How Fitting® Podcast

The podcast for slow fashion designers who want to create clothing and grow a business that fits their customer, lifestyle, and values.

In biweekly episodes, hear how relatable fashion entrepreneurs (the kind who run their businesses from kitchen tables and cutting tables, not boardroom tables) navigate the fashion industry with integrity and define success based on their own principles.

In each conversation, host Alison Hoenes (a freelance women’s apparel patternmaker) explores the things that all slow fashion business owners experience: the vulnerability of launching something new, the deeply empathetic process of designing clothes that fit a niche market, the challenges of pursuing both financial and environmental sustainability, the late nights of reckoning with your values that make you consider shutting the whole thing down, and the rewarding moments that make it all worth it.

In addition, hear from experienced fashion industry resources that are helping indie designers make a difference and a profit – like low MOQ factories, fashion marketing and business coaches, or sustainable fabric suppliers.

How Fitting® offers validation that you are not alone in your fashion entrepreneurship experience, ideas to try on in your fashion business to create a better fit, and a curious look into how other slow fashion brands are making it work. How fitting is that?


Want to share how your brand fits your customer, lifestyle, and values on the How Fitting® podcast? I’d love to have you as a guest on an upcoming episode.


The Adventures Of Outdoor Apparel Entrepreneurship with Suzi Zook of Alta Reina

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
The Adventures Of Outdoor Apparel Entrepreneurship with Suzi Zook of Alta Reina
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Which is the bigger adventure: alpine skiing or starting a fashion brand? For Alta Reina founder Suzi Zook, they each provide their own set of thrills and challenges. In episode 108, Suzi tells of the peaks and valleys of starting her outdoor apparel brand made to fit tall women. From navigating sustainable sourcing of performance […]

With Aging and Fashion Business, The Only Constant Is Change with Julie Corwin of Birdie & Claire

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
With Aging and Fashion Business, The Only Constant Is Change with Julie Corwin of Birdie & Claire
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With age, comes wisdom – and also change. Women 50+ years old are often overlooked by the fashion industry, but Birdie & Claire founder Julie Corwin celebrates style at every age. As these women go through transitions in their lives and bodies, Julie’s business has changed as well. In episode 107, Julie shares how her […]

How Customer Conversations Become Actionable and Empathetic Insights with Erin Cavanaugh of See ROSE Go

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Customer Conversations Become Actionable and Empathetic Insights with Erin Cavanaugh of See ROSE Go
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In episode 106, Erin shares how conversations have shaped their brand and how she turns those insights into empathetic action. It was after decades in the industry at big-name brands like Nike, Converse, and Nordstrom that Erin and her co-founder realized just how hard it is for plus-size women to find clothes that fit after […]

Expectations Vs. Reality of Fair Trade Manufacturing with Ari Louise of Glean & Grace

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
Expectations Vs. Reality of Fair Trade Manufacturing with Ari Louise of Glean & Grace
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In episode 105, hear the step-by-step timeline that Ari took to design, launch, and produce her first product for her historically-inspired maternity brand Glean & Grace. In our conversation, she reveals the ways the process didn’t go as planned, but how it has been rewarding and encouraging nonetheless.  Ari is a trained tailor turned sustainable […]

Valuing The Longevity Of Clothing with Aiste Zitnikaite of Devinto

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
Valuing The Longevity Of Clothing with Aiste Zitnikaite of Devinto
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In episode 104, hear how Aiste designs for longevity, how she’s learned to do better when it comes to sustainability over the years, and what still needs to happen to make ethical fashion brands viable in the long-term. With over a decade in business, Aiste knows what works and what doesn’t and openly shares her […]

Making The “Right” Next Move For Your Brand with Kristen Chester of Casa Danu

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
Making The “Right” Next Move For Your Brand with Kristen Chester of Casa Danu
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In episode 103, Kristen Chester shares the beautiful moments and the uncertain realities of growing a fashion brand. She started Casa Danu after surviving breast cancer which transformed the way she thinks about clothing. Her mission with the brand is to help women feel more alive and more like themselves no matter what they are […]

What Women Really Think About Pockets According To Research with Aditi Sinha of Point of View Label

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
What Women Really Think About Pockets According To Research with Aditi Sinha of Point of View Label
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In episode 102, women’s workwear brand founder Aditi Sinha speaks out against pocket inequality for women in the workplace. Hear how she is leveraging extensive research and customer feedback to close this gap – not just with the size of pockets – through her brand Point of View Label.  Aditi Sinha is the founder & […]

This Fit Is Not For Everybody (and that’s okay) with Kalia Carter of BodyCon The Brand

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
This Fit Is Not For Everybody (and that’s okay) with Kalia Carter of BodyCon The Brand
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In episode 101, Kalia Carter gets real about the challenges she’s faced creating BodyCon The Brand exclusively to fit full-bust women. She’s faced pushback from factories and internet trolls alike for her unwavering focus on full-bust fit, but she’s also created the pieces she’s always wished she could wear and has a growing community of […]

How These Listener-Favorite Episodes Have Shaped Your Fashion Business

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How These Listener-Favorite Episodes Have Shaped Your Fashion Business
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It’s episode 100 of How Fitting®! Each of these conversations with fashion designers and business owners has explored how they create clothing and grow a business that fits their customer, lifestyle, and values. I have enjoyed getting to know each of these people and seeing what drives their decisions and it has been a privilege […]

Prioritizing The People (While Still Being Profitable) with Kat Williford of Pamut

How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
Prioritizing The People (While Still Being Profitable) with Kat Williford of Pamut
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In episode 99, Kat Williford recounts how her brand Pamut has shifted over the years to sustain her and now her team through cross-continental moves, hard times, and new family priorities. Kat puts people first, but doesn’t miss a beat on the creative or the financial aspects of her business either. Hear how her thriving business […]