New podcast episode: Taking the challenge – the road to a better fashion industry
15.06.2026
What happens when you stop accepting the way things have always been done?
That’s the question at the heart of the latest episode of Sustainability by Design, where Giff sits down with Ed Bartlett, founder of cycling apparel brand Kostüme.
Ed is the kind of guest we love to speak to. A former curator, cultural entrepreneur and brand builder, he has spent his career challenging convention and creating new ways of thinking. Today, he’s applying that same mindset to cycling apparel through Kostüme, a brand built around exceptional product quality, customer trust and a radically different approach to manufacturing.
Rather than setting out to create a sustainability brand, Ed started by questioning the assumptions underpinning the industry. Why was so much waste accepted as normal? Why were products constantly discounted? Why did comfort seem secondary to performance in the way brands talked about cycling?
The result is a business built on a small-batch pre-order model that allows Kostüme to invest more heavily in quality, materials and craftsmanship, while avoiding many of the inefficiencies that have become standard across the fashion industry.
Our conversation explores what happens when you rethink a business from first principles. We discuss customer trust, product excellence, sustainable growth and the relationship between brand, product and experience. Along the way, we touch on the role of creativity, artist collaborations and why some of the most effective marketing comes from simply creating something people genuinely want to talk about.
We also discuss the extraordinary challenge currently being undertaken by ultra-endurance cyclist Dr Sarah Ruggins. At the time of recording, Sarah was attempting to break the Europe end-to-end record, riding from the southern tip of Spain to the northernmost point of Norway accessible by road, with Kostüme as her technical apparel partner.
For us, this isn’t really a conversation about cycling. It’s a conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation and the power of questioning accepted wisdom. Whether you’re building a brand, developing a product or trying to create positive change in your industry, there’s plenty to take away from it.
Listen to the full episode of Sustainability by Design and discover why the road to a better future often starts with a better question.