Compost, Cotton & Cornrows
Compost, Cotton & Cornrows is a podcast centering Black sustainability leaders across fashion, agriculture, wellbeing and beyond. Through storytelling, culture, and climate conversations, the show explores how ancestral wisdom and modern practices can cultivate regenerative futures. Hosted by Dominique Drakeford, each episode unearths powerful insights that shift the narrative of environmental justice.
Compost, Cotton & Cornrows
Episode 3 | The Fabric Alchemist: Mahdiyyah’s Mission to Weave Ancestral DNA Technology Into Fashion, Education and Community Care
Experience a beautiful ride into the world of sustainable RE-education with Mahdiyyah—aka the Fabric Alchemist—who’s here to prove that fabric upcycling is more than just a trend; it’s a catalyst for revolutionizing education! In this electric conversation, Mahdiyyah unravels her journey through the overwhelmingly white-dominated environmental scene, where she learned that “sustainability” was just another word for resourcefulness that Black folks BEEN adopting. With grit, warmth and heart, she shows us how inter-generational knowledge sharing (especially in garden classrooms) is the OG blueprint for sustainability.
But wait—there’s more! She dives deep into the parallels between the fashion world and the food apartheid system (yep, we’re going there) to unpack how Black and brown communities are being boxed out of accessing natural materials, all thanks to discriminatory urban planning.
And Mahdiyyah’s not just talking the talk—her groundbreaking research and relentless studies are connecting the dots, exposing the inequalities, and building a vibrant ecosystem of badass non-traditional educators and skill-sharers. This is more than a conversation; it’s a call to action wrapped in fierce creativity and unapologetic truth. Don’t sleep on this one!
Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!
@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows