How Can We Make Our Clothes Last?

Show notes

🎙️ The Fashion Stitch – On Fabrics, Facts and Feelings
Episode 3: Quality over Quantity – How Can We Make Our Clothes Last?

From nylon stockings to fast fashion, we’ve come a long way — maybe too far. In this episode, host Clare Press asks: what does quality mean in fashion today? And how can we extend the life of our clothes?

💡 Beyond the problems, we spotlight solutions:

• Upcycling and resilience in Ghana’s Kantamanto Market

• The benefits and trade-offs of fiber blends

• New EU strategies for sustainable and circular textiles

• The rise of repair culture and what makes garments truly durable

Featuring:

• Yayra Agbofah – Founder of The Revival, on textile waste and upcycling in Ghana’s Kantamanto Market

• Annika Sauerhöfer – Product Manager, OEKO-TEX®, on fiber quality, blends, and material innovation

• Carolin Franitza – Stakeholder Manager, OEKO-TEX®, on EU textile strategy and circularity

• Monika Hauck – Founder of Repair Rebels, on repair, craftsmanship, and redefining quality

🔑 Topics we cover:

• The story of nylon and the birth of synthetics

• How synthetic and blended fibers changed quality

• What “quality” really means — and why price doesn’t guarantee it

• Textile waste and circularity in Kantamanto Market

• Repair culture and consumer responsibility

• How regulations are redefining durability and recyclability

📌 Sources and further reading:

History of nylon stockings:
- Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek – Nylon – of silkworms, mother-in-law silk and stocking riots: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/content/blog/nylon-von-seidenraupen-schwiegermutterseide-und-strumpfunruhen?lang=en
- Nylon – Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon

Readings on synthetic fibers:
- Textile Exchange – Materials Market Report 2023:
https://textileexchange.org/knowledge-center/reports/materials-market-report-2023/
- European Union – Plastics in a Circular Economy (2017): https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/plastics-circular-economy_en
- Changing Markets Foundation – Fashion’s Plastic Paralysis (2024): https://changingmarkets.org/report/fashions-plastic-paralysis/
- Dr. Viola Wohlgemuth, „Vergiftete Geschenke” in Forum Rundbrief (2025) (in German):
https://www.forumue.de/rundbrief-i-2025-kleider-machen-probleme/

Figures on textile consumption:
- European Environmental Agency– Circularity of the EU textiles value chain in numbers (2025):
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/circularity-of-the-eu-textiles-value-chain-in-numbers
- “On average, we discard clothes after just seven to ten wears”:
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/fashion-and-the-circular-economy-deep-dive

The Revival:
https://www.therevival.earth/ Repair Rebels: [https://www.repair-rebels.com/]

💌 Want to dive deeper?
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🎧 Credits:
The Fashion Stitch is brought to you by OEKO-TEX® in partnership with Fashion Changers.
Concept & Script: Vreni Jäckle and Nina Lorenzen
Editorial: Nina Lorenzen
Cover Design: Vreni Jäckle
Host: Clare Press
Production & Sound Design: Studio Tongoetze