Critical Fashion Studies Podcast

Dec 07 2023 18 ep. 25 mins 2

Critical Fashion Studies Podcast artwork

We hear a lot about ethical fashion, but what does this mean in practice? In this interview series, you'll hear from Australian fashion experts about how sustainability and diversity are shaping our local fashion industry.

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Bonus Episode: Cross-Cultural Exchange with Môi Điên’s Tom Trandt

Dec 07 2023 27 mins

Australia’s connections with Vietnam are many and varied, not least of all in relation to fashion. Vietnam is the second largest garment exporter in the world; a place with a long history of fashion creativity, innovation, tradition, and local trade. Australians have long benefited from talented Vietnamese garment makers. So, how are the connections between fashion designers and

Reinvigorating Australia’s Knitwear Industry with Kirri-Mae Sampson

Aug 24 2023 34 mins

Australia is famous for some of the best wool in the world. However, even though we produce one quarter of the world’s wool, 98% of it is exported before it’s turned into clothing. The lack of milling, weaving, and knitting capacity in Australia means that very little knitwear is actually made here. But this wasn’t always the case. What are small manufacturers doing to rein

Celebrating Sustainable Fashion with Josephine Rout

Aug 10 2023 35 mins

Sustainability is one of the most pressing issues facing contemporary fashion. This is particularly true for emerging designers, who hold the demands and opportunities of sustainable practice in especially sharp focus. So how is the innovative work of these pioneering young designers being celebrated? Today, Harriette talks to Josephine Rout, the new Senior Curator at the Natio

Building an Emerging Indigenous Fashion Brand with Juanita Page

Jul 27 2023 29 mins

The School of Fashion and Textiles at Melbourne’s RMIT University welcomes hundreds of new students every year. Students who are passionate about fashion and want to join the excitement of an industry on the cutting edge of design, technology, and digital innovation. But what do these students do when they finish their degrees and head out into the world? In today’s episode,

Melbourne-Made Footwear with Myra Spencer

Jul 13 2023 27 mins

Last year, the Australian Made initiative organised a show in partnership with the Melbourne Fashion Festival. The models paraded the Cranbourne Royal Botanical Gardens dressed entirely in locally made garments. However, they were conspicuously barefooted. Very few shoes are actually made here. A skills shortage and lack of machinery means that most local designers manufacture t

Made-to-Measure Tailoring for Diverse Bodies with Emily Nolan

Jun 30 2023 32 mins

In 2016, cultural historian Christopher Breward wrote “The suit is a complex, enduring vessel of meaning whose form raises questions about identity that continue to challenge us today.”   How is the history of traditionally masculine suiting being reimagined for a new audience?    In today’s episode, Harriette speaks to E Nolan founder Emily Nolan about her ma

The Camp Clothing of the Australian Queer Archives with Nick Henderson

Jun 16 2023 29 mins

From protest T-shirts to partywear, clothing has played an important role in Australia’s rich queer culture. But who ensures that these stories are preserved, remembered, and celebrated? And where are the artefacts of this history kept? Today, we’re talking to Nick Henderson, curator at the Australian Queer Archives, about the collection’s clothing and textiles. Based at th

Exhibiting Fashion at Bendigo Art Gallery with Emma Busowsky

Jun 01 2023 24 mins

From blockbuster shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to our own National Gallery of Victoria, museums and art galleries have become increasingly important sites for exhibiting fashion. However, there is also a vibrant fashion scene within smaller, regional art galleries and museums, which often show more intimate or unconventional exhibitions. In today’s epis

Clarence Chai: Remembering Melbourne’s Queer Fashion Pioneer with Dr Sally Gray

May 18 2023 28 mins

The history of queer fashion in Sydney has received a lot of attention. The first Madi Gras in 1978 cemented the city’s reputation as a gay capital. At the same time, young artists and designers were adding to the city’s colourful, camp atmosphere. But what about queer fashion in Melbourne in the 1970s and 80s? Who was making adventurous, gender non-conforming fashion in this c

Taking First Nations Fashion Global with Denni Francisco

May 05 2023 24 mins

First Nations communities across Australia have long histories of sartorial adornment. This rich heritage is finally receiving the recognition it deserves in this country, but how can we share Indigenous Australian fashion with the world? In this episode, Harriette talks to Wiradjuri fashion entrepreneur Denni Francisco about taking local fashion international. Denni runs Ngali,