The Finder's Life

What is a Sustainable Stylist?  
Miranda Black interviews Jess Raffills from The Finder's Life who has been a sustainable stylist before anyone really knew what that was!  
Jess is from New Zealand where they weave sustainability into their lives a little more seamlessly that we do here in North America (scute the pun...weave, seamlessly lol).
Jess gives some great tips you can start using TODAY to start your sustainable style journey and get more confidence about your style. 

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Transcript

The Finders Life

[00:00:00] Miranda Black: Here's one of my favorite stories from a client I worked with in the spring. She was in the middle of moving. I'd been hired to do a wardrobe cull, clear it out, get it lean for the move. As we were sorting, it came up that she had a red carpet event to go to well events were my specialty, before COVID came along. 

But this time I wanted to see if we could do it the new way: sustainable styling. So we hit up the inventory she already had on hand. And as we went through her dresses, I started to realize that she didn't have anything great to wear to the event. I wasn't able to solve her fashion emergency with what she had. 

So we went back to clearing her closet and we got to her bathing suit section. she pulls out this gorgeous silk flowing material and says, This came with a bathing suit, but I've never really worn it cause it's too fancy for the beach. And suddenly the light went on. I asked her just to try it. Try it to see if it could be worn for the event. 

She didn't know me too well so I could tell she wondered if I was a complete loony, but she was game. She tried it on with some gold jewelry and heels and blammo: red carpet extravaganza. Her dress was a hit and no one knew it was this bathing suit gown. This is sustainable styling. Repurposing, altering, re-imagining. Using the resources we have to create new outfits. 

And as a bonus, the money you save, you can use that to buy from ethical companies who pay their employees, a living wage. So, yeah, it's going to be more expensive, but if you're buying less, the choice to shop ethically becomes more affordable. Sustainable styling, it's new for me. I am on a big learning curve. 

I wanted to talk to someone who's been doing this for a long time. I found Jess on Instagram just by searching sustainable style. She's from New Zealand, which is 16 hours ahead. So it was 6:00 AM the next day when I interviewed her, you could say she was literally talking to me from the future. It certainly feels like this is the way of the future. So who is Jess Raffills and what is The Finders Life? 

I'm super blessed that you would join me here to talk about sustainable fashion 

[00:02:22] Jess Rafills: Yeah. Yeah. I'm excited to talk about it.

 I couldn't really find a lot of sustainable stylists here in Canada. There are a few, but I think in Europe and maybe Australia and then New Zealand, it seems like it's a lot. I don't know what we're doing wrong. Maybe we're a little bit more influenced by America and new, new, new.

[00:02:42] Jess Rafills: Yeah. It's interesting. I just worked with a client who was based in America and she used me from New Zealand because she wanted More of a sustainable spin on where she was taking her wardrobe. And that was really interesting for me. So then after I work with a client, I create a look book for them, which is basically like, here is your shape analysis.

Here are things that you wanna be looking for to work your wardrobe. Right. And here are some pre-loved pieces and it's all shopables. They can click. And I had the hardest time finding really good quality designer pieces for her, in America, I was like, wow, this is so interesting.

 I have girlfriends say to me I'll shop for my, you know, my big wardrobe pieces, but my basics, there's nothing sustainable here in Canada. And I'm like, okay, I gotta change some hearts and minds

[00:03:34] Jess Rafills: And there's a gap in the market, right? Because you you can see the trends and I find it so interesting that New Zealand and Australia do seem to be pulling ahead in that more sustainable... you know, I think we embrace sustainability in so many areas and I do feel like fashion is still catching up in some countries, it's massive.

It's so massive.

[00:03:57] Miranda Black: Okay. So can you take me back? How did you, were you in traditional retail or traditional fashion? How did you transfer into this space?

[00:04:07] Jess Rafills: My, journey to landing here is quite an odd one. So I used to work at a design store when I was at uni, which was like a million years ago. and I've always loved clothing. I've loved the power of how it can make me feel. I've always just loved experimenting and playing and not so much keeping up with like trends.

