Growing up in post-Soviet Ukraine, there was never really enough of anything, including clothes. Wearing hand-me-downs from an older sister or brother was just normal life.
When I started earning my own money, something shifted. Fast fashion brands were opening everywhere in Ukraine, and I went a little overboard 😅 After a while, I had this thought: what’s the point of buying another «plastic» t-shirt that falls apart after three washes?
Turns out: around 92 million tonnes of textile waste are created every year globally. That’s roughly one truckload of clothes dumped or burned every single second. And in Europe, up to 9% of textiles are destroyed before anyone even wears them.
That’s the starting point of this episode of #TheChangesWeMake
My guest is Kaela Katz, founder of @fibrelab in London. @kaekatz studied fashion design, worked in fast fashion in New York, and was the person approving or rejecting fabric orders. She was part of a system creating waste at scale, and nobody really had an answer for what happened to all the rejected materials afterwards. That question eventually led her to London, to studying Fashion Futures, and later to building FibreLab - a studio transforming textile waste into new materials.
We talked about:
• what it feels like to watch waste get made from inside the industry
• burning out a couple of years in, and how she rebuilt
• why being a little bit delusional is probably necessary if you want to build anything meaningful
• and why becoming “10% better” imperfectly and together - matters much more than waiting for perfect solutions
🎧 Link in bio
#sustainability #circularfashion #textilerecycling #slowfashion
It was great to see so many faces at the Common Threads x UAL Earth Week: Accelerating Circularity in Fashion panel talk @lcflondon_ 🌍🌱.
A huge thanks to our panellists for taking the time to talk to us and share their unique perspectives on such an important topic 🙏. It was wonderful to touch upon the advancements in the circular fashion space, as well as to hear more about their inspiring work that is pushing for real change in how we think about and engage with fashion.
Panellists:
‧ Sophie Barr, Course Leader of Critical Practice in Fashion Media at LCF
‧ Rosette Ale, Fashion Re-Designer & Founder of Revival London
‧ Jessica Saunders, Programme Director for the Fashion Programme in the School of Design and Technology, LCF
‧ Piarvé Wetshi, Co-Founder of Last Yarn and consultant at The Materialist
📸 @blumenkron
#circularfashion #sustainablefashion #earthweek2026
Strolling around Nakazakicho - coffee hopping, onigiri, a bit of window shopping.
Locations below…
Osaka Castle - incredible joinery and stacked stone wall
Onigiri Gorichan
Salon de AManTo 天人
@neel_nakazaki
mother lifestyle shop
@ichimaruni_official canvas bags
Green Pepe vintage shop
#osaka#japan
Part 1 of our @bbcradio1 morning interview at the FibreLab studio.
This morning we welcomed reporter Gem O’Reilly into our Fish Island studio to discuss the importance of textile recycling and how we’re working with industry to make a difference.
The feature is part of a week-long reporting special focusing on waste and recycling across the UK, reminding us of the real-world consequences of climate change and highlighting positive solutions leading that change.
#wasteandrecycling #circulareconomy #hackneywickcreatives
Happy Valentine’s Day baby ❤️ I love travelling the world with you, but even more than that, I love our quiet weekends cuddled up at home 🥰
Sending everyone lots of love today x
#wlw
Shot on film by @bethmacinnesphoto , featuring Kae at the FibreLab studio.
This series captures moments inside the FibreLab studio, a hub where community and education is explored through circular material innovation.
Beth’s practice focuses on documenting creative practitioners within their working environments, allowing for an honest representation of creatives and their processes. For anyone familiar with FibreLab, you’ll know that these images reflect the studio pretty accurately, as an inspiring and busy space full of life.
A massive thank you to Beth for capturing the energy of the studio with such honesty and care.
#shotonfilm #circulartextiles #hackneywick
Reflecting on all the highlights of 2025, it was a busy year!
I got to watch my best friend marry the love of her life and spend so much time with all our friends celebrating in LA. We visit family in Chicago, drove around old cars, ate homemade meals and Mooka did her first Seder.
In between the months of working and making 1,000 handmade tiles we found time for a weekend away in Istanbul and Alaçatı, eating, drinking and site seeing. Came back to London and moved FibreLab into a bigger studio, set up a shop front and so much more.
Wifey took me for a birthday surf trip to Lanzarote, we travelled to Lake Como with all our friends for the Design Festival, stopped through Milan for a few days on the way back. In November we celebrated 5 years together and I cried happy tears the whole night lol.
Wrapped up the year with an Asia-tour, watching more friends celebrate their love in Taipei with the best dancing wedding guests ever + repeated the dress!
Visited Kyoto (which was my favourite for the history, architecture and nature) and had lots of good food in Tokyo.
Got to spend time with my in-laws, celebrating Christmas and ringing in the new year in Bangkok. Spent so much time here, I might be becoming a little too Sabai sabai!
Going to try and bring that feeling into 2026. Resolving to feel more joy, buy less stuff and enjoy the little moments more.
Spent my 31st birthday reflecting on how much of a privilege and wonder it is to get older, to know yourself better, to feel truly confident in your skin and to be surrounded by those you love. Looking forward to many more birthdays around the Mediterranean, swimming, surfing, drinking sangria and sharing delicious meals 🌊🥂🍴
