COVER STORY | Continued
she wants to be involved with the sustainable fashion movement she states, “I’m not 19 any more, and therefore there is no excuse for me to not try and make better choices. I also enjoy finding better ways of doing things, and I love fashion!” “I was really excited when a ‘friend of a friend’ organized a meeting with Ecoluxe,” she explains. “I actually really liked the designs from most of the brands and designers exhibiting, and the stand outs for me were Outsider, Elena Garcia, Stamo, Sanyukta Shrestha, and gorgeous jewelry from both Ute Decker, and Linnie McLarty.”
“Always recycle and never throw away old clothes...so helping out charities and organizations such as Oxfam in the UK, who take your old clothes and sell them cheap to raise money for aid in Africa and other third world countries, is something I think everyone should do.”
Air also wears more commercial eco brands such as People Tree, Noir, Stella McCartney, People Tree, and the coveted knitwear label from supermodel Lilly Cole, the North Circular. However she is now feeling more inclined to wear smaller, more bespoke designers such as, “The delicate silk collections by Elena Garcia, the bold and glamorous designs by Stamo, and fabulously wearable and fun dresses by Beulah, who I also hear the Duchess of Cambridge is a fan of!” Beyond ecoaware labels, she believes, “We should also acknowledge and recognize some of the positive improvements that the larger design houses and high stores have made to be more sustainable.”
Beyond her obvious passion for sustainable fashion and food, I am fascinated to find out how 76
she extends this newfound awareness into everyday life. When I ask if she has any eco fashion and beauty tips, she replies, “Always recycle and never throw away old clothes,” and she is matter-offact about it. “The saying goes that one person’s trash is another’s treasure - so helping out charities and organizations such as Oxfam in the UK, who take your old clothes and sell them cheap to raise money for aid in Africa and other third world countries, is something I think everyone should do. As far as my beauty regime goes, I drink lots of water and always cleanse my face before going to bed no matter how tired I may be!” Her favorite eco beauty products are the Vapour make-up range by Content Beauty. She’s also a huge fan of the sublime products from Melvita - “Especially the Moistening Gel,” she whispers. Air reveals that it has been a life changing experience being a single mom. This 32 year-old mother’s face is warm, both because of her love for the camera and her natural beauty. Her epiphany to move to a sustainable existence has been gradual and as she explains her relationship with her daughter, you get a real sense that this woman is evolving into a ‘to be followed’ health and eco fashion role model. She explains that she is very conscious and that because children look up to their parents, you have to be cautious in the way that you behave around them.
Air goes on to explain that educating children about appreciating living an eco-life is, “A slightly grey area and a fine line because children are children, and you don’t want to put the world’s problems on their little shoulders. I tend to keep conversation light about the choices mommy makes and not dictate to her in the hope that she will naturally bear my guidance in mind as she grows up.” You get a real feeling that motherhood has been a very wholesome experience for this young woman. As we further discuss her daughter, Air explains, “She - Freya - definitely shares my love of food and understands clearly why I buy organic or local, given better taste, and effects on the planet, etc. She doesn’t quite understand the whole reason to buy sustainable fashion but it
| COCO ECO MAGAZINE | November / December 2011
COVER STORY | Continued www.cocoecomag.com