 I've just always been powerfully aware of what I put on my body and how that's going to impact me. But no, I'm a new entrant teacher So I

[00:04:36] Miranda Black: which kind of teacher?

[00:04:37] Jess Rafills: A new entrant teacher. So that would be for you guys, like when the children are five and they first start school.

[00:04:43] Miranda Black: Oh like a kindergarten kind of

[00:04:45] Jess Rafills: Yeah. Yeah. Like I'm a school teacher that's my job.

[00:04:49] Miranda Black: you mean in real life? Even right now?

[00:04:51] Jess Rafills: No, no. So I totally, yeah. So I know I got to a point where I was like... so I got a divorce, this is how all this started, and I was like: Well, damn, how am I gonna keep wearing this beautiful clothing how am I gonna do this? So my friend and I started this page where we could essentially resell our clothing and we were both quite massively into op shopping.

And at the time we were like, wait a minute, this is such an untapped market here to actually find beautiful clothing and on sell it essentially. So that's how this started. And at the time I was quite uninterested in this sustainability component of it, 

I wasn't so aware of the fibers or, , the production of these things. I was really just, this is a great way for me to make some extra money and,

[00:05:41] Miranda Black: To stay in the

[00:05:41] Jess Rafills: it was

[00:05:42] Miranda Black: stay in the clothing game.

[00:05:44] Jess Rafills: That's it! That's all it was. And then, interestingly as time went by, I had all of these repeat clients. And so often I couldn't get a picture of where they were going with what they were purchasing.

And it started to really bother me. I was like, wait, this is like two different people shopping here. Like this is all over the show. You don't seem to have any idea of what you're purchasing or why. It's just like, oh yeah, I like that. I'll buy that. And it really started to bother me. So then I started to work with these people in their wardrobes and actually carve out a little bit more of, you know, where are you going with that?

 And how is this making you feel? And like doing full wardrobe culls and then rebuilding. Building outfits with what they already owned rather than do expensive styling trips where so many women they're priced out of that market! It's just like thousands and thousands of dollars. And so often , that was based off not even doing intentional wardrobe work, it was just like, let's go shopping and buy the latest trends. And I was just like, wait a minute. This does not sit well with me at all in so many ways.

So that's how it all started. Yeah.

[00:06:55] Miranda Black: mm-hmm . So it became more purpose driven the shopping as opposed to, just grabbing anything, 

it fills our closet. With stuff that we can't use yeah.

[00:07:04] Jess Rafills: Yeah. And psychologically, there's so much behind what we're buying and why we're buying it. And, you know, especially with the pandemic and all the lockdowns, people were just willy-nilly purchasing. And then you end up with this huge wardrobe, which is beautiful, but still nothing to wear.

There's no intention behind here are my basic pieces, which tie this all together. It was just crazy shopping.

[00:07:28] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. do you teach people style? Do you teach them how to have more style?

[00:07:34] Jess Rafills: I find that such an interesting question. My answer is yes and no. I don't believe that you can teach someone a style. I think that that's so innate, no matter how deep down it is. And for some people, it feels very, uh, Out of reach, but I think we do all possess that, drive or like a desire to look a certain way.

But what I do teach people is the fundamentals of those outfits that you feel really great in, there's a reason why. There's a reason why you feel great and it's likely that you were wearing great colors for your skin. It's likely that you are wearing really good silhouettes for your shape. There's a lot of talk around, like, why do we preach dressing for our shape?

Why don't we just preach dressing for what you love? And that's great. I just actually did a Reel about this and I got some questions, like why do I have to know my shape? why can't I just wear anything? And my response is: I often just wear anything I just wear what I love. And sometimes I know it isn't like totally nailing my shape, but that's because I'm a long way down my fashion journey.

