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I am a writer and executive administrator for Trusted Clothes, which is an ethical and sustainable fashion organization. The following is a series devoted in honor of the work done in collaboration with the Schroeckers and the Trusted Clothes team. Here is part 2. Part 1 here.
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You have a background in psychology and communications. There are aspects of having a designer’s eye from the story told by you. If someone has a designer’s eye, and if they’re dealing with people a lot of the time, what is the intersection between those two? Between knowing what will look good with a particular individual and for the individual to understand that.
I think you have to understand your client’s comfort zone and what they are willing to try. I then push them out, just a bit. I had a customer visit me who I did a stylist session with. She told me she loved black and wasn’t a fan of too much color. Listening to her I pulled a couple of black options. However, looking at her skin and hair coloring I also pulled some earthy tone colors and asked her to try them on just for fun. She did and she was amazed at how good they looked on her. She and I have become good friends and always teases me, saying to herself on the days we get together, “I’m seeing Dara today. I better step up my look today.”
I had another customer send me a wonderful thank you note. It stated, “Thank you again for the beautiful dress. I felt like a movie star and received so many compliments on the dress!!” You can bring your personality through in whatever you wear and it doesn’t have to be drastic. The way that you can carry yourself because of your armor, because of what you’re wearing, has a profound effect on the way you arrive on the scene for an event or a job interview. I am happy that I can provide that kind of service.
Those are important points. When individuals go into an interview and don’t feel comfortable in their own skin, by which I mean the clothes they’re wearing at the moment, it can detract from the full focus of the interview at the moment. If it is some important job interview, it matters.
Yes! I’ve been blessed with countless stories of men and women who have told me how I helped them their look. One woman, in particular, came back and said, “I got the job. I wouldn’t have done it if you wouldn’t have spent the time with me.”
With regard to organizations/companies, and so on, like Trusted Clothes and Production Mode, what’s the importance of them to you?
These types of companies are helping the general public better understand where clothing is coming from and who’s making it. There’s such a movement around sourcing organic and local foods (the importance of what we put in our bodies). I love that I’m starting to see that happen in what we put on our bodies. Companies like Trusted Clothes, helps create and highlight transparency. I am continuing to learn and comprehend all of it. From fast fashion, like Zara, H&M, and Forever21. If that shirt costs $5. How much is the person who is making that shirt being paid? Looking at the supply chain.
I’m also looking at the other side. I love high-end designers, but if you are charging $300 for a shirt that uses man-made materials and is manufactured in Bangladesh or China. I always wonder, “how much are you making off the garment?” I have a hard time with that. Through Hopeless + Cause Atelier, I hope to create price points that people who believe in the slow fashion movement can afford: livable wages, sustainable practices and investing back into the community.
One of the big things is to your earlier point about transparency. Many people don’t know the supply chain, the production line, and the working conditions for the people that make their garments, especially when it comes to decent pay for them to have a decent life. It comes down to varying considerations. What do you consider valuable? How much do you put on each variable in the eventual calculation? To close, what places would you like to take your company?
I would love to be to manufactur in New Mexico. I would like to slowly grow the line into more customizable, ready-to-wear pieces. There are a couple of manufacturing options and one I found a non-profit organization working with women to transition them out of homelessness. I want to be thoughtful in the growth of the company to make sure it is sustainable. A company that can meet the demands and continues with the tenets of the company set out by me. I am hoping by showing in LA later this year that I can grow in nearby markets like LA, Denver, and Phoenix who appreciate the
slow fashion movement.
Any feelings or thoughts in conclusion?
I think by continuing the conversation with writers like you, Scott, Sara Corry and the entire team at Trusted Clothes, slow fashion won’t be a niche market, but instead the norm.
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Original publication on www.trustedclothes.com.
All images courtesy of www.trustedclothes.com.