August 31, 2025 • 45 mins
Fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries 🌍 Can labeling & AI make it sustainable?
Host Ian Peterman sits down with designer Vicky Tsiachri to explore her A–E clothing labeling system, how transparency fights greenwashing, and why conscious design is key to reshaping fashion.
💬 Do you believe fashion labels can really change how people shop, or will fast fashion always win? Let us know below!
💡 What You’ll Learn:
Why fashion is the second most polluting industry
The truth behind fast fashion, greenwashing & overconsumption
How Vicky’s A–E labeling system empowers shoppers
The cultural gap between Greece & UK in sustainable design
How AI & 3D printing could reduce waste and overproduction
Why transparency builds trust and long-term profits in fashion
⏩ Jump to your favorite parts:
00:37 - Introduction to the Conscious Design Podcast
00:49 - Meet Vicky Tsiachri: A Journey into Sustainable Design
02:23 - Cultural Differences in Sustainability: Greece vs. UK
04:16 - Conscious Choices: Vicky's Sustainable Fashion Project
06:05 - The A to E Labeling System for Fashion
08:55 - Challenges in Sustainable Fashion and Greenwashing
15:47 - Consumer Behavior and Sustainable Fashion
21:53 - Promoting Conscious Design and Thrifting
23:30 - The Paradox of Fast Fashion and Sustainability
25:39 - Consumer Perception of Eco-Labeling
27:24 - AI and Sustainable Fashion Solutions
29:00 - Cultural Shifts and Fast Fashion
32:11 - The Role of Transparency in Sustainable Fashion
38:06 - The Continuous Journey Towards Sustainability
43:50 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts
About Vicky Tsiachri and “The Conscious Choice” Project
Vicky Tsiachri is a multidisciplinary designer and Creative Director specializing in fashion branding, digital engagement, and youth culture. Based in London, she holds an MA in Design from the University for the Creative Arts and is now a PhD candidate researching sustainable fashion through digital innovation.
Her project, “The Conscious Choice,” introduces a fashion labeling system (A–E grades) designed to help consumers make informed decisions while pushing brands toward greater transparency.
🔗 Connect with Vicky Tsiachri:
Website: https://www.vicky-tsiachri.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-tsiachri/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicky_tsiachri
Get the “Conscious Design” book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNMN9BT
Learn more: https://www.consciousdesignhaus.com/
Want to turn visionary ideas into market-ready, sustainable products? 👉 https://www.petermanfirm.com/
🤝 Let’s Connect:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdesignhaus/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@consciousdesign
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscious-designhaus/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/CDesignHaus
We help creative entrepreneurs integrate social & environmental responsibility into their brand’s DNA through #ConsciousDesign.
💬 Do you believe fashion transparency can fix fast fashion—or is it too late? Comment below!
🔔 Enjoyed this episode? Like, subscribe & share to support conscious innovation!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
People, they don't want to wear the same piece if they have a
photo of it on uploaded. So I'm wearing this right now,
this sweater, and people see that I'm wearing the same piece
again and again. So according to a study in the
UK, consumers, they admit that one out of 10, they buy a
(00:22):
clothing piece just to post the story, just to create a post on
the social media. They never wait.
Yeah, and this is huge. One out of 10.
Yes, one out of 10. Hello and welcome to the
Conscious Design podcast. I'm your host Ian Peterman and I
(00:44):
help turn product ideas into sustainable 7 figure businesses.
Join me for another episode where sustainability meets
innovation and business savvy. Today I'm really excited to have
Vicki Tikri. She's the disciplinary based
designer in London. Welcome to the show.
Hello. Hello, everyone.
Hello, Ian. Thanks for having me.
(01:06):
It's a great pleasure to be hereand talk about sustainability
and everything we're going to discuss today.
Amazing. Well, before we dive into
sustainability, which is a whole, it's a whole topic, let's
talk a little bit about you. How did you get into design?
And then obviously I know you work in sustainability as well.
(01:28):
So what was that journey like getting to the point where now
you're a designer working in sustainability too?
So actually my journey in designand sustainability started
around 2021 actually, because during digitalization that
COVID-19 caused everything movedonline.
(01:49):
And so I became fascinated by the intersection of visual
communication, digital innovation and marketing.
So I took many courses into for digital marketing and later I
pursued my master's in design atUCA in the UK while I was doing
my master's degree. My thesis was about
(02:11):
sustainability and fashion. Actually, it was like
sustainable fashion through design and digital innovation.
And I knew that I have to createsomething meaningful, something
impactful and to create ideas ofgetting that and provided a
strong solution. So I started working during that
(02:33):
time. Amazing.
And so you're UK based right now, London, yes, but you are
originally from Greece, Yes. I'm really curious and you're
actually sitting in Greece rightnow, yes.
How does that influence and whatdo you see differences, you
know, in sustainability or in the fashion world?
(02:53):
Very different cultures, very different, different things.
How does that relate and what have you?
What are kind of the things thatyou see between those two
places? So to be honest, in Greece,
because I'm from a small town incentral Greece, originated
there. So in Greece, we don't have so
(03:13):
much sustainability in our culture, at least until now.
So I grew up in city that doesn't take the sustainable
factor so seriously, let's say. And most of the people here in
Greece, they don't do thrifting or they don't have secondhand
markets. Yes.
(03:36):
Instead in London people, they have sustainability as more a
priority, let's say. They go to thrifting, they
making more conscious choices. They taking this sustainability
factor more seriously, let's say.
And yeah, even they recycle things more than Greeks As for
(04:00):
now. Yeah.
So they're very different cultures.
They're different, very different cultures.
And I think the UK is multicultural society, so they
adopt easily new things like sustainability.
So you have let's talk about your projects.
(04:20):
Conscious choices is one of the design things that you have done
for everyone who doesn't know about it.
Could you dive into a little bitof how this come about?
What does this project encompass?
And yeah, just give some contextfor people.
So yeah, during my master's I, Ihad to provide a design solution
(04:43):
and fashion industry 1 industry that I do love.
And I, I was always a fast and girly.
So I was thinking like, OK, Vicky, you do like fashion so
much, so you have maybe to provide a solution in the
industry that you love so much. So as a designer, I knew that
the sustainable, the sustainability is a huge thing
(05:06):
in fashion as fashion is the second most polluting industry
after oil and gas. OK, we have to know that.
And so I had to make a design solution and provide some
solution. So I to be honest, I was in
Germany a few years ago and in the grocery store and I was
(05:27):
about to buy a yogurt. So the yogurt had strawberry
taste. And in Germany, I don't know if
you ever heard, they do have theNutri score, a score that says
ABCD eHow healthy is this product that you got pie.
So the strawberry taste was C, which was like A is the best and
(05:49):
E is the worst. So the strawberry taste yogurt
was C and next to it was the natural taste yogurt and it was
A I was like, Oh my God, I have to no, I'm not going to buy the
strawberry taste. I'm going to buy the natural
taste because I felt like Oh my God, why?
This is A and this is C OK So inspired by that to be honest, I
(06:12):
created a labeling system for clothes.
So a again A is the best score and E is the worst score.
So I provided the solution and labeling system and I I was
thinking what the other parties did in the past and everything.
So this A to E system is it has some sub categories like what
(06:36):
materials is what we're wearing is made from environmental
impact, skin safety, because some materials are really harm
for the skin and what is the durability, the lifetime of the
product. So I took all of these under
consideration and I combined thedata and provided from A to EA
(06:58):
labeling system for all the theygonna purchase so people can see
if it is a OK, let me buy is is good for my skin, It's good for
me. Maybe I have to consider.
Yeah, it's interesting. I've been been to Europe a few
times. I was last year, I was in Norway
(07:19):
and that label they have that same a through E this labeling
system. Is much more, yeah.
Which was great. Like it's, it also makes you,
like you said, you you see the difference, start to see the
difference, anything and you're like, oh, maybe I wanted that,
but I feel bad. I know it's not going to be as
(07:40):
good. So, yeah, wearing that kind of
I, is it worth it? Is it, am I going to have this
once and I really, really want it, but not buy it every time or
should I? Yeah.
