So first of all, what's your opinion on fashion and activism? Going hand in hand, do you think they should be able to share a space or do you think the two should be kept separate?

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 I think that that's a question of audiences. However, the reality is yes, fashion and activism work together. People have been doing it for years like Catherine Ham with her slogan t-shirts. The more important it is that you use the platform to raise awareness. However, the mindset it's about audiences is. You also have to be really careful because if you push a message too hard to the wrong person in the wrong place, it's going to stop them from wanting to do anything.

 

So this is why it's really important to be aware of what you're doing and how you are doing it, and who you are saying those things because some people can afford to have the time and energy to go, yes, I'm gonna be an activist and I'm gonna do these things. Whereas if you have no money, no food, no time, but you do have to go out and you know, we've all got lives and you've gotta go to a wedding.

 

You've gotta buy a dress. If someone, you know the Primark conversation you put that conversation in the Primark space, if that makes sense. I shouldn't be being activist. It's, but also if you're Primark and you're being an activist about, you know, ethical fashion manufacturer, you are also, um, lying.

 

So it's, you've got, that's the other thing about who you are as a brand. You have to be able to say it.

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What’s your opinion on companies ‘rebranding’ as more sustainable to target a more buying-conscious consumer? 

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So there's a lot happening behind the scenes. So legally what's happening is that because everything's happening in policy and legislation, all brands have to prove that they are functioning as to what the government says is a sustainable, uh, way of functioning in relation to using transparency in all of those things.

 

So legally, they are meeting the base requirements of what the government says a sustainable brand is. However, that version and that word sustainable is really difficult because it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. So what the government said is sustainable is sustainable.

 

This is where it becomes really, really, tricky because brands can say and remarket themselves as sustainable. They're not compared to a more sustainable brand. However, they are following the basic government-based guidelines.

 

So we are moving into, um, a circular economy as a country. This means every brand has to be able to prove that they are circular in some way or another. And again, a circular economy is really complicated because it can mean different things to different people. You can be circular in that you are getting all of your clothes back at the end and turning them into new things. Or you can be circular in that what you're using at the starting point. So your original natural fabrics are circular, so. There's no continuity or consistency anywhere, which is what leads to huge misunderstandings and misconceptions. Uh, and even within companies, brands themselves, if you're a big fashion brand, won't know what areas of your business, so a designer is so far removed from the market.

 

There are a lot of unintentional conversations happening and a lot of misunderstandings happening even within companies. It's a really tricky space for lots of people right now, so it's not an easy answer because I don't think it's right that brands advertise themselves as sustainable and ethical and they're not.

 

However, they are doing what they are allowed to do and should be doing, and as long as they're making an effort, then it, it's not necessarily their fault. I think anyone doing something in the right direction has to be good.

 

 

This question comes in two parts.

So firstly, what's your thoughts on celebrities and influential people using their fashion as a political statement? 

And almost leading on from that, what's your thoughts on celebrities using the Met Gala? To make a political statement for example, AOC, when she wore the tax the rich dress.

 

It is a tricky one cuz the reality is it depends on who the celebrity is and what is they're saying. and do they align with what you believe is right.  So, The short answer is yes. It's fantastic that celebrities and influencers use their platform to make important statements.

 

Yeah, so it's definitely a good thing. However, when Kourtney does and brand deal with boohoo and says that everything is ethical and it's great. People believed her. Consumers believed her. Shoppers believed her because they want to believe in what she says is true.

 

And again, Kourtney wasn't saying anything. Legally untrue but what’s it also did is it empowered shoppers of a specific age and demographic to keep shopping in that way. And there was a really interesting fallout of that.

 

What you have to remember is that Instagram, Twitter, all of those. We make our stories, we build our personal narratives using those, which means that if you tell somebody that Kourtney's a liar, they believe in Kourtney so much that you are basically accusing them of being a liar and being stupid. So it creates this really adverse reaction.

 

Coming back to the MET Gala, the Tax the Rich dress. It’s an irony because she's at the MET Gala. However the Met Gala, for example, most people don't buy their dresses. They're all loaned by fashion houses. Actually, your stylists will work for months with the fashion house to develop your dress and to work on the jewellery.  So money doesn't really change hands.

 

So you can get there, especially if you've been. Wear everything and you don't pay a penny to go. However, you do have to be a certain sort of person to be invited to the MET Gala. Um, so again, I think it's really interesting. Well, I think it's really interesting is at least the conversation it sparks.

 

Do you have any fashion designers you admire for their political stance or for going against the fashion norm to shed light on an issue?

 

So I worked at Vivienne Westwood, that was my first job when I graduated. Genuinely like, had a bit of a cry when she passed away. Because she taught me how to like hand sew, I will always be very proud to have worked there. What she represented and how she did it because she never lost her sense of true identity, she was always about challenging standards. I've always, always really admired her and what she does and how she uses her voice and her platform to raise issues. Um, I think there are amazing smaller companies like Teemill, and Rapanui who are doing what they can and tiny brands like yes friends who are using their platform.

 

Catherine Hamlet’s T-shirts are amazing, I really respect what she's doing and how she's gone about doing it because it's similar to Vivienne Westwood but obviously stylistically completely different.