Jennifer Wascak is an American lawyer and the co-founder and managing director of Justice In Fashion. Eight years ago, she shifted her focus to business and human rights. During the pandemic, media exposés of the garment industry led her to Leicester to seek justice for the vulnerable. In this episode we explore the ideas, assumptions and beliefs that Jennifer initially held about why human rights abuses were happening in Leicester, how those changed over time, and why she now prioritises listening over prescribing solutions.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
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Find Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business on:
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CREDITS:

Host:

Shaista Jakhura is a former garment worker who, in the recent years, has been engaging with apparel workers and the local community in her roles with Leicester City Council, Hope for Justice, and most recently as funding manager for the Garment and Textile Workers Trust.

After getting married and moving to the UK around 32 years ago, Shaishta’s entry point into apparel production in Leceister was on the production floor. A single parent eager to build a better life for her family, Shaista ultimately left her job on the production floor to pursue higher education. She went on to work as a primary school teacher when in 2020, her career came full circle and she found herself working in community engagement for the apparel sector in Leicester. She shares her thoughts on why labour rights abuses happen in Leicester, what kind of support and solutions are needed, and how recent scrutiny has impacted people on the production floor.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
Linkedin
Twitter

Councillor Adam Clarke is a former Deputy Mayor of Leicester City Council. Dr. Martin Quinn is a Reader and a political economist working on regional development and the development of public policy at Lancaster University.

We begin by discussing how Leicester, a city that’s seen as a shining example of best practices when it comes to governance, can have such a long track record of human rights violations. We talk about why, despite its strong ties with constituents, local government faces barriers to engaging with the garment sector, the relationship between local government and national government and the subsequent governance loopholes that ensue, and the barriers to enforcement.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
Linkedin
Twitter

Find Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business on:

Sajjad Khan, the founder of the Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Federation (ATMF), began his journey in the textile industry when he returned to Leicester to care for his father and help his wife start a manufacturing company, Arisetc Ltd., in 1991. Today, in his role at ATMF, Sajjad helps bring together manufacturers from across the UK supply chain to form a collective voice when negotiating with the government and other stakeholders. We talk about his perspectives on the constraints manufacturers in Leceister face, how and why a collective manufacturer voice emerged in Leicester, and the support and solutions they need.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
Linkedin
Twitter

Find Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business on:
Linkedin
Twitter

CREDITS:

Jennifer Wascak, co-founder of Justice In Fashion, joins co-hosts Kim van der Weerd and Dr. Divya Jyoti to wrap up our deep dive into the Leicester conundrum.

Throughout our discussion, we focus on the recurring theme of inequity within the value chain. We explore the role of inequity, questioning whether it stems from the business model, the unique context of Leicester, or perhaps from the very rules intended to govern the industry. We also discuss whether our attention on what rules permit or prohibit is misguided, and if we should instead be examining the process by which these rules are created in the first place.

Note: In the episode, Kim argues that traceability is not a data issue but a matter of willingness to share information. She emphasises that every commercial actor knows their suppliers and customers. Kim would like to acknowledge that a conversation with Crispin Argento was critical to articulating this perspective.

This episode is part of "The Curious Case of Leicester" mini-series. While legislation is often seen as the solution to fashion’s sustainability issues, Leicester’s apparel industry presents a paradox: despite being in a developed country, in a city acclaimed for its strong governance, labour rights abuses have persisted. This series explores how such abuses continue and what this means for using legislation as a tool to address fashion's sustainability challenges globally.

**Share your musings, ramblings, or questions on this episode - whether fully formed or half baked by leaving Kim a voice memo or posting to our Curious Case of Leicester Community Wall - where you can also swap notes with fellow listeners.

Also, join us for live virtual conversation on 3 October at 4PM CET to debrief and compare notes on these episodes. Spots are limited, and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Register here.**

The Curious Case of Leicester has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, working in partnership with Justice In Fashion CIC, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to address imbalances of power and resources across the fashion industry supply chain.

Find Lancaster University Management School on:
Linkedin
Twitter

Find Pentland Centre for Su...

In the final episode of the Crossover Moments mini series, Kim reflects on the key themes that emerged throughout the series. What were the beliefs guests held prior to their "crossover moment"? Why did they decide to let go of these beliefs? What did they replace them with? Her personal experience, and the one seemingly echoed by many of the individuals participating in the Crossover Moments series, is that constraints are a far more powerful driver of behaviour than intention.

Taking inspiration from Ibram X. Kendi’s book, ‘How to be an Anti-Racist’, Kim explains why we need to start a brand new conversation around sustainable fashion and, to this end, offers some new definitions for terms commonly used in the sector. Indeed, part of shifting the mindsets and beliefs that underpin our current approach to sustainability  is creating a new vocabulary, a new language for talking about our sustainability woes.

This episode is part of the ‘Crossover Moments’ miniseries, where we explore key moments of personal transformation that led people to question and ultimately reject conventional approaches to sustainable fashion.

If you’d like to read a written version of this episode, check this out.

CREDITS:

Host: Kim van der Weerd

This is a Maed in India production.

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Producer: Sean D'mello

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni

In celebration of Manufactured’s 100th episode, hosts Kim and Jessie sit down with Bergson Wang, a social and environmental compliance auditor (among many other roles) from China. As someone with a diverse career spanning over two decades, Bergson shares his journey and aspirations in sustainable fashion. He discusses how and why he began to question whether audits were actually fostering positive change, and how this ultimately motivated him to leave the auditing business and instead begin working as a freelance trainer.

This episode is part of the "Crossover Moments” miniseries, where we explore key moments of personal transformation that led people to question and ultimately reject conventional approaches to sustainable fashion.

CREDITS:

Host: Kim van der Weerd and Jessie Li

This is a Maed in India production.

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Producer: Nikkethana Kamal

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Lakshman Parsuram