Q&A: Katy from Attire Media • Vicki Duong

*Photo provided by @attiremedia @swanakaephotography*

Have you ever met someone and vibed with them right from the get-go? That was what happened when I met Katy last year. We met at a beach-cleanup/mediation event hosted by ethical swimwear brand, OCIN, so it’s not surprising that we had similar values when it comes to fashion manufacturing.

When I first met Katy she was just starting out with Attire Media, a guide for sustainable and ethical fashion. Since then Attire Media has done brand features, news round-ups, #ootd inspo and tips while staying committed to sustainability. Following Attire Media on IG has been such a great resource for me. When it comes to sustainable fashion, as much as I love it, there is so much information to take in constantly and it’s nice to have a regular source for it worked into my feed. For all these reasons (and more!) I am so excited to work with Katy on a Q&A feature and tune into Attire Media’s Instagram page (here) tomorrow for a takeover from yours truly.

Tell us about yourself!

Hi! I’m Katy, and I’m the founder of Attire Media, an online publication that empowers consumers to cultivate more meaningful relationships with their clothes. We share news, articles, events, and resources to help consumers along their conscious fashion journeys, and our goal is to make ethical and sustainable fashion more fun and less daunting for those just starting out. Aside from running Attire, I also work at KPMG as an accountant and run a human rights activism newsletter called The Daily Activist!

How was Attire Media born?

My parents were refugees of war, and learning about that part of my heritage really connected me with the human rights and sustainability movement. After working several jobs in the fashion industry – modelling, consulting local brands, writing for fashion week – I started to connect the dots that this industry I loved was also contributing significantly to human rights abuses and environmental degradation. I noticed that on the one hand, sustainable brands were struggling to reach consumers and get their sustainability message across; on the other hand, I was receiving tons of messages from friends who were either unaware of the problems within the industry, or had no idea how to transition to more ethical and sustainable consumption habits. I realized that by speaking up and sharing what I’d learned from working in fashion, I could bridge this knowledge gap and empower consumers and conscious fashion brands at the same time: that’s where the idea to launch Attire started evolving.

Why is being a platform that not only applauds brands doing good, but also one that draws attention to a brand’s shortcoming important to you?

Honesty is a huge part of working in media, and it’s so important to acknowledge that no brand is perfect. We would be doing Attire’s readers a disservice if we only praised positive achievements rather than addressing shortcomings. The movement for conscious fashion needs us to be optimistic, but at the same time, too much optimism can lead to inaction. We can celebrate the progress that’s been made, but we must maintain a constant awareness that there is still a long journey ahead of us. It’s also important to remember that behind every brand is a group of people: people who have worked hard to get to where they are now, but are also flawed and biased in their own human ways. Instead of labelling certain brands as simply “good” or “bad”, we can take a more nuanced approach: what have they done well? Where can they improve, and how? This is how we move forward to become better as an industry.

I noticed that your feed has always been diverse, right from the get-go. As brands navigate through the BLM movement how would you suggest avoiding performance activism and tokenism as an ally?

I appreciate you noticing that! We intentionally shot Attire’s first editorial to feature BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) models only. Growing up as a visible minority myself, my ethnicity was always a source of shame for me, and that definitely came from the lack of minority representation in fashion magazines. That’s why I felt it was so important to address this issue from the get-go. I want to see a future where young girls are no longer insecure simply because of the colour of their skin.

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So many brands that tend to feature white women have recently posted a photo or two of a Black model, without truly acknowledging and understanding the deep level of work and improvement that is needed. This is a prime example of tokenism – the idea that we can have one Black model, one Black employee, or one Black friend and call that anti-racism. For Attire’s first editorial, I didn’t want to just feature one or two racial minorities and call that diversity. I wanted to show that there is so much diversity even within the broad umbrellas of race. Before we did the editorial, one of the Black models asked me if she was allowed keep her natural hair for the photoshoot. I was surprised by the question. Of course, we wanted to see her in her natural hair – I had never thought of doing it any other way. But her question made me realize that there are certain standards that are uniquely imposed on Black people, whether that be changing their hair to suit Western beauty standards or having to work harder for career advancement. It’s so important for Black people to be included not only in the brand’s public image, but also behind-the-scenes in the creative process, to have a seat and a voice at the table. Better yet, give Black people multiple seats, not just a single symbolic one.

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The problem with performative activism is not only that it doesn’t come from a genuine place of caring, but that it is also short-lived. It’s so important to recognize that the work is far from done. I’m proud of the work Attire has done to support diversity and anti-racism thus far, but just because we’ve been aware of this issue from the start doesn’t mean we’ve done enough. I’ve had a lot of conversations with my team on how we can continue to do better. Even though I am a woman of colour and half of my team is women of colour, we still don’t have any Black or Indigenous women on our team, which means we still have more work to do. Despite the positive achievements we might have made thus far, further action is required. Yes, let’s celebrate our progress, but more importantly, let’s figure out what we can do next.

What’s in store for the rest of 2020? (Even if it’s just a hint!)

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We’ve been working on a special project to help consumers transition to becoming conscious fashion consumers! It was actually supposed to launch at the beginning of June, but given everything happening with Black Lives Matter, we felt it wasn’t the right time. Postponing the launch has actually turned out to be a good thing, because it’s given us time to reflect as a team on how we can improve this project, along with our other work, to have more diversity and inclusion. There’s no fixed date yet given the uncertainty of things, but hopefully we can launch this sometime later in 2020. In the meantime, we’re continuing to share diverse fashion stories and to amplify Black voices in the sustainable fashion space however we can.

Just for fun; what are some of your favourite sustainability influencers and/or brands?

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I’m always discovering new sustainable influencers and getting inspired by what others are doing to create positive change. Some of my favourite accounts include @ssustainably_, who puts together really great informative content, @theconscioustee for good vibes and educational content, @theflippside for inspiring conversations and wisdom, @thefashionweekender, who provides some great education on diversity and inclusion, and @empearthy, who always inspires me with her minimalist fashion tips. And of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning you, Vicki!

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I have a soft spot for small sustainable businesses, especially after having the chance to meet some of the founders and get to know the story behind what they’re creating. Local clothing brands like BELLANTONI and Novel Supply Co., in particular, have always stood out to me because of their transparency and how much work I know they’ve put into creating sustainable products. I also love jewelry that tells a story: brands like Chic Made Consciously, FAIR. Jewelry and Scéona create pieces that are not only sustainable, but have a deep meaning behind them.

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A post shared by gaia | sustainable fashion (@ssustainably_) on Jun 14, 2020 at 10:15am PDT

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