Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Emily Miller-Sharma, general manager at Ruby.

One of the nicest things to come out of lockdown is a reconnection to creating – whether it’s making bread, growing plants or, for followers of local fashion label Ruby at least, online sewing classes.

A lot of work goes into creating clothes from a strip of fabric. Patterns are like a 3d jigsaw puzzle, and require a lot of maths. Fit and draping are a kind of magic. And all those human touches can get forgotten when clothing is made for fast-fashion chain brands.

With the fashion industry in a precarious place due to Covid-19, we chatted to Emily Miller-Sharma, general manager at Ruby. She’s one of the driving forces behind Mindful NZ, an industry body bringing together local producers to advocate for better standards of traceability and to create locally appropriate codes of conduct to find out what the industry is facing. Miller-Sharma talks about initiatives like apprentices and moving towards more sustainable choices throughout the business, and tells the story of Ruby.

Either download this episode, have a listen below or via Spotify, subscribe through iTunes (RSS feed).