Responsible Fashion Lab

What is your clothing really made of?
In this solo episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, Maria looks at one of the simplest but most revealing places to start: the fabric label.
Before we ask whether a garment is sustainable, responsible, natural, recycled or premium, we first need to understand its material composition. Is it made from natural fibres, synthetic fibres, semi-synthetic fibres — or a blend of several materials?
This episode is a practical guide to reading clothing labels more critically. Maria explains why fabric composition matters, why polyester is still plastic even when it feels soft, why recycled polyester is not a perfect solution, and why blends can make garments harder to understand, harder to recycle, and easier to market in misleading ways.
The episode also looks at how brands use language such as “wool blend”, “silk touch”, “linen feel”, “eco fabric” or “recycled materials” — and why the actual percentages on the label often tell a more honest story than the product title.
A short, practical episode for anyone who wants to make more informed clothing choices without perfectionism or panic — just with more awareness.
In this episode:
Why the fabric label is the first clue
The difference between natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic fibres
Why polyester is a plastic-based textile
Why recycled polyester is still polyester
Why blends can be a red flag
How product language can shape what we assume
Five simple questions to ask before buying clothes
Responsible fashion is not only an environmental conversation. It is also about our bodies, our skin, our homes, and the everyday environments we live in.

Jo Ward and Jo Inham, founders of Our Fashion Fix and former retail insiders, explain how fashion decisions are made long before shoppers see a garment. They cover supply-chain realities, materials, carbon impacts, the Digital Product Passport, and why transparency and practical tools matter.
The episode mixes industry experience with actionable advice—carbon literacy training, repairing, resale and smarter buying—to help brands and consumers make more informed, sustainable choices.
You can find our guests following the links:
Our Fashion Fix | Discover Sustainable Solutions
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I didn’t know what my clothes were made of — and that’s where this podcast begins. In this first episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, I break down what’s really behind everyday fabrics, and why so much of it has gone unquestioned — setting the foundation for a series focused on moving from confusion to clarity through conversations with scientists, industry experts, and researchers, so we can make more informed choices about what we wear.