INTERVIEW #136 AGLAJA BRIX

Name: Aglaja Brix

Occupation: Photographer, vegan fashion blogger & model, DJ

Based in: Berlin

Website: www.brixandmaas.com

Instagram: @aglaja_brix

Hi Aglaja Brix , Welcome to A Sustainable Closet, can you tell us more about yourself?

I was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany and now I live in Berlin for eight years, with a little stopover in New York in between. Travelling is and always has been a big part of my life, as a creative you get a lot of inspiration. Animal rights always were a big topic in my life, as well as fashion and art - so I always wanted to combine both passions: creative work with a meaningful part. That’s why I started my Instagram account, which should give inspiration for vegan, ethical fashion and also have the main focus on working with vegan and fair brands - as a photographer or a model.

I started to stand in front of the camera at a young age as a child actress. For my studies, I focused more on getting behind the camera, too and specialised in photography and moving pictures. Recently I also started as a DJ (specialising in Melodic and Techno), because music also always has been a big love of my life, my best friend Tom Peters is a big DJ and together we dance through Berlin’s nightlife.

For a sustainable closet, you can’t ignore the right to live for animals and can’t leave out the hugely destructive impact that animal-derived products have in the process of making them. If you want to see more data, please check @collectivefashionjustice and @circumfauna - great to see you already made an interview with one of the founders Emma Håkansson.

We would like to start with you personally, so what’s your relationship with clothes, when did you get interested?

Fashion has always been a big passion for me. To have my own style, and create outfits, also I do style sometimes at my fashion shootings, too. My mum studied fashion design in Hamburg/Germany back in the 70s/80s and was very fashion-oriented and interested in art. So the passion for fashion, art and creative work was literally put into my cradle. My mum already sewed fancy kid dresses for me. Clothes can be an expression of character, mood and style. My outer appearance is and was always important to me in order to express myself and also to show how good I could look and feel without harming someone.

I always wanted to combine my passion for fashion and creative work with animal activism work and a conscious lifestyle - so it was clear to start a little inspirational Instagram account about vegan fashion, as I already mentioned. Back then I also worked for a vegan lifestyle magazine, but unfortunately, it is a project from the past.

How would you describe your style and the clothes you choose to wear?

My style is more classy and feminine but casually légère, individual and 100% animal-free!

Can you tell us more about @brix_and_mass, what is it and what is the purpose of the work?

I work with a partner, together we are Aglaja Brix and Florian Maas, aka Brix & Maas, a photography duo - delivering strong and decisive work with subjects ranging from fashion and beauty to portraiture, travel and plant-based food. With our style often being described as cinematic and artistic, we are showing talent from a most confident side, whilst leaving room for interpretation and a whisk of mystery in every shot. For us, telling a story is the driving factor for every piece of creative work.

We shoot commercial campaigns, lookbooks, and social media content for big companies, small brands and magazines. But we want to emphasise that we developed more and more focus on working for and with ethical and vegan brands, as it aligns with our own lifestyle and mindset. Please get an overview of our work here: www.brixandmaas.com. And for plant-based food: food.brixandmaas.com

For how long have you been a vegan and in what ways do vegan and fashion relate? 

I already grew up as a vegetarian and with a big sense of empathy, because my mum taught me where meat comes from (killed animals) - obviously as a kid I was shocked about that and never wanted to eat my friends. When I grew a bit older (between 7 and 14) I also recognised that leather is dead skin and also what’s happening in the wool, egg and dairy industry, too. So I also ditched every animal product about 18 years ago and went completely vegan immediately.

Next to the global food industry, which kills and processes animals at a vast rate for meat, dairy and eggs, the fashion industry is one of the cruellest industries and goes along with the food industry in some points and produces products made from animal-derived materials: leather, skins, wool, silk, furs, down. So it’s important to educate and raise awareness about the fashion industry and its destructiveness towards animals, the environment and exploitation. Shockingly, in the so-called ‚ethical‘ or ‚fair‘ fashion community different opinions on what fair and ethical means exist: Many fair fashion brands brag about good work conditions and environmentally friendly production, but still use dead animals for their products. But how could you leave out other living beings, who feel exactly the same way we humans do? Animals also don’t want to get murdered for a fair, EU handcrafted‘ leather handbag which was made, without as many chromium-tanned‘ processes.

A conscious life is a closing circle: what you eat, what you use, what you wear, what you support - consuming consciously, as much as it’s possible in our society.

Can you mention any brands that you think have the complete picture of vegan, ethical and sustainable fashion?

Bhava Studio, is a vegan shoe brand from USA with worldwide shipping. Classy and feminine. Founder Francisca works only with non-toxic, soft and high-quality materials from EU suppliers and produces fairly in factories she personally knows in Spain and India. I became friends with her years ago and worked for her ever since - we did so many shootings all over the world - from Bali, to the Canaries to Berlin…

Virón and Rombaut, are both brands by the same founder, an ethical vegan from Paris. All-vegan brands working with innovative vegan leathers (like apple leather) and also fairly produced in Portugal. Streetstyle, boots, sneakers - but make it fashion!

Baby Turns Blue, a vegan accessories brand also from Paris, uses apple leather. Fetish - but make it fashion, too.

Felder Felder, a luxury couture brand by German twins Annette and Daniela, living and creating between London and Miami: from dresses made with seaweed, fruit leathers made from mangoes or pineapples, silky fabrics made from citrus fruits or even laser-cut kombucha scoby latex.“ They put emphasis on circular design and fashion. 

Bucher bags, a completely vegan handbag brand from Germany. Founder Melina is also an ethical vegan and donates a part of her sales profit to animals rights organisations. She also only uses new and innovative materials for her handbags - her newest line is made from Mirum, completely plastic-free.

What is your best advice towards the readers to enjoy fashion and clothing without doing harm?

Always search for amazing brands out there, which are vegan and produce fairly. I do my research simply via vegan fashion bloggers and ethical fashion stores and platforms, or even just Google. Also, look out for events and fairs with a focus on ethical fashion. Follow them all, get inspired, and get active. Next to the new innovative brands, I was always a big fan of flea markets - it’s a summer hobby(!) I prefer doing it with my mum. Also, use Vinted and other second-hand platforms.

Last but not least: Watch videos about animal-derived fashion materials (the killing, slavery, process, using chemicals, exploitation) and educate yourself - you can’t get those pictures out of your head and always reminds you why you’re being that consequent.