INTERVIEW #74 IRIS SKRAMI
Based in: Amsterdam
Occupation: CEO of Renoon
Instagram: @irisskrami
Why we love her: Because she basically solved how to shop ethically and efficiently in a good way.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m one of the co-founders of Renoon. I personally had a problem two years ago and I wanted to create a solution for people like me. I was making all these sustainability changes in my life. It started with conscious food choices and I wanted to be a part of the change in fashion. Fashion is one of the most polluting industries. And it was taking me two months to just find an ethically made black dress. That was how Renoon was born, to make it easier for fashion consumers to make good choices. I’ve been interested in sustainability for a long time. I’m born and raised in Milan and that’s where my fashion interest comes from. In Milan I also started to read a lot about sustainability. I’ve become vegetarian and vegan and was experimenting with these choices with my friends. We started to look into sustainability issues together and learned a lot. For me it became obvious I wanted to be a part of the solution. I didn’t want to work in the fast fashion companies, I wanted to be a part of my own team.
I always believed in technology and I realised technology can be used to be a part of the solution. Two years ago I started Renoon. I didn’t plan to become an entrepreneur. My family are not entrepreneurs. I told my dad I wanted to become the head of sustainability for a fashion brand before I started Renoon. It wasn’t a thing at that time but I knew I wanted to be a part of the solution. The last two years have been a very nice journey. The first year was really hard. You talk to people and you don’t know what’s going to happen with your idea. You target users and ask about your idea and you test it. First year there was a lot of doubts. You have to have something legit, you create the first app and tell others what you want to do. With time people start to understand and the doubts goes away. This year has been a super interesting year since I was in Forbes magazine list under 30. I would always encourage people to become an entrepreneurs. You learn so much even if you fail. It’s a great thing to do. I
’m from Milan, I spent my university years shopping fast fashion, I used to shop huge bags and I was happy about it being so cheap. It was a big part of my identity. It is a part of the culture there. To express myself with clothes was really important. Sustainability was about making things right for myself. Doing it in a way that is respectful to everything and everyone around you.
What is fashion for you?
Sometimes when we see people we sometimes see how they move around and feel about themselves. Clothes are an extended version of ourselves. It is an expression. It's about where you come from. On a personal level, to different degrees, clothes are so close to what we do during the day. We put some clothes on the first thing we do in the morning. It defines how you feel and how you show yourself to the world. Fashion might be the wrong word. I associated clothing with fashion, even if you don’t care about fashion, what you wear still says something about you. Not in a positive or negative way, just objectively.
How would you describe your style?
I’ve always been a mix of different styles. In one way I like to be very basic but I also like to experiment. I sometimes try something new that I think would fit me. My main three words are comfort, sophisticated and contemporary. Contemporary to me are about adopting the clothes I wear to a specific time in history and a moment.
Any favourite items?
My favorite item is a polo sweater and tank top during the summer. I can always use that! Those are my basics. I like to wear white, black and creamy beige. I also use colors depending on where I’m at, my yellow tank top this summer was my go to. It made me feel good, like a second skin.
How would you describe your closet?
My closet has changed a lot in the last few years. I have moved and changed places a lot. In one year I lived in four different countries. I used to have a huge wardrobe. But the clothes took too much space, so they dragged me down. At that time I thought my closet had to be more easy to move around. Even though I don’t move around today, I still have that feeling that it has to be easy. But I can also bring stuff to my parents house and I can keep things there and think about them. If I don’t want them I can always find a new purpose for them. My closet is sometimes organised and sometimes a mess. I like to keep the basics neat. I have one place in my wardrobe where I keep the more experimental things. This summer I started to experiment with rentals. It’s the same amount of money but it’s more circular and you can have more of a designer closet. I also share my closet with my boyfriend and I often get tempted to use his things too.
What is a sustainable closet for you?
It means different things for different people but for me it has several stages and levels. Sustainability is looking into where my clothes come from. I do buy second hand but also believe in supporting brands that are making a change. Helping to create a new stream of items. I know we have enough clothing so I do tap into that but we also need to make choices that support the sustainable brands. So the new second hand items will still be good from the start. Ideally in the future I would love to see that all items have been produced in a good way. It is not perfect today, it is a progression, so they can improve and later on enter the second hand market and a charged economy but ideally well produced from the start.
To me, a sustainable closet is also related to how I feel when I’m wearing the clothes. I’m one of the first users of Renoon. I feel like the value behind the item and what I purchase is related to how I feel when wearing it. I want to support more small scale businesses and the value depends on what I buy. Like for swimwear for example, I prefer recycled materials that have saved our oceans from trash. For winter clothing I want to support brands that are climate neutral and so on.
There are so many amazing places and brands online. That also has a curated vintage second hand collection, it looks like they are new but they are pre-owned. I love that! How you source is the first part of a sustainable closet but it’s also about how you feel about what you are wearing.
Do you have any favorite sustainable brands?
Serendipity Vintage, Zazi Vintage, Carne Bellente, goat organic apparel, the slow label, and so on. I have a list on Renoon with so many brands that I like.
What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?
Educate yourself! If you have the opportunity and time to do it. You don’t need to know everything before buying something but keep on learning step by step.
Find a platform where you can get what you’re looking for and be inspired, like a A Sustainable Closet and Renoon.
Keep your mind open and experiment with new brands, styles, ways to consume, what to wear and so on.
We are all still in a learning process. No one has all the answers. You might buy from a brand where not everything is sustainable (maybe it was organic cotton but not recycled polyester) and so on, but things are changing and we are experimenting with new materials. It is okay if it’s not perfect. We can all support brands to start taking steps. We can go for our values and have fun. Clothes are a big part of our lives, let’s have fun along the way.