So what's interesting is it is that's not something we don't
have that in the US. There's no, it's we give the
nutrition numbers and we give the ingredients, but there's no
(08:03):
way to easily hold up to different foods and go which
one's the best. So I always, I've loved that
system ever since I I saw it. It's.
Like, yeah, it's. Easy as the customer, I don't
have to go research all the names of things.
I can just have an easy letter grade.
It's, it seems super easy and I love that you've taken that to
(08:27):
fashion because there is no at best you can get told, you know,
the percentage of material, right?
Like, oh, it's 60% cotton, 30% like that.
Is if it is true OK, because? Yeah, and it's all.
Self reported. Yeah, they they say that we are
(08:48):
eco friendly. OK, what does that mean?
So many percentages, so many specifics.
What the eco friendly means, I don't understand.
Yeah, yeah. It was into the reasons like so
many brands, his brand, major brands, they say we are eco
friendly and all this greenwashing that is happening
(09:09):
or everywhere, it's like, Oh my God, no, this thing has to
change. Yeah.
Well, and that's, I think that'sa good, a good point is you can
say how, how do you know what isan eco friendly, you know, even
cotton, because cotton, cotton can be grown in a way that uses
(09:29):
less water. And if he can be grown in a way,
as I've had multiple people on this podcast talk about, well,
depending on how you grow the cotton, it could be more
sustainable or you could be using a ton of water and it is
not good at that industrial scale.
And so how do you, you know, it seems, it seems it's a natural
(09:51):
fiber. So then it's better, but it may
not be not be better. And there's no way to grade that
because you're just looking well, cotton and cotton, there's
no, yeah. How do you How do you know
there's no way? Yeah, there are so many things
that we don't know. And the fashion industry
(10:11):
transparency is a huge problem, huge problem, so many uncertain
things. And for example, you, we see
this is recycled, made from recycled material.
But if you go further and think about it like how recycled
material from what can be made of like they say that they're
(10:35):
going to take your shirt and recycle it.
But is it this possible? Imagine your shirt has buttons,
it has some other materials. So how all these materials can
be recycled and reproduce a new product out of your product?
Is this true or not? Because the research showed that
(10:55):
it did show that it's not so many things that we as consumers
believe our see in the marketingwhere it's it is working or it
is, is it real? So transparency needs to to be
there somehow, but it's not yet.Right.
I think that's a good point thatthere's I feel like the gap is
(11:19):
getting larger between what companies say even good brand
right there even brands that areactually doing good because
there's been so much greenwashing.
There's been so many things to make people not trust that now
it feels very hard to be able toget people to, to know that
(11:42):
you're being honest, that you'reactually actually doing the
sustainable thing that you're supposed to.
And it's funny in the, I think Iwas at an event for home
products, like home cleaning products, and they're having the
discussion of they actually havea problem where there's too many
(12:02):
certifications now where consumers are getting confused
because there's, well, there's this certification and there's
this. And there's just so many that
you don't know. And nobody knows how they're
different. Nobody knows how they're scaled.
And so the brands that are trying to do better and have
(12:23):
better products, they're facing now this issue of, well, which
certificate? Like how, which certification do
I pay for? Do I need to pay for 100 of
them? Like that's really expensive.
Like now that's a. That's a whole other confusion
level, yes. For yes.
For consumers. So I love, I love this idea.
(12:45):
You know, it's not necessarily about the certification as much
as just a grading level and you can be certified or whatever,
But I see what you've you've looked at is really more of a.
Transparency ABCDE yeah, from yeah, like transparency from the
(13:07):
making process people that they work behind that the people this
suffering in Pakistan and some other places from contaminated
water and they cause serious health issues over there many
ways end up landfills in Africa or Eastern Europe, so many
(13:29):
things. But we just need something
because imagine you in a store, you just see your favorite
shares that you are about to buy.
You don't have the time to research because don't get me
wrong, European Union a few years ago they developed is
still developing. Let's say this the product
passport, a product passport that it would look like a QR
(13:52):
code. So if you wish to take how the
supply chain, materials, etc. You have to scan, go and read.
When I'm doing stopping therapy with the girls, I don't have the
time to read all this information before I go by.
I need something like the yogurtABCD.
Is it good? OK, if it's not OK, I'm going to
(14:14):
buy it. But I will know that this is not
the best quality to wear it and just we just need some something
easy. And if we go want to search
Feather, let's search feather. But no, I think it's not yet.
Fashion industry is not there yet.
The cleaning industry as you said, the cleaning liquids that
(14:37):
you mentioned earlier, was it cleaning liquids, Yeah, yeah,
yeah. They are in another level of
full of certifications. We are not even there yet in the
fashion we are. We are far from that so.
Right. Well, yeah.
And it and it's, you know, with foods, you have to show the
(14:58):
ingredients and things like that.
And the fashion industry, I feellike why, why we kind of pick on
it the most is like you said, wedon't know what's in it.
We don't know what's processed. There's no way to grade.
And even the ones that do right,the ones that are like, oh, this
is 100% cotton, OK, what does that?
(15:20):
What does the consumer know about that?
Like the average person does notknow how to go grow cotton and
harvest cotton And like that is not something at least with food
we know Oh well, I know how to mix food ingredient.
Like I know how cooking like that's something you know at
least or at least have an idea of, right?
(15:40):
Whereas produced goods like this, most people haven't
watched. They don't know.
They don't know how it happened.Let me tell you something very
interesting. During my research, I did a
survey and asked people from across the globe, like 100
people, okay. And I asked like do you know
(16:03):
what sustainable fashion means? So around 82% of the respond is
and they said like, yes, we do know what sustainable fashion
means and what that is, but onlythe 6.2% of them they think is
as a factor before they make a purchase or a decision.
(16:27):
The the first factor in in theirhead is like style, size, price,
offer sustainability is nowhere.So we have to change the mindset
we're so far like how people canadopt A healthy lifestyle and go
every day to the gym. Can they make the wardrobe
(16:48):
healthy because it's their health too?
If I wear legends or sportswear and go get sweaty, like is the
same like we have to think further than that.
But trends, fast fashion and many influencers of social
(17:10):
media, they do huge holes. Like how many times it's like,
oh, I have a huge hole. Let's explore.
And they they need to buy more, especially for us girls like,
OK, she got it. I have to buy it.
And there is a trend lately. I'm sure you know about it.
You're in America. So people, they don't want to
(17:34):
wear it the same piece if they have a photo of it on uploaded.
So I'm wearing this right now, this sweater.
So I don't want to wear it again.
And people see that I'm wearing the same piece again and again.
So according to a study in the UK consumers, they admit that
(17:57):
one out of 10, they buy a a clothing piece just to post a
story, just to create a post on the social media and they never
wait again. This is like 1.
Out of 10, that's a really. Yes, one out of 10 and this is
huge. Like where are we going?
(18:18):
Like where is that? Right.
Yeah, I knew, I knew about the trend like I've known, you know,
that's, that's something that people do.
Yeah. I didn't realize like 10% of
people that were that's a lot. That's a lot.
Why was that was like, you know,maybe influencers or just but
that's like a lot so many as many people that are doing that.
(18:42):
All of your research. Did you find Because I've, I
have seen some people will use services where you like rent
clothes to dope to go do photo shoots and stuff like that, but
not actually buy it. But they seem very, very few
places. Is that something that you have
(19:04):
seen as or heard of? Because I'm just thinking of
these people that are buying just for one photo basically.
They might want to. They might want to rent it
instead of, instead of. Buying what's the difference if
I go rent and wear something fora photo or photo shoot is way a
way more healthier way because I'm going to return the rental
(19:27):
piece back and someone else can buy or rent and use it again.
If I go buy a piece and wolf piece will end up in a landfill
in Africa or Eastern Europe. This is huge waste.
This is huge waste because even if it is AT shirt a cotton, a
cotton T-shirt, let's say imagine for a clothing piece.
