Kim is a fashion writer with a focus on sustainable fashion, creator of the inspiring newsletter CORPOREAL and one of our total style crushes from Berlin
Do you have an easy tip to live more sustainably?
Research! It all starts (and never ends!) with learning, asking questions, knowing the difference. After looking into planet-focused sustainability — how fabrics are produced, how many materials, water and energy they require, how fast they biodegrade — I want to now do more research on the people of the fashion industry. What are fair wages, a fair treatment, safe working conditions? I started following experts and writers on Instagram (like @celinecelines and @future__dust) and participating in workshops by @slowfactory to get a better understanding of the big picture and more confidence to make better decisions.
What does conscious consumption look like in your daily life?
I started buying pre-owned clothing from @vestiaireco and @imparfaite or local vintage shops. First it was about being able to afford my favourite designers, now I mostly like the idea of buying less new things. Through my work I also get to discover new inspiring brands doing things differently — whether they only use waste fabrics like @maisoncleo or track CO2 emissions like @closelyofficial — and support them with my buying power. But, ultimately, it’s about buying less, of course. Sad (and cliché) but true: the pandemic has really helped in that department. It’s given me a toolbox of questions I can ask myself before any purchase: Where and when would I wear this? If this was the only thing I could buy this month, would I? This doesn’t always work (I just got these pre-owned, knee-high, transparent PVC boots by @maryam_nassir_zadeh that I don’t know when I’ll be able to wear!) but it has changed my thought processes and habits for sure.
We care about adding something better. What do you add to your life to make it better?
Presence. Making even the tiniest lil choices in my day-to-day with full awareness. Trying to actively shift my mindset away from constantly craving new STUFF or shopping just for the sake of shopping. I also just invested in a sewing machine and cut up an old pair of pants to make masks — I eventually want to learn to make my own clothing out of old garments (since they’re just collecting dust in my closet, oops).
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