Using a brand as an experiment, questioning ownership over one's trash & how augmented reality could impact sustainability in fashion


 
 

In episode 254, Kestrel welcomes Johnathan Hayden, is an independent designer, to the show. Focused on the intersections of fashion, technology and art, Johnathan is adamant about using his brand as an experiment to make fashion better.

 
 
 

“There’s an unconscious collective change that needs to happen for people to sort of get it and you know, it can’t be so profit driven, but I do think that creativity is such a divine gift that lends itself to rethink, reimagine antiquated systems, so that design isn’t just about being beautiful — it really is about being better.”

-Johnathan

 
 

When it comes to building a more *sustainable* brand, I find a lot of discussions end up leading to the ways that designers or brands are working to resist the industry’s flows (or the typical ways that the system has been built to do business). And the challenges that come with that are ABUNDANT.

It’s not as easy to use fabric that’s more challenging to source or it’s not as easy to make lower quantities to reduce waste or it’s not as easy to repurpose something as it is to start with a roll of fabric. 

Basically, when brands are asking more questions about their supply chain, they end up headed down a sort of unexpected trail of more and more unknowns that require creative problem solving to move forward.

And sometimes, those creative trails that brands forge (which seem like the right thing to do) are met with road blocks by others in the industry, who aren’t prepared to let go of ideas around *profit* and *ownership* that have permeated fashion for years.

Johnathan has embraced those unknowns and that journey — he talks about his brand as an experiment, and he’s intentionally using it as a learning avenue to discover ways to improve on how fashion brands operate.

We also explore some of the ways that technology and sustainability intersect, when it comes to augmented reality and NFTs.

Quotes & links from the conversation:



 
 

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