What parts of fashion's problems can innovation solve, and what parts require us to rethink our own behavior?

In this episode of Trash(ed), we sit down with Dr. Jessica Ciarla, a design educator and sustainability researcher at The University of Texas at Austin whose career has taken her from running a couture bridal business in New York to developing innovative alternatives to conventional fashion materials. Jessica shares how becoming a mother changed the questions she was asking about clothing, textiles, and the products we bring into our homes, ultimately inspiring her to focus on sustainability research.

From biodegradable sequins inspired by a challenge from fashion pioneer Stella McCartney to emerging biomaterials and the future of circular fashion, we explore how innovation can reshape what we wear. Together, we discuss trends, advertising, identity, and belonging, why fashion consumption can be so difficult to change, and what it will take to build a more sustainable relationship with clothing.

Welcome to Trash(ed), the podcast for the trash-curious.

Hosted by three members of the University of Texas at Austin community, Trash(ed) brings together perspectives from advertising, sustainability, and science to explore our trash.

Join Ashlee Neumann, an advertising researcher studying consumer culture and overconsumption, Daryl Barth, a recent UT Austin graduate researching ways to break down plastics like nylon and PET, and Kasia Dinkeloo, a scientist searching for plastic-eating microbes and exploring how plants, insects, and microorganisms might help solve our plastic problem, as they dig into the systems that shape our waste-filled world.

From fashion and food waste to plastics, recycling, emerging technologies, and the people working to create a less wasteful future, each episode explores the challenges and opportunities behind reducing waste. Along the way, we'll talk with researchers, practitioners, and community leaders.

Trash(ed) invites you to take a deeper look at our trashy lives and imagine what comes next.

This podcast was produced by The Drag Audio Production House. Want to work with The Drag? Reach out here.