(19:50):
You might need 100 or 200 litersof water to be made to be
produced. So imagine if we do have. 92
million of ways that they're generated globally every single
year, 92 million of waste of clothing waste and we keep
(20:14):
buying and we keep this like I see that people are going more
to do thrifting and second hand shopping, which is great,
amazing. But again, in my research, only
the 22% of the people that they have responded are willing to
(20:35):
check second hand stores. Only 22% of the respondents,
they wanted to go check second hand markets to buy their
clothes. I'm a huge fan though.
I'm a huge fan. Hey, it's your host, Ian.
I'm really glad you're enjoying this episode.
(20:57):
I absolutely love highlighting amazing brands and founders for
the awesome things they are doing.
I've helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and businesses
like yours turn their boldest ideas into powerful, purpose
driven brands. So if you're serious about
building a brand people love, like our guests and clients too,
and one that you're proud to stand behind, I invite you to
dive a bit deeper with our book Conscious Design.
(21:19):
Inside, you'll discover the exact framework and steps we use
to help entrepreneurs like you turn purpose into a powerful,
impact driven brand. Brand that stands out, tracks
loyal customers and drive sustainable growth with social
and environmental responsibilitywoven into its DNA.
Grab your copy today. You can find it on our website
consciousdesignhouse.com or justfind the link below in the show
(21:43):
notes. Enjoy the rest of the episode
and don't forget to like, subscribe and share.
Yeah, our teenagers actually aresuper into.
That do you go thrifting? Yeah, thrifting.
Thrifting. Oh yes, I have.
Yep. That's.
Good. Not always.
And I think one of the, because there's obviously a little bit
(22:06):
of a stigma of, oh, well, it's, it's used, it's not as not as
good, it's not as nice. But at the same time, like
there's more here, here in the States, There's a lot of options
that are really, really low end where you're like, yeah, you're,
you are going to dig through 95%just stuff that nobody probably
(22:27):
is going to buy. But then there's also places,
you know, one thing that people don't think of when they kind of
lump into that is like consignment stores.
There's all kinds of places where you can buy nice stuff,
right? Really high, really high end
brands, really high quality things that are used.
So it also really just how you're willing to think about it
(22:49):
and everybody, I feel like there's still that getting
people over. It's not just that it's not
dumpster diving, which I feel like there's a little bit of
like, Oh, well, you're just going to go through somebody
else's stuff that they didn't want gave it away basically.
But that's just like one kind. And you can find cool stuff in
there. I have, I have some thrifted
shirts that I, I love, but it's not, but there's also a lot of
(23:13):
ways, you know, there's, you know, we don't think about that
stuff. We're like buying cars.
People buy used cars all the time.
And so yeah, it's, it's an interesting, I feel like it's a
very interesting psychological, cultural thing.
And and yeah, I feel like you'rethe 22% is about right.
(23:34):
A lot of people are still not interested.
In it what we need to communicate as designers is like
the green wasing is another hugething in sustainability huge
brands that every girl goes there and they can say like OK,
(23:55):
maybe we are called fast fashion, but we you can return
your piece and we make new ones or you can we are eco friendly
all the screen washing. They don't think that the
following. How is it possible for you to
visit a fast fashion store that claims to be eco friendly and we
(24:20):
become we become green while every single week it produces a
new collection. Think about it, if you go every
single week to a huge fast fashion store, they are major.
We all know them. Go a single week, you're going
to find out that they have produced and they have new
(24:41):
pieces, new collections. So the major fast fashion
brands, they are making around 52 collections per year, which
means one collection every single week.
That is a lot. A normal brand, not a specific a
huge high end lecture brand makeis making around maximum 6
(25:06):
collections per year. Right.
That's that's what I always think of as a collection is like
it's a season. Yes, you do once every season,
that's your collection and then you do, you know, you'll do it
again next year. But yeah, the 46 if you want to
add a special, you know, a couple special ones in this
time. For winter or summer or hardware
(25:28):
or whatever, but 52 collections per year it mustn't they waste.
Right. I don't even think of that as
like a collection. I think that's just stuff like
how to can you put enough energyinto a collection.
What else? In your research, what did
people think about this labelingsystem?
(25:49):
So. When you've when you've shared
it. When I shared it one year ago,
we had the master class at London School of Design and
Marketing. So I was trying to explain and
once I show, I showed the labeling system to the people,
they started getting like, Oh yes, Oh yeah, if it is AC, maybe
(26:13):
I will go for another option. It was easy to be read, so easy
to read it and you don't have tospend so much time again is it
gives you a solution. And also it gives you the the
feeling that, oh, I want to invest in something good.
I don't want to invest in something that the lifetime is
(26:34):
up to nine months. I don't want that.
And if you ever think of it, so many people, they do have so
many pieces that they not, they don't wear into the wardrobes.
Like we have 50 pieces and we actually wear 10.
There is 4 waist but they're sitting there.
(26:54):
But actually, they're waste, right?
Right, right. So, people.
Yeah, you're, you're taking a fruit.
They accept today and they adoptthe my thought and my design
solution very easy and they liked it a lot.
So I wanted to present, but actually this design, the
(27:15):
labeling system offered me a PSDposition at UCA to do some
further research about it. And I'm thinking to also add AI
into it nowadays because AI is thriving.
So I was thinking like, what is I was thinking, what is the
major problem in sustainability?In sustainable fashion?
(27:38):
The major problem is overconsumption, overproduction.
OK. So how we can limit the
overproduction? We can use AI driven inventory.
So we collect the data that we have from the previous
collections. For example, see how many pieces
are sold, how many pieces our consumers are going to need,
(28:02):
they're going to buy from us andwe are predicting the number and
we are making not a massive production.
We're making exactly the we produce exact the exact number
that we're going to set. We have AI, we have to use it.
We don't have to create samples again and again.
(28:23):
This is a huge waste too. We can use AI and virtual try
ONS. This is another solution or if
applicable if I make. I know someone who makes
sneakers is a footwear designer and he makes sneakers in a 3D
printer factory free on demand production.
(28:46):
So there are so many solutions that I don't know if brands want
to adopt, to be honest. Right, Yeah, that's a whole
other. There can be solutions, but you
have to actually use them and want to use them.
Yeah, that I've been learning a little bit more about.
(29:06):
I think it's 3D knitting. 3D. Machine knitting.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 3D knitting.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, those machines are
finally. They're not.
They're not cheap yet, but they are starting to get less
expensive. I'll say it's the best way to
put it. And so that kind of new
(29:29):
equipment and new machines that on demand kind of thing.
But it's also, I feel like it's so ingrained, you know,
culturally that you go to a store and there's inventory and
you look through like it. You know, the shopping
experience requires there to be,you have to have inventory.
(29:50):
There's other things that you, you know, you can go into and
maybe actually furniture stores could be an option of this, but
they have demo. There's some industry like
furniture where you'll have, you'll go into a store and
they'll go, Oh, well, we have, you know, here's the couch, you
can sit on it, you can try it out.
But if you want to buy it going,you know, we're going to build
it for you and then we're going to ship it to you and it's going
(30:11):
to be 6, right? There's this time difference.
And I think that comes to the instant fashion.
Instant fashion is a fast fashion.
It's very much I, I want to haveit.
I want to have it now in the next, you know, 2 days and then
wear it, take some photos and then and then be done with it.
(30:33):
So it's a very huge cultural shift to out change that.
To be honest, I, from my research, I realized that the
new generations, especially Gen.Z, they prioritize somehow
stopping or thrifting. And that's a great thing because
it looks like the new generations, they, we do care
(30:54):
about where this whole thing goes and where this, that we
have to have a solution and it'sso good.
But yeah, fast fashion, instant fashion, as you said, is I want
it now. So there, that's why fast
fashion brands, they make trendsand they have to produce and to
(31:15):
create new trends and new piecesevery single month or every
single week because they have topush the trend that you're going
to wear feel OK, cover maybe some insecurities because
everything is about like, how can I look like, OK, I'm going
to wear this, I'm never going towear it again.
