INTERVIEW #19 EMMA SUNDH
Emma is one of those creative inspiring persons that makes the transition to a more climate friendly lifestyle look very appealing. Her feminine vintage look easily makes you want to choose second hand, first hand, forever, period. But her power is not only in her style. She’s the co-funder of Klimatklubben (climate club) and with it’s 36.9 Instagram followers it has finally brought the climate debate on a individual level where people easily can educate themselves and contribute to a change we desperately need.
Occupation: Journalist, sustainable influencer and writer. Got her own platforms (emmasundh.com and @emmasundh) and co-founder of Klimatklubben (@klimatklubben.se and klimatklubben.se (climate club).
“A reasonable question for every fashion company to ask themselves is: does my company make the climate situation better or worse? ”
What’s your relationship with clothes?
It’s variated. I love being well dressed with high quality materials, carefully chosen colours and a flattering silhouette. And of course: a small climate impact. I hate bad fitting clothes that are produced only to look good the first time you try them on. Fast fashion basically.
How would you describe your style?
Vintage-lover with a mix of different decades. Sometimes more discrete and sometimes more authentic, chocking regarding choice of colours. My clothes are chosen with the purpose to stay with me for the rest of my life, not for a particular occasion. During the summer I mostly wear cotton dresses – loose or with a 50's silhuette – skirts and tops and my favourite item: shorts. When the autumn arrives a switch to a more proper look, with pencil skirts and cashmere tops, or 40's dresses in jewelry colors. Sometimes I just go for casual high wasted jeans and a french, striped top. I like to change and adapt my style to the seasons.
How would you describe your closet?
“Style is about being creative.”
Optimised according to space! Haha! Well, I definitely have too much clothes, especially if you would calculate how often I use them. If it wasn’t for social norms to wear different outfits every day, I would probably be able to do just 20 outfits, maximum. I’m trying not to follow these norms, but I’m not there yet.
What is a sustainable closet for you?
It’s a closet that last for a very long time period, both in terms of quality and style. A closet with a small carbon footprint, where the majority of the clothes are bought secondhand.
“The trends comes and goes with a speed that needs to slow down, especially within the fashion industry. What is it that we are hunting?”
What do you think about the fashion industry?
Hm, there’s a lot of things I can say about the fashion industry. I have personally been a part of it when I worked with fashion for different style magazines. It’s a changeable industry that focuses on trends and that has a big climate impact. Of course there are good initiatives of change, but I wished more fashion companies took a larger responsibility and started to care of what’s already been produced, instead of producing new clothes. And a reasonable question for every fashion company to ask themselves is: does my company make the climate situation better or worse? And how would the world looked like if every company had the same business model as ours.
What do you believe needs to change?
The business model. We are not in a situation where it's ok to sell clothes aimed to last for a very short period. Or wear just one time. Companies have to take responsibility for their prodocs for a longer time, and put in new ways to earn money by second hand, rentals or repair services. We need regulations and laws that gives companies the same opportunity to reset. And, the whole society needs to slow down. The trends comes and goes with a speed that needs to slow down, especially within the fashion industry. What is it that we are hunting? Even if I love clothes and can be genuinely happy about a beautiful item of clothing, I ask myself critical questions based on my privilege position. I don’t have to worry about the most basic things in life and that’s why I can use my time wondering how my clothes can be perfectly matched. We need to think about that.
The situation with the climate is extremely serious and we only got a few years to reset all the mess we have created. The Climate Crisis is real and in a non-forgiving way extremely unfair, because not the ones who live, travel and consume, like there were no day tomorrow (Swedes in average consumes 9 tons CO2 per year), are the ones who is going to be the most affected. It’s people in poor countries, particularly women, that going to be affected the worse. How can we than, we who has the ability to vote, the freedom of speech and have the money, the right to keep on living the way we do? Or isn’t it our duty to do what we can do to make things as good as they can be? I used to be a part of that fossil-party and it used to be a lot of fun. But now I get sick of it. Almost like being hangover and accidently making out with the wrong guy at the party. That kind of feeling. It’s time for me to clean up and do what I can do to make things right. When you really think about it, it makes no sense to consume more than necessary.
What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?
Buy second hand, first hand, second hand and third hand! Fashion and style doesn’t have to be the same as buying something new. I’m convinced we can be more creative than that. Style is about being creative.
It’s also good to wear what you own! Look after it and try to think about if what is a need and what is a desire. What do you want and what you need? When a desire comes, which happens, I try to ask myself if I would just be as happy about that item of clothing 10 years ago and will I be as happy in 10 years’ time? And if it will last of course. A lot of clothes becomes not a necessity after asking myself those questions.
“Buy second hand, first hand, second hand and third hand! ”