So for clients just starting out, it's actually really important that they understand the fundamentals of: this silhouette will do this for you. We wanna minimize and we wanna maximize, and that is how we're gonna feel good. So yes, I don't think it's about teaching style. I think it's about teaching things that women get to their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties.

And then they're like, I had no idea that if I just did this, it would do this. And I'm like, yeah,

that, so 

[00:09:10] Miranda Black: It's like learning well, like learning anythingwhatever it is. If you know the basics and the fundamentals, then you can make those mistakes. I'm gonna call them mistakes or those errors to, to pop your style.

[00:09:25] Jess Rafills: Absolutely be intentional to then be able to experiment is what I often say.

[00:09:30] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. knowing yourself is probably the most important thing are you someone that loves crazy? Are you someone that just loves mono Chromethere's so much to unpack within it. So a wardrobe session can be really fun and hilarious and we're cracking up and it's great. But to be honest, more often than not, there are tears and we're back layers. And we're really understanding the psychology behind why we are wearing these things and, internal dialogue and the rules that we've created for ourselves, or we've had imposed upon us.

[00:10:03] Jess Rafills: And I think there's just so much that comes with our clothing that we underestimate.

So it's nice to be able to equip people with some tools to be able to say, actually, yeah, this is me. This is what's working for me. I can leave that at the door. I don't need to have that be my rule anymore or shape how I feel about getting dressed.

 So yeah, it's quite... it's big, but I love it.

[00:10:26] Miranda Black: Yeah, it might be good for people to know how many tears and how much loss and grief it even just squeezes my heart right now, thinking about certain people who have just, you have to face a certain part of yourself oftentimes when you're doing a wardrobe cleanse 

[00:10:43] Jess Rafills: you do. 

[00:10:45] Miranda Black: Get drilling down your style.

[00:10:46] Jess Rafills: Yeah. And I think a lot of my clients are in a really big transitional phase, so they may, have just had a baby or gone through changes in their size or

[00:10:57] Miranda Black: Well, let me ask you, do you find that the pandemic is a big transition phase for everybody with their wardrobe? Even

me who, you know, style is my thing, it always has been. but who am I now?

What, Do you find, are you finding 

[00:11:13] Jess Rafills: 100%, yes. I would say 90% of my like client contact forms, which is where someone will first make contact with me to chat is, um, I used to be in the corporate world I've spent two years in my pajamas, or my track pants and I'm stuck and I've gained all of this weight and I'm terrified. And I used to love style, and I literally am waking up each day wearing the exact same thing and feeling really meh.

 people are so affected by this in so many ways. And obviously our style and our wardrobes is just one small facet of that. But it's a massive one. It's our outward representation of what's going on, in here. So it's massive.

[00:11:57] Miranda Black: I know a lot of people also who have started new jobs within the pandemic and no one's been seen from the waist down and going to work the first time. It's like, they're going into high school. it is, it's knocked people. It's knocked them massively. I think it's really easy to style from here up, like, you can throw on a top and like I'm wearing slippers right now. You can't tellit's a massive, the way the pandemic has come through and shaken everything up. do you think that developing someone's developing their confidence would help slow down fast fashion or impulse buys. Do you think lack of confidence and fashion fashion are like peanut butter and chocolate.

[00:12:42] Jess Rafills: Yes, 100%. You, you have totally nailed it. I think even women who I'm working with, who in their thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, They're really held back by, other people's perspectives. It's a huge one. So I've been doing a lot of work on this, just on my Instagram page, around like where, whatever the hell you wanna wear.

Like, if you feel good Then just wear it. But obviously for me, that's easier. I, I trust my style. I don't care if other people like what I'm wearing or not. For me, it is all about, do I feel good? Yes. Like, let's go! But I can understand that for someone who's just starting out on their style journey or who's taken some path

hits be it having small children and having play doh, and porridge all over them to then start to step out into, I'm gonna step this up and try a couple of things and then have those comments of like, Where are you going? You look so dressed up today. It's just like, no, like stop asking those questions and let someone just take little steps to grow more confident.

