If you’re reading this article, or are interested in The Green Stylist, then you most likely have realized that you want to see a change in the way you and people around you buy and wear clothes. It seems that even though you can read about great designers and companies that are making responsible products, it still is just so much easier to just shop those “conventional” (but not so responsible..) brands you know. So when you see an pair of shoes at Urban Outfitters that would be perfect with your new jeans, wouldn’t it be great if you could check out all the eco-friendly and ethical alternatives and then just buy them online? Now you can, with a little help from Fashioning Change, a website “dedicated to creating shopping experiences that give you fashionable eco-friendly and ethical alternatives to popular name brands that lack transparency in their supply chains”.

So the next time you find an amazing dress on Polyvore, check out similar options that will keep you completely guilt free by logging onto Fashioning Change and browsing through their products with a search tool that can sort options by categories like price, color, size or even occasion. Not only is it easy to find exactly what you want, you can also keep up with the latest fashion trends in sustainable versions by checking out their Looks section for an item by item break down, all of which are available through the site. Copy your favorite celeb’s style with the Wear This Not That comparison looks, allowing you to “discover and shop stylish independent eco-friendly and ethical brands that have a similar aesthetic and price point” as mainstream ones you know. The Green Stylist caught up with Adriana Herrera, the CEO and founder of Fashioning Change, to hear more about how they are blending the lines between fashion, green living and technology to bring you the best choices to shop for.

What prompted you to create Fashioning Change and how did you go about turning an aspiration into a reality?

I see Fashioning Change kind of as the culmination of my life. When I was a little girl my dad had three rules he gave us that we had to abide by when we did our back to school shopping. We weren’t allowed to buy things made from synthetic materials, things made in Asia or clothing that was dark colors because my Dad thinks that children are the light of the world and so should wear bright colors.  That gave me a very particular lens on life and what it meant to make a purchase and what the meaning behind that was in terms of our connection to the environment and the people in the supply chain.

As I became an adult I ended up creating a boutique PR firm to work specifically with clients that positively impact the world, through which I met a friend of mine who had a concept for an eco-friendly line of handbags. I had the flexibility to start a company with her and through that process began manufacturing eco-friendly products that I couldn’t find locally. I also quickly learned that designers are usually taught to think very creatively and are not taught the business side of fashion. I saw a lot of designers creating beautiful collections that would soon get boxed up and they would have to go work for a design house because they forgot the part about reaching the consumer. In the meantime, there were people like me, who grew up looking for responsibly-made products, having to do a lot of homework and research in order to make a purchase. So I thought about an easy way to connect the designers and brands that make eco-friendly and ethical products to consumers, which turned into Fashioning Change. It was the idea of leveraging technology and leveraging what we know about the brands we like so that we could introduce people to the positive alternative. I started the company in January 2010, went through an extremely intensive tech incubator and nine months in, met my co-founder and we just hit the ground running.

The concept has really taken off and you have been successful so far, but how was the idea initially received by consumers and others in the fashion industry?

The response that I’ve always gotten from people was that it really makes sense, or they’re glad that somebody is finally doing this and so its always been really positive. It comes down to making more informed purchases, and when people are given the choice between buying something with complete transparency versus something they aren’t really sure of, people said they would definitely want to know where every single penny of their money actually goes.

Have you been successful in reaping rewards for the brands on Fashioning Change?

Yes, I think what our brands really love about us is that we help them tell their story. Right now they have very limited resources and using our technology creates snapshots of stories for the consumer. They are really pleased to have been able to connect with consumers who are looking for them, that they otherwise might not find.

Which type of product has been most successful on the site?

It really depends because we have different types of consumers. We have consumers looking for higher-end brands and consumers looking for more accessible brands, so they’ve all had varying levels of success. We do get feedback from people though, especially ones who are making their first sustainable fashion purchase, and they’ll usually have bought an accessory. So its been really interesting to see that people are looking at accessories like handbags and scarves as kind of a transition to this new world of conscious fashion.

Right, so its kind of like slower way of introducing it to your wardrobe.

Yes, its been really fun to discover that from the shoppers.

How do you choose brands for Fashioning Change?