It's a psychological game, to behonest, so.
(31:36):
Yeah, it, it's going to take a pretty, I feel like it's going
to take a pretty big cultural shift to do that.
And or, you know, I could see something like your label, that
labeling system being something that, you know, if you were
required to do that, it might start changing if I start
(31:58):
changing some people's behavior because you'll actually see,
you'll actually see the impact that you're making.
You can't avoid making the decision now you know You know
what you're deciding, basically.Yes.
And to be honest, I think also it needs to become trend.
Like it wasn't from the marketing side, not from the
(32:19):
designer side, no. So I ended up my presentation of
my thesis on discovering ways onhow sustainability can be famous
can become a trend. So I ended up creating digital
posters with meaningful messageslike how would you rate the
(32:43):
OOTD, the outfit of the day, butnot how would you rate in terms
of style, but in terms of labelling, Like is it a, a, a, A
or is it EDCB without me with a more meaningful message.
So I created some digital posters and provide this
(33:04):
conscious choice and everything and how safe is your dress
today? But know how safe not to be to
show something, but how safe foryour skin or messages that
consumers can see that there is a huge a real problem.
It's a real problem. It's not just people are just
(33:26):
screaming and say hey, go buy sustainable brands and
everything. Right, It's real.
And, and also, I think you know,one of the I was, I was part of
a group that we did a couple surveys, but one of them was
that people were very interestedor willing to do things that are
(33:47):
more sustainable, more circular.But they had one of the things
that they had to know and be able to decide.
And I think that's one of the really important things from
your research project is if you give somebody the ability to
make a decision, then they can actually start deciding.
(34:08):
But if there's no way, if there's no way to tell from the
label without doing a ton of research, right, and you did an
entire research project to figure some of the stuff out, it
takes too much time. It takes too much research to
figure it out. And so if you can give that
information in that easy readable format, like like the
(34:32):
lettering, right, It's super easy.
Yeah, it's green, green to red. It's a through E, like there you
go. That's, that's it.
There's you take away all the, the hard decision, hard
research, and then you give an easy way to go.
Well, this one's A, this one's B.
Which one? Which one do you like?
Which one do you, which one do you want?
And it makes it because people are willing to.
(34:53):
There's not a even in the US as divided as, as we are on some
things, most the average person across the board happy to do
things more sustainably, but they have to know you have to
give them the ability to do to do it.
And obviously, you know, price comes in as a factor too, but
also information. Can you actually make a decision
(35:17):
about this? And that's where it, if you have
to do research, then that breaksit down really quick.
And there's like the little percentage where people go, oh,
I'll do, I'll do all the research, I'll learn what the
ingredient names are and I'll dothat.
But most people, they just, theydon't have the time and don't
have the willingness to go spenda year research, research.
(35:39):
It's it's not it's time consuming to do research when
you out go for stopping at right, like it doesn't make
sense. It's like, OK, let me do my
races before I go to purchase this T-shirt.
No, it doesn't work like that. It's not it's not working like
that. But you are in the US, so let me
give you that info. US waste 2000 pieces every
(36:05):
single 2nd 2000 pieces of 2100 and something pieces.
Every second of textile is wasted in the US.
Sounds about. Right, I'm telling you this and
like how cute is this waste workwe can do and just to to think
(36:27):
it's not about the labeling system I designed only it's not
about the efforts. The true the real efforts that
brands do is the way that we think fashion and the way we
consume, we create and we understand the whole entire
fashion system. This is what it has to change.
(36:48):
It's not only the digital product, passport or my labeling
system is how we as consumers are.
We are responsible individuals who we do care about the world.
It's not only you don't you don't have to care only what
about to eat. What are we wearing right?
We have to make it a lifestyle, I think.
(37:10):
Yeah, I think that's a good point because we do focus a lot
on, well, the food we're eating.And then we kind of stopped
there right there a lot, a lot of it.
Well, I'm eating right. I'm eating healthy, so.
My my car electric so I'm not wasting OK, but what about there
you go yeah is like it covers all of your body.
(37:31):
How we ignore that huge thing questions in our mind.
How we ignore this huge factor of sustainability and all of
this. And I ended up have creating
actually a design solution. Yeah, there's a lot, which is
why there's a lot of people tackling it and trying to figure
(37:52):
it out because we need a lot of people to be able to do that.
We've got a long way though. Yes, it looks pretty far, but
let's see. We'll keep moving, people like
you will keep moving, moving forward and we'll, we'll see,
we'll see when we get to the end.
But you know, I think I think one of the things that people
(38:14):
kind of don't think about is that this this kind of thing
doesn't really end either. Like people, people are really
focused on, oh, we'll get to be sustainable and then we'll just
sit there. But one of the whole things is
that we, the reason why we are where we are is because we
didn't keep thinking about it. We didn't keep, it's not
(38:35):
something that we stop. You have to always be looking at
what can we do better? How can we be more sustainable?
It's a long journey for, I wouldassume, the rest of the lifespan
of our species. And that's something people
don't like to think about, that there's an end goal.
They magically get the cross andgo, all right, we're done.
We don't have to think about sustainability anymore.
(38:58):
It's. Yeah, ingraining it into our
culture I think is more important, and having it just
be. There and also important is to
people like us who design A sustainable solution or
everything regarding sustainability in any industry.
It's good to have someone to present you so your podcast does
(39:21):
this too. So shout out to this because
it's his thing, right? To to have someone to discuss
this labeling system of or any sustainable solution, which is a
conscious design project. Again, OK is so set out to you
and thanks for for this opportunity.
Well, think and yeah, it's the whole reason I did this podcast
(39:45):
was research. It started with research for the
book and then I realized that there's a ton of sustainable
materials and companies that aredoing really cool things that
need to be people need to know about them.
And so that was kind of the impetus of this and.
Now I got to talk to cool peoplelike you about what you're doing
and and share these ideas because I'm, I'm a real firm
(40:09):
believer that we already have all the solutions.
We just need to figure out who has the solution in their head
already and then help them do itlike that's that is.
Yeah. It's not.
We have plenty of smart people on the planet.
The solution is there. Somebody's thought of it.
We just need to highlight the right person and have them get
(40:30):
the resources to make it happen so.
Exactly. And some, sometimes the problem
is that the solution we provide even if it is regarding
sustainability or other yeah, sustainability in general, let's
talk about it. It's it stops where it makes the
profits. OK, sustainable solutions might
(40:53):
not be some profitable for companies.
So there's also five. So even we have to try as
designers to push or as people, they have solutions, not only
designers regarding sustainability to push and find
digital innovation to the companies that they design
(41:14):
things or making things like, OK, you can provide
sustainability and transparency and use it as an advantage to
make your profits higher. It doesn't mean that if you have
to be sustainable or if you haveto be transparent to your
audience, you have to you're going to have lower profits
(41:34):
because people are going to buy less, OK?
Provide your transparency, make your the audience yours and
you're going to find other ways that they can be sustainable to
have profits again. So yeah, I think they have to
also companies to reconsider theway that they oppose their
(41:55):
audience. It's not only overproduced stuff
and and his ways they have to they, they can adopt A new era,
a new way of thinking like, OK, I need profits.
OK, let me engage somewhere. Something different this time,
(42:16):
let's say. Right.
Well, I think that's a good point, right.
A lot of times people think about, they try to make what
they're doing right now sustainable, more sustainable,
but the model that they have is based on most likely some very
unsustainable processes, right or or behaviors.
(42:37):
So thinking about it, lovely Brown, I think about the whole
process. Maybe you change your business
model, right? It's not just about, yeah, if
you just swap materials, it could be a bad business, right?
It could be too expensive and nobody, nobody buys it, nobody
does it. But if you step up a level
(42:57):
higher and go, well, if we want to be sustainable, how can we do
that profitably rather than it'sa band?
I feel like it's almost like a Band-Aid.
They try to stick on it. Yes.
And not only that. And if you are more transparent,
the audience gonna believe you and you're gonna create some
funds. OK.
