Fibre & Textiles: The Best Material Matters Podcast Episodes on Natural Fibres and Innovation

This playlist brings together 20 Material Matters conversations about fibre and textiles — from weavers, knitters and embroiderers to designers rethinking how cloth and leather are made, sourced and worn.

Guests include fashion designer Zandra Rhodes on pattern, artist Claudy Jongstra on wool and her biodynamic farm, weaver and colourist Ptolemy Mann, Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma on wool and linoleum, V&A curator Claire Wilcox on clothes, leather designer Bill Amberg, knitwear designer Donna Wilson, and Anna Foster of ELV Denim on upcycling discarded denim. Also featured are Nicole Rycroft on viscose, Sara Grady and Alice Robinson on British Pasture Leather, embroidery artists Alice Kettle and Richard McVetis, Professor Rebecca Earley on polyester, Hannah and Justin Floyd on wool, Simon Hasan on cuir bouilli, weavers Majeda Clarke and Mario Sierra of Mourne Textiles, Lucy Sparrow on felt, Han Ates of Blackhorse Lane Ateliers on denim, and Freddie Robins on knitting.

Across these episodes, guests reflect on textiles as both the most intimate material we live with and one of the most industrially fraught — from the slowness of the hand loom and the politics of wool to synthetic fibres, regenerative leather, circular design and the true cost of clothing. Alongside conversations rooted in natural fibres and traditional skill, several guests look at where textiles are heading: new materials made from wool, alternatives to conventional viscose and leather, and what a genuinely circular fashion industry might require.

Whether you're interested in weaving, knitting and embroidery, sustainable fashion, leather and hide, or the wider culture of making, this playlist gathers the fibre and textile conversations from the Material Matters archive in one place.

You can follow the podcast on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.