A State Of Being
By Jo Lorenz
The excessive linear economy is causing considerable strain on our planet and her people. Yet in addition to this, it has also robbed us of the joy of conscious living. So how do we get out of this mess?
Jo Lorenz finds out how from Fanny Moizant, Co-Founder of Vestiaire Collective.
As conscious citizens, we can actively align our values with consequent actions. We can protest for renewable energy, we can lobby for climate change and we can speak out against civil right violations. Yet, when it comes to our wardrobes, the actions we take sometimes feel less poignant, ammiright?
Globally, the textile industry relies heavily on non-renewable resources, including oil to produce synthetic fibres, chemicals to produce, dye and finish fibres, and fertilisers to grow cotton. While people in lower-income countries have a relatively high rate of clothing utilisation, in more affluent parts, such as the US, clothing is worn for around a quarter of the global average.
This excessive linear system is an ever-expanding cause of strain on our planet and resources. In fact, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if the fashion industry continues on this current path, by 2050 it could use more than 26 percent of the carbon budget associated with our global warming limit. Twenty six percent!
Here’s the thing though, folks: this does not have to be our future. By moving to a circular fashion system and keeping these materials in use, we have the potential for environmental fashion reinvention, as well as a USD 560 billion economic opportunity.
“When you start to understand the impact fashion is having on the planet and comprehend our global consumption, there will inevitably be a point where you take a step back and become true to who you really are,” explained Fanny Moizant, Co-Founder of the world’s leading global resale online platform for desirable pre-owned fashion, Vestiaire Collective.
“I grew up in the South of France and was raised by entrepreneurial parents, with an entrepreneurial mindset to live consciously. I went to business school and then fashion school, and early in my career I worked for John Galliano. I then moved on and worked in interiors, which is when I had my two girls. It was at this point that I realised that my dream job — to buy and sell vintage pieces online — did not exist. So I connected the dots and decided to create my dream job. This move was demonstrative of a lot of things in my life, one of them being the power you feel as a young mum. There’s something about that moment in time where you’re capable of almost anything.
“Increasingly, the world had been talking about sustainability in all aspects of our lifestyle. Sustainability in food; sustainability in the way we power our homes and business; sustainability in the way we separate and limit our waste. It was a very natural progression that people would then start to look to their wardrobes and question how sustainable it was.
“Even now, with coronavirus, sustainability will be the winner. We will forever be more conscious of what affects us as well as our planet. Living with less will be the norm and people will remember how joyful they feel when they let go of things. That their minds become clearer and uncluttered,” Fanny explained.
“But sustainability is not a trend, it is a ‘state of being’. It is something deeper and more grounded to who we are as individuals — like the notion of fighting climate change. It needs to be grounded to who you are, which is why discussing it with your children is vital.
“It can be very difficult to find the right language when discussing climate change with your kids, however it helps to let them learn about it by experiencing it. I often take my girls to beach clean-ups, as I assure you there’s no more effective deterrent to buying a plastic water bottle than cleaning them up for three hours at a time!
“Being able to see beauty and life all around you is so important. Growing up, my mother always used to make us stop and experience beauty. She would stop us to see an asparagus growing in a field, or ask us to stop and feel a beautiful piece of fabric. It was an education of taste, in a way, yet more than that it was a lesson in why all things exist and how we are all connected. This connection is one of the reasons I love shopping vintage. The emotion behind the search for an item with a story and a history. For example if I want a Chanel bag, I would never, ever buy a new Chanel bag. I want one with soul and history — to search for the perfect one for me. The joy of acquisition itself.
“This way of living is not about being perfect — it’s simply about being conscious. There is a pleasure in consuming and it doesn’t always have to be bad — yet you have to consume consciously. The joy of consuming the right way can be evidenced so beautifully when shopping for food. You can go to a Farmer’s Market, find out who the ‘tomato guy’ is and then speak with him. That link to where the products come from.
“I often feel disconnected from the big morality trends that come and go — stop eating meat, stop eating eggs — I don’t agree with this. Eat the meat or eat the egg, but eat it from a responsible source. Know where it comes from and how it was grown. Now I don’t eat meat or eggs everyday, but when I do I know where it has come from and I enjoy this connection and in bringing value back to simplicity. In fact in this way, life and cooking are much the same — it is always about the produce and not the recipe.
“Vestiaire Collective now has more than 450 people in the business across six countries, yet it still very much feels like a family, with very passionate people that will go above and beyond. We started as a Parisian company, yet as the company matured we realised too much of our content was curated with a European eye. Too much vanilla! And our consumers are not just vanilla — they are from all over the world. So every day we are striving to grow and be representative of people from all over the world, and to align our marketing with our values, as we want everyone to feel a part of Vestiaire,” Fanny explained.
“When we first launched, our first investor was a female and she told me ‘Fanny, you’re a young entrepreneur and you and this company are going to grow together’. She was right and her words have always given me such a boost. In fact, we had our ten year anniversary in Paris last year and I gave a speech on stage where I shared this story with the team, and half way through I just started to cry as everyone at Vestiaire truly give me wings to fly.
“Yet more than this, I think it is the team’s passion to do more and do better. They all strive to get involved and make our planet a better place to be. They recognise that you do not need to be perfect, but you need to start somewhere. It is this ‘reduce and rethink’ and ‘less is more’ philosophy that makes me most proud. Appreciate beauty and quality — which is intrinsically the same — and take joy in things that have been created with work, knowledge and passion. This is what life is all about!”
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Read more from the author of this piece, Jo Lorenz
Jo Lorenz
Jo is a writer, podcaster and activist pushing for climate action, social justice and sustainability.
She is the Founder and Editor of Conscious Citizen Co and the host of the complementary podcast, GAF Is The New Black. Read more.
