global garbs A SUSTAINABLE FASHION MAGAZINE Issue 2 | Winter/Spring 2021
SUSTAINABLE BLOGGERS:
THE NEW INFLUENCERS
WHAT IS AN ETHICAL PHOTOGRAPHER?
PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
How to apply this mentality in life and in sustainable fashion
Building a Brand to Solve a Problem TWO VERY DIFFERENT SUSTAINABLE BRANDS SHARE THEIR STORY ON HOW THEY STARTED THEIR BRAND FROM A PLACE OF NECESSITY With new sustainable brands popping up every single day, it can be so crucial to understanding your WHY. These days it takes more than just being 'sustainable' as a selling feature. More importantly, what problem are you solving? This month's featured designers know a thing or two about starting a brand to solve a problem. Both of their stories come from a place of struggling to find a product that they personally needed in their life. And while sustainability is always key, it's also imperative to solve problems when building a brand.
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I eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I got a job at a branding agency. It was the late 90’s, and the end of the dot com bubble and the birth of ecommerce, and my job was to help bricks and mortar retailers extend their shopping experiences online in meaningful, seamless ways. I fell in love with the challenge of
From Cancer to Conception HOW KEIRA KOTLER'S EXPERIENCE WITH
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blending strategic thinking with design, finding new ways to use creativity to innovate compelling ad campaigns or website functionality to help businesses thrive. I worked in this capacity for many years, while also getting my Masters in Painting. My fine art career was burgeoning at the time, and I felt very grateful to have two vocations I loved so much.
BREAST CANCER LED HER TO STARTING
Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As
HER SUSTAINABLE LINGERIE BRAND
such experiences often do, this diagnosis
EVERVIOLET.
stopped me in my tracks and made me
Tell us about yourself. Who is Keira
question every aspect of my life. I soon
Kotler?
realized that the one thing missing in my
I grew up in Boston and went to college in
others. Having been raised by two
New York City. I have always been
philanthropists, service was something I
interested in communications, and all of
valued tremendously and that I wanted to
my early jobs and internships centered
be present in my professional life. In many
around writing, journalism and marketing.
ways, breast cancer provided me with that
I also had a keen interest in photography
opportunity -- a means of turning a
and fine art, so I spent much of my
challenging life experience into something
twenties delving into these two fields
good for others, the ability to give back, and
simultaneously.
ultimately, a true sense of purpose.
work at that time was a way of helping
Tell us about how you started Everviolet.
Everviolet was born out of my personal experience to find comfortable, well-fitting, and attractive intimate apparel following a double mastectomy. Thankfully, I was lucky in that my cancer was found at an early stage, and I was able to navigate my surgeries as well as could be expected. Imagine my surprise, though, when getting dressed in the morning became one of my greatest challenges. My old pretty lingerie no longer fit, and bras designed for women post-surgery were synthetic, scratchy, and quite frankly, ugly. It felt like adding insult to injury, literally. I suffered in silence for a while and then I started speaking with other women, only to find this issue to be universal. What I learned, though, was that it wasn’t just newly diagnosed women like myself who couldn’t find garments. Rather, 10, 20, 30-year survivors were still manually pulling wires out of bras or cutting into fabric, just to avoid pain every day. It was in that moment when I realized just how far beyond clothing this issue went -that the inability to start each day free of pain, discomfort, or the reminder of what we had been through was a barrier to full healing on emotional and psychological levels -- the difference between feeling like a patient and feeling like a person. It was with this realization that I vowed to pay my good prognosis forward and solve this problem for other women.
On the list was a “drain pocket camisole,” which I had never heard of, but that I was told I could find at the hospital gift shop. (Drains are incredible devices that are inserted into the body to help it eliminate fluid and reduce swelling, and I needed garments that could help me manage them.) But all I could find were those synthetic, scratchy garments I described earlier, and I knew they wouldn’t suffice. I thought about how vulnerable I was likely going to feel when I went home, how sore and tender, and the thought of having something soft, natural, and breathable against my skin sounded so comforting. Yet, it didn’t exist. When it came time to create the Everviolet collection, sourcing fabrics that were ethically and sustainably made became top priority. I learned which fibers were antimicrobial and moisture-wicking, which would help regulate body temperature, and which consumed the most water.
Why did you choose to create a sustainable lingerie brand? I remember before surgery, my doctor gave me a list of clothing I was supposed to buy, items that were supposed to help my recovery go a little smoother.
Our collection today utilizes certified sustainable jerseys in all of our garments. We also use recycled packaging and shipping materials. (cont.)
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Progress
Over Perfection
With Yellow Co founder Joanna Waterfall A CONVERSATION ABOUT SUCCESS, FAILURE, AND HOW BUSINESS OWNERS (ESPECIALLY SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRANDS) CAN APPLY THIS MENTALITY TO THEIR BUSINESS AND LIFE.
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WHAT IS AN ETHICAL PHOTO GRAPHER We obviously know all about ethical fashion, but what is an ethical photographer? What does this mean as opposed to a regular photographer in terms of ethics and values? We spoke with Eunice Pais, the founder of PAIS, an ethical photography agency focused on carbon neutral and socially impactful fashion productions.
PR STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE BRANDS A CONVERSATION WITH LORRAINE SANDERS OF THE SPIRIT OF 608 AND WHY SHE FULLY SUPPORTS PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION WHEN IT COMES TO THE SUSTAINABLE FASHION INDUSTRY.
Photographer: Sophia Bain, Sophia Bain Photography
By Lauren Tanaka-Fortune