(43:18):
Oh, I believe that. Yeah, I do like that.
But I believe this brand. So because I'm a fan of this
brand, I'm gonna buy again and again because I know that they
have fair wages, people that they work behind, they're not
suffering. The materials are good for my
skin and everything. Like it's a whole just to, to
(43:39):
change the whole entire system. We, we're far from that.
But I, I really believe that oneday is going to happen.
I think it's a good point. Amazing.
Well, I think this is this is a perfect place and this has been
super fun chatting with you about this.
I love, I love what you, your research is, is on and what you
(44:02):
found on. I I love the idea.
So hopefully somebody, somebody will pick that up and start to
use it would make it so much easier for every for everyone
and we'll have for everyone thatis listening.
There will be links in the description.
So you can check that out. It is it's on your website as
(44:25):
your kind of reports on there. So love that.
And then for anybody that wants to reach out, what is the best
way? I know you're on socials and and
you have the website but what's the best way to to reach out to
you? So maybe on my website they can
find my social profiles and alsothe e-mail if they want to reach
(44:48):
out. Go ahead and also I sort out to
your conscious design book if you want.
Thank you. Yes, go take a look and go buy
and learn more about concerts design in general.
And it's not only about sustainable fashion.
It covers more and many things more.
(45:09):
Amazing. Well thanks so much for being on
the show. This has been really fun
chatting with you Vicky. Thanks so much, you have me and
everyone go subscribe. And that wraps up another
episode of the Conscious Design Podcast.
If today's episode inspired you to bring your product idea to
life and turn it into a sustainable 7 figure business,
visit petermanfirm.com or click the link below.
(45:32):
Your ideas how the power to change the world.
And we're here to help make thathappen.
Thank you for joining us, and I'll see you on the next
episode.
People, they don't want to wear the same piece if they have a
photo of it on uploaded. So I'm wearing this right now,
this sweater, and people see that I'm wearing the same piece
again and again. So according to a study in the
UK, consumers, they admit that one out of 10, they buy a
(00:22):
clothing piece just to post the story, just to create a post on
the social media. They never wait.
Yeah, and this is huge. One out of 10.
Yes, one out of 10. Hello and welcome to the
Conscious Design podcast. I'm your host Ian Peterman and I
(00:44):
help turn product ideas into sustainable 7 figure businesses.
Join me for another episode where sustainability meets
innovation and business savvy. Today I'm really excited to have
Vicki Tikri. She's the disciplinary based
designer in London. Welcome to the show.
Hello. Hello, everyone.
Hello, Ian. Thanks for having me.
(01:06):
It's a great pleasure to be hereand talk about sustainability
and everything we're going to discuss today.
Amazing. Well, before we dive into
sustainability, which is a whole, it's a whole topic, let's
talk a little bit about you. How did you get into design?
And then obviously I know you work in sustainability as well.
(01:28):
So what was that journey like getting to the point where now
you're a designer working in sustainability too?
So actually my journey in designand sustainability started
around 2021 actually, because during digitalization that
COVID-19 caused everything movedonline.
(01:49):
And so I became fascinated by the intersection of visual
communication, digital innovation and marketing.
So I took many courses into for digital marketing and later I
pursued my master's in design atUCA in the UK while I was doing
my master's degree. My thesis was about
(02:11):
sustainability and fashion. Actually, it was like
sustainable fashion through design and digital innovation.
And I knew that I have to createsomething meaningful, something
impactful and to create ideas ofgetting that and provided a
strong solution. So I started working during that
(02:33):
time. Amazing.
And so you're UK based right now, London, yes, but you are
originally from Greece, Yes. I'm really curious and you're
actually sitting in Greece rightnow, yes.
How does that influence and whatdo you see differences, you
know, in sustainability or in the fashion world?
(02:53):
Very different cultures, very different, different things.
How does that relate and what have you?
What are kind of the things thatyou see between those two
places? So to be honest, in Greece,
because I'm from a small town incentral Greece, originated
there. So in Greece, we don't have so
(03:13):
much sustainability in our culture, at least until now.
So I grew up in city that doesn't take the sustainable
factor so seriously, let's say. And most of the people here in
Greece, they don't do thrifting or they don't have secondhand
markets. Yes.
(03:36):
Instead in London people, they have sustainability as more a
priority, let's say. They go to thrifting, they
making more conscious choices. They taking this sustainability
factor more seriously, let's say.
And yeah, even they recycle things more than Greeks As for
(04:00):
now. Yeah.
So they're very different cultures.
They're different, very different cultures.
And I think the UK is multicultural society, so they
adopt easily new things like sustainability.
So you have let's talk about your projects.
(04:20):
Conscious choices is one of the design things that you have done
for everyone who doesn't know about it.
Could you dive into a little bitof how this come about?
What does this project encompass?
And yeah, just give some contextfor people.
So yeah, during my master's I, Ihad to provide a design solution
(04:43):
and fashion industry 1 industry that I do love.
And I, I was always a fast and girly.
So I was thinking like, OK, Vicky, you do like fashion so
much, so you have maybe to provide a solution in the
industry that you love so much. So as a designer, I knew that
the sustainable, the sustainability is a huge thing
(05:06):
in fashion as fashion is the second most polluting industry
after oil and gas. OK, we have to know that.
And so I had to make a design solution and provide some
solution. So I to be honest, I was in
Germany a few years ago and in the grocery store and I was
(05:27):
about to buy a yogurt. So the yogurt had strawberry
taste. And in Germany, I don't know if
you ever heard, they do have theNutri score, a score that says
ABCD eHow healthy is this product that you got pie.
So the strawberry taste was C, which was like A is the best and
(05:49):
E is the worst. So the strawberry taste yogurt
was C and next to it was the natural taste yogurt and it was
A I was like, Oh my God, I have to no, I'm not going to buy the
strawberry taste. I'm going to buy the natural
taste because I felt like Oh my God, why?
This is A and this is C OK So inspired by that to be honest, I
(06:12):
created a labeling system for clothes.
So a again A is the best score and E is the worst score.
So I provided the solution and labeling system and I I was
thinking what the other parties did in the past and everything.
So this A to E system is it has some sub categories like what
(06:36):
materials is what we're wearing is made from environmental
impact, skin safety, because some materials are really harm
for the skin and what is the durability, the lifetime of the
product. So I took all of these under
consideration and I combined thedata and provided from A to EA
(06:58):
labeling system for all the theygonna purchase so people can see
if it is a OK, let me buy is is good for my skin, It's good for
me. Maybe I have to consider.
Yeah, it's interesting. I've been been to Europe a few
times. I was last year, I was in Norway
(07:19):
and that label they have that same a through E this labeling
system. Is much more, yeah.
Which was great. Like it's, it also makes you,
like you said, you you see the difference, start to see the
difference, anything and you're like, oh, maybe I wanted that,
but I feel bad. I know it's not going to be as
(07:40):
good. So, yeah, wearing that kind of
I, is it worth it? Is it, am I going to have this
once and I really, really want it, but not buy it every time or
should I? Yeah.
So what's interesting is it is that's not something we don't
have that in the US. There's no, it's we give the
nutrition numbers and we give the ingredients, but there's no
(08:03):
way to easily hold up to different foods and go which
one's the best. So I always, I've loved that
system ever since I I saw it. It's.
Like, yeah, it's. Easy as the customer, I don't
have to go research all the names of things.
I can just have an easy letter grade.
It's, it seems super easy and I love that you've taken that to
(08:27):
fashion because there is no at best you can get told, you know,
the percentage of material, right?
Like, oh, it's 60% cotton, 30% like that.
Is if it is true OK, because? Yeah, and it's all.
Self reported. Yeah, they they say that we are
(08:48):
eco friendly. OK, what does that mean?
So many percentages, so many specifics.
What the eco friendly means, I don't understand.
Yeah, yeah. It was into the reasons like so
many brands, his brand, major brands, they say we are eco
friendly and all this greenwashing that is happening
(09:09):
or everywhere, it's like, Oh my God, no, this thing has to
change. Yeah.
