INTERVIEW #94 OLIVIA ROBERTSDOTTER

Based in: Stockholm, Sweden

Occupation: Content Creator, Graphic Designer and Vintage Shop Owner

Get inspired by: Everything that feels vintage and Italian, color, strong feelings and different everyday objects

Instagram: @oliviarobertsdotter

Why we love her: Olivia is an incredible creator with many talents. Her content is fun and engaging to look at and she has many interesting ideas coming up and launching soon, that we just can’t wait to see. You go girl!!

Tell us about yourself?

I was brought up on the Swedish countryside but always had big city dreams. As a child I had a very strong expression and although I hated being the center of attention I had no problem dressing to stand out. I have always loved color and have always been very creative so it was a natural fit that I grew up to become a graphic designer and content creator because I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Right now I live in Stockholm, Sweden with my dog Lotus but I have a strong dream and calling in my life about moving to Denmark. I think it's a lot like Sweden but a little bit more relaxed in a lot of ways that I like. We'll see what happens!

What’s your relationship with clothes?

As I said I have always loved expressing myself with clothes and I have tried every possible fashion style I think haha! But I was honestly a shopaholic for a long time in my life and although I loved clothes I totally lost the sense of value in what I bought. When I realized just how dirty a big chunk of the fashion industry actually is, it was like having a cold shower and I just stopped buying fast fashion from one day to the next, cold turkey. It was so hard, it took me almost a year to stop having the "OMG I need that right now"-craving. But when I only started buying second hand and especially vintage I got a sense of value and I guess you can say a relationship back with the clothes I bought. Everything I buy now holds a very special place in both my closet and my heart which I love.

How would you describe your style?

This one is hard because I especially love a lot of vintage eras but also get inspired by the present fashion. But I would have to say my style is simple but always has some flare or vintage decade flirt. I love the seventies, eighties and nineties!

Any favorite items? 

I love boots, I mean… I'm obsessed with all kinds of boots. And I also love vintage scarves and bathing suits. 

Where do you find inspiration?

I would have to say it's a mix between contemporary culture and all things vintage. I love to mix vintage with a modern vibe!

Do you have a style icon, if yes, who?

I am obsessed with Grace Jones, Edie Sedgwick and Emili Sindlev.

Favorite stores/brands to shop from?

I love to shop at curated vintage shops like Imprafaite Paris, Vestiaire Collective, Reveuse Vintage and of course my very own vintage shop Whatgoesaround.se

Me and my good friend and vintage soulmate who also has a curated vintage shop are actually going to launch a platform called Vintagesphere.se where we join both our shops and also invite more small business owners and people to sell their vintage. It's going to be the new one stop place for vintage shopping, we are so excited and we think Sweden is ready for it!

What is a sustainable closet for you?

A sustainable closet is a closet you have a relationship with. The thing I love most about vintage clothing is all the history each piece is carrying and when you invest in let's say a dress from the seventies you are investing in being a part of the garment's history. It's a very special feeling to build a closet where you feel rather than just buying all the latest trends you have truly -invested- and put a lot of thought into what you actually want hanging in there, representing you and your story. I call vintage "zen fashion" because it doesn't get any slower than that when you want to invest in new clothes and I think that is what a lot of us need, to slow down, reflect and invest in the truly unique.

What do you think about the fashion industry in general? 

I think I'm proud to be living in such an environmentally friendly country as Sweden and a lot of the Scandinavian designers do take the climate issues very seriously which I think is great. I also know we are producing clothes in such a rapid pace that even the consumers can't keep up and I think rather than just focusing on how we can "make more but make it more sustainable" we should focus on what's already out there hanging in second hand shops and of course try to open or eyes up more to all the amazing vintage (clothing that are 25 + years) because it is unfortunately so overlooked. Vintage is the most amazing clothing there is, in my opinion!

What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?

I have a three step solution for this and this is what worked for me.

1: I started by doing an inventory of my style. What kind of clothes do I actually like, what clothes do I wear the most, what don't I like etc.. The more I understood my own style the more I wanted to build my dream closet that actually fit my needs. I also started doing a lot of Pinterest boards where I saved a lot of style inspiration and started bringing in vintage inspiration as well.

2: I started to shop everything second hand just to see if I could find everything I wanted like this and it was so easy, like scary easy.. Everything I wanted was there so to stop shopping fast fashion wasn't that hard since people don't tend to keep their newly bought clothes for very long.

3: I opened my heart up to vintage. This was the real game changer for me! When I found curated vintage shops (curated vintage means carefully selected and hand picked vintage) I understood the beauty and value of clothes again. It's so sad that I had lost my relationship with my clothes because I love fashion more than anything but vintage brought me back to really loving each and every piece I buy.

Describe what fashion is for you, in three words:

Self expression, joy and vintage