INTERVIEW #36 LOUISE KÖNIG
“Clothes communicates! I love to watch how people communicate with their outfits.”
Occupation:
Head of Sustainable Business, Ramboll Sverige
What’s your relationship with clothes?
My relationship is based on four dimensions. One part comes from my childhood. We didn’t have much money so fashion and clothing were consider be a luxury thing. Fashion was a little bit hard to get and something you could enjoy if you had the money to do so. The second part is based on communication. How you dress manifests something, it sends a message. The third part is how it glorifies or makes your day better, colours and patterns for a good mood. The fourth is based on my body type, I’m tall with long arms and legs. Have large feet and I’m always cold!
That’s my relationships!
How would you describe your style?
“I wish people were a little bit more brave with their outfits. I believe everyone would be more happy if they dare to communicate more with their clothes.”
It has several sides, an outdoor person from the forest, daily jeans and t-shirts and the more extravagant style! I’m a Gemini so maybe that’s why, two sides of many things! If people I know from the city meet me at the countryside they may not recognise me! I dress according to my mood and the weather which changes a lot!! I love white T-shirts and jeans. At the countryside wear wool-clothing under my clothes. What we in Sweden call “ylleunderställ”. People outside Sweden doesn’t know what that is. It’s the best piece of clothing ever. It’s boring but undervalued. Everyone would be happier with a ”ylleställ”, because they would not be cold. The same goes for wellies. I also think a sustainable closet is one with waterproof clothing and warm clothes, so you can be outside the whole year in Sweden.
I used to live in Asia for a very long time and that continent is very colourful. I could wear dresses in several colours and flipflops. It was perfect for how I want to look. In Asia it is more important how you dress depending on the context. Your dress sends signals and show respect or disrespect, to the other party from a social or religious context. It’s fascinating how people decode your dressing and what you can learn from it.
Today I’m wearing a dress and I can notice that people get happy when you have a colourful outfit! In Almedalen, I normally wear somethings that sticks out; pink or green suit or a dress relating to a context. Once I was a Bee queen when the focus was on biodiversity, another year a vegetable focusing on food waste. And I can’t tell you have many people have approached me to say they love it! Clothes communicates! I love to watch how people communicate with their outfits.
If I’m in Italy, e.g Florens or Rome, I can sit and watch men and their clothing! It’s such an amazing experience, like eating a chocolate cake. We don’t have men dressing like that in Sweden. I wish people were a little bit more brave with their outfits. I believe everyone would be more happy if they dare to communicate more with their clothes. Why we wear the clothes we do? Just like in Italy where everything is about beauty. When you look at something beautiful or you talk about beauty, you become more happy. I got inspired just being interviewed by you. Great job!
“I’m not a stereotype when it comes to how people dress that works with sustainability!”
I’m not a stereotype when it comes to how people dress, working with sustainability! I don’t dress in only natural materials or natural colours. I don’t like how they look unfortunately, these bamboo clothes and often boring design!
But I do shop a lot of second hand. I reuse clothes a lot. I can put clothes away and then start using them again. Or I donate clothes to friends or Myrorna (charity second hand). This implies for my children as well. They’re raised with second hand clothing. And the love inheriting clothes from others.
How would you describe your closet?
My closet is very mixed. It’s categorised according to colours. It has a few old favourites. It can be clothes that are 20-30 years old. I love to collect clothes from favourite brands, certain patterns or old jewelleries, like a 100 years old kimono or an old kaftan from Morocco.
But there’s also a lot of clothes from Patagonia and Houdini, because I like the work they’re doing. They are not really into fashion, they are building brands, movements, tribes, showing the way. I like how Houdini communicates making food out of clothing, it’s interesting and innovative! Some outdoor brands are doing a good job in terms of sustainability but I don’t like their design.
My closet is in order but honestly it’s too much in there. It’s hard to kill your friends. When I think about it I could easily been a person who carries my whole life in a suitcase. I’m not collecting things voluntarily.. It’s a little bit too much there. But I can also be very practical. I bicycling the whole year and I like the fact that I can go from a soccer training to the gym.
My dream would be to have a proper walk-in-closet. So I can watch my clothes and share with others, ha ha ha
I use consciously clothing to make a point for somebody. It can be choosing a colour or a jewellery. Something to make a statement.
I often ask that question for myself; what do they want to say with those clothes?
“Even if climate change is very important and you need to address your carbon footprint, you can’t let go of the other sustainability questions that are essential.”
What is a sustainable closet for you?
Today there are many brands focusing on sustainability, everything from use of chemicals, water or their climate footprint. That’s good, I choose to support that. Like H&M Conscious, they are doing a good work I think they learn a lot from this, and gradually can move over the whole range to become more sustainable. But it goes to slow. But I also think it’s good with smaller companies. They often struggle with profitability and needs a lot of support.
I’m a big fan of jewelleries. It’s the cream on the cake. They are the details that explains the outfit. It’s like a painting, it makes a difference to the room. I have a few jewelleries that’s been with me for a very long time. A ring from the 70s and some bags. Especially one from Barcelona. There’s a poems inside it! Everything made by hand! That makes me happy. That’s fashion for me, when you combine style with handcraft and communication.
What do you think about the fashion industry?
“Engage your consumers more. I think we need to do that more regularly. Business to consumer is moving towards, business to citizen, towards business to activists.”
I think the fashion industry in Sweden, and internationally are doing a good job, but needs to take more responsibility for norms, children and young, gender. And add communication to it! ! H&M finally started to talk about eating disorders, they should have done that long time ago. You have to ask yourself about your Why, the purpose! Even if climate change is very important and you need to address your carbon footprint, you can’t let go of the other questions that are essential. See your responsibility in a bigger context. Engage your consumers more. I think we need to do that more regularly. Business to consumer is moving towards, business to citizen, towards business to activists. And these people have to be on the shopping floor, online. Most of the people in a retail fashion store, cannot answer any of your sustainability questions, that is not good enough. Here digital tools have a great potential. Use it. I want something else as a consumer and I’m tired of asking questions, which no one can answer.
What do you believe needs to change?
· Do everything evidence based
· Talk to your consumers, be transparent about what they think
· Take a way the worst and promote the best
· Subsidies the sustainable range
· Co-operate with many stakeholders
· Communicate at the shopping occasion, engage
When I worked at Coop with a brand called Änglamark, I developed a slogan “Noga Utvalt, klokt bortvalt” which could be translated with: “Carefully Selected & Wisely Removed”. This is something I would recommend everyone to do and communicate, so people understand the products and what’s behind them.
What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?
· Have a warm and water proof closet.
· Buy second hand! If you feel like buying something new, before you do that, go and visit nature and think about if you really need it.
· Air your clothes when you have worn them, do not wash if not dirty
· If you have the same size as your friends. Borrow from each other. Ask them! Exchange more, use others and reuse again!
· Find everyday jewellery
· You also need to have fun! It has to be a closet you can enjoy! We need more pleasure in life.