OEKO-TEX® launches new podcast: The Fashion Stitch – On Fabrics, Facts and Feelings

OEKO-TEX® is proud to announce the release of The Fashion Stitch – On Fabrics, Facts and Feelings, a new storytelling podcast exploring the complex environmental and social realities behind the clothes we wear. The six-part English-language series is co-produced with Berlin-based Fashion Changers and hosted by journalist and sustainability advocate Clare Press.

With stories from Los Angeles to Bangladesh, the series combines historical perspective, scientific innovation and lived experience to connect business and consumer audiences with the people shaping fashion’s future – uniting education and impact-driven storytelling.

“Fashion is emotional,” says Clare Press, founder of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast and the first sustainability editor at Vogue. “We rarely buy clothes for sustainability reasons – we buy them because of how they make us feel. That’s the real challenge: connecting people to the sustainability conversation with as much passion as they connect to their favourite garment.”

From feelings to facts: Honest fashion conversations

The series offers insights into the lived experiences behind the global fashion system and highlights issues under growing scrutiny across the supply chain, including:

  • Wages & Rights: Why do garment workers still struggle to earn a living wage?
  • Chemical Safety: What risks do PFAS and other substances pose to human health?
  • Workplace Safety: Who bears the hidden costs of low-price production?

Guests, who share OEKO-TEX®’s mission to drive transparency and safety in textiles and leather, include labour organisers, scientists, NGO leaders and industry insiders, including:

  • Katie Quan, former garment worker and labour organiser
  • Christie Miedema, Clean Clothes Campaign
  • Katy Stevens, sustainability and chemical safety expert
  • Renate Stauss, fashion researcher and educator

“Sustainability in fashion is complex, which is why we want to make it more accessible,” says Inga Bleyer, Head of Marketing & Communication at OEKO-TEX®. “The Fashion Stitch offers clarity and builds trust by combining facts with storytelling. We want to inspire people to make better decisions through reliable, engaging information.”

A new format for fashion storytelling

The Fashion Stitch was developed and written by Fashion Changers co-founders Nina Lorenzen and Vreni Jäckle, known for their work advancing sustainability and social justice in the German-speaking fashion industry.

“We wanted to go beyond highlighting problems – to tell the stories of the people working on solutions,” say Vreni Jäckle and Nina Lorenzen. “With OEKO-TEX® as a partner, we were able to explore new ways of reaching people emotionally and educationally. The Fashion Stitch is about reminding us that another industry is not only possible – it’s already being made, stitch by stitch.” 

Who should listen

The Fashion Stitch is designed for diverse audiences, from corporate social responsibility leads and policymakers to conscious consumers interested in more sustainable choices. The Fashion Stitch offers inspiration, knowledge and hope.

Details

Title: The Fashion Stitch – On Fabrics, Facts and Feelings 
Launch date : 1 October 2025 
Where to listen : Available on all major podcast platforms 
Languages: English 
Produced by: OEKO-TEX® and Fashion Changers 
Host : Clare Press 

Listen to the first episode now and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.

 

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