The Seamless Leadership Podcast is hosted by sustainable fashion expert Clare Press. Tune in to hear industry leaders and changemakers tell the story of what it takes to build a new circular system for clothing.
The five episode Seamless Leadership Podcast series tells the story of a new circular system for clothing, with brands and retailers taking responsibility for their products’ entire lifespan. Hosted by Clare Press, host of the world’s leading sustainable fashion podcast, The Wardrobe Crisis, it’s engaging, inspiring and thought provoking.
You’ll hear from inspiring leaders as they explore challenges, innovations and insights across four key priorities: circular design, circular business models, closing the loop through recycling and repurposing, and consumer behaviour change.
What's the plan? How does it work? Why is it a big deal? And what's being done, right now, to rewrite the story of clothing waste in this country.
Bonus episode: Can circularity future-proof the High Street? Sussan Group's Rebecca Hard on what it takes to make transformational change
C-Suite buy-in is a critical success factor for any organisation determined to make transformational change, and circularity is no exception. For our final bonus episode, we're exploring the importance of leadership in driving responsible business, and asking big questions about backing bold strategy.
Host Clare Press sits down with Rebecca Hard, who since 2020 has been Group Retail Chief Executive Officer at The Sussan Group, which includes the much-loved high street womenswear brands Sussan, Sportsgirl and Suzanne Grae.
Having been with the business for 25 years, Rebecca has a long term view on the future of the Australian clothing sector. She passionately believes that customers looking for more affordable clothing options deserve brands that consider ethics and circularity too. To prove it, The Sussan Group recently achieved B Corp status, and Rebecca also brought all three group brands on board as Seamless foundation members.
We asked her about her own drivers and priorities, and about how her teams have responded. How do they communicate their purpose to their customers? And what has she learned about the power of transformational change, balancing profit with positive impact, and the importance of fostering strong collaborative relationships? It's an open, honest conversation that's sure to inspire.
Listen below or wherever you find your podcasts – on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. Search “Seamless Leadership Podcast”.
Episode 5: Changing behaviour: How can we redefine our relationship with clothes?
While clothing production and consumption remains high, Australians are starting to change their buying behaviour. We're buying less new clothing, we're selling, swapping and sharing more clothes than ever before, and more clothes are being recycled. But there's still work to do!
Diverting 60% of end-of-life clothing from landfill by 2027 is an ambitious goal, and we can only achieve it with Australians on board. In this episode, we speak to an academic researcher and a clothing brand marketer and ask: How can we make that happen? What's the best strategy for influencing citizen behaviour around circularity? What's working and what puts people off?
Join host Clare Press in conversation with researcher Jennifer Macklin, Senior Research Fellow at BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash University, and Lina Cabai, Head of Marketing at Country Road Group, to discuss:
- Common barriers to behaviour change
- The need for nuance - no one size fits all!
- Tips to effectively market your circularity initiatives
- What works and what to avoid when driving behaviour change
- The importance of positive messaging
Episode 4: Closing the loop on clothing and textile waste
Waste not! Too many clothes end up in landfill. What are the challenges and what can be done?
Globally, less than 1% of textiles are material-to-material recycled. How much clothing waste are Australians generating, and where does it all end up? We urgently need solutions. Good news: many already exist!
In this episode, we explore the system and volume challenges when it comes to recycling and reusing clothing in Australia and discuss potential solutions.
Host Clare Press sits down with Matt Davis, CEO of Salvos Stores, and Vanessa Vongsouthi, Research Founder and Head of Protein Engineering at Samsara Eco, an inspiring Australian tech start up on a mission to creating infinite recycling to end plastic pollution.
- Find out why Australians are generating so much clothing waste
- Discover how Australia's complex clothing reuse and recycling ecosystem operates
- Learn about "unwearables" and the challenges in dealing with them
- Hear how different stakeholders are working together to find solutions
- Discover the new innovations and technology with the potential to change the game
- Hear about what it will take to scale potential solutions
Episode 3: Who wins with nw clothing business models
The clothing retail landscape is changing, with the rapid rise of online only, pre-loved and rental business models. At the same time, the ultra-fast clothing sector is growing rapidly. Where do new circular business models fit in? Can brands afford to get on board? Or is it case of: can't afford not to?
In this episode, we decode business opportunities and innovations in resale, rental and repair, and get to grips with a challenging dilemma: How can we change the way we choose, enjoy and reuse our clothes while ensuring that retail thrives, responsible brands flourish and jobs are retained?
Your host Clare Press sits down with Kellie Hush, Chief Strategy and Brand Officer at The Volte, and THE ICONIC's Chief Commercial and Sustainability Officer, Gayle Burchell to discuss:
- Who is renting clothing and why?
- The resale model as a business opportunity
- Rethinking design for durability
- Strategies for reducing returns and costs and improving customer experience
- The critical role of data driven insights
Episode 2: Designing for a circular future
As Ellen MacArthur says, "Waste and pollution does not exist by accident, it is the result of design decisions." So much is determined at the design stage. How can we unlock circular design?
Until recently, designers were taught to focus on a product's functionality or desirability. All well and good when a brand's relationship with that product stopped at the first sale. Under Seamless, however, that product responsibility is extended beyond the first customer until its end of life. This changes everything.
How can designers navigate the new normal?
This week, we hear from Professor Alice Payne, Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT, and Jackie Galleghan, founder and creative director of emerging Australian fashion brand Madre Natura, to talk about the importance of design in a circular clothing economy and real-world examples of circular design in action.
Episode 1: Transforming the clothing industry: Seamless, Australia’s pioneering national clothing product stewardship scheme
In the first episode, host Clare Press sits down with Seamless CEO Ainsley Simpson, and Seamless Chair, Rosanna Iacono to ask: What is product stewardship and why is it such a powerful tool to future-proof the Australian clothing industry and help us reach our sustainability goals? Then, we catch up with Paul Grosmann, CEO of Australia's iconic R.M. Williams, to find out what's driving responsible brands to join the scheme.
We'll be releasing new episodes weekly, so don't forget to check back in.
Listen to a quick series preview
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