The fashion and apparel industry is always changing, and it can be exhausting to keep up with the latest trends in sustainability, innovation, and design. Our bi-weekly “What We’re Reading” column is here to make the task a bit easier with a few of our favorite reads from around the web. In this space you’ll find blogs we love, people we follow, articles we’re sharing and words that inspire us.
While we’re certified book/blog/magazine/news-worms through and through, we’ll let you in on a little secret: we’re equal opportunity when it comes to the multi-media channels we rely upon to gather industry news and views. To that end, podcasting is a definite must. And, according to the data, we’re not alone. According to a recent Edison Research report, an estimated 39 million Americans have listened to a podcast in the past month—an all-time high.
So, taking a page from Business Insider’s Drake Baer‘s recent article 9 Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter, we thought we’d share a few of our favorite podcasts on topics like sustainability, innovation and business leadership. Without further ado here are seven of our favorites:
Stanford’s Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders: An Ivy League degree will cost you, but thanks to to Stanford’s podcast, you can learn from the best without spending a dime. Subscribe to hear some of business’s brightest entrepreneurial minds discussing topics related to leadership and innovation.
HBR Ideacast: To further your Ivy schooling, check out this weekly contribution from HBR as well. Host Sarah Green interviews business leaders and HBR editors on a variety of topics from management and leadership to succeeding in business. We love the interviews with HBR editors that give us some additional background on the articles published in the magazine.
TED Talks Audio: And since we’re on the topic of ideas, we’d be remiss not to include TED Talks. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely encountered a TED Talk that’s changed your perspective on an important issue. These “Ideas Worth Spreading” cover pretty much every topic imaginable — a great choice for your daily dose of inspiration. We love the video talks, but the audio podcasts are a solid option if you spend a lot of time behind the wheel or in other video-deprived situations.
Innovation Hub: Successful innovation is all about changing the status quo — that’s why we love this show. Innovation Hub brings the thinkers, researchers, authors, and visionaries who are challenging conventional wisdom. Spend a few minutes with host Kara Miller and her impressive line-up of guests and you’re bound to get some insightful food for thought.
NPR Environment: Levi Strauss & Co. has a long history of firsts when it comes to sustainability in apparel, and we love to hear stories of others who are leading groundbreaking work to protect people and the planet. One place we go to hear sustainability stories is NPR’s Environment podcast, which brings together stories from several of NPR’s award-winning shows.
Sustainacast: A relatively new addition to our must-listen list, we’re loving the content that Mick Dunn, host of Sustainacast offers on a weekly basis. So far he’s covered topics ranging from corporate sustainability to education to product innovation. We’re excited to see what he has on tap for future episodes.
Your WWD Podcast: Our list wouldn’t be complete without a little fashion dish, and for that we turn to none other than Women’s Wear Daily, of course. This bi-monthly podcast is a great way to catch up on all the latest news from the pages of WWD, plus a little extra insider info.
Anything we missed? Tweet us your can’t miss podcasts @LeviStraussCo!
Photo Credit: Ilmicrofono Oggiono via Flickr CC
