Jeansland Podcast
This is why I do this. Jeansland is a podcast about the ecosystem in which jeans live. There are an estimated 26 million cotton farmers around the world, and about 25% of their production goes into jeans, which could mean 6.2 million farmers depend on denim. I read estimates that at least 1 million people work in retail selling jeans, and another 1.5 to 2 million sew them. And then there are all the label producers, pattern makers, laundries, chemical companies, machinery producers, and those that work in denim mills. I mean, the jeans industry, which is bigger than the global movie and music business combined, employs a lot of human beings. And many of them, like me, love jeans. The French philosopher and existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, when visiting New York, said, "Everyone in the New York subway is a novel." I never met her, but I guess she made the observation because of the incredible diversity of people who ride the subway system. I'm convinced the people in our jeans industry are like those in the subway. They are unique, with rich and complex stories to tell, and I want to hear them. And deep inside me, I think you might feel the same way.
https://jeansland.co/
Episodes
86 episodes
Ep. 86: The Afterlife of Our Clothes with Jennifer Wright
What actually happens when an old pair of jeans goes into a collection bin?In Episode 86, Andrew is joined by Jennifer Wright, professor and researcher at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, whose work explores what really happens to te...
Ep. 85: What Eco-Grazing Teaches Us About Innovation
My daughter introduced me to a company in New Jersey with an unusual kind of employee. It works outdoors, eats continuously, and never reads a sustainability report.It’s a goat.Across the U.S. and Europe, goats and sheep are being...
Ep. 84: Better Design Starts with How It’s Made with Angie Furlong
Angie Furlong has spent more than four decades designing clothes, building teams, traveling the world, and learning the industry from the inside out. Some things in fashion can only be learned by understanding how they’re made.In ...
Ep. 83: Do You Understand the Game?
I read an article about basketball this weekend that made me think about denim. Strange, I know.The argument was simple: we’re seeing more basketball and understanding less of it. Highlights, hot takes, 30-second explanations. Why unders...
Ep. 82 — REVISITED: What if Sustainability Was the Standard? with Roian Atwood
What if sustainability wasn’t a competitive edge, but the baseline for the entire denim industry?In this revisited conversation, Andrew sits down with sustainability expert Roian Atwood to look at what real progress in deni...
Ep. 81: Do We Need Another Denim Mill?
Kingpins New York left me with a question: how many denim mills does the world actually need?Some longtime mills may be fighting for their future, while new mills keep entering an already crowded, increasingly price-driven market. Walkin...
Ep 80: The Art and Science of Pattern Making with Alessio Berto
A great garment begins long before it reaches a sewing machine.In Episode 80, Andrew sits down with Alessio Berto, founder of The Tailor Pattern Support and one of Italy’s most experienced pattern designers. Over nea...
Ep. 79: Modern Slavery Is Closer Than We Think
Nearly 50 million people worldwide are estimated to be living in modern slavery.When I first read that number, I was shocked. It sounded almost too large to believe, so I decided to look into where it came from, who was behind it, and wh...
Ep. 78: Japanese Denim—Past and Future with Bobby Tohma
Japanese denim is admired for its quality, craftsmanship, and the extraordinary care behind how it is made.In Episode 78, Andrew sits down with Bobby Tohma, owner of Amhot Holdings and Idea Blue in Osaka
Ep 77: Can AI Grow Better Cotton? with Brendan Collins & Tricia Carey
For decades, developing new crop varieties has been slow, expensive, and full of trade-offs. Avalo believes better genetics, better data, and artificial intelligence can change that.In Episode 77, Andrew sits down with Brendan ...
Ep 76—FRESH BLOOD, Part 8: Questioning the Process with Sean Vossen
FRESH BLOOD continues with Part 8, featuring Sean Vossen, who works with Frontline in Hong Kong.Sean grew up between Hong Kong and Milan, surrounded by the apparel business, but chose to explore other industries befo...
