashion that works as well as any e-commerce platform. And they’ve partnered with brands, designers, influencers and bloggers to bring digital fashion to the masses.   We have so many questions!! What are the business models? What keeps brands from competing versus collaborating? Are digital fashion items usable across all metaverse platforms? How is the digital design ecosystem different from traditional ones? Is there evidence that this reduces demand from real clothes and leads to sustainable consumption? Will users always feel a bit seasick wearing digital fashion in the metaverse?? Natalia brings us the answers. And....we're still talking about Denma. Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail in an upcoming episode. Resources:   DressX official website L’Officiel interview with DressX WWD on DressX fundraise Vogue Business on Meta, Avatars, and DressX Click here for a full transcript. Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Balenciaga makes a bad move worse, Raf ends his label’s run, and COP27 mostly disappoints
Dec 1 2022
Balenciaga makes a bad move worse, Raf ends his label’s run, and COP27 mostly disappoints
We want your feedback! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Patagonia gift card. First, we have to talk about Balenciaga. If you type “Balenciaga child porn” into Google right now, you get 2.6 million hits. That is not good and they have only themselves to blame for an ad campaign that posed toddlers with bondage-themed plushie bear handbags and booze glasses, like they’d walked in on the tail end of of a sex-fueled all-nighter. For the time being, the CEO, Cedric Charbis, and designer Demna Gvasalia have managed to avoid taking direct responsibility for this blunder, which is a real mess. The brand issued an apology using the royal “we.” We also take a look back on Raf Simons’ career as he shutters his label after a 27-year run, and then wonder what happened behind the scenes at Gucci that led to them parting ways with Alessandro Michele.  COP27 ended with a whimper, so we brought on our Executive Producer, Scott Clavenna, to give us his takes on what was accomplished and what was left to next year’s delegates to address. Then we take a quick look at the holiday season for retail this year, and it’s not all bad. There are some bright spots for resale, and hopefully less bright for fast fashion. And speaking of fast fashion, luxury resale powerhouse Vestiaire Collective announced they’re banning fast fashion from their platform. And H&M released an ambitious carbon reduction plan.  Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail in an upcoming episode. Resources:   WWD on Raf Simons Vogue Business on COP27 and fashion The Fashion Law on the rise of resale this holiday season Vogue Business on Balenciaga making a series of “grievous errors” Sourcing Journal on H&M’s decarbonization plan Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Walmart is getting serious about apparel made in USA
Oct 13 2022
Walmart is getting serious about apparel made in USA
We don’t always talk about haute couture; this week we’re taking a look at the new deal between Classic Fashion and Walmart, which will exclusively supply Walmart with cut-and-sewn apparel from a new production facility outside of Los Angeles. It’s a positive sign in a market that has spent too much energy offshoring garment work. We also take yet another look at Shein; not at its fast-fashion practices, but its value. Where not long ago it was raising capital at a valuation of $100 billion, reporting lately suggests its recent fundraising has been at valuations from $65 to $85 billion. Does this signal a turn for the worse at Shein? We doubt it, and we talk it through. We know we need to keep fashion out of landfills, and we’ve talked a lot about resale in the past month, but this episode we’re getting back to basics, and going deep on caring for the clothes we already have. From how to wash our clothes for longevity, to mending, repairing, and yes, even darning, how we care for our clothes determines how long we keep them, so let’s learn how.  Our guest this episode is Doug Greenberg from Garde Robe, a company specializing in luxury garment storage and preservation. They know a lot about caring for clothes and Doug is here to share his best tips. Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show. Resources:   Sourcing Journal on Wal-Mart’s deal with American Classic Sourcing Journal on Shein’s new valuation New York Times on repairing clothes Vogue on luxury garment storage Garde Robe online Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter. VERGE 22, taking place Oct 25-27 in San Jose, CA, will convene more than 4,000 leaders working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem. Register today and use the code V22PSMEDIA for 10% off of the pass type of your choice: https://bit.ly/3f2f2FQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Big brands are entering the resale market with “pre-loved” merchandise
Sep 16 2022
Big brands are entering the resale market with “pre-loved” merchandise
Don’t miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism.  It’s Secondhand September, and we’re here to dive in. All this month we’re talking with experts and offering up some of our own insights into how the resale market is evolving. This week, we talk with Andy Ruben, founder of Trove, a re-commerce platform for brands to enter the resale market on their own terms. Trove is one of a number of companies that work with brands to create white-label resale solutions that let them take back their used clothing, clean it, prepare it for resale, and sell it again as a “pre-loved.” Trove’s latest partner is On sportswear in a bold move into athletic shoe resale. We also cast a cold eye on Pretty Little Thing’s new resale marketplace, Kourtney Kardashian’s “sustainable fashion journey” with Boohoo, and applaud Rachel Comey’s breakup with Uline packaging. And it’s New York Fashion Week, so there are stories, and Christina has some good ones. Have a question for Christina, Rachel and Shilla? Give us a call at (508) 622-5361.‬ We might feature your voicemail on an upcoming episode of the show. Resources:   The Guardian is having none of Kourtney Kardashian’s partnership with Boohoo New York Magazine on Rachel Comey breaking up with Uline Bloomberg describes Trove’s resale partnership with On Glamour on the ascendant resale market Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How we got so addicted to fast fashion
Aug 25 2022
How we got so addicted to fast fashion
Gen Z is driving the fast fashion machine. Seventy-two percent of college students say they have shopped fast fashion in the past year, and 40% say they scroll fast fashion sites and apps at least once a day. For many, it’s an addiction. But this generation of 20-somethings is also more concerned about sustainability, climate change, and workers’ rights than any other. So how do they reconcile the two?  In this episode, Christina, Shilla and Rachel look at the problem of fast fashion addiction and how we got here. Plus, ThredUP has a new fast fashion confessional hotline. Is it just a marketing ploy? Or can it really help Gen Z kick the habit? We also take a quick look at how the unprecedented heat wave in China is impacting the fashion industry, and call out celebrities in LA for being water hogs.  And we want to tell you about our new call-in line! We want to hear from you - what you'd like us to talk about, subjects you think we're missing, sustainable fashion shopping advice, rants, praise, whatever you'd like to share. We'd love to hear it all. Leave us a voice mail at (508) 622-5361‬ and maybe we'll feature it on an upcoming episode of the show. Resources:   ThredUP’s Fast Fashion Hotline  Inside Climate News on fast fashion addiction The Guardian on Gen Z and its complicated relationship with fast fashion  Hot Buttons is a production of Post Script Media. The show is hosted by Christina Binkley, Rachel Kibbe, and Shilla Kim-Parker. Follow the show on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices