Garmology - A podcast about clothes, and stuff.

Nick Johannessen

Garmology is a podcast about our clothes, old and new, how they are made, and the impact they have, from a perspective of making, buying, wearing, collecting, evaluating and appreciating. With interesting guests, the aim is to provide a non-fashion view of the world of our clothes. Expect plenty of opinions!

Garmology is made by Nick Johannessen. There is no advertising or sponsorship, but you are welcome to support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/garmology

Garmology theme music by Fabian Stordalen.

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20 episodes
Updated July 16

Episodes20

Newest first

July 16 · 2 hr 20 min
Garmology: Fabric, Fashion, and Finding a Better Way - With Solveig of IndigoIndigo (#173)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick stays in Norway and heads to the spectacular west coast to meet Solveig, founder of Indigo Indigo, a fabric and sewing pattern business based near the famous Lysefjord in Norway. What follows is a fascinating conversation about creativity, craftsmanship, sustainability, and the often surprising journey from photographer to fashion magazine assistant, IT developer, clothing designer, fabric merchant, and pattern maker. Solveig shares how working in the fashion
July 3 · 1 hr 54 min
Garmology: Knitwear and numbers - With Laurence of Woolkind (#172)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick heads to Edinburgh to meet Laurence, founder of Woolkind—a colourful knitwear brand built on a deceptively simple idea: what if clothing was made exactly how people wanted it, and made to last? A former accountant, IT specialist, and software executive, Laurence left a successful corporate career during the pandemic to pursue a lifelong obsession with knitting. What emerged is Woolkind, a made-to-order knitwear business where customers choose colours, garment
June 18 · 2 hr 2 min
Garmology: Inside the Reality of Modern Fashion with Anthony Princi (#171)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick heads to London to meet Anthony Princi — designer, educator, and founder of Fashion Department. What unfolds is an intense, honest, and deeply practical conversation about how fashion actually works behind the scenes. Anthony shares his journey from Australia to Paris and London, working across every level of the industry—from tailoring at Levi’s to designing for major brands—and how that experience led him to build Fashion Department: a platform focused on br
June 5 · 1 hr 59 min
Garmology: Menswear, influencing and that unc style with Peter Noah (#170)
Peter Noah joins Garmology for a refreshingly honest conversation about influencer culture, personal style, and the reality of creating content in the menswear world.
May 15 · 2 hr 7 min
Garmology: Retail, Craft, and the Future of Menswear - With Jason Pecarich of Division Road(#169)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick is joined by Jason Pecarich, founder of Division Road—one of the most thoughtful and quietly influential retailers in modern menswear. From heritage footwear and natural fabrics to presentation, service, and the future of quality retail, this is a wide‑ranging conversation about what really makes clothes worth caring about.
May 3 · 1 hr 50 min
Garmology: What’s Really in Your Clothes? With Lydia Wendt of California Cloth Foundry (#168)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick is joined by Lydia Wendt, founder of California Cloth Foundry and a leading voice in clean, non‑toxic textiles. Fresh from the Netflix documentary Plastic Detox, Lydia explains how clothing—especially performance and “sustainable” fashion—can be far more chemically complex (and harmful) than most people realise. Together, they unpack greenwashing, organic cotton myths, plastic fibres, petrochemical dyes, and why “performance” often comes at a hidden cost to hum
April 17 · 1 hr 24 min
Can Modern Technology Save Heritage Craft? - With Genevieve Sweeney (#167)
In this episode, we talk heritage crafts and modern knitting machines, the reality of factories closing and skills disappearing, the joy (and complexity) of running your own machines, and why making fewer, better garments still makes sense in 2026. From naturally dyed yarns and hand intarsia to washing, mending, moth anxiety, and the odd globe‑maker next door, this is a warm, honest, deeply nerdy conversation about how clothes are actually made—and why it still matters.
March 27 · 1 hr 28 min
A Love Letter to Craft - With Dylan Lynch of Kluane Mountaineering (#166)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick heads to Edmonton, Canada, to meet Dylan Lynch — the new custodian of Kluane Mountaineering, a tiny but legendary workshop that’s been making expedition‑grade down jackets and sleeping bags for over 50 years. Dylan shares the brand’s unlikely origins, the almost mythical figure of seamstress Lucy, his own journey from winter camper to clothing‑and‑textile graduate to owner, and the uncompromising philosophy behind “making things properly or not at all.” It’s a
March 13 · 1 hr 46 min
Curtains First, Clothes Later: Fashion Fictions Explained - With Amy Twigger-Holroyd (#165)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick speaks with Professor Amy Twigger‑Holroyd, a designer, researcher, and academic specialising in Alternative Fashion Systems at Nottingham School of Art and Design. Amy shares her path from knitwear design and running a slow‑fashion label to becoming a leading researcher on sustainability, remaking, participatory textile practices, and what she calls fashion fictions. She explains how mainstream fashion systems limit imagination and reinforce unsustainable consu
February 20 · 1 hr 57 min
The Late-Blooming Tailor with Duane MacLeod of Holdfast Bespoke(#164)
In this episode of Garmology, Nick sits down with Maine-based bespoke tailor Duane MacLeod to explore his unlikely path from DIY maker and registered nurse to fully trained tailor. Duane shares stories of discovering Japanese pattern books, learning through online sewing communities, and eventually attending the prestigious Tailoring Academy in the UK later in life. He talks about the joy — and challenge — of crafting garments by hand, sourcing exquisite fabrics, building client relationships, a
