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What if fashion’s future wasn’t about producing more, but transforming what we already have?
Theme: Take action on climate
Topic: Circular economy
Language: English
In this episode, Anna speaks with Clôd Priscilla Baumgartner, Vienna-based entrepreneur and founder of MILCH.tm, one of Europe’s pioneering upcycling fashion labels. Since 1998, Clôd has been redefining what fashion can be: turning thousands of discarded garments into contemporary designs that celebrate creativity, sustainability, and circular thinking.
You’ll learn:
How upcycling can challenge fast fashion and reduce waste
Why creativity is the key to building a more regenerative fashion industry
Practical ways to rethink your relationship with clothing and consumption
Guest Bio:
Clôd Priscilla Baumgartner, Entrepreneur
Clôd Priscilla Baumgartner is an award-winning upcycling pioneer and regenerative fashion innovator based in Vienna, Austria. Since founding MILCH.tm in 1998, she has transformed the concept of textile waste into opportunities for creative expression and circular business models.
As a visionary entrepreneur, Clôd has evolved her business from producing upcycled garments to democratizing circular fashion through digital tutorials, enabling thousands worldwide to join what she calls the "Upcycling Future Force."
Beyond her creative work, Clôd leads Erasmus+ programs, e.g. "Voices for Climate Action" with her association Circles of Impact, training entrepreneurs to translate global climate goals into measurable business strategies. Her practical approach to regeneration combines circular economy principles with actionable frameworks that inspire businesses to create meaningful impact.
Websites:
https://www.circlesofimpact.net
https://www.agencyforinnovation.com
Host Bio:
Anna Katrīna Elme, Master’s Student, Latvian Academy of Arts
A master’s student at the Latvian Academy of Arts and participant in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program, Anna brings culture to life for high school students while creating captivating media projects. From co-hosting the podcast Let’s Have Tea to developing the storytelling podcast Muša, she blends creativity, curiosity, and a fearless sense of adventure — always seeking new ways to inspire, explore, and express herself.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_akelme_/
00:00:00
Welcome. You're listening to Voices for
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Climate Action, where inspiring women entrepreneurs share the
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stories and solutions shaping A sustainable future.
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Sustainability Matters.
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This is the podcast where I, together with fantastic guests,
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share stories about starting small and dreaming big when it
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comes to making a personal impact on climate change.
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I hope you listen to our very first episode with my dear
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friend Anita, who shares some wonderful tips for everyday
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life. And maybe since then, you
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already started thinking about the ways you could reduce or
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even small habits you might want to change.
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Today we are diving into a topic that's very close to my heart,
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Fashion. As many of us know, fast fashion
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is one of the leading causes of pollution in today's world.
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There's also the good news, we can be creative and find new
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sustainable ways to approach fashion.
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Recycling and of cycle including can be more than just DIY
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hobbying. It can even grow into successful
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fashion brands and businesses. Well, that's exactly what
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today's guest has done in this episode.
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I'm so excited to introduce you to Claude, an inspiring
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entrepreneur based in Vienna. She's built her career in
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fashion and later expanded her path as a.
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Coach. And a role model for other women
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entrepreneurs through the Expert Circle community.
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Well, her story is full of motivation, transformation, and
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creativity, so let's not wait any longer.
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Get ready to hear an amazing journey from Claude and even
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some tips for you to be more sustainable in your everyday
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life. Before I begin, I feel it's
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important to acknowledge the position I speak from.
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As a white European, I am part of a society that has the
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privilege of creating immense waste, of polluting our planet
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and of course of exploiting resources and people.
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I also stand on the shoulders of all the people before me who
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knew how to sew, to weave, to knit and to dye fabrics.
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I and my anti fashion label Milk came in at the very end of that
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long chain. So I was also born with a
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different kind of privilege. It's a deep seated curiosity.
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I have always looked at things and wondered how can we do this
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or use this differently. I was really lucky I had access
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to my mother's sewing machine and a world of materials to
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experiment with. I mean, the the the world of
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materials was more tablecloth and bad linen.
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But I had this chance to create and transform things already as
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a child and that sparked maybe what would become my life's
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work. I think so.
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So my name is Klute Baumgartner and I'm also, among other
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things, the founder of the anti fashion upcycling label milk
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based here in Vienna, Austria. Milk is the German word for
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milk, which is quite strange to name your anti fashion label
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milk, but that's what it's called.
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My passion is really to reimagine what already exists
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and to see the incredible potential where others only
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might see waste. So milk began, let's say in
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1998. That's at least what I always
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say. It started with me taking
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discarded men's shirts and trousers and transforming them
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into contemporary designer pieces.
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And over the years, with the help of skilled seamstresses in
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social enterprises, we saved about two tons of men's suits
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and shirts per year from being burned or shipped away to other
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countries. We all know where our waste
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lands at the end, so we reworked them into dresses and bags and
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caps and shirts and and sent them back into the shops as new
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collections. We were closing the circle and
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extending their life for at least one more generation.
