INTERVIEW #138 SATU MÄKINEN

Name: Satu Mäkinen

Based in: Finland and Italy

Occupation: Founder & CEO of Nordic Natural Beauty Awards Ltd, freshly launched European Natural Beauty Awards, and Natural Beauty Directory – a platform hosting both awards as well as all things natural beauty, even more so in the near future

Gets inspired by: New landscapes, sounds, tastes, scents, and people

Instagram: @nordicnaturalbeautyawards / @europeannaturalbeautyawards / @naturalbeautydirectory

Satu! Our dear friend, once again welcome to A Sustainable Closet! We are so happy to have you here again but this time we will focus on YOU. Tell us about yourself?

It’s so wonderful to see you growing and making greater and greater things; congratulations first of all! It's so great to be back!

So, a little bit about my background. I am from Finland, born and raised, but as a curious soul, I’ve always been ready to jump on an adventure. Whether it has been about getting to know new languages or about searching for a new outfit at a flea market, adventure has always been at the centre of my life. The excitement towards languages and cultures led me to travel the world and live abroad, while the thrill towards flea markets sparked the idea of starting my own second-hand store actually years ago.

At a very young age, I learned that we are part of nature, not a separate unit from it. The extreme weather conditions in the Nordics made me respect nature, and this respect is something that I have kept with me across the globe. So you can imagine that after learning about the ugly truths of the traditional cosmetics industry some years back, I felt to jump on an adventure to do something about it. I’m on this adventure still today – making the beauty world greener and more natural.

I jumped with both feet (as I usually do) and I founded Nordic Natural Beauty Awards (Ltd) in 2020. Now, after three seasons of showcasing the best Nordic, truly natural cosmetics on the awards platform, I’m excited to announce that the awards are expanding to the whole of Europe! The platform will function similarly to the Nordics, with the obvious difference being the geographical location of the participating brands. I would love to take this opportunity to welcome you all to discover truly natural beauty across Europe with us!

We are so curious about your career and how you reached the point where you are today?

Reaching the point where I am today has been a roller coaster of all kinds of experiences. Each point in my life has taught me something and has made me grow to be the person I am.

I have studied marketing, innovations, and business, as well as prioritised learning languages at every moment in life, and those have definitely helped me on the way. But I would say that the situations I have encountered, which have both enraged and inspired me, have been the strongest fuel when working towards the world that I passionately see as greener than today.

I have witnessed the plastic-filled waters around the world, city air that smells of fireworks (read pollution), the disappearance of snowy winters, and the unbelievable living conditions that many humans have no choice but to live with. I see greenwashing every day, meet people who do not yet know what sustainability is and encounter everyday situations where I have to choose between two unsustainable options.

But, I have also witnessed cities turn their streets for pedestrians only, second-hand apps conquer the world, and natural cosmetics take over the shelf space even in the most mainstream stores. I receive messages daily about new greener, and cleaner innovations and projects, especially in the beauty scene. I see communities like this one grow exponentially. And I feel green is becoming cool again, or should we say, finally!

All this has given me two things that are needed in making change - fuel and hope. During the years, I have also learned to start even when being scared, to be proud of accomplishments while staying humble, and to be ambitious and kind at the same time. Whether it’s about career, business, or life in general, we can always learn tricks, but it is about the person we become while learning that distinguishes the actual reality.

How would you describe your style and where do you find your daily outfit inspiration?

Overall, I would say my style is pretty relaxed. In the winter, I love a cosy pair of boots, jeans, and a furry pullover. My summer style depends on the country I’m in – if it is one of those cold summers in Finland, my outfit reminds more of the mentioned outfit for wintertime. If the temperature gets higher, you can find me in big, loose, super light clothes. Oh, and regardless of the season, pants it is.

I have always been in love with travelling and immersing myself in new cultures and places, and I can see my style shift according to that as well – a lot when it comes to colours, but also shapes or pieces of clothing or accessories. For example, for a New Year’s Eve night out in Brazil, I’d wear white and yellow. When in Berlin, I skip heels instead.

At times, choosing specific clothing may also be about respecting the local culture, though even when not required, I love to be in sync with my surroundings, live and breathe it, one could say, still keeping my own touch with the style.

What is your relationship with clothes, how do you consume your clothes?

I’m one of those people that throws the first clothes on from the closet in a usual everyday setting. Working mainly from home these days, cosiness has also become an important factor. My closet is very minimalistic when it comes to the number of clothes (mainly for the mentioned reasons), but not when it comes to the colours or shapes. I own everything from black to gold, green to red, and blue to yellow.

I am a big fan of second-hand. There is just something about finding those special pieces, and with second-hand, it is easier to create your unique style – you don’t have to rely on the trends weeping over the mainstream stores. Gotta love the price-quality of second-hand pieces too!

What favourite stores and brands to shop from?

As you could guess – second-hands! I may be lucky, though I always find something interesting on a second-hand tour, and oftentimes also the specific pieces I’ve been looking for. I do like to be creative as well, at times, by creating new pieces of clothing from old ones that I own. I buy new so rarely that I wouldn’t know which brand to recommend.

Occasionally, you may need to buy something new (for the sake of size for example), and in those moments it is essential to have sustainable options. I think it is still tough for an average consumer to know which brands and pieces of clothing are genuinely sustainable. Greenwashing is wild in the fashion industry! So I applaud you for the work you do, bringing better options out there.

Favourite material to wear?

I love natural materials, the feel of them as well as their safety. We don’t know much yet about what certain synthetic materials can do to our skin, but considering that I get easily rash when using some pieces of clothing, I’m happy to consider this matter when choosing. I wonder if this may be the topic where fashion and skincare really come together.

Cotton is a great everyday material and merino wool I absolutely love for the cosier moments. As mentioned also, I like it simple. So I love materials that do not need ironing, for example, and I prefer to skip materials that would require dry cleaning.

You are an expert on the beauty industry, would you say this industry is as "polluted" as the fashion industry?

Oh absolutely! Both industries have their own issues, of course, but a similar mindset remains strong. Both of these industries have been built with only more consumption in mind, and nature and sustainability have not been taken into consideration.

It is wonderful to see though, that within both industries greener thinking is getting stronger, and people truly think more about what and how they consume fashion and beauty. Whether it is about buying a solid shampoo instead of liquid or second-hand instead of new clothing, you do see the green trend rising in both industries.

Describe what fashion-respective beauty is for you in three words:

Authentic, kind, and timeless – I love to live through these words in all areas of life.