 I mean, I think about myself in my twenties and. I didn't have that same wisdom and knowledge and confidence about my body. I think that's such a hard time and we do get really lost there, but I think it's such a massive area that we don't speak about so much. Um, so yeah, I know.

[00:14:09] Miranda Black: Yeah. And, and Instagram and social media does not help because you can't tell what's going up. Like, I gotta mess all around me right here, but this right here, my little box looks 

[00:14:20] Jess Rafills: yeah, that's great. 

[00:14:21] Miranda Black: but it's not reality.

[00:14:24] Jess Rafills: No, but I think we are becoming a lot more savvy about understanding that social media platforms are just that snapshot. But yeah, I do think trying to normalize the fact that it isn't about being a size zero. 

 It's really about acknowledging this is my shape regardless of my size. These are the silhouettes that are really gonna work for me. And I think we're really making some gains there and acknowledging that. And lots of confidence can come from that. So when a client shifts sizing, it's about having pieces in your wardrobe that is still gonna bring you that confidence, despite being a different size, it's likely your shape has still held on. Often just our midsections can change after popping them baby's out. But, for the most part, those same principles will still apply, regardless of going up and downs sizes.

So yeah.

[00:15:22] Miranda Black: You mentioned a little bit about, production and content labels. something I've been thinking about recently is that we are, we know what's in our food. You know, we know what, what a BLT stands for. And some of us might even know where the bacon came from and where the lettuce came from.

But we do not know that with our clothes. 

Is that something that you're 

aware 

[00:15:44] Jess Rafills: yeah. The majority of my clients don't think about composition labels. So this is a massive thing for me, and it's become more and more on my radar as the years have gone by and after being in so many op shops and seeing so many discarded, Synthetic fibers. So like fast fashion is the third largest polluter that is massive.

And the hu the biggest part of those emissions is actually the, the production of the fibers. So synthetic fibers are I think it's closer to like 65% of that. So that's huge. If you think about something that's synthetic, and what it was taking to produce that, let alone break it down.

Recycled fabrics are great, but they're still contributing to the emissions. There's just no two ways about it.

[00:16:37] Miranda Black: It cannot be recycled. And it's just been 

[00:16:40] Jess Rafills: It's so concerning. 

[00:16:42] Miranda Black: companies like H and M have promote, oh, we can recycle your polyester stuff. You can't, it can't be broken down to create a new fiber. 

 it, I think bringing knowledge to that, and then you see all of these synthetic fibers in op shops, big, bulky, awful knits. And I'm just like, okay. They look horrible. Why are people still buying these? Like, knit wear is a massive place to start if you're just starting out on your journey and you are a bit stuck as to where to go, starting with not buying cheap knit wear is huge. So... 

[00:17:22] Miranda Black: Alert people alert.

[00:17:24] Jess Rafills: Major 

because they're, it is cuz they're huge. They're bulky items. And for the most part, they're not going to be resold because they wear so poorly and pill and look disgusting after three washes. But we get sucked in, in these awful stores, with these knits and they look great to start with, but you have to stop and think, what is this going to look like in three to five washes. And it's not gonna be good. Whereas if you are in an op shop or if you're online doing some pre loved shopping, I just put in the exact compositions that I'm searching for.

So in my search, rather than search knit wear, I'm searching Mohair, Cashmere, Angora, Silk. That's what I am searching for. So that I know that the bulk of that composition is going to be a beautiful, long lasting fiber that if I care for it, I will be able to resell and, and that's so much more important to me.

 If you're shopping in an op shop, learn how how to really find those great quality compositions as opposed to the synthetics. Stop. Look at the labels. I'm forever checking labels if I'm unsure. It's so important.

[00:18:37] Miranda Black: Yeah, because a lot of, seasoned thrift shoppers, I'm gonna put my hand up here. I look at the brand label. So I'm like, Ooh, oh, it's this, I should get that, but I'm gonna be changing

[00:18:50] Jess Rafills: Yeah.

