LONDON RUNWAY
ZOE'S STORY What's the story behind your brand? I started out on social media because I wanted a space to talk about clothes and life with a Disability. Disabled people are not that visible in the world of sustainable fashion (yet), and I wanted to be the representation I didn't have growing up. Because clothing is a massive part of who I am, the sustainability of my wardrobe is something I'm passionate about. I work as a dressmaker but it happened by chance after I posted a photo of a skirt I made and people loved it and asked where it was from, so I started selling them. I figured I'd maybe get a couple of commissions, but it's become my full time job. I predominantly use natural fibres, vintage, second hand, and deadstock fabric, and sustainability is a huge part of my brand ethics. I make clothing alongside my social media stuff and they tend to build off each other which has been really cool. Why is sustainability important to you? Making our lives more sustainable just feels like common sense, but some of the sustainability rhetoric can be pretty abelist. Plastic straws were invented as a medical aid, but the straw ban means even straws for medical use were removed. Nobody used any nuance in the argument, and many Disabled people who spoke about needing plastic straws got abuse online. I think it alienated people from the movement because they felt they didn't have a place in it. Living sustainably to me means doing the best you can, and making informed choices about what you consume, like biodegradable sponges rather than plastic. While also acknowledging that some people can't make the same lifestyle changes that you can. Many people living more sustainable lives does more for the future of our planet over time than a handful of people living a perfectly zero waste life.
My household halved the amount of plastic sent to landfill over the past 2 years by making a sustainable swap every month. Sustainability means a lot to me, not just because I want a better future for the planet, but because every community needs a voice in the movement, at the end of the day it really is everyone's problem! What can your followers expect from you? I really enjoy making educational videos alongside more basic fashion content. On Instagram I focus on slow/sustainable fashion and inclusivity in the industry but on YouTube I tend to do more sewing vlogs and tutorials. I studied conservation with the aim of becoming a textile conservator and fashion historian, so I love that I can learn from how people in the past managed without modern conveniences like plastic and manmade fibres and apply it in a contemporary context. I recreated medieval shoes using upholstery leather offcuts, so now I have a pair of fully biodegradable shoes which I absolutely love wearing in the summer. What would you like to say to your voters? Just finding out that I was nominated was an enormous honour and I was so, so excited about it. It means a lot when people show that they care about what I'm doing and what I stand for. I really didn't expect to win, so I was totally blown away by it all. I'm really grateful for the different opportunities that have come from working on social media; I've met and been supported by so many amazing people and it knocks my socks off to be honest, it's probably one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me, so thank you all!
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Images by Zoe / Jordane of @hareandheatherphoto
Sustainable Influencer of the Year
