The Root 6-Part Series: Decolonizing the Sustainable Fashion Agenda

As someone who has been in the fashion world for ​a very long time, it's easy to get caught up in the same conversation​s​ over and over again about ethical fashion & sustainability. We gloss over the hard truths and look away from things we don’t want to see. My friend Julia recently​ ​put​ the ​Conscious Chatter podcast on my radar and specifically ​invited me to check out "​The Root​"​​ series. In the 6-part special series, Conscious Chatter founder Kestrel Jenkins passes the mic to Dominique Drakeford of Melanin & Sustainable Style. The series centers the voices, knowledge, and labor of Black and Brown Indigenous People of Color and provides the historical context necessary to fully understand the systems of inequity that continue to plague the fashion industry today. Dominique does an amazing job of interviewing industry professionals and sharing their stories to help uncover the problematic ways in which the fashion industry operates.

This series should be required listening for EVERYONE, regardless of their affiliation to the fashion industry. I found myself going back, again and again, to listen and continue to learn. There’s a lot to unpack and there were times when I just needed to hit pause and sit with my thoughts. Since finishing the series, I’ve been able to reflect on my own experiences in the fashion industry and think about how I want to personally contribute to shifting the industry for the better.

Now comes the action work, or as Kestrel and her community call it, the “New Standard”. The new standard approach focuses on 3 pillars:

1. Education → accountability 

2. Equitable partnerships → opportunity 

3. Action → responsibility 

In episode 6 of the series, co-producers Dominique and Kestrel dive into the New Standard and what it means for the future of fashion. They also interview sponsors from the project and discuss how we move forward as an industry. I highly encourage you to listen to the series and get involved in the discussion.

Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts on the series. We would love to hear from you!