In this deeply personal episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with creative director, stylist, vintage curator and image consultant Talia Bella for a conversation that expands what sustainable fashion can truly mean. Together, they move beyond conversations about fabrics and production practices to explore style as survival and self-expression. Drawing from her upbringing between Washington, D.C. and New York, Talia reflects on how family, vintage clothing, community and lived experience shaped her understanding of fashion. Through stories of healing and finding beauty in unexpected places, she reminds us that our communities have always practiced sustainability, we just called it living.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Talia unpack the invisible labor behind fashion, the importance of supporting emerging designers, the nuance of mixing high and low fashion and why sustainability should never be mistaken for scarcity. They also offer an honest look at navigating the fashion industry as Black women, protecting creative integrity, responding thoughtfully rather than reactively and building careers rooted in collaboration instead of competition. Rich with humor, vulnerability and hard-earned wisdom, this episode is a powerful reminder that the clothes we wear unearth how we've learned to sustain ourselves across generations.

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

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