Amy Powney of Mother Of Pearl on the new documentary *Fashion Reimagined* and the need to reconnect to the people, the land & the process behind our clothes

<p>In episode 289, Kestrel welcomes Amy Powney, a UK based fashion designer, creative director and activist living in London. After starting as an assistant who swept the cutting room floor, Amy worked her way up, and is now the Creative Director and owner at <a href="https://motherofpearl.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mother Of Pearl</a>. A luxury womenswear brand, Mother of Pearl celebrates individuality, authenticity and sustainability. Amy is also the star of a new documentary called <em><a href="https://www.fashionreimaginedfilm.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fashion Reimagined</a></em>, that tells some of her story building Mother Of Pearl into what it is today.</p> <p><strong>“I guess growing up on a farm, growing up the way I did, working you know, in the bottoms of the supply chains and agriculture, et cetera, it just kind of — it felt homely and it felt raw and it felt honest and it felt important and it’s really motivated me even more to want to tell that story, and for us to really understand when we see our product, what people and places and craftsmanship has been added. And that we can’t just focus on this pure kind of end part, and we need to be really respectful and honored for the farmers and these workers — you know, without them, we don’t have clothes and without them, we don’t have food. I think we need to connect that supply chain up and respect it. And it’s given me so much more respect as a designer to what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.” -Amy</strong></p> <p class="" data-pm-slice="1 2 []">In <em>Fashion Reimagined</em>, Amy takes folks along with her on a journey to shift Mother Of Pearl toward a more sustainable direction. It all starts in 2017, when she wins the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund award and decides to invest that cash into tracing her supply chain back as far as possible to the raw materials. </p> <p class="">The most exciting part of the film is watching them navigate their way through the sourcing process. We see their adventures in Urug