The Selvedge Podcast

In this episode we stop and smell the roses, discovering on the way an enduring connection between fabric, flowers and philosophy. I talk to a textile researcher who has dedicated her career to preserving and recreating hand-painted chintz, an expert on South Asian textiles and an advocate for traditional Swedish dress. And the curator of the Dom Robert Tapestry Museum in the South

Red is a colour with a distinct history. Throughout the centuries, it was favoured for its chromatic appeal and for its pre-dominance over other colours. For millennia, wearing red clothes expressed the legitimation of social status, political authority, religious rank, and cultural identity. Since ancient times human beings have tried to find dyestuffs that could reproduce the pow

What is it about cloth that is so appealing? Now more than ever, there is a hunger for sensual experiences that can only be satisfied by touch. We are surrounded by smooth surfaces, from computer screens and kitchen counters, to cars and sadly clothing. Clothing is increasingly constructed from a narrow range of mostly synthetic fibres – while momentarily appealing to the eye and

The topic for Episode 2 is plastic. Is it as bad as we think it is? To answer this question, I speak with a product designer redefining how we look at plastic bottles, an Italian designer who combines polyurethane with post-production textile waste, and a Senegalese partnership which brings vibrant African design to a European market.

The global textile industry is a huge polluter and landfills are groaning with barely worn clothing, so there is no better topic for our first episode than up-cycling. With its roots in the make-do and mend mentality, up-cycling has the potential to make a tremendously positive environmental and social impact. In this episode, I speak with a German designer whose last collection wa