Ep 75: Building a Life Around Denim with Beau Lawrence
Beau Lawrence built his career by following the work, then building a life around it.In Episode 75, Andrew sits down with Beau Lawrence, founder of Ace Rivington, to talk about denim, entrepreneurship, retail, Santa Barbara...
Ep 74: The Future of Traceable Cotton with Imran Asghar
Pakistan’s cotton crop is recovering. But that is only part of the story.In Episode 74, Andrew sits down again with Imran Asghar, Head of Asia Pacific at FibreTrace, to discuss cotton, traceability, sustainability, and the growing...
Ep 73—FRESH BLOOD, Part 7: From Upcycling to Opportunity with Landon Williams
FRESH BLOOD is about renewal. Every industry either regenerates itself or slowly hardens. In this Jeansland series, Andrew steps back to listen to the next generation already working inside denim’s supply chain, upstream in fibers, sourc...
Ep 72: The End of the Everlane Experiment
In Episode 72’s Andrew’s Take, Andrew reflects on the sale of Everlane, one of the most visible transparency-focused brands of the last fifteen years.For years, Everlane tried to bring sourcing, factories, pricing, and production into t...
Ep 71: Designing Denim Through Change with Lucia Rosin
Some people enter denim through fashion. Lucia Rosin came to it through patternmaking, textiles, and the discipline of building a garment from the inside out.In Episode 71, Andrew sits down with Lucia Rosin, founder of MEI...
Ep 70—FRESH BLOOD Revisited: A New Generation of Mills with Lucille Ix and Lucas Van de Woestyne
Before we continue with the next episodes in the FRESH BLOOD series, we’re revisiting a conversation that helped define what the series is really about: listening to the next generation already working inside the industry.A...
Ep 69: How Denim Gets Its Blue with Paul Cowell
Paul Cowell taught Andrew a great deal of what he knows about indigo.In Episode 69, Andrew sits down with Paul Cowell, whose career has moved through ICI, BASF, DyStar, BluConnection, and Archroma. His work sits at the inte...
Ep 68: The Rise of Resale
In Episode 68’s Andrew’s Take, he looks at the rise of secondhand clothing. Not as a side story in fashion, but as one of the fastest-growing parts of the global apparel business.Secondhand clothing is now growing dramatically f...
Ep 67—FRESH BLOOD, Part 6: Rebuilding Local Manufacturing with Justin Bastarache
FRESH BLOOD continues with Part 6, featuring Justin Bastarache, Founder of Whelk and Pipo Canada.Justin started with a sustainable headwear brand, then found the larger problem: almost nobody was making caps in Easte...
Ep 66: The Missing Denim Boom
Growth in denim follows a pattern.In Episode 66’s Andrew’s Take, he looks at what has actually driven expansion in the jeans business over time, and why it’s stalled.Every real boom came from a shift in the product...
Ep 65—FRESH BLOOD, Part 5: From Volume to Value with Saifullah Minhas
FRESH BLOOD is about renewal. Every industry either regenerates itself or slowly hardens. In this Jeansland series, Andrew steps back to listen to the next generation already working inside denim’s supply chain, upstream in fibers, sourc...
Ep 64: The Hidden Cost of War
The war doesn't show up where you think it does.In Episode 64's Andrew's Take, he looks at the war in Iran, not politically, but through the lens of the jeans industry. Orders were booked months ago. Prices were locked when oil was lower...
Ep 63—FRESH BLOOD, Part 4: Bridging Design and Production with Hayato Nishi
FRESH BLOOD is about renewal. Every industry either regenerates itself or slowly hardens. In this Jeansland series, Andrew steps back to listen to the next generation already working inside denim’s supply chain, upstream in fibers, sourc...
Ep 62: The Cost of Conflict with Umer Farooq Qureshi
Before the garments even leave the warehouse, the damage is already done.In Episode 62, Andrew sits down again with Umer Farooq Qureshi as the industry finds itself caught in the middle of a war it didn’t start. One year after their last...
