Material Matters with Grant Gibson
In Material Matters, host Grant Gibson talks to a designer, maker, artist, architect, engineer, or scientist about a material or technique with which they’re intrinsically linked and discovers how it changed their lives and careers.
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Material Matters with Grant Gibson
Upcycling discarded denim with Anna Foster of ELV Denim
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Can a discarded pair of jeans become a luxury item? Anna Foster, founder of the sustainable fashion brand ELV Denim, has saved thousands of garments from landfill by proving that they can. She joins Grant Gibson to discuss how ‘material intelligence’ is redefined in the world of high fashion.
In this episode, we dive into the complex water footprint of denim and the design of a regenerative fashion loop. We discuss:
- East London Vintage: How ELV is proving that ‘women are born to innovate.’
- Radical Localism: Finding all her skilled makers within a three-mile radius of her studio.
- Rethinking Luxury: Value and desire in materials that other people reject.
- Expanding the Palette: Upcycling old hotel linens and expanding beyond denim.
Anna also reflects on her 20-year career as a fashion editor and why she prefers her denim without stretch.
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Important fact check: Grant misread some of his statistics in this episode. We produce between 4.5 to 6 billion pairs of jeans a year and a pair of jeans uses 3,800 litres of water to produce. We’re happy to correct these errors.