[00:18:51] Miranda Black: where I look, I'm gonna be looking at the content label because if it lasts longer and I never even thought about, yeah, can I resell it?

[00:19:00] Jess Rafills: That's always the top of my radar. So the way that I run my wardrobe is fully cyclic. I never invest my personal funds into my wardrobe. My wardrobe pays for itself and it does take a little bit of time to get there. But once you are there, if I find something and it's pricey I'm willing to pay good money for really well made good quality pieces, but I'm not gonna pay for it. I'm gonna look at my wardrobe and I'm gonna look at something that's becoming a little bit more redundant to me and I'm gonna shift that on. The only way that works is if it, often as a good brand, but a good brand doesn't go hand in hand with a great composition. And that's something we are way too unaware of. and so many times I've been in clients, wardrobes, and actually just been flabbergasted. Like you would've paid so much for this. This is so disappointing and that's something that needs to change. You can't just slap a brand on something and be: here you go enjoy your $300 sweater. And then a year later that it's, it's dead, that's dead currency. that frustrates me so much. but yeah, I just think if someone was making a small change, start with your knitwear.

[00:20:13] Miranda Black: Yeah, B that is worth the price of admission people. Um so you just said that your wardrobe pays for itself.

[00:20:23] Jess Rafills: Yeah.

[00:20:24] Miranda Black: That's part of your business Mo how does your business model work? You're you're a Ty you must have a bunch of different funnels, cuz you're a stylist, but also your wardrobe makes your money.

[00:20:34] Jess Rafills: Well, yes, it's changed and evolved over time. So it did start with me just selling my wardrobe and I'd find new pieces. , then moved more into styling, which has become like the top tier of my business, but every couple of months now I'll, I'll draw a wardrobe clear out.

Cause when I'm sourcing for clients I oftenfind things. And I'm like, oh, I love it. But then it actually overwhelms my brain to walk into my wardrobe and be like, whoa. Plus I hate the idea that this is just sitting here. This is not being loved by me. This is not being utilized properly.

I would rather shift it on. So then I just load up my website, People who follow me know that I'm dropping things and just shift it out. So , that's how it works, that's how I fund extra purchases and I would always encourage my clients to do the same.

[00:21:23] Miranda Black: Interesting. So, do you have anything that you hold onto year after year or is it pretty much.

[00:21:28] Jess Rafills: a good question. Yeah, I do. I have some really amazing, good quality, winter coats that I won't shift on. And a lot of them are, are pieces I've found and they might be, you know, like European labels or things that are just really, really hard to come by. Um, I look after my knitwear really well. So if that's something that is totally working for me and an essential I'll hold onto it, but I'm not a massive holder.

I'm much more of a releaser. So if something is not being worn by me, if I haven't worn it in the past kind of six months or within that season, I'll just move it on. So it's very transitional. It's not

[00:22:07] Miranda Black: You, you really cut through that thing in our brains of like, oh, maybe I'll use it. Maybe I'll... you're like, no, mm-hmm 

shut.

[00:22:15] Jess Rafills: Yeah, I'm very, very straight down the line. If I put something on and I don't feel great in it, that is it for me. I'm like, okay, that piece needs to go. It's a placeholder it's causing confusion. 

and that is what I'll always speak to my clients about less is more, but the less has to be the right less.

It can't be willy nilly. Has to be cohesive.

[00:22:38] Miranda Black: , If someone wants to start having a conscious closet.

Where would they begin? Learning how to shop pre loved is obviously massive. If you don't know how to shop pre loved, and there are a lot of skills involved in it. It's not just willynilly searching for things. That would be a really good place to start. So increasing your brand awareness, increasing your understanding about how these products are made. If that aligns with your ethos and where you're at on your, , sustainable style journey. Learning how to op shop, because I think it's extremely daunting. And I think a lot of people are put off from making that transition to buying new, to switching, to pre loved, cuz they just don't know how to do it.