We have a number of partners that we get brand referrals from like Ethical Fashion Forum, non-profits that work with certifications or brands themselves will submit info for us. We’ve grown to the point where we get a number of brand submissions every day, which is really exciting for us. We look at the brands and ask if they are coming from a partner that has already researched their methods, certifications and auditing processes and then we ask if the brand meets our definition of “green”.  To us that means protecting our health, the earth and human rights. We have a number of brands who come to us saying they are producing locally, like in Vancouver or New York or Miami, and that’s wonderful, but once it gets to the stores on the other side of the United States, that’s no longer local. That to us is not eco-friendly. Some brands come to us saying that they are using 100% recycled PET fiber, which is amazing because of all the innovations in that area,  but when we ask them where they are manufacturing or about the treatment of their workers, they don’t know any of those details.We only take brands that have 110% transparency and ones that agree to allow us to do surprise features in their manufacturing processes.

What are some of your favorite brands?

This is hard, I never know how to answer this question! It’s kind of like a Mom having to pick her favorite child. I love all of our brands for so many different reasons. I know all of the people behind the brands, and their beautiful stories and the passion that goes into creating their pieces, so wearing them is very meaningful.

What trends will you be featuring on Fashioning Change this season?

We have a lot coming up! We are super excited about a lot of the brands that we are releasing. We just released a new brand called Love Me Again and they have a super vibrant, fun and girlie style. But we’re really going to be be featuring the trends that are hot this season. So we’ll have some florals coming out this season and a continuation of the tribal stuff. What’s great about us is that we are very much on-trend. Some people are still looking at eco-friendly fashion as burlap bags, but we’re actually wearing what everyone else is, just made in a better way.

One thing that’s difficult for consumers to overcome when it comes to sustainable fashion is the cost factor. How do you think that can be overcome so that more people can afford sustainable fashion?

My shopping budget and price points might be different from your shopping budget and price points and our styles can be very different. One thing that we are really about is leveraging the information you know about the styles and price points that you like, and connecting you with those brands to make things accessible for shoppers. So if you are a Forever 21 shopper you will find styles within your price range on our site and if you’re BCBG shopper or if you like Ralph Lauren you’ll find things in your price range, etc, etc. So we’re really about leveraging what you know and making it very easy to discover brands you would like.

So you’re drawing direct comparisons from the conventional fashion industry to the ethical and eco-friendly one?

Exactly. We selected the name Fashioning Change because it doesn’t mention green, doesn’t mention eco, doesn’t mention any of those industry words because we didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves. We see ourselves as the broader fashion industry, attracting people who are shopping at Modcloth and Polyvore and who just love fashion. Our philosophy is fashion and function first, but items also have to meet our criteria of green. So our customer would be a discerning fashion woman who is  looking to make better informed purchases. The women who first began to discover us are the ones who typically shop at Whole Foods, but we’re also getting interest from a lot of the women who enjoy sites like Polyvore and Modcloth. Its been great because those are the two sets of women we have been looking to target.

Are you looking into working with sites like Polyvore to create more consumer awareness about the types of products on your site?

We’re always open to collaborating with different types of e-commerce sites because we want to promote our philosophy of fashion and function first, alongside having eco-friendly and ethical products. Nothing is ever out of the realm of possibility. If you look at our site we have our interactive looks, which are similar to those on Polyvore and we’re going to start having several people do guest feature looks for us. People have requested the ability to make their own looks, putting us more in the realm of what Polyvore is doing. There’s a lot to be discovered there and we’re not sure we’re going to do that but we are always open to collaborating because I think that the more we are able to leverage our industry knowledge, specifically in terms of other ways to produce fashion and garments and the impacts of that, its just good for everyone.

As the final question, what is on the horizon for Fashioning Change?

We have a lot coming up, but nothing that we’re publicly announcing yet. But we are expanding to have more of a global reach and meeting consumers in the UK by asking for more brands and meeting those consumers’ requirements.  We’ll be making a formal announcement at the end of February.

We’ll definitely be looking forward to that! Thanks so much for your time Adriana. 

Log on to Fashioning Change and you’ll receive eco-tips and product features in your inbox as the perfect way to start making your wardrobe more sustainable. Also, tune into their blog to read the latest thoughts from Adriana, co-founder Kevin, or the newly appointed Product and Sourcing Coordinator, Kestrel. 

All images courtesy of Fashioning Change.