Occupation:

Educator and project manager at Amphi production and founder of Good Girls Riot

What’s your relationship with clothes?

I think I have a quit complex relationship with clothes. On one hand I wear them on every day but I also like to be creative and express myself with clothes. But from a consumer point of view it also takes time to buy clothes and get clothes you want. But I like that process, to use clothes to express my personality. It’s a tool!

How would you describe your style?

I think I live in prints! My style is colourful and I wear clothes with plenty of different kinds of prints. I’m very attracted to prints, anything from pictures, flowers, faces and so on. My style has that edge. My personality can be introvert, but my style is broad, glittery and expressive. It just happens to be that case. I buy a lot of clothes at second hand and I also like to exchange and with siblings and friends. I try to personalize anything I wear.

“There’s not one solution and choice that suits all. When you start to learn you can ask yourself what does that mean to me local, regionally or/and globally? What is sustainable for who and why?”

How would you describe your closet?

It’s a smörgårsbord of the most emotional and exciting holiday you ever been to. In my closet there’s costumes, prints, dresses and shoes. There’s not a lot of clothes but it’s a lot of extra expression wise. Every piece has a history and a story. It’s seasonal and fun holiday! I have a lot of ugly pieces, it’s not like all of it is beautiful, but they are very joyful and together they look exciting. It’s not supposed to look good. For example, I only have one white T-shirt, the rest is printed.

What is a sustainable closet for you?

“Choosing and wearing clothes you actually want to wear. It can be second hand or a new shirt. But you should really want to wear it.”

Choosing and wearing clothes you actually want to wear. It can be second hand or a new shirt. But you should really want to wear it. Buy or choose pieces that you really want to wear. If you buy second hand and just own a lot of clothes you don’t want to wear, it’s not sustainable. It’s also important to consider how the clothes are produced. It’s important to ask questions when you buy anything new.

What do you think about the fashion industry?

I got mixed feelings. The industry can be very great for a person with a small business that wants to do something creative. But you also have these big traditional fashion brands that are very expensive or the cheap ones with things that are very poorly made. But I appreciate people who create clothes for people to make them feel good. It’s not sustainable how fabrics are made, some even die in other countries for us in the west to look good. A lot of money goes to the big brands, with top salaries for CEOs, and the people who made the clothes doesn’t get fairly paid. That is very problematic.

What do you believe needs to change?

“I’m more concern about how people are treated who are making the clothes. Women of colour are not getting paid, no vacations, sickness is common due to chemical use and so on. ”

I think there will be a time, for consumers, buyers and sellers, when they have to change. I’m not sure if people are willing to do it now. As a consumer I can do what I can do, but it’s complex. It’s difficult as an individual when you’re constantly exposed to commercials telling you to wear something once and then you don’t wear it again. It’s a mentality that you want to wear something new all the time. The communication part is important since it tells us how and what to consume. A lot of fast fashion brands collaborate with influencers who promote that way of consuming. There’s too much money involved for it to change in the close future. We need to switch this up, influencers are not going away neither the brands, so we need to create ways for people to make money but not in this way. In my case I’m more concern about how people are treated who are making the clothes. Women of colour are not getting paid, no vacations, sickness is common due to chemical use and so on. That is a larger problem. We shouldn’t only focus on how we in the west can look better and do better, but we need to include those people too.

From an environmental perspective, I try to think about how to remake and reuse textiles and fabrics. Children are not taught these things I school, where to textiles end up? We need to learn and educate more about that on the environmental part.

“It’s difficult as an individual when you’re constantly exposed to commercials telling you to wear something once and then you don’t wear it again.”

What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?

Educate yourself! Learn more about the problems and issues. There’s not one solution and choice that suits all. When you start to learn you can ask yourself what does that mean to me local, regionally or/and globally? What is sustainable for who and why? I think education is the baseline, it can be books, podcasts, talk to a friend, ask in a local store or listen to a documentary. It doesn’t have to be reading a book but try to address the problem and make informed decisions based on what you know.

INTERVIEW #30 WENDY FRANCIS

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