Lottie Woods. Photo: Josh John.
Lottie Woods was in her early twenties when she was sent, alone, to meet a powerful buyer for a high street fashion brand in Guangzhou, China.
They went out for a drink. The next morning, they had a meeting. In this interview with Olly, she recounts what happened in between.
Along the way, she reveals the pressures of designing garments for the ‘fast fashion’ sector, the challenges of raising ethical standards, and the fallout from one fateful evening in a country she didn’t know, in a language she couldn’t speak.
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Lottie is now a freelance designer, working with ethical brands, and blogs about slow fashion and sustainable awareness at intotheeco.com
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Meanwhile, in this month’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart takes his first awkward steps into the world of videogame development.
Is a month long enough for him to develop a story that’s ‘credible, coherent and dramatically meaningful’? Has the opportunity afforded by a sprained ankle and a third month of lockdown given him enough time to to make a genuinely playable 2D platformer?
(Spoiler: yes. PLAY THE MAC VERSION NOW!).
Thanks to ‘sprite’ designer Mr Gordo, Unity’s ‘Global Head of Evangelism Content’ Mike Geig, and online videos from Brakeys and Code Monkey for helping Ollie on his journey.
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The Zeitgeist is remote-recorded on fabulous Yeti X microphones provided by our sponsors, Blue Microphones. Get yours here.
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Elsewhere, in this month’s Foxhole, Alix Fox has advice on Zoom-based dating, ‘Buddha machines’, lockdown libidos and low-effort BDSM for those who fancy an X-rated session but need to catch some ZZZzzzs.
Such enquiries this month led her to consult professional Dominants Master Dominic and Moira Mona, and also the advice issued by the Faculty for Sexual and Reproductive Health for those using Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives, like coils and implants, during the Covid crisis.
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Our record of the month is ‘Begin Again’, by Mercury-nominated songwriter Nick Mulvey. It’s part of an EP of the same name, released on June 5th.
If YOU have a story you would like to share on the show, do what Lottie did - fill out our Feedback form. It’s the same form to use if you’d like to suggest a trend for Ollie to test, have a sex question for Alix, or have any ‘matters arising from the minutes’ you’d like Olly to address in the Intro. You can remain anonymous if you like.
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BEER MONEY: In these uncertain times, it is YOUR SUPPORT of this show that makes it possible for us to still make you a fresh new podcast each month - please DONATE if you can. Just fill out our secure form here.
Wanna be a Mannbassador? Buy us a beer, or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts - and then drop us a line and tell us about yourself.
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Stay safe, keep well, and we’ll see you with something new on July 1st!
If you have been affected by the issues raised in our middle feature - know that there is always someone you can talk to in confidence. A good place to start is Safeline.
