First and foremost, thanks so much for taking part in my interview series! Tell us a bit more about yourself and your background.
My name is Rhi I’m from North Wales originally but spent the last 15 years living in Liverpool so would class myself as an honorary scouser.
I studied media studies at University and following a brief 6 months trip travelling the Southern Hemisphere, my plans were to travel around working in PR and marketing but alas I was ‘struck’ pregnant 12 years ago. I then moved to Liverpool where I’ve worked with independent fashion stores as a manager/jack of all. When you work for an indie store you are marketer, pr, promotions, buyer, visual merchandiser and all rounder which I always loved. I’ve also worked in comms, marketing and events management.
As well as working relatively full time I am Mam to two kids and am super close to my family in Wales. Needless to say my free time is spent travelling to Wales to visit the family and to be amongst my beloved mountains and seaside.
What are your thoughts on sustainability and when did you first become aware of it?
The word sustainability is almost intimidating isn’t it? It’s something to strive for. I think in reality I’ve spent my entire life living sustainably. Most noticeably when I spent my childhood wearing my oldest sisters 70s clothes in the late 80s.
There’s five siblings in our family and although we weren’t poor (before the divorce), my parents were super frugal and a little had to go a long way. All our dinner was to be eaten, my Mam grew what she could and we spent our days outside. We lived a very waste free life and that has filtered down to me in my adult life.
If we did buy anything it would be of best quality, bespoke, artisan furniture over mass produced. Organic fruit and vegetables would be eaten but the rinds, peels and stalks would be saved for the garden and composting.
So in short I think sustainability is about being conscious of every aspect of yours and your business’ actions. A constant questioning of what you are doing and what impact you are having.
What are you specifically interested in?
Reins clothing is about showing how fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth. About teaching children that you can have fun clothes, without damaging the Earth. One of our main missions is to reuse what already exists, to repurpose.
Have you seen a noticeable difference in the way people approach spending now and which companies they choose to support?
Those in my immediate circle and those we educate but gosh knows what is going on outside of that! I believe we can be fooled into a false sense of security when it comes to our immediate circle but honestly are the big world bashing companies struggling? Nope! There is much work to be done.
Tell me about a recent challenge you faced while working on a sustainability project.
When Reins Clothing began we wanted to work with companies that were working exclusively with sustainable fabrics but that proved more than challenging. Those that we found, were either non-responsive or didn't have the set up to provide what we needed. When we did find someone their fees were so great we simply couldn’t afford it.
What would you say are your industry’s main downfalls and what are the obstacles to improving them?
’Greenwashing’ is a huge one. I see a lot of companies making one “green” product and believe that this is enough to counter balance all the terrible things they do.
There’s a huge lack of transparency when it comes to operations. I do believe some autonomy is important to protect your brand but you shouldn’t be worried about sharing practices.
If you were to choose the first and most achievable changes for any small business, what would they be?
To sit down and assess where you can make changes. I think focusing on something brings great clarity. In this process you realise how many little things amount to a huge difference.
Looking into the ethos of your supply chain/partners is a great place to start; looking at consumption and production from the top down.
What kind of impact do you think small & medium businesses can have on the shift to a more sustainable society?
I believe they lead the way and the big guys follow. The big companies are led by the consumer and more times than not will cater to access the larger margins. The smaller companies, mostly (of course not exclusively) are paving their own paths. They’re more dynamic and creative and this has a knock on effect. These companies are led by people. Larger companies are led by figures and margins.
What do you think is the ‘elephant in the room’ with regards to sustainability in business? What do you think we should be speaking about more?
Gosh everything!! There’s power in the collective. I’m certain many smaller businesses could come together to fight the status quo set by large corporations. More needs to be done to speak to the consumer about the damaging effects the fashion industry has on the earth for example. It most certainly feels as though emphasis is based on the lifestyle. There is nowhere near enough talking being done on how great companies are doing sustainability and no enforcement on badly behaved corporations to do better.
What are your predictions for consumer behaviour in 2020? Which trends are you expecting to emerge or continue to grow?
Post Coronavirus, now this may be wishful thinking, I believe people will consider their purchases and where they direct their spending. We’ve realised we don’t need much to be content other than connection and a safe haven most get from our homes. I do see the restaurant industry doing well still, activities, leisure and sport will all thrive and with any luck small sustainable kids fashion businesses too!
