Josephine is one those multitasking women that seem to be able to deal with everything. She is a slow fashion blogger, vintage store owner, creative director of her own brand and recently become the Fashion Revolution representative for Denmark. A few months ago I came across her work and invite her to share her experience and knowledge on the blog. I hope you like it!!
Where are you currently located and what is their culture impacts about Slow Fashion?
I’m am Danish, lived half my life in sunny Australia, but now I’m currently located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a city filled with good sustainability impacts mixed with lifestyle living. You will see big bike lanes, so lot of the city people transport to work by bike every day – even with kids and through the snow. You see lots of organic food, at responsible prices and yes – there are other great things like the windmill providing power by nature. Copenhagen is also known to be the city that holds the biggest fashion conference covering sustainable fashion impacts – Copenhagen Fashion Summit, collaborating with Youth Fashion Summit. Most universities and schools are now teaching students about the importance of sustainability – and you see more and more slow fashion designers are reinventing and innovating new concepts and re-designs.
What are your education and profession?
I have a Diploma of Fashion Design (2006, Australia), AP Design Technology – International Marketing, Design /Business (2013, KEA, Denmark), and PBA Sustainable Communication, Design /Business (2015, KEA, Denmark).
I see myself as a creative soul, and cannot really put a job title that would describe me. I love working with design and business, especially with slow fashion. I have my own fashion brand and a slow fashion basement, where I run 3 different sub-brands. My basement is placed in central Copenhagen and is called SLOW Fashion 1123 (SF1123). It is a showroom, a slow fashion atelier and a creative space. At the SF1123 basement, we have 3 other sub-brands: Other Vintage – which is a second-hand showroom, Phine Raun – my own slow fashion brand, and Awesome Designers – where we collaborate with other creative slow fashion designers and souls.
At SF1123, my job title is: Slow Fashion Designer / Stylist / Creative Director / Advocate.
I am also a team member for Fashion Revolution Denmark.
How many years have you been blogging about the fashion industry?
I’ve just started and got some big plans for 2018. I will cover more stories about other slow fashion blogger, designers, artists, slow fashion tips and care – and even some holistic rituals.
How did you come across slow fashion and what makes you click on with it?
I have always had a love for recycling and redesign. I remember when I was a little girl, I think I was 5-6 years old, I stole one of my mum’s night silk gowns; it was a dark bottle green with thin spaghetti straps and grabbed a pearl necklace – took it back to my room, cut it up and re-designed it onto my Barbie doll. I remember my doll looked amazing and I was so impressed with the evening gown dress that I had created on her, but boy’ did I get into lots of trouble and learnt never to touch my mum’s things again! I discovered it, years after my fashion design education, during my bachelor degree: sustainable communication, that I truly had a deep passion for slow fashion. I had completed my Phine Raun business plan and was ready to start production. But as I continued my education, I realized that I would create a slow fashion business! And that’s what I’m doing and loving. It’s a slow process, but quitting won’t speed it up.
Describe your personal style.
I am half vintage and half hippie. I love vintage fashion mixed with a modern twist. I love wearing crystals jewellery and I absolutely LOVE wearing secondhand / vintage / sustainable fashion. I love to be crazy and daring with my style, but with comfort.
What is your biggest learning about Slow Fashion and why?
Small steps can make a change! If every designer or any artistic soul thought more about the people and the planet with their unique creations, then we could create a better place on Mother Earth. I have seen how paradox the fashion system is and there is absolutely no balance – this industry is damaging the world, art, love for craftsmanship and creation. We have been drained with advertisement of overconsumption since the 1950’s, and now we are overwhelmed with so many choices, prices and demands, that we don’t stop up and slow down, but we buy cheap, while moving with the fast power. Slow down.
Who is your favourite Slow Fashion brand / designer / peer / influencer?
My favourite slow fashion influencer is the NGO: Fashion Revolution. They are shaping huge awareness, information, events and facts about the fashion and textile industry, equality, human rights for people and sharing true storytelling about the factory workers. The more transparency we receive about the fashion industry, the more us fashion citizens can see the real picture.
Please share one good Slow Fashion advice to any fashion citizens.
It’s all about power and at the end – we, us, the fashion citizens have the power, and we can slow down and make a difference about how we shop, treat our clothing and stop buying frequent fashion trends. I believe the first step to do – is RE-LOVE your clothing again and again and again and again! Revisit your wardrobe, see what you have and see what changes or a new belt/ shoes could do to create a new look.
