Issue 004: A/W 2026

Our essay segment invites a unique voice to share personal insights and reflections on their relationship with clothing and style. These essays offer readers an intimate, often nostalgic exploration of how the pieces we choose to keep – or rediscover – become often woven into the stories of our lives. Through thoughtful storytelling, each contributor delves into themes of sustainability, identity, and the enduring value of cherished garments, aiming to inspire a shift in perspective: from seeing clothing as mere utility or trend to appreciating it as an integral part of our personal histories and values.

In Issue 004, Laura Mulcahy explores the idea of ownership and what that means in today's day in age. With subscriptions, digital 'borrowing' and resale economy, the notion of owning something has greatly changed for this current generation. 

Laura Mulcahy is the Head of Cultural Practice at TRA, based in Melbourne. Her career began in New York, interning with Proenza Schouler and Thom Browne, before a near decade working across design and cultural insights at Nike in Portland. Grounded in fashion and design theory, Laura brings a culturally attuned lens to research, helping brands understand how style and identity shape the way people move through the world.

Some call it the “s-word.” The “big S.” In context, these phrases recall corporate designers, technicians and marketeers talking about how – Sustainability practices, with a capital S – are all phony. For the sake of this generation, much of what’s been previously said and promised – as many “net zero” corporate missions have yielded – amounts to worse than nothing. What is corporate sustainability? We just don’t know.

What we do know: there are still brands and companies working to sustainably serve, sell, and scale their trades, projects and practices. Their existence – their will, process and art – is what WTP covers through "Sustainable Practice Spotlight" (SPS). So who else could better show us the answers to shared questions about our relationship to sustainability – either individual or corporate? With each SPS feature, the symbiotic impact of product, people and planet are at the forefront. No “carbon capture” promises – all straight SPS here.

For our fourth spotlight, we look at the apparel technology company, Unspun, out of the Bay Area of California, who has a patented 3D weaving innovation that aims to change the entire process of clothing manufacturing. Sustainable practice has long been tied to slowness and craft, but here we see how innovation, technology and systems thinking can unearth progress for our industry unlike we've ever seen before.

“Lost Art” is a series of stories celebrating the services, businesses and trades that restore, renew and repair our things. With their expertise, they critically keep our clothing items and objects in use over time, promoting sustainability and intentionality with style and spending practices.

For our latest “Lost Art” spotlight, we visited Alyx Jacobs in her Kansas City based repair studio. A trained graphic designer, Alyx approaches simple repair and customization work with great attention to detail and aesthetic. Also a wizard on the chainstitch machine, we see how she's revamping the traditional existence of a tailor and bringing in a modern, younger approach that's helping bring the next generation into repair and care for their belongings. 

Through design-led upcycling, WTP Studio partners with brands to reimagine defective goods, excess materials, and overlooked inventory. Our collaboration with Fontenelle Supply Co. explores how existing resources can be transformed into new, purposeful products—extending material life while creating new value through thoughtful design. See more behind the development of our HS-25 upcycled leather house shoe, designed, developled and manufactured right here in Des Moines, Iowa.

The wardrobe section is where we narrow each person’s closet down to their most used and favorite/sentimental pieces—diving into when and where each piece was obtained, technical details, style insights, and why it means so much to them. Subsequently, we then go beyond documentation, curating the items to better understand and unpack each person’s system of dress. By providing analytics that show data and visuals that prove possibility.

In our fourth issue, we highlight five people who love clothes, and who have spent much of their lives working within the fashion industry. We look at twenty of their favorite items to see what makes their unique sense of style and taste. Todd Snyder, our cover feature, is a fashion designer and founder of Todd Snyder New York. Leya Ijaz is a creative director at Conde Nast. Patrice Lighter is a commercial director based in Brooklyn, New York. Tara Carsner is a creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California. Last but not least, Ephraim Johnson is a brand communications manager at Adidas, based in Portland, Oregon.