February 6 · 1 hr 50 min
Small Batch, Big Heart - With Neale McDonald (#163)
In this episode, Nick sits down with Neale McDonald, founder of the small‑batch menswear label Adamant Clothing, to talk about the journey from skate‑scene style obsession to designing handmade garments in Scotland. They dive into craftsmanship, what “made in” really means, the frustrations of modern social media, menswear trends, and the challenges of running a tiny self‑funded brand in a big‑brand world. A thoughtful conversation about passion, quality, and why the humble overshirt might be
January 23 · 1 hr 37 min
Finding Meaning in the Clothes We Already Own - With Wendy Ward(#162)
In this wide‑ranging and deeply reflective conversation, Nick welcomes back fashion researcher and maker Wendy Ward to unpack what really happens to clothes after we’re done with them — and why the fashion industry’s language around “recycling” and “sustainability” increasingly rings hollow. They explore the murky realities of textile waste, charity shop overload, and so‑called recycling systems that often amount to exporting waste elsewhere or incinerating it. Wendy reflects on her stalled atte
Dec 19, 2025 · 3 hr 3 min
Everything Is Vintage If You Wait Long Enough - With Shaun, Jon & Nick (#161)
In this festive roundtable episode, Nick, Jon, and Shaun gather to complain — politely — about modern shopping, resale platforms, and the strange reality of buying your own clothes back years later from a charity shop. They talk eBay deliveries that arrive whenever they feel like it, Vinted’s takeover of second-hand culture, AI-written listings that say nothing, and heritage brands that now come with a geography quiz. Along the way, there’s boiled wool, duffle coats, social media fatigue, and t
Dec 3, 2025 · 2 hr 1 min
Crafting Beauty From the Land: Tailoring, Natural Dyes & Local Wool with Alis Le May (#160
Step into the studio with bespoke tailor Alis LeMay, whose Glasgow-based craft blends heritage techniques, natural dyes, British wool, and a deep respect for the land. In this inspiring conversation, Alis shares how chance encounters, traditional skills, and local collaborations shaped her journey from animation student to couture dressmaker — and why natural materials are at the heart of her latest project, Clò an Tìr (“cloth of the land”). Discover: - The magic of British wool - How natural d
Nov 21, 2025 · 1 hr 29 min
Reviving dead sneakers - With Vinnie Tao at Sneakerpharm (#159)
What happens when a lifelong sneaker lover refuses to throw away his favourite shoes — and ends up building a full sneaker restoration business instead? In this episode, we meet SneakerPharm’s founder, the craftsman bringing dead, battered, sun-bleached trainers back to life using skill, chemistry, and a whole lot of patience. From reverse-engineering damaged materials to perfecting the art of whitening, reglueing, repainting, and rebuilding — this is a deep dive into the world of sneaker rescu
Nov 7, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min
From Donegal with Love: The Molloy & Sons Story - With Kieran Molloy (#158)
This week on Garmology, we’re off to the wild west coast of Ireland — to the home of Donegal tweed. Sixth-generation weaver Kieran Molloy joins us from Ardara, County Donegal, to talk about family legacy, the craft of weaving, and what it takes to keep a centuries-old tradition alive in the modern world. From looms beside the family home to a 1920s showroom on Fifth Avenue, the Molloy story is one of resilience, artistry, and an enduring love for colour and texture. We talk about the history a
Oct 23, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min
The Shoe That Fits the Foot — Not the Market - With Andrew Turriff (#157)
This week on Garmology, we’re rethinking everything we thought we knew about shoes. From Nike internships and bespoke sneakers in L.A. to orthopedic labs in Canada, shoemaker Andrew Turriff has walked a long, winding path to creating Turiff Functional Footwear — a brand built on one radical idea: that shoes should actually work for your feet. We talk about his journey from art school to Fluevog to founding his own label, his discovery that most footwear ignores how the human foot actually move
Oct 9, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
Smelling of Wax and Wilderness - Outerwear with Ben Fogle (#156)
This week on Garmology, we’re going on an adventure — without leaving the wardrobe. TV adventurer, explorer, and all-round outdoorsman Ben Fogle joins Nick for a deep dive into his love of outerwear, heritage design, and the gear that’s travelled with him from Antarctica to Everest. From waxed Barbours and wool Guernseys to modern technical kit, Ben shares what really works when the temperature drops (and why some of the best expedition gear still smells like it’s been somewhere wild). We talk
Sep 26, 2025 · 2 hr 11 min
Whole-Cut Wonders: The Future of Heritage Shoemaking - Chris Woodford of Crown Northampton (#155)
This week, we step inside the heart of British shoemaking. Our journey takes us to Northamptonshire, where craftsmanship and tradition run deep. Chris Woodford—6th-generation shoemaker and the man behind Crown Northampton and E. Woodford—opens the doors of his family’s factory to share stories of heritage, innovation, and the enduring art of making shoes. We chat about what it means to carry on a legacy while steering a modern business, the surprising freedom that comes when every worker has th
Jul 10, 2025 · 1 hr 56 min
Repost: The tale of Prickly Thistle - With Clare Campbell (#132)
Repost: This week I'm heading back to Scotland for a chat with Clare Campbell of Prickly Thistle, a self-proclaimed rebel mill outside Inverness. From a background as a chartered accountant, Clare took a u-turn, or maybe a swerve, when she discovered a passion for the traditional tartan and from there decided to establish a mill, using ancient looms, with no clue at all about how to use them. We get into what it means to run an ethical and transparent business, getting off social media, going ze