Well, and that's, I think that'sa good, a good point is you can
say how, how do you know what isan eco friendly, you know, even
cotton, because cotton, cotton can be grown in a way that uses
(09:29):
less water. And if he can be grown in a way,
as I've had multiple people on this podcast talk about, well,
depending on how you grow the cotton, it could be more
sustainable or you could be using a ton of water and it is
not good at that industrial scale.
And so how do you, you know, it seems, it seems it's a natural
(09:51):
fiber. So then it's better, but it may
not be not be better. And there's no way to grade that
because you're just looking well, cotton and cotton, there's
no, yeah. How do you How do you know
there's no way? Yeah, there are so many things
that we don't know. And the fashion industry
(10:11):
transparency is a huge problem, huge problem, so many uncertain
things. And for example, you, we see
this is recycled, made from recycled material.
But if you go further and think about it like how recycled
material from what can be made of like they say that they're
(10:35):
going to take your shirt and recycle it.
But is it this possible? Imagine your shirt has buttons,
it has some other materials. So how all these materials can
be recycled and reproduce a new product out of your product?
Is this true or not? Because the research showed that
(10:55):
it did show that it's not so many things that we as consumers
believe our see in the marketingwhere it's it is working or it
is, is it real? So transparency needs to to be
there somehow, but it's not yet.Right.
I think that's a good point thatthere's I feel like the gap is
(11:19):
getting larger between what companies say even good brand
right there even brands that areactually doing good because
there's been so much greenwashing.
There's been so many things to make people not trust that now
it feels very hard to be able toget people to, to know that
(11:42):
you're being honest, that you'reactually actually doing the
sustainable thing that you're supposed to.
And it's funny in the, I think Iwas at an event for home
products, like home cleaning products, and they're having the
discussion of they actually havea problem where there's too many
(12:02):
certifications now where consumers are getting confused
because there's, well, there's this certification and there's
this. And there's just so many that
you don't know. And nobody knows how they're
different. Nobody knows how they're scaled.
And so the brands that are trying to do better and have
(12:23):
better products, they're facing now this issue of, well, which
certificate? Like how, which certification do
I pay for? Do I need to pay for 100 of
them? Like that's really expensive.
Like now that's a. That's a whole other confusion
level, yes. For yes.
For consumers. So I love, I love this idea.
(12:45):
You know, it's not necessarily about the certification as much
as just a grading level and you can be certified or whatever,
But I see what you've you've looked at is really more of a.
Transparency ABCDE yeah, from yeah, like transparency from the
(13:07):
making process people that they work behind that the people this
suffering in Pakistan and some other places from contaminated
water and they cause serious health issues over there many
ways end up landfills in Africa or Eastern Europe, so many
(13:29):
things. But we just need something
because imagine you in a store, you just see your favorite
shares that you are about to buy.
You don't have the time to research because don't get me
wrong, European Union a few years ago they developed is
still developing. Let's say this the product
passport, a product passport that it would look like a QR
(13:52):
code. So if you wish to take how the
supply chain, materials, etc. You have to scan, go and read.
When I'm doing stopping therapy with the girls, I don't have the
time to read all this information before I go by.
I need something like the yogurtABCD.
Is it good? OK, if it's not OK, I'm going to
(14:14):
buy it. But I will know that this is not
the best quality to wear it and just we just need some something
easy. And if we go want to search
Feather, let's search feather. But no, I think it's not yet.
Fashion industry is not there yet.
The cleaning industry as you said, the cleaning liquids that
(14:37):
you mentioned earlier, was it cleaning liquids, Yeah, yeah,
yeah. They are in another level of
full of certifications. We are not even there yet in the
fashion we are. We are far from that so.
Right. Well, yeah.
And it and it's, you know, with foods, you have to show the
(14:58):
ingredients and things like that.
And the fashion industry, I feellike why, why we kind of pick on
it the most is like you said, wedon't know what's in it.
We don't know what's processed. There's no way to grade.
And even the ones that do right,the ones that are like, oh, this
is 100% cotton, OK, what does that?
(15:20):
What does the consumer know about that?
Like the average person does notknow how to go grow cotton and
harvest cotton And like that is not something at least with food
we know Oh well, I know how to mix food ingredient.
Like I know how cooking like that's something you know at
least or at least have an idea of, right?
(15:40):
Whereas produced goods like this, most people haven't
watched. They don't know.
They don't know how it happened.Let me tell you something very
interesting. During my research, I did a
survey and asked people from across the globe, like 100
people, okay. And I asked like do you know
(16:03):
what sustainable fashion means? So around 82% of the respond is
and they said like, yes, we do know what sustainable fashion
means and what that is, but onlythe 6.2% of them they think is
as a factor before they make a purchase or a decision.
(16:27):
The the first factor in in theirhead is like style, size, price,
offer sustainability is nowhere.So we have to change the mindset
we're so far like how people canadopt A healthy lifestyle and go
every day to the gym. Can they make the wardrobe
(16:48):
healthy because it's their health too?
If I wear legends or sportswear and go get sweaty, like is the
same like we have to think further than that.
But trends, fast fashion and many influencers of social
(17:10):
media, they do huge holes. Like how many times it's like,
oh, I have a huge hole. Let's explore.
And they they need to buy more, especially for us girls like,
OK, she got it. I have to buy it.
And there is a trend lately. I'm sure you know about it.
You're in America. So people, they don't want to
(17:34):
wear it the same piece if they have a photo of it on uploaded.
So I'm wearing this right now, this sweater.
So I don't want to wear it again.
And people see that I'm wearing the same piece again and again.
So according to a study in the UK consumers, they admit that
(17:57):
one out of 10, they buy a a clothing piece just to post a
story, just to create a post on the social media and they never
wait again. This is like 1.
Out of 10, that's a really. Yes, one out of 10 and this is
huge. Like where are we going?
(18:18):
Like where is that? Right.
Yeah, I knew, I knew about the trend like I've known, you know,
that's, that's something that people do.
Yeah. I didn't realize like 10% of
people that were that's a lot. That's a lot.
Why was that was like, you know,maybe influencers or just but
that's like a lot so many as many people that are doing that.
(18:42):
All of your research. Did you find Because I've, I
have seen some people will use services where you like rent
clothes to dope to go do photo shoots and stuff like that, but
not actually buy it. But they seem very, very few
places. Is that something that you have
(19:04):
seen as or heard of? Because I'm just thinking of
these people that are buying just for one photo basically.
They might want to. They might want to rent it
instead of, instead of. Buying what's the difference if
I go rent and wear something fora photo or photo shoot is way a
way more healthier way because I'm going to return the rental
(19:27):
piece back and someone else can buy or rent and use it again.
If I go buy a piece and wolf piece will end up in a landfill
in Africa or Eastern Europe. This is huge waste.
This is huge waste because even if it is AT shirt a cotton, a
cotton T-shirt, let's say imagine for a clothing piece.
(19:50):
You might need 100 or 200 litersof water to be made to be
produced. So imagine if we do have. 92
million of ways that they're generated globally every single
year, 92 million of waste of clothing waste and we keep
(20:14):
buying and we keep this like I see that people are going more
to do thrifting and second hand shopping, which is great,
amazing. But again, in my research, only
the 22% of the people that they have responded are willing to
(20:35):
check second hand stores. Only 22% of the respondents,
they wanted to go check second hand markets to buy their
clothes. I'm a huge fan though.
I'm a huge fan. Hey, it's your host, Ian.
I'm really glad you're enjoying this episode.
(20:57):
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(21:43):
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Yeah, our teenagers actually aresuper into.
That do you go thrifting? Yeah, thrifting.
Thrifting. Oh yes, I have.
Yep. That's.
Good. Not always.
