I’ve been a little obsessed (in the best sense of the word) with the concept of slow fashion ever since I saw the documentary, The True Cost. This was in 2015, when I had just began taking all of the required courses for my degree in Fashion Merchandising. Only a couple of classes had focused on the negative side of the industry but none hit as hard as that documentary. After seeing it I remember sitting in class one day and my mind wandered off topic, as per usual, and I asked myself whether I even wanted to work in an industry that was just behind oil in being the second largest polluter. Even more awful than landfills full of crop tops from Forever 21 is the working conditions in third world countries and sweatshops. If this was an industry that harmed people and the planet, why would I want to be a part of that?

But instead of giving up and choosing a different degree, I made the choice to stop shopping at fast fashion stores and I found out how many brands there are in the world that are committed to slow fashion. I realized that I would not be limited to slow fashion brands when it came to my career.

Ever since I left school, I found so many people who are just as invested in slow fashion as I am! Some even more so. I stumbled upon the Instagram account of one particular designer and we met up for brunch and she taught me a little bit about her part in the slow fashion movement.

This is Ingrid Oleson, founder of Eye Oh Design.

It was so much fun to chat with Ingrid and, not only discuss slow fashion, but also learn about her journey to becoming passionate about sustainable fashion. On one end of slow fashion you have clothing made out of sustainable materials, made in suitable working conditions. But thrift shopping is also a great way to be a more sustainable shopper. Ingrid buys pieces from thrift stores and uses her own creativity to take the pieces apart and redesign them, producing some really awesome garments!

When did you start sewing?

I started picking up sewing more so when I was in college. Right when I was graduating I started making clothes for going to festivals and stuff. 

What was the first piece that you created?

I took apart my first jean jacket. I had never had a jean jacket before so it was funny because I always liked the appeal of a plain jean jacket but after wearing it a couple of times I was just like, “I, actually, don’t really like this- it’s just too plain for me.” So I took it apart and sewed it back together using different fabrics. That’s when I started sewing more heavily.

Was ethical fashion always a priority for you when shopping?

No, growing up my style was always kind of hippie because my parents were also pretty hippie, so I would buy second hand. But when I moved to the city I saw how other people would dress and then I wanted to shop at places like American Eagle and American Apparel. It wasn’t until college when I started finding thrifted stuff and being like, “oh my God, this is amazing! Nobody else has this!” I loved it. And then after college I realized you could actually up cycle items. So I would say the sustainable fashion came more into play for me within the last couple years.

Where do you want to see the fashion industry going with the slow fashion movement?

I feel like the whole concept of malls is dying in America and that makes me pretty happy because I hate malls. My first job was in a mall and I feel like they are just horrible places. I would be really happy to see malls not exist. I think that would be huge for the fashion industry because those places are just literally where all the inappropriately sourced textiles go. There are a bunch of other places too but the big brands are in malls. I would like to see brands share their mission with people and become more transparent. And I would like to see more brands who partner with their own people overseas to make sure that they’re partnering with factories appropriately instead of contracting through governments where they just don’t care about the life of the workers. 

It was so great to share ideas and learn more about each other over brunch! Afterwards we headed to her house where I got to see some of the latest designs Ingrid has been working on. She styled me in a couple of denim jackets and I wanted to share the photos of my favorite!

Ingrid has an eye for taking something simple and designing it into a staple and I LOVE that!

I paired the jacket with my Levi’s 501 skinny jeans and Nisolo heeled sandals.

Be sure to check out her web site! 

And I hope you join me in continuing to learn more about slow fashion and all of the wonderful brands out there committed to transparency where their products are concerned.

In collaboration with Eye Oh Deisgn

Photography by Ingrid Oleson