[00:23:23] Jess Rafills: So, um, 

[00:23:24] Miranda Black: you say op op shop that's a term new to me. And at first I thought it might be a New Zealand term, but now I'm wondering what is up

[00:23:31] Jess Rafills: so up shopping is like thrift shopping.

So yes, like it's, it's short for opportunity shop here. It's so funny how things are so different

[00:23:41] Miranda Black: Oh, I was thinking it was, up shop up, up shop it's op shop.

[00:23:46] Jess Rafills: shop? Yeah, it's just my accent. so yeah, teaching people how to do that and having the confidence to do it. You can't have the confidence to op shop if you don't know what you're looking for. So then it's often actually let's start with my shape analysis. What things are really gonna work for me. And then from there, okay. What pieces are really missing in my wardrobe to bring this all together?

 ops shoppers can often fall into that trap of oh, it's from the ops shop. Oh, it's so cheap. I kind of like that color even though nothing else is working for me. So if you are a pre love shopper, you still have to shop with intention So you need to break down my shape, break down the pieces that are missing.

[00:24:30] Jess Rafills: Where do I wanna go with my style this season? Do I know where I'm going? And then, of walking into a store and looking like every other person who shops in that store, you can do it pre love, but you do need a couple of skills to get there.

So I think. Learning that is, is really, really massive. Like breaking up with first fashion is, really massive and really hard to do, but it's just having some firm boundaries around. Why am I buying this? Am I buying this because I love it. And I can see myself wearing it for a long time. And it holding its shape and condition, or am I buying it cuz I need an endorphin hit and I've had a rough meeting with my boss and I'm wanting something to make me feel better. And then we hang it with the tag and we never wear it. so yeah, breaking up with first fashion is definitely a big one. to have a nice closet. Seems like shopping is last.

is, it is 100%.

[00:25:30] Miranda Black: Yeah, I think we have it backwards, right?

[00:25:32] Jess Rafills: We do I'll have clients message me saying, and these are people I don't know. This is just my contact form saying, can we book a personal shopping session? And I'll say, I'm really sorry, but no, I don't, that's not what we are gonna do because for me that is essentially a waste of your money.

You're not going to rehire me. If we just go shopping together and I don't have a full understanding of your shape or your lifestyle or how your clothing is affecting you or what past trauma is coming into. What

I mean, like, it sounds dramatic, but it isn't, it's very real. And so for me, Getting right back to basics is far more important than adding in a black mock knit top.

 that's where I start. That's just my personal take on it. And I know everyone operates differently and that's great. But for me, I think it's far more than just clothes and I don't wanna just go shopping with you. That's not,

[00:26:30] Jess Rafills: That's 

[00:26:30] Miranda Black: the,

um, yeah. It's I can also to the food again, it would be like, if we wanted to harvest before we planted seeds or watered or even knew what seeds, we were planting like, oh, what am I harvesting here? Oh, it was pumpkins. I, I thought I was getting apples.

[00:26:48] Jess Rafills: know exactly put in the hard work. It's not easy. It's really confronting to stop and look at why we are wearing the things we are wearing it's a big deal. Like taking that step to contact someone to say, Can you come into my space or can we do a digital session is massive. So yeah, 

it is hard work. Everything good is,

[00:27:10] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. , a lot of people gained weight during the pandemic. 

[00:27:15] Jess Rafills: Is hard. I'm sorry, but.

[00:27:16] Miranda Black: and.

[00:27:17] Jess Rafills: Yes.

[00:27:17] Miranda Black: What is your thoughts on this? I'm interested to know, because my instinct is to say, well, you might not always have those extra 15 pounds when we go back to normal.

If I there's no back to normal, but you know what I mean by that?

[00:27:30] Jess Rafills: Yeah, totally.

