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Q: What role does PR play with conscious consumption?
"PR is an interesting profession because there are always companies out there wanting to hire you to help them sell whatever they're making. But if you want to stay in business for a long time, your responsibility isn't to the highest paying client, but to the journalists you work with and their audiences. We don't want to work with companies that have a huge sales spike then crash and burn, and I think it's important to promote products and services that make people's lives better - and won't just end up in the trash in a couple of months."
Q: Why do you choose secondhand?
"I love the unique pieces you can find secondhand - items from small collections or vintage designer finds you can't get those in a mall. There's something about secondhand shopping that always feels like a treasure hunt, and there's romance in the fact that each piece had a bit of a life before it came to you. Also - budget is a big factor; raising two kids in an expensive city, I could never afford to wear what I wanted if I didn't lean so much on secondhand!"
Q: What is your most coveted secondhand piece?
"I found a spectacular vintage Holt Renfrew party dress in mint green at Fraser & Co in Chilliwack that I'm waiting for the right occasion to roll out. An oversized purple Helly Hansen windbreaker that I bought, because it reminds me of my mom. It's a major comfort piece, and I wear it all the time. There's a grey Comme des Garçons tee from Collective Will that goes with everything and somehow looks perfectly slouchy and pulled together simultaneously."
Q: Where do you see the fashion industry heading?
"I see a return of slow fashion - well-made pieces to last. I think we collectively realize how our addiction to fast fashion is harming people who make the clothing and destroying the environment. We are craving more of a connection to the pieces we wear and slowing everything down, looking at what we already have, shopping for high-quality, well-made pieces and secondhand is a way to achieve that."
Q: What fashion lessons do you want to leave for future generations?
"I want my girls to shop their closets first. When I was younger, I had this strange idea that every event needed a new outfit, so I'd hit the mall or get sucked down the rabbit hole of online shopping. Style something differently, borrow from a friend, and only buy what you need."
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