Rags To Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast

LOTI is Rethinking Upcyled Clothing by Making it Accessible to Mainstream Fashion

Lottie Bertello has always grown up with fashion in her life. She comes from an artistic family and was always encouraged and supported in her interest in textiles and fashion. As a native of Peru, where textiles are a big part of the cultural heritage, Lottie has always valued textiles, and pursued an education in fashion from high school through college.
 
She, like so many others in the industry, became disillusioned with fast fashion and its low emphasis on creativity and the value of artisinal labor and of quality raw materials. The only part of fashion she still loved was thrifting!
 
So naturally, Lottie became interested in upcycling and alternative material and labor issues. She started her fashion label LOTI, which caters mostly to femme fashion and endeavors to bring upcycled clothing into mainstream fashion.
 
Her three main goals for every garment are for them to be Comfortable, Effortless, and Elegant. In addition, the company is based in Peru and everything is done in Peru, which is important to Lottie in terms of social and labor issues as well as sustainability issues (did you know alpaca fiber is much more sustainable than cashmere!?). 
 
And here she is! Our guest for Episode 31 of the Rags to Riches Podcast! (AND a speaker at our recent Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Summit!)
 
Are you ready to feel inspired, energized, and supported? Get comfy and dive right in! This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast with Crispina ffrench! As always, Show Notes with info, pics, and links are available at ragstoriches.eco.
 
Please download, listen, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps so much with spreading the word about the global upcycling revolution we are nurturing together!

WallaSauce is Redesigning Local Cultural Identity via Textile Upcycling

WallaSauce is a rad little textile upcycling business located in North Adams, Massachusetts - a small town with a rich history of both creative culture and textile manufacturing. As a Berkshire County shop specializing in 1-1 redesign of "trashed" textiles...their project is literally near as well as dear to our hearts!
 
Berkshire County has been Crispina's home and business base for decades, so WallaSauce owners and makers Sarah and Kirby are part of Crispina's local community of creative textile upcycling entrepreneurs. As such, they share her passion for connecting with the local flow of resources, for the backstories of the materials they work with, and for local cultural history.
 
In Episode THIRTY (WOW!!!) of Rags to Riches, Crispina, Sarah, and Kirby discuss their shared dreams for both community-level connection and planetary healing through creative textile upcycling.
 
Are you ready to feel inspired, energized, and supported? Get comfy and dive right in! This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast with Crispina ffrench! As always, Show Notes with info, pics, and links are available at ragstoriches.eco.
 
Please download, listen, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps so much with spreading the word about the global upcycling revolution we are nurturing together!
 

MadeTV - Building a Communal Happy Place for Creative Businesses

Get ready for an EPIC interview, because Episode 29 of Rags to Riches is all about MadeTV - an up and coming platform where creative business owners can build their brands, connect with one another, teach and learn, grow and thrive!
 
 
Crispina will be bringing her own brand to new territory this summer as one of the founding Creatives on the platform. If you have ever thought to yourself, "Crispina needs to be on TV!" Then you're going to LOVE what you hear in this episode. 
 
Are you ready to feel inspired, energized, and supported? Get comfy and dive right in! This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast with Crispina ffrench! As always, Show Notes with info, pics, and links are available at ragstoriches.eco.
 
Please download, listen, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps so much with spreading the word about the global upcycling revolution we are nurturing together!

Circularity in Business and Mindset - Connecting with the Cooledges of Outerknown’s Project Vermont

Meet Lise-Anne and Scoot Cooledge, founders and operators of Outerknown's Project Vermont, Rags to Riches 2023 Summit Presenters, and our guests today for Episode 28 of the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast with Crispina ffrench! You can find links, pics, and more info in the Show Notes for this episode at ragstoriches.eco.
 
Outerknown is an industry leader in textile upcycling and economic circularity, and their Project Vermont chapter is an exciting example of how their vision can be transformed and customized to the unique vision of its creators as well as the unique needs of the local and regional community where it thrives. Lise-Anne and Scott talk with Crispina about their collaboration with Outerknown to divert textiles from landfills while nurturing a mindset of community and economic circularity from the epicenter of their work in rural St. Albans City, VT, USA.
 
Are you ready to be energized, inspired, and supported? This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast!

Chatting with Selvedge Magazine Founder Polly Leonard

We are so excited to share this fab podcast interview with Polly Leonard - founder of Selvedge Magazine and featured sponsor of the rapidly approaching Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Summit with Crispina ffrench!
 
Visit ragstoriches.eco for Show Notes, where we share photos, links, and more to enrich your Rags to Riches Podcast listening experience!
 
Don't forget to show the gold standard in podcast fandom ... rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

Stealing Back Our Value with Martha Coates Donahoo

Martha Coates Donahoo brings spirit and sparkle to this fantastic conversation with Crispina about the research, the time, the attention to detail, the artistic twist, and the pure HEART that goes into every piece that she creates. 
Martha primarily works with pre-industrial costume styles and finds deep inspiration and meaning from repurposing found heirloom textiles that would otherwise have been thrown away.
She offers online "verbal recipes" and teaches workshops to help guide others in learning her craft. She is moving away from production sewing and back towards anything that brings joy in the creation. For Martha, slow fashion is what fills her cup. 
And we are so here for it!! Are you ready to feel energized, supported, and inspired? This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast. Visit ragstoriches.com for Show Notes and more episodes!

The Warmth and Welcome of Lu Mason’s Rag Rugs

Welcome to another incredible episode, Rags to Riches podcast listeners! Today Crispina is joined by Lu Mason from York, UK.
You can hear the warmth and welcome right in Lu's voice as she talks about her craft - handmade rag rugs with a colorful and creative twist. This chat is a joy to behold! We'll see you over at ragstoriches.eco for the Episode 25 Show Notes - and don't forget to support our reach and our message by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!
Are you ready to be inspired, energized, and supported? This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast with Crispina ffrench.

Use What You Have to Inspire Creativity with Jill Schwartz

This week it's all about getting inspired, encouraged, and motivated with Crispina and her friend and guest Jill Schwartz to use the materials around us to spark creativity!
Are you ready?

Prioritizing Creative Freedom with Chris English Quilts

Prioritizing creative freedom is super important to Christopher English, sole proprietor of Chris English Quilts and our guest for today's fresh new episode of the Rags to Riches Podcast. Chris is a huge advocate of spending time doing creative work that he loves - even though his small business is not the work that pays his bills.
Dive into Episode 23 as Chris and Crispina discuss the balance - and sometimes chaos of inspiration! - that is creative entrepreneur life.
Are you ready?

How’d You Get Here From There? - Crispina’s Story - Part 3

It's time for the final installment of Crispina's Story! We've put our hostess with the mostest in the guest seat for a 3-part series delving into her long and winding road as a textile upcycling entrepreneur and educator.
Crispina's friend Sarah Stewart is here to ask the questions, and Crispina is bringing all the juicy details born from her decades of experience in the industry. 
This is Part 3 of a 3-part series of interviews with Crispina and Sarah entitled "How'd You Get Here From There?"Are you ready?