Sustainable Baddie of the Week: Summer Dean (@climatediva)
Welcome to our weekly Sustainable Baddie Feature! Every week we will introduce you to a Baddie we have had our eye on, while highlighting what they are passionate about and how they contribute to the sustainability space!
This week we interviewed Summer Dean, the sweetest girl behind the @climatediva Instagram account. Here’s what she had to say about engaging in the sustainability space, what her tips are for thrifting, and what she’s projecting for her future endeavors.
1. Tell us about yourself! Where you are from, what you do, and what’s your favorite plant?
I’m a sustainable fashion content creator living in Los Angeles, CA (but I’m originally from Portland, OR). My work focuses on making sustainability fun, fashionable, lighthearted, and less daunting. My favorite plant is a lady fern. They’re really common in the Pacific Northwest where I grew up and they 100% represent me in plant form.
2. How did you develop your passion for sustainability?
My mom and I would plant gardens together growing up, and it helped me have a closer relationship with Earth at a very young age. When I was in middle school, my family moved to Florida at the same time that the BP oil spill happened. When I moved, I didn’t have a lot of friends yet, so the beach was where I spent most of my time. Spending so much time near the water, I really fell in love with the environment there.
When the oil spill happened, I experienced firsthand how the fossil fuel industry can destroy an entire community and ecosystem within a few days, and that set me on my path of environmentalism today.
Although it took me having this jarring experience to set me on this path, I really believe that every person on earth is an environmentalist! Anyone and everyone can appreciate and love the earth around them, and there’s not one set way to be an environmentalist.
3. What do you struggle with the most in the sustainable fashion space? How do you overcome any challenges?
As a person who is smaller-sized and able-bodied, I have a lot of privilege, so I don’t personally experience some of the challenges that others have raised when it comes to sustainable fashion, which are things like inadequate size ranges, lack of size representation, and so much more. Something else that’s difficult as a sustainable fashion advocate is constantly fighting against the status quo hyper-fast rate that fast fashion brands produce clothing. Many sustainable fashion brands are small businesses that make their clothes to order. Compare that to fast fashion brands that have hundreds of thousands of pieces in stock at any given moment, making it easier to consume clothing so fast and get it at your doorstep in a few days. It’s hard for sustainable fashion to compete in this atmosphere of hyper-consumption, but
my hope is that we can change the entire culture of hyper-fast production, consumption, and instant gratification to one that is much more slow and thoughtful.
4. When shopping for second hand pieces, what do you typically look for? Any thrift tips?
When I’m shopping secondhand I’m always thinking about these things 1) the clothing I already have in my closet and how new items could work with items I already have 2) the size and fit of the clothing (will it fit on me or can I tailor it?) and 3) the color, fabric, and style (I typically prefer cotton, silk, or linen). My favorite colors are green and lavender, so I always have my eyes peeled for anything in those colors. And I’m always a sucker for vintage fabrics and styles because those are typically higher quality.
5. How do you see yourself growing with your account and sustainable impact in the future? Do you have any career goals?
I’m not really sure, I just take my life and work day by day. I would absolutely love to open a vintage clothing shop one day, and I’m currently writing a kid’s book about climate change and sustainability. And in terms of my @climatediva account, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and inspiring people to take sustainable action. I’m not a fan of productivity-girl boss culture, so I just wanna keep living my life slowly, standing by my values, working with sustainable brands that I love, and spending as much time as enjoying nature as possible.
follow her for more over @climatediva
|
Sophia JaramilloSophia Jaramillo is a Content Writer and TikTok Creator for Sustainable Baddie who loves all things sustainable fashion. Sophia works as a freelance creative, which includes being a content creator and an illustrator. In her free time, she loves going to estate sales, reworking old clothing, and spending time with her friends, family, and dog Tilly. Her go-to coffee order is an iced matcha latte with oat milk and an almond croissant. @menswearsoph |