[00:27:32] Miranda Black: What's your PO right now I'm telling people if it's something you really love, don't get rid of it yet , but what, I'd love to know what

[00:27:40] Jess Rafills: Yeah, I can totally attest to that, , lockdown, weight gain and how that's affecting us. I tend to do sideways movements with my clients. So I operate, , a timeout, which is essentially where we put our clothes that aren't serving us in this moment. It's not coming into someone's wardrobe and being like, get rid of that.

Get rid of that. Get rid of that it's sideways movements. Can we put this away for summer? Can we put this away? Because we love it, but it's not working for us right now for whatever reason be that we've gained weight or, all the things there's so many fact there's sideways movements are really key.

What you want in your wardrobe is no confusion. So pieces that don't fit you right now are really triggering. And we don't need that. We've got a lot going on. We wanna open the doors to our wardrobe and be greeted by things that are working for us that are ready to wear that we know how to wear.

So I just use the vacuum seal bags out of mind, out of sight. I'll revisit that another day, but right now, no but no, don't get rid of things yet.

[00:28:46] Miranda Black: Good, good, good. Cause that's what I've been doing myself and advising people as well, I call them capsules a little time capsule that we 

can 

revisit at a later date, you

[00:28:57] Jess Rafills: Yes, that's it?

[00:28:58] Miranda Black: I have so many suits,and I don't wanna get rid of them, but I don't see myself in them right now.

[00:29:06] Jess Rafills: no. I think those are the pieces that you hold onto. Like sometimes we as people, I don't wanna say women cuz it's. Anyone, hold onto pieces for the wrong reasons. but you've gotta differentiate between something that's unhealthy in terms of holding on and something that's actually it's okay. And in those instances, it's okay.

And it's a lot to come in and just get rid of everything. It's traumatic. And I would never be like, just get rid of it. you just start to get a read from someone and a read of where they're at and what they need to let go of, but doing it 

[00:29:45] Miranda Black: mm-hmm yeah, 

[00:29:46] Jess Rafills: yeah, so I'm a little bit of a delicate, sometimes people would probably describe me as least delicate depending on where someone's at,

having a delicate touch is, is key both for men and women really.

[00:29:59] Miranda Black: Um,

[00:29:59] Jess Rafills: Yes.

[00:30:00] Miranda Black: A question I've been struggling with a little bit do you believe that one person can a difference by shopping sustainably?

[00:30:09] Jess Rafills: I do. And I especially do, if they're bringing awareness, like if they have a platform, however, large or small and they can bring awareness, people don't know what they don't know. It's really easy to put your head in the sand to be like, no, I'm just gonna shop at the store.

And. You know, buy these things and I'll probably wear them a few times and then like literally put them into landfill. But I think the more and more people are talking about, Hey, you don't need to completely overhaul, like in the interest of total honesty, sometimes I will shop at Zara and I will, and I will feel a bit like this.

Isn't great, but it's very much a sometimes. So I think that whole 80 20. Rule is great for people to know, just because you're gonna start to be more sustainable doesn't mean that you can't ever buy something that's fast fashioned. It isn't all or nothing. It's just about making little changes. And if we all just made little changes to, how we're shopping, that's gonna matter.

It doesn't have to be a total free for all and no, I can't ever go into a mall and I can't ever do that. Like that's unrealistic. It's like diet culture. It's 

[00:31:19] Miranda Black: Yeah. 

[00:31:19] Jess Rafills: work. If you rob yourself on something and say, I can't have it, you're gonna want it. And then, you 

know, so taking small sets yeah. Be realistic about it.

But starting small is obviously gonna add up. I mean, if everyone just stopped, buying big, chunky synthetic knits, imagine that it's just small steps, but it will make a difference. Like pre-loved fashion is set to overtake fast fashion by 2030 in terms of popularity. It, this 

is 

happening. 

[00:31:52] Miranda Black: Yeah, it's 

[00:31:53] Jess Rafills: It's amazing. There's no negative connotations around pre love shopping anymore. Well in New Zealand, especially it is,

[00:32:01] Miranda Black: not here. 