And I think one of the, because there's obviously a little bit
(22:06):
of a stigma of, oh, well, it's, it's used, it's not as not as
good, it's not as nice. But at the same time, like
there's more here, here in the States, There's a lot of options
that are really, really low end where you're like, yeah, you're,
you are going to dig through 95%just stuff that nobody probably
(22:27):
is going to buy. But then there's also places,
you know, one thing that people don't think of when they kind of
lump into that is like consignment stores.
There's all kinds of places where you can buy nice stuff,
right? Really high, really high end
brands, really high quality things that are used.
So it also really just how you're willing to think about it
(22:49):
and everybody, I feel like there's still that getting
people over. It's not just that it's not
dumpster diving, which I feel like there's a little bit of
like, Oh, well, you're just going to go through somebody
else's stuff that they didn't want gave it away basically.
But that's just like one kind. And you can find cool stuff in
there. I have, I have some thrifted
shirts that I, I love, but it's not, but there's also a lot of
(23:13):
ways, you know, there's, you know, we don't think about that
stuff. We're like buying cars.
People buy used cars all the time.
And so yeah, it's, it's an interesting, I feel like it's a
very interesting psychological, cultural thing.
And and yeah, I feel like you'rethe 22% is about right.
(23:34):
A lot of people are still not interested.
In it what we need to communicate as designers is like
the green wasing is another hugething in sustainability huge
brands that every girl goes there and they can say like OK,
(23:55):
maybe we are called fast fashion, but we you can return
your piece and we make new ones or you can we are eco friendly
all the screen washing. They don't think that the
following. How is it possible for you to
visit a fast fashion store that claims to be eco friendly and we
(24:20):
become we become green while every single week it produces a
new collection. Think about it, if you go every
single week to a huge fast fashion store, they are major.
We all know them. Go a single week, you're going
to find out that they have produced and they have new
(24:41):
pieces, new collections. So the major fast fashion
brands, they are making around 52 collections per year, which
means one collection every single week.
That is a lot. A normal brand, not a specific a
huge high end lecture brand makeis making around maximum 6
(25:06):
collections per year. Right.
That's that's what I always think of as a collection is like
it's a season. Yes, you do once every season,
that's your collection and then you do, you know, you'll do it
again next year. But yeah, the 46 if you want to
add a special, you know, a couple special ones in this
time. For winter or summer or hardware
(25:28):
or whatever, but 52 collections per year it mustn't they waste.
Right. I don't even think of that as
like a collection. I think that's just stuff like
how to can you put enough energyinto a collection.
What else? In your research, what did
people think about this labelingsystem?
(25:49):
So. When you've when you've shared
it. When I shared it one year ago,
we had the master class at London School of Design and
Marketing. So I was trying to explain and
once I show, I showed the labeling system to the people,
they started getting like, Oh yes, Oh yeah, if it is AC, maybe
(26:13):
I will go for another option. It was easy to be read, so easy
to read it and you don't have tospend so much time again is it
gives you a solution. And also it gives you the the
feeling that, oh, I want to invest in something good.
I don't want to invest in something that the lifetime is
(26:34):
up to nine months. I don't want that.
And if you ever think of it, so many people, they do have so
many pieces that they not, they don't wear into the wardrobes.
Like we have 50 pieces and we actually wear 10.
There is 4 waist but they're sitting there.
(26:54):
But actually, they're waste, right?
Right, right. So, people.
Yeah, you're, you're taking a fruit.
They accept today and they adoptthe my thought and my design
solution very easy and they liked it a lot.
So I wanted to present, but actually this design, the
(27:15):
labeling system offered me a PSDposition at UCA to do some
further research about it. And I'm thinking to also add AI
into it nowadays because AI is thriving.
So I was thinking like, what is I was thinking, what is the
major problem in sustainability?In sustainable fashion?
(27:38):
The major problem is overconsumption, overproduction.
OK. So how we can limit the
overproduction? We can use AI driven inventory.
So we collect the data that we have from the previous
collections. For example, see how many pieces
are sold, how many pieces our consumers are going to need,
(28:02):
they're going to buy from us andwe are predicting the number and
we are making not a massive production.
We're making exactly the we produce exact the exact number
that we're going to set. We have AI, we have to use it.
We don't have to create samples again and again.
(28:23):
This is a huge waste too. We can use AI and virtual try
ONS. This is another solution or if
applicable if I make. I know someone who makes
sneakers is a footwear designer and he makes sneakers in a 3D
printer factory free on demand production.
(28:46):
So there are so many solutions that I don't know if brands want
to adopt, to be honest. Right, Yeah, that's a whole
other. There can be solutions, but you
have to actually use them and want to use them.
Yeah, that I've been learning a little bit more about.
(29:06):
I think it's 3D knitting. 3D. Machine knitting.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 3D knitting.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, those machines are
finally. They're not.
They're not cheap yet, but they are starting to get less
expensive. I'll say it's the best way to
put it. And so that kind of new
(29:29):
equipment and new machines that on demand kind of thing.
But it's also, I feel like it's so ingrained, you know,
culturally that you go to a store and there's inventory and
you look through like it. You know, the shopping
experience requires there to be,you have to have inventory.
(29:50):
There's other things that you, you know, you can go into and
maybe actually furniture stores could be an option of this, but
they have demo. There's some industry like
furniture where you'll have, you'll go into a store and
they'll go, Oh, well, we have, you know, here's the couch, you
can sit on it, you can try it out.
But if you want to buy it going,you know, we're going to build
it for you and then we're going to ship it to you and it's going
(30:11):
to be 6, right? There's this time difference.
And I think that comes to the instant fashion.
Instant fashion is a fast fashion.
It's very much I, I want to haveit.
I want to have it now in the next, you know, 2 days and then
wear it, take some photos and then and then be done with it.
(30:33):
So it's a very huge cultural shift to out change that.
To be honest, I, from my research, I realized that the
new generations, especially Gen.Z, they prioritize somehow
stopping or thrifting. And that's a great thing because
it looks like the new generations, they, we do care
(30:54):
about where this whole thing goes and where this, that we
have to have a solution and it'sso good.
But yeah, fast fashion, instant fashion, as you said, is I want
it now. So there, that's why fast
fashion brands, they make trendsand they have to produce and to
(31:15):
create new trends and new piecesevery single month or every
single week because they have topush the trend that you're going
to wear feel OK, cover maybe some insecurities because
everything is about like, how can I look like, OK, I'm going
to wear this, I'm never going towear it again.
It's a psychological game, to behonest, so.
(31:36):
Yeah, it, it's going to take a pretty, I feel like it's going
to take a pretty big cultural shift to do that.
And or, you know, I could see something like your label, that
labeling system being something that, you know, if you were
required to do that, it might start changing if I start
(31:58):
changing some people's behavior because you'll actually see,
you'll actually see the impact that you're making.
You can't avoid making the decision now you know You know
what you're deciding, basically.Yes.
And to be honest, I think also it needs to become trend.
Like it wasn't from the marketing side, not from the
(32:19):
designer side, no. So I ended up my presentation of
my thesis on discovering ways onhow sustainability can be famous
can become a trend. So I ended up creating digital
posters with meaningful messageslike how would you rate the
(32:43):
OOTD, the outfit of the day, butnot how would you rate in terms
of style, but in terms of labelling, Like is it a, a, a, A
or is it EDCB without me with a more meaningful message.
So I created some digital posters and provide this
(33:04):
conscious choice and everything and how safe is your dress
today? But know how safe not to be to
show something, but how safe foryour skin or messages that
consumers can see that there is a huge a real problem.
It's a real problem. It's not just people are just
(33:26):
screaming and say hey, go buy sustainable brands and
everything. Right, It's real.
And, and also, I think you know,one of the I was, I was part of
a group that we did a couple surveys, but one of them was
that people were very interestedor willing to do things that are
(33:47):
more sustainable, more circular.But they had one of the things
that they had to know and be able to decide.
And I think that's one of the really important things from
your research project is if you give somebody the ability to
make a decision, then they can actually start deciding.
