INTERVIEW #65 SARA FRII
Name: Sara Frii
Occupation: Nordic content marketing manager at Wella Company
Based in: Stockholm
Instagram: @sarafrii
Get inspired by: Gucci ads, style icons from the 60s and 70s like Twiggy, Birgitte Bardot, Peggy Lipton and Jean Shrimpton. Of course, also scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest.
Hi Sara! So fun to have you featured! Your outfits are always on point, and you’re managing to mix different styles and make it look fabulous each and every time.
Thank you so much, I’m so honoured to be featured on A Sustainable Closet!
Tell us about yourself and how pre-loved fashion/vintage became a passion?
My name is Sara, I’m 33 years old and I live in Södermalm, Stockholm with my boyfriend. I’m a real vintage lover with an extra passion for everything that breathes 60s and 70s. I’ve always had a big interest in style history and loved to dress in my grandma’s clothes when I was a child and to hear the history behind the clothes. I moved to Stockholm around 12 years ago and I think that was the time I really started to go to a lot of vintage stores and learned more about sustainability and slow fashion. Also, at that time I got more into the retro look and 70s era, which also made me look for more vintage.
I also like the hunt of finding a very rare piece, and I think the feeling of wearing something my grandma wore when she was young is fantastic.
“I moved to Stockholm around 12 years ago and I think that was the time I really started to go to a lot of vintage stores and learned more about sustainability and slow fashion.”
What’s your relationship with clothes?
I love clothes, how it is a tool to express yourself and I’m a big believer of ‘what goes around comes around’.
Of course, I have some pieces I will own forever, but I buy and sell a lot of vintage and have a rule that says something in, something out. I’ve loved clothes ever since I was a little girl playing with Barbie dolls, I didn’t really play with them, I just changed their outfits and styled them in different ways.
How would you describe your own style?
I would describe my style as a mix between retro prints, vintage skirt suits to jeans and t-shirts and I’m always striving for a 70s vibe and thought through details.
Your favorite vintage or second hand stores in Sweden?
I have a lot of them, but my favorite is Lotta Vintage in Vasastan. Stockholm. It’s so well curated! I also like Beyond Retro, Pop Stockholm and of course I’m a frequent visitor to Humana, Stadsmissionen and Myrorna.
I also love Vestiarie Collective, Etsy and other smaller curated online sites for preloved fashion.
Any favorite items in your closet?
Oh, it’s so hard to choose. But my vintage Dior monogram bags are in the top I think along with Gucci 70s shades and wide leg corduroy trousers. I have a pair in almost each color and love them all.
“I would describe my style as a mix between retro prints, vintage skirt suits to jeans and t-shirts and I’m always striving for a 70s vibe and thought through details.”
How would you describe your closet?
I try to keep my closet organised, but it always ends up being a bit of creative chaos in there. I hang it after category first, then preferably color coding. My dream is to have a huge walk-in closet one day but since living in a 2-room apartment in the city it’s kind of hard. My boyfriend sometimes refers to my closet as a parasite taking over our bedroom, haha!
Your content is, like I said, absolutely inspiring! Do you have any purpose in mind when publishing content?
Thank you so much it makes me so happy! I try to use a lot of different formats, video, carousels, reels and colors to keep it interesting and at the same time variety between close up shots to full outfit photos. My biggest goal is to inspire others that wearing a lot of vintage and preloved outfits also can be on trend. I also of course love the visual element of Instagram and to keep it as a style diary for myself.
“My biggest goal is to inspire others that wearing a lot of vintage and preloved outfits also can be on trend. I also of course love the visual element of Instagram and to keep it as a style diary for myself.”
What is a sustainable closet for you?
A sustainable closet for me is trying to minimize the fast fashion items as nr 1 and look more vintage and second hand. Renting could be an option that I have not tried out so much yet, instead me and my sisters and best friends are borrowing a lot from each other. For me, a sustainable closet is also to really use what you have, to take good care of the garments, as well as fix/sew or do some small remakes with the items you already have.
A pair of high wasted, classic blue jeans. What’s your best advice on how to style an outfit with that?
A pair of high waisted denims, preferably wide leg and a vintage blue color is one of the corner pillars in my closet. I really think the coolest way to style them is with a white shirt with a 70s dagger collar. And of course, a pair of mid heels, some statement jewellery, and a cute vintage bag. I really love that look.
What do you think about the fashion industry?
I love to be inspired by the runway looks and fashion houses like Gucci, Loewe and Bottega Veneta and then interpret the looks and trends in vintage and second hand. Otherwise, I think it’s very complex situation, in general I think everything is going too fast.
What do you believe needs to change?
I’m glad to see more companies investing more in sustainable materials and productions and I think a lot lies on us, the consumers, to make smarter decisions when shopping. I believe the big majority of people need more information about the industry and the backside of it. But what I think is important is that no one can be 100%, we all can change something, and it will move in the right direction.
“I believe the big majority of people need more information about the industry and the backside of it. But what I think is important is that no one can be 100%, we all can change something, and it will move in the right direction.”
What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?
I think we all should think twice before buying something brand new, to always strive to make better decisions when buying clothes. We also need to use the clothes we have many more times. In general, one garment is being used 7-8 times, it should be 700!
Is there anything else you’d like us, A Sustainable Closet, and our readers to know about you?
I would love to tell you about something exciting me and my sister are working on. We love hats but find that it’s hard to find vintage, second hand or even hats within a local produced brand. That was the idea for us to start working on launching a small hat brand. During Corona we’ve spent a lot of time sourcing a factory in Europe and will do small scale production of hats in the most sustainable way we can. It’s not the hat you would ’need’ to buy a new each season, it’s more THE perfect hat we couldn’t find anywhere. The brand is called “Hericane the label” and will launch later this fall.