Interview with Creative Professionals Sustainability issue
For a class assignment, I was asked to interview creative professionals in my field of study. I am deeply passionate about making the fashion industry better for the environment. The fashion industry is damaging the environment at an alarming rate, it is the 2nd highest polluter of clean water in the world. My goal is to help fashion become more sustainable. For this assignment, I chose people working in fashion who are helping to do that. I chose Helena Silva, founder and creator of Bent & Bree and Kathryn Hilderbrand, founder and CEO of The Good Clothing Company.
Helena Silva Helena Silva founded Bent & Bree two years ago after the birth of her second child. She found it hard to find earth conscious products for her children. She decided to create sustainable bags and accessories using cork. Bent & Bree is: “inspired by LOVE, nature, imagination and a desire to provide unique and stylish planet-friendly products that reassures you that you are doing your best�. Cork is a renewable, durable, and water repellent material from Cork Oak. Cork Oak is the only tree which regenerates itself after harvest and grows naturally without any pesticides or water. Over 70 million trees are logged every year and turn into fabrics like rayon which is causing deforestation. Cork is a more sustainable fabric option. The cork fabric is all natural, recyclable and reusable. Helena Silva is not only the founder of Bent & Bree but a seasoned marketer with experience in brand building, product development and business development. She is using her creative thinking and her experiences to help fashion become more sustainable.
Kathryn Hilderbrand Kathryn Hilderbrand has over 30 years’ experience in the fashion industry. She is a master tailor, designer and business entrepreneur. Before creating The Good Clothing Company, she was an owner of an upscale tailoring shop called Stitched. She founded Good Clothing Company in 2015 which creates small runs of production for designers. The Good Clothing Company manufactures “ethical, sustainable and small batch production for independent designers�. Many fashion manufacturing happens overseas in developing countries allowing companies from the United States to increase their profit by using cheap labor. Many factory workers are not being paid a living wage and work in dangerous conditions. Large scale manufacturing not only comes at a human cost but an environmental cost too. Coal burned to operate factories pollutes the air and the toxic run off from those factories can pollute the water. The concept of Good Clothing Company is to bring back manufacturing to the United States using environmentally friendly and sustainable practices and pay workers a living wage.
The following is an interview with both Kathryn Hilderbrand and Helena Silva about creativity and their creative experiences.
Are you comfortable thinking about yourself as a creative professional? H S : Yes, as should everyone be because
I believe that all human beings are creative individuals or professionals. In my perspective, creativity is really about taking risks and solving issues in a more interesting way.
K H : Yes, I would say that I am comfort-
able thinking of myself as a creative professional. I creatively solve work related challenges on a day to day basis in addition to other traditional “creative� responsibilities.
Can you tell me about any specific points of creativity of which you are particular proud of? H S : The moment that I am most proud
of was the time I decided to take the risk. I decided not to work a corporate job earning six figures. Instead, I turned my ideas and imagination into reality.
K H : Good Clothing Company was a creative solution to a problem that I saw in my life. I had been working for more than two decades, honestly closer to three decades, and the tailoring industry pay had become stagnant. It got to a point where $10-$15 for a pant hem was the maximum that you could charge. It didn’t make sense for me to work so tirelessly without the consumer having an interest in paying me fairly for my work. By opening Good Clothing Company I created an environment where the company can be paid adequately for the services that it provides.
How would you describe your creative process? H S : My creative process is different
from the traditional “scientific” method. It really starts with the social setting and the interactions I have with my family, friends, and even strangers. So, I would call it the thought phase…just really observing and listening. I guess, there is also a phase of stagnation…in which I do nothing with my observations because either I am afraid of risk or failure. As with any other processes, there is the research or evaluation phase that involves mainly reflection about my observations and questioning if it will be “worth it” or feasible. Finally, there is the execution stage where your fears go away and motivation takes control. In this phase, I always say to myself or believe that failure is not an option and whatever the outcome, a problem will be solved or a want will be satisfied.
K H : I am driven by goals but I work
creatively to reach these goals.
“In my perspective, creativity is really about taking risks and solving issues in a more Interesting way” - Helena Silva
Does your creative process include both “coming up with ideas� and executing ideas? H S : Somewhat, please see above.
K H : Yes.
Is either ideation or execution more important in your field? H S : Both are equally important. An idea is not really work much without execution and execution needs an idea to move forward.
K H : Ideation and execution are a bit like the chicken and the egg. Dreaming big and talking through goals is imperative but without exceptional execution there is no point in having those goals.
Do you believe you are equally good at coming up with ideas and executing ideas? H S : No, not equally good. Coming up
with ideas is much easier. I still need to improve time management skills to do a better execution.
K H : Yes.
“Dreaming big and talking through goals is imperative but without exceptional execution there is no point in having those goals”
- Kathryn Hilderbrand
Do you think there is value in creative professionals being aware of both their own ideation processes and their own execution processes? Using these distinctions to get clear about short-term goals, expediencies, out-sourcing H S : Yes, there is value. The distinctions helps keep things
more structured and moving forward in a more cohesive fashion. I like how you call out the ideation and execution as two different process and not only part of the creative process.
K H : Yes, it is important
to make sure that there is a balance between both processes. The short term and long term goals need to have realistic paths to achievement. I personally live by my paper calendar so that on the short term I can make sure I am aware of deadlines, meetings, and established commitments while for more lofty goals or ideations I talk about them with my team. The calendar becomes an outlet for the short term while group meetings are a “think-tank” so to speak that lead us towards the future and larger plans.
Tess Burns