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This work is so important to me because I've I saw the fashion
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industries devastating in the environmental impact first hand
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and I knew I could not be part of a system that treats closing
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as disposable. What I love most is that this
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anti fashion line became a form of gentle education.
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At the same time, when people see a piece and have that moment
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of recognition, oh that was once a man's shirt or hey, that used
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to be a pair of trousers, it starts in ignites within them, a
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new thought process. You know, they begin to think
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maybe, oh I have things like that at home.
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It's really interesting that you can use them differently, wear
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them differently, completely rethink them.
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And I think that aspect of my work is what I'm most proud of.
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Today. Me no longer produces physical
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collections. Instead we have become a
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regenerative business that shares our knowledge.
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We offer our award-winning patterns as digital upcycling
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tutorials so that really anyone in the world, anywhere can join
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what we call the Upcycling Future Force and everyone can
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experience the magic of transformation for themselves by
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downloading our sewing upcycling tutorials.
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So now if if I want to share or I'm asked to share some tips,
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eco friendly and sustainable tips 1st and I really live it,
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it's powerful. It's buy less.
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Before I even think of buying something new, I borrow it from
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friends or swap items or buy second hand all the time.
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It's so fun to go in second hand shops and see what there is and
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be surprised. And I also learned to see the
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capital that is that is already hanging in my own wardrobe.
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And I become aware of how much I have like on a daily basis.
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And if I truly need something new, I try to borrow it or
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exchange 1st. And if I do buy something, I
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invest in high quality pieces from my beloved local designers
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And I really wear those garments for very long time and I love
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them forever and I have a history and a story related to
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them. So second also I changed how I
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wash my clothes. I use less heat and shorter
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cycles. This is not only much less
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damaging the fabrics so that they last longer, it saves a
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huge amount of energy and water and not to mention wear and tear
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on my washing machine. I mean, we are not laborers with
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extremely dirty clothing, are we?
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I mean, a gentle wash is usually more than enough.
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And my third tip is keep your children and teenagers on a
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short leash. That sounds weird, but when it
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comes to consumerism, don't just buy them everything they are
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asking for. You know, encourage them to be
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creative themselves. For example, borrow books and
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toys, make a sewing machine available to them, and then just
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see what happens. You know, trust them, trust
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their creativity, spend time with them dying, mending,
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shortening or lengthening clothes, knitting or weaving.
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Make a new trend out of it. I mean, really, you have the
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power. And also when young people or,
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or we all, when we make something with our own hands, we
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will value it in a completely different way.
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When you ask me about my motivation and inspiration for
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doing all of this, I think I care about the environment
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because I want future generations to inherit a planet
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that is livable. The fashion industry is one of
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the world's biggest polluters. I, I guess you know that and
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changing our relationship with it is a direct way to alter our
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environmental path. My impact comes really from
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showing an alternative. When I transform a shirt that
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was thrown away into something beautiful and functional, I am
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demonstrating that value is not fixed.
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It is something we assign and can reassign.
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My goal now is to empower as many people as possible to feel
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that for themselves. So to everyone who is listening
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now, I want to leave you with this.
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You have much more power than you realize.
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We have much more power than we ever realize.
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Every purchase we make is a vote for the kind of world we want to
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live in. And every repair is an act of
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rebellion against the culture of disposability.
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And every creative act of reuse and repurpose is a step toward a
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circular economy. The most radical thing we can do
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is to work with what we already have.
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It's enough in abundance and where when we see abundance,
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where others see ways, and when we find deep satisfaction in
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transformation and creativity rather than accumulation, that's
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really cool. And this shift in perspective is
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not just about saving the planet, it's about creating a
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more meaningful and beautiful relationship also with the
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objects and the people in our lives and on our planet Earth.
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Yeah, thank you for listening and grab your own upside and
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tutorial on our homepage. And start repurposing and
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recreating and reusing and regenerating.
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I want to say a huge thank you to Claude for sharing her story
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and experience with us today. I love how she used the word
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transformation because that really captures what
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sustainability is all about. We can transform our habits, our
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choices, and even the way we see things we already own, giving
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them a new life. Her story has truly motivated me
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to think more about what I have, how I can change it, and how we
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can all make all things feel new again.
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I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
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I at least did, and I can't wait to see you next time on
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Sustainability Matters. Thank.
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You for joining us on Voices for Climate Action.
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To continue the conversation and discover more stories, subscribe
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to this channel and visit our website.
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Until next time, keep listening, keep learning, and let's take
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action for a better climate together.
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Voices for Climate Action is a joint program by Circles of
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Impact Austria, Conscious Marketing Movement Estonia and
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Evolving Cycles Greece. It's Co funded by the European
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Union. Views and opinions expressed
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are, however, those of the authors only and do not
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necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the OEADG MB H
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Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be
00:13:35
held responsible for them.