Sustainable Scandinavia was created to bring awareness to the issues of the fashion industry but also to the solutions that already exist. And because the founders live in Denmark, they wanted to shine a light on the initiatives that exist there first. Hence, the name “Sustainable Scandinavia”.

Kazi Purba, the Founder and President of Fashionnovation contacted with Yulia Motrenko, a former cell biologist and a part of a research group at Harvard Medical School, who is currently following her passion for fashion through ‘Sustainable Scandinavia’. Kazi Purba tried to delve into the activities of this beautiful initiative of Yulia Motrenko and her team by asking the following questions.

Tell us something about you and your blog. Why is it called Sustainable Scandinavia?

Sustainable Scandinavia is not just a regular Instagram blog with beautiful pictures of stylish women and fancy clothes. Our goal is not to persuade you to buy more – it is the opposite. We want you to buy less, and thoughtfully choose every piece with the same care you would use to choose a company to invest in.

Sustainable Scandinavia was created to bring awareness to the issues of the fashion industry but also to the solutions that already exist. We believe that if people have the right information, they can make the right decisions – whether that is in producing or buying clothes. We want to share what we learn every day and give our followers well-researched but digestible information on different sustainability topics in fashion to inspire them to reconsider their habits in regard to fashion.

Then, we want to fight the idea that sustainable fashion is just “baggy cotton clothes of earthy colours”. We are convinced it is possible to be stylish, love fashion, and protect the planet. It is a whole beautiful world we want to explore together.

And because we live here in Denmark, we wanted to shine a light on the initiatives that exist here first. Hence, the name “Sustainable Scandinavia”.

So, if you’re interested in discovering new young and established brands and learning more about their unique stories and visions, come join us!

What’s the story behind your initiative? What motivated you to establish that?

I started my career as a cell biologist and for a long time, I was planning to work as a researcher in a scientific laboratory. When I finally achieved my goal and became a part of a research group at Harvard Medical School, I realised I did not enjoy it. I moved to Copenhagen and decided to follow my passion for fashion.

 

Fashion was always a big part of my life but I was always too scared to pursue it as a career. But here in Copenhagen, I made two friends who share my passion for style and fashion. However, this is not the only thing that binds us – we share a hope for a better future for the fashion industry. And after spending a lot of time reading, talking and learning about sustainability in fashion, we just could not keep silent anymore. So we started Sustainable Scandinavia.

Greta Thunberg warned us – our home is on fire.

And while some people think that this is about protecting nature or preserving biodiversity for the sake of the planet – it is not. It is for the sake of our own future, the future of humanity on Earth. And if we want our nature to stay as diverse, beautiful, and good to us in a decade from now, we have to take action today.

Most people don’t think about the fact that just by excessively buying new clothes we are contributing to the world-scale disaster. And in order to realise why it happens like this, we need to think about fashion production and consumption. Think about everything – the process of growing crops, weaving yarns and fabrics, dyeing them, sewing clothes, packing them into tons of plastic, and transporting them using planes and trucks. There are so many elements in the fashion supply chain, so many processes lying behind every T-shirt and every pair of jeans we wear. And each of them leaves a footprint on the environment.

What is sustainability according to your viewpoint? Can we really assure a sustainable future of fashion?

Sustainability has become a big buzzword these days. And of course, there is no such thing as “100% sustainable”, production and consumption always have an impact on the earth, our society, and ourselves. But we can decide whether our impact should be positive or negative.

So for us, Sustainability in fashion is about making the decisions that have a positive impact and help redistribute value – giving back to the people that make the clothes we love and wear every day, and the planet that gives us the resources to make them. Because if we don’t, soon enough the earth and people will have nothing more to share.

In the end, the current fashion system leaves all of us feeling anxious, sad and powerless. The clothes we buy don’t look appealing and come out of a trend just after one season, reminding us that we’ve spent money for a very low value. It’s time to change that.

We need to understand that sustainability is not an option, it is the only way forward.

4. Do you have any plan to launch any sustainable product?

 

We are working hard now on releasing a multi-brand platform for Scandinavian sustainable fashion brands. It is our dream to gather small-scale brands that approach their production consciously and with care for the environment, and help them reach the right audience and grow.

At the same time, we want to take responsibility for educating people on matters of ethical fashion and convince them to choose local artisans and businesses over mass market stores.

The platform will allow guests to find brands according to their interest in sustainability and be sure that they are thoroughly examined by our team. Brands will be checked for ethical work conditions for their employees/in their supply chains, source of materials they use, logistics and biodegradability of final products.

And, as we believe that sustainable fashion is not only about unisex clothes in organic cotton (there are plenty of other fabrics!), we will ensure that customers have access to different styles and models. Apart from clothes, customers will also find accessories, bags, shoes and jewellery – all ethically made and with minimal harm to the planet.

We want it to become a perfect place for the sustainable fashionista to shop and we are putting a maximum of effort into making it real.

What are your future plans with your platform?

In the future, we plan to scale up and expand to other social media platforms – Tiktok, Facebook, Youtube. We want to promote sustainable fashion in many different ways and visual storytelling has a big place in our mission.

We are going to create even more exciting content, including interviews with CEOs of brands, educational materials on certificates and fabrics, fresh news on the sustainable side of fashion and much more.

Our aim is to create a community of like-minded people who can change the future of the fashion industry together. And we are calling you to become a member of this community right now ❤️

Our social media

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sustainable_scandinavia

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@neeti_sustainable

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You can also read: https://www.fashionnovation.com/lili-a-sustainable-brand-for-upcycled-jewelry/

As you’re interested in sustainable fashion, you might be interested to read another of our premium and trending article on Fast fashion vs slow fashion: A case study. You will get a lot of valuable perspective here: https://www.fashionnovation.com/a-case-study-on-fast-fashion-vs-slow-fashion/

If you want to know about M&L Creative, the Number One Choice for Sustainable Brands, you can read it here!