[00:32:01] Jess Rafills: is what we do. 

[00:32:03] Miranda Black: It's not for business, business people, my old clients at my store, they would think it's absolutely gross and that they would never, ever find anything for them.

[00:32:15] Jess Rafills: Interesting. It's it's it used to be like that here. And some people would kind of turn their noses up at wearing something that someone else has worn, but I think we're incredibly lucky it's embraced and more and more, it is just the way that that people operate. Not everybody. But it's changing. And some of my friends who I never thought would be pre-loved shoppers, they're on the bandwagon and they're on hard and it's so nice to see.

So yeah, it happens.

[00:32:45] Miranda Black: There's a good discovery process too. When someone finds 

vintage or,

uh, 

or pre love, they're like, what have I been do? Where have I been

[00:32:55] Jess Rafills: I know. Seriously. And how satisfying is that? Anyone can walk into a store, have a sales assistant, dress them and walk out looking great. It's like that to me is like, oh, well done. Like,

[00:33:09] Miranda Black: Yeah.

[00:33:10] Jess Rafills: you a high five, but walking into an op shop or a pre love store or finding something incredible online, which is so unique is the most satisfying experience.

The endorphins, the hit you get. And then wearing that piece that totally sets you apart, even if it's really subtle amazing.

Like 

[00:33:33] Miranda Black: it's super, um, hunter gatherer vibes, right? Like it taps into 

that, and then displaying it, like your prize.

[00:33:41] Jess Rafills: Yes. And having the confidence to do so because you put in the hard work cuz you know where you're at, 

[00:33:47] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. Um, okay. Well, this conversation has just charged my I feel so I feel so great about, the future of sustainable fashion.

[00:34:00] Jess Rafills: Cool. I'm always keen to talk about this kind of stuff, because like we said, the more we talk about it, the more awareness we can bring, the more change we can see. So 

[00:34:08] Miranda Black: yeah, 

[00:34:09] Jess Rafills: to chat to you. Thank you for 

[00:34:11] Miranda Black: you're so welcome. Where can people follow you and find you and get your, all your wisdom?

[00:34:16] Jess Rafills: So the best place is just on my Instagram, which is The Finders Life. I have a website, but yeah, everything is linked through there. So that's the best place to jump onto.

[00:34:27] Miranda Black: All right. Well, thank

[00:34:29] Jess Rafills: So welcome. Enjoy your day. 

[00:34:31] Miranda Black: On Jess's Instagram account, The Finders Life, she always has amazing clothing hacks. The most recent was taking a sun dress and turning it into a maxi skirt, so you don't have to buy new for this passing trend. Honestly, she has so many creative ideas on how to extend and rethink your wardrobe and let's heed her advice: don't buy cheap knits, read content labels, the same way you do for the food you buy. 

And learn to op shop, which is what the other half of the world calls thrifting. And speaking of thrifting, I discovered this new vintage thrift consignment store during the pandemic that's right around the corner for me. I literally walked by and said, what's this place. And then I went inside to find out. 

Danielle Green has a crazy story of business. Perseverance. 

[00:35:20] Danielle Greene: I had a wedding planning business before. And when COVID hit, I had to really pivot hard. My mom always says desperation is the mother of invention. And, I was at that desperate point. And I had to get really creative and the best way to do that is to take clothing that was pre loved. And put it by a window. And hope that, customers would come in. 

 So I got clothing from my mom, my aunt, my grandmother. 

And, you know, When it comes to clothing. Women are like, Bees to honey, you know, they sit up. Ooh. 

And customers started to come in, they started to roll in and it turned into this huge thing. It went from one rack to two, two to three, and now. 

About 95% of the store is clothing.

[00:36:07] Miranda Black: Danielle also has some great tips on how to shop vintage for the regular people. Not just hipsters. So join me next time. When we go inside to find out: what's this place?