INTERVIEW #130 GRETA VOLPI

Name: Greta Volpi

Based in: Milan

Occupation: Content Creator

Gets inspired by: Lewis Hamilton

Instagram: @greenonthebeam

Ciao Greta! Welcome to A Sustainable Closet! We are so happy to have you here. Tell us about yourself.

Hi, thank you for thinking of me for this interview! Let me introduce myself, I am Greta and I am passionate about environmental and social sustainability. I currently work as a freelance content creator and social media manager, my previous experiences have been in fashion and digital innovation. I am also currently attending a master's program in Digital Sustainability Management, to further increase my knowledge and skills in the area of sustainability applied to the business context.

We are curious about your career and how you reached where you are today.

My passion for sustainability was born during my senior year of college when I took a course in business communication. During the course we got into the topic of greenwashing, which intrigued me a lot and prompted me to delve into many other aspects of corporate communication and sustainability.

After college, I started working in the fashion industry, and there I really understood how impactful that industry was. I felt I wasn't in the right place and quit, moving into the world of digital innovation. During this experience, I started my project of spreading sustainability issues on Instagram and then TikTok. This project has been very important to me since the beginning, I have always invested time and energy in it, and I recently decided to quit my job to devote more time to it. So I'm currently dividing my day between developing my personal project and working as a freelance social media manager and content creator.

Where do you find your daily outfit inspiration? I try not to look at others much but focus on the clothes I already have that make me feel beautiful and comfortable

What is your relationship with clothes, how do you consume your clothes? I think I have a good relationship with clothes, and in recent years I have to say that I have pretty much stopped buying new clothes.

If I think back to 4/5 years ago, I remember at least 100/150€ a month went into clothes, now I try to focus on what I have and recycle clothes from my mom and sister. On the other hand, they are very much into fashion, so they often buy new clothes and change often. When they don't like something anymore I recycle it!

What favourite stores/brands to shop from?

Allbirds, Organic Basics, La Semaine Paris, Patagonia, Rifò.

Favourite material to wear?

Organic cotton!

What do you think about the fashion industry in general?

I think that fashion is responsible for so much environmental and social damage and needs to be completely revolutionized. Fortunately, many startups are working to change the industry today, but the big players are still not doing enough, focusing more on greenwashing than substance.

You are Italian and based in Italy, do you feel like many Italians are becoming more sustainable in their daily life or how is the mindset over there? This question always leaves me a little bitter in the mouth. Because if I ask people if they are interested in sustainability or concerned about the climate and ecological situation, they say yes, but when it comes to changing habits I always see resistance and mindlessness. This scares me because I am convinced that if we want to save ourselves, the first ones who have to change have to be us. Only then can companies and institutions change as well.

Describe what fashion is for you, in 3 words.

Respect, enhancement and resources.