Garmology - A podcast about clothes, and stuff.

Garmology: Fabric, Fashion, and Finding a Better Way - With Solveig of IndigoIndigo (#173)

Garmology: Knitwear and numbers - With Laurence of Woolkind (#172)

Garmology: Inside the Reality of Modern Fashion with Anthony Princi (#171)

Garmology: Menswear, influencing and that unc style with Peter Noah (#170)

Garmology: Retail, Craft, and the Future of Menswear - With Jason Pecarich of Division Road(#169)

Garmology: What’s Really in Your Clothes? With Lydia Wendt of California Cloth Foundry (#168)

Can Modern Technology Save Heritage Craft? - With Genevieve Sweeney (#167)

A Love Letter to Craft - With Dylan Lynch of Kluane Mountaineering (#166)

Curtains First, Clothes Later: Fashion Fictions Explained - With Amy Twigger-Holroyd (#165)

The Late-Blooming Tailor with Duane MacLeod of Holdfast Bespoke(#164)

Small Batch, Big Heart - With Neale McDonald (#163)

Finding Meaning in the Clothes We Already Own - With Wendy Ward(#162)

Everything Is Vintage If You Wait Long Enough - With Shaun, Jon & Nick (#161)

Crafting Beauty From the Land: Tailoring, Natural Dyes & Local Wool with Alis Le May (#160

Reviving dead sneakers - With Vinnie Tao at Sneakerpharm (#159)

From Donegal with Love: The Molloy & Sons Story - With Kieran Molloy (#158)

The Shoe That Fits the Foot — Not the Market - With Andrew Turriff (#157)

Smelling of Wax and Wilderness - Outerwear with Ben Fogle (#156)

Whole-Cut Wonders: The Future of Heritage Shoemaking - Chris Woodford of Crown Northampton (#155)

Repost: The tale of Prickly Thistle - With Clare Campbell (#132)