(34:08):
But if there's no way, if there's no way to tell from the
label without doing a ton of research, right, and you did an
entire research project to figure some of the stuff out, it
takes too much time. It takes too much research to
figure it out. And so if you can give that
information in that easy readable format, like like the
(34:32):
lettering, right, It's super easy.
Yeah, it's green, green to red. It's a through E, like there you
go. That's, that's it.
There's you take away all the, the hard decision, hard
research, and then you give an easy way to go.
Well, this one's A, this one's B.
Which one? Which one do you like?
Which one do you, which one do you want?
And it makes it because people are willing to.
(34:53):
There's not a even in the US as divided as, as we are on some
things, most the average person across the board happy to do
things more sustainably, but they have to know you have to
give them the ability to do to do it.
And obviously, you know, price comes in as a factor too, but
also information. Can you actually make a decision
(35:17):
about this? And that's where it, if you have
to do research, then that breaksit down really quick.
And there's like the little percentage where people go, oh,
I'll do, I'll do all the research, I'll learn what the
ingredient names are and I'll dothat.
But most people, they just, theydon't have the time and don't
have the willingness to go spenda year research, research.
(35:39):
It's it's not it's time consuming to do research when
you out go for stopping at right, like it doesn't make
sense. It's like, OK, let me do my
races before I go to purchase this T-shirt.
No, it doesn't work like that. It's not it's not working like
that. But you are in the US, so let me
give you that info. US waste 2000 pieces every
(36:05):
single 2nd 2000 pieces of 2100 and something pieces.
Every second of textile is wasted in the US.
Sounds about. Right, I'm telling you this and
like how cute is this waste workwe can do and just to to think
(36:27):
it's not about the labeling system I designed only it's not
about the efforts. The true the real efforts that
brands do is the way that we think fashion and the way we
consume, we create and we understand the whole entire
fashion system. This is what it has to change.
(36:48):
It's not only the digital product, passport or my labeling
system is how we as consumers are.
We are responsible individuals who we do care about the world.
It's not only you don't you don't have to care only what
about to eat. What are we wearing right?
We have to make it a lifestyle, I think.
(37:10):
Yeah, I think that's a good point because we do focus a lot
on, well, the food we're eating.And then we kind of stopped
there right there a lot, a lot of it.
Well, I'm eating right. I'm eating healthy, so.
My my car electric so I'm not wasting OK, but what about there
you go yeah is like it covers all of your body.
(37:31):
How we ignore that huge thing questions in our mind.
How we ignore this huge factor of sustainability and all of
this. And I ended up have creating
actually a design solution. Yeah, there's a lot, which is
why there's a lot of people tackling it and trying to figure
(37:52):
it out because we need a lot of people to be able to do that.
We've got a long way though. Yes, it looks pretty far, but
let's see. We'll keep moving, people like
you will keep moving, moving forward and we'll, we'll see,
we'll see when we get to the end.
But you know, I think I think one of the things that people
(38:14):
kind of don't think about is that this this kind of thing
doesn't really end either. Like people, people are really
focused on, oh, we'll get to be sustainable and then we'll just
sit there. But one of the whole things is
that we, the reason why we are where we are is because we
didn't keep thinking about it. We didn't keep, it's not
(38:35):
something that we stop. You have to always be looking at
what can we do better? How can we be more sustainable?
It's a long journey for, I wouldassume, the rest of the lifespan
of our species. And that's something people
don't like to think about, that there's an end goal.
They magically get the cross andgo, all right, we're done.
We don't have to think about sustainability anymore.
(38:58):
It's. Yeah, ingraining it into our
culture I think is more important, and having it just
be. There and also important is to
people like us who design A sustainable solution or
everything regarding sustainability in any industry.
It's good to have someone to present you so your podcast does
(39:21):
this too. So shout out to this because
it's his thing, right? To to have someone to discuss
this labeling system of or any sustainable solution, which is a
conscious design project. Again, OK is so set out to you
and thanks for for this opportunity.
Well, think and yeah, it's the whole reason I did this podcast
(39:45):
was research. It started with research for the
book and then I realized that there's a ton of sustainable
materials and companies that aredoing really cool things that
need to be people need to know about them.
And so that was kind of the impetus of this and.
Now I got to talk to cool peoplelike you about what you're doing
and and share these ideas because I'm, I'm a real firm
(40:09):
believer that we already have all the solutions.
We just need to figure out who has the solution in their head
already and then help them do itlike that's that is.
Yeah. It's not.
We have plenty of smart people on the planet.
The solution is there. Somebody's thought of it.
We just need to highlight the right person and have them get
(40:30):
the resources to make it happen so.
Exactly. And some, sometimes the problem
is that the solution we provide even if it is regarding
sustainability or other yeah, sustainability in general, let's
talk about it. It's it stops where it makes the
profits. OK, sustainable solutions might
(40:53):
not be some profitable for companies.
So there's also five. So even we have to try as
designers to push or as people, they have solutions, not only
designers regarding sustainability to push and find
digital innovation to the companies that they design
(41:14):
things or making things like, OK, you can provide
sustainability and transparency and use it as an advantage to
make your profits higher. It doesn't mean that if you have
to be sustainable or if you haveto be transparent to your
audience, you have to you're going to have lower profits
(41:34):
because people are going to buy less, OK?
Provide your transparency, make your the audience yours and
you're going to find other ways that they can be sustainable to
have profits again. So yeah, I think they have to
also companies to reconsider theway that they oppose their
(41:55):
audience. It's not only overproduced stuff
and and his ways they have to they, they can adopt A new era,
a new way of thinking like, OK, I need profits.
OK, let me engage somewhere. Something different this time,
(42:16):
let's say. Right.
Well, I think that's a good point, right.
A lot of times people think about, they try to make what
they're doing right now sustainable, more sustainable,
but the model that they have is based on most likely some very
unsustainable processes, right or or behaviors.
(42:37):
So thinking about it, lovely Brown, I think about the whole
process. Maybe you change your business
model, right? It's not just about, yeah, if
you just swap materials, it could be a bad business, right?
It could be too expensive and nobody, nobody buys it, nobody
does it. But if you step up a level
(42:57):
higher and go, well, if we want to be sustainable, how can we do
that profitably rather than it'sa band?
I feel like it's almost like a Band-Aid.
They try to stick on it. Yes.
And not only that. And if you are more transparent,
the audience gonna believe you and you're gonna create some
funds. OK.
(43:18):
Oh, I believe that. Yeah, I do like that.
But I believe this brand. So because I'm a fan of this
brand, I'm gonna buy again and again because I know that they
have fair wages, people that they work behind, they're not
suffering. The materials are good for my
skin and everything. Like it's a whole just to, to
(43:39):
change the whole entire system. We, we're far from that.
But I, I really believe that oneday is going to happen.
I think it's a good point. Amazing.
Well, I think this is this is a perfect place and this has been
super fun chatting with you about this.
I love, I love what you, your research is, is on and what you
(44:02):
found on. I I love the idea.
So hopefully somebody, somebody will pick that up and start to
use it would make it so much easier for every for everyone
and we'll have for everyone thatis listening.
There will be links in the description.
So you can check that out. It is it's on your website as
(44:25):
your kind of reports on there. So love that.
And then for anybody that wants to reach out, what is the best
way? I know you're on socials and and
you have the website but what's the best way to to reach out to
you? So maybe on my website they can
find my social profiles and alsothe e-mail if they want to reach
(44:48):
out. Go ahead and also I sort out to
your conscious design book if you want.
Thank you. Yes, go take a look and go buy
and learn more about concerts design in general.
And it's not only about sustainable fashion.
It covers more and many things more.
(45:09):
Amazing. Well thanks so much for being on
the show. This has been really fun
chatting with you Vicky. Thanks so much, you have me and
everyone go subscribe. And that wraps up another
episode of the Conscious Design Podcast.
If today's episode inspired you to bring your product idea to
life and turn it into a sustainable 7 figure business,
visit petermanfirm.com or click the link below.
(45:32):
Your ideas how the power to change the world.
And we're here to help make thathappen.
Thank you for joining us, and I'll see you on the next
episode.
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