#Interview : sustainable fashion as seen by @aliaslouiseblog
We met Louise on social media, and we are truly delighted to count Louise among the friends of the Rive Claire brand. Louise created her blog on sustainable, ethical, and ecological fashion in 2014. We asked her a few questions about her vision and values.
1. Dear Louise, can you introduce yourself in a few lines so that our readers can get to know you better?
A Lille-based osteopath, I have also been a blogger specializing in eco-responsible fashion and "green" lifestyle since 2014! You can find my tips for a more sustainable style on my blog aliaslouise.com and on my Instagram account @aliaslouiseblog ❤
2. When and why did you start a blog and Instagram account on responsible fashion?
I’ve always been a huge fan of blogs of all kinds! When I was younger, I spent a good part of my free time on fashion blogs by Garance Doré, Pandora, and The Cherry Blossom Girl, whose style and incredibly high-quality photos I adored.
Also passionate about beauty and well-being, the idea of creating my own site had been on my mind for several years; I finally decided to launch in 2014 by creating Aliaslouise.com! My blog initially focused more on nutrition tips (via recipes) and "green" beauty, as I was in the middle of my osteopathy studies, and the quote "a healthy mind in a healthy body" was my main mantra!
Fashion articles came little by little (especially since I was very shy and not very comfortable in front of a camera), and it was the viewing of the documentary The True Cost (about the tragedy of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, highlighting the dark side of fast fashion) that gave me a real shock and made me start thinking about the human and environmental impact of the textile industry.
It was while looking for ethical and eco-friendly fashion brands that I realized how few there were (no one was talking about it at all in 2014-2015!); so I decided that the new goal of my blog would be to promote more sustainable consumption and show that it is possible to dress eco-responsibly without sacrificing style!
3. Is it easy to find eco-responsible and ethical brands? How do you select them?
Fortunately, over the past 2-3 years, the world seems to have finally realized there is a problem with how we consume fashion!
And while it was very difficult to dress eco-responsibly when I started talking about it 6 years ago, this general awareness has apparently allowed a great number of small ethical brands to emerge.
So I would say that today it’s relatively easy to find eco-responsible brands, as it’s become "trendy," but I think you still have to be cautious and watch out for certain brands that practice greenwashing (which is when a product is marketed as "eco-friendly" or "ethical" when it’s not really the case);
For me, I have two main criteria for selecting brands I work with and/or wear daily: the nature of the materials used (organic certified natural fabrics, recycled or upcycled materials...) and the ethics of production (French or European manufacturing, audited workshops, certifications).
4. What message do you want to convey to your followers and readers?
That it’s becoming easier to dress more sustainably today, without losing style or breaking the bank!
The most important thing to remember is to try to buy less, but better. I wrote two articles last year to help those who want to build a more "clean" wardrobe but lack the budget or don’t know where to start: my 5 tips for a more sustainable wardrobe, step by step, and my 4 tips for dressing eco-responsibly (and stylishly!) on a budget.
5. What particularly attracted you to Rive Claire? A favorite bag?
When I discovered Rive Claire, I immediately loved the high-end and ultra-high-quality aspect of the brand’s bags. Since I stopped wearing leather in 2015, I know how difficult it can be to find quality, stylish vegan and ethical bags, and I can say that Rive Claire has absolutely succeeded in this mission!
6. How do you see the future of fashion?
As of now, I am quite optimistic about the future of fashion! I believe that awareness is growing, and events like the successive lockdowns have made many people want to consume differently, including in terms of fashion. We need to keep going in this direction!
