Today I’m excited to shine a spotlight on Conscious Citizen, one of my favorite lifestyle brands on a mission to change peoples’ mindsets towards fashion and sustainability.
[AD] Everyday essentials and effortlessly chic lounge wear made from 100% organic cotton is the foundation of Conscious Citizen’s small collection. But beyond being a clothing label, Conscious Citizen’s core focus is to cultivate a sense of accessibility and community in the world of sustainable fashion. The brand’s four cyclical pillars encourage a shift in thinking towards clothing and shopping, advocating for buying fewer but better things as well as other good habits such as recycling, reselling, and repairing. The label was founded by two friends, Maria and Yulia, with a shared vision to change the outlook of the fashion industry by encouraging thoughtful consumerism, one achievable step after the next.
The garments in the Conscious Citizen collection are perfect for everyday wear, the types of wardrobe staples you buy once and keep for many years — easy to style, practical, and wonderfully comfortable. And honestly, I didn’t know that sweatpants could look so damn good. I’ve also found that pieces featuring the brand’s logo (such as the baseball cap, cotton tote bag, and tee shirt) have been great conversations starters as well, sparking a few interesting discussions about the importance of environmental consideration and how each small decision we make when it comes to our fashion choices has an impact on the world we live in.
I hope you enjoy the short interview below with Conscious Citizen’s founders, Maria and Yulia — two amazingly kind, hardworking women with an important message to share.
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An Interview with Conscious Citizen Founders
Maria & Yulia
Q: What was your main aim and source of motivation for creating the Conscious Citizen label?
A: The aim behind creating Conscious Citizen is to make taking steps towards sustainability in fashion accessible to all. The fashion industry has a really strong platform and voice globally. We wanted to take away the intimidating element out of sustainability. We found that so much of the information around sustainability in fashion leads people to believe that nothing short of a radical approach will make a difference, and can instill fear of missteps in brands and individuals. We really want to highlight the impact of trying and taking small steps collectively as individuals executing profound change. We believe the power of communities taking small steps together towards achieving a greater goal is the solution for positive change for the challenge of sustainability and fashion.
Q: Can you tell me a bit more about your production and supply chain? Where are your garments produced, and how is Conscious Citizen making strides to keep a minimal impact?
A: We work with a really small manufacturing house in the UK, who source our organic cotton from Portugal and weave the fabric locally. All of our printing is done in Hertfordshire with a small local business. We wanted to keep production as close to us as possible so that we had full visibility of the entire manufacturing process. We use a pre-order or made to order business model when we can. This allows us to reduce our carbon footprint and hold less stock so there is no waste. Where we do have to produce stock for some of our new collections we have very small production runs, which avoids any waste. Fair trade and ethical suppliers are a priority to us and our operations. We currently are a two-person company handling all departments. We use small businesses where possible rather than large corporations, and we only use ethical fabrics for our items. All of our packaging and finishes are made and/or use sustainable resources. We are proud to say that every step of our supply chain is consciously considered.
Q: There seems to be a growing community around Conscious Citizen! What has been your proudest moment since launching the brand?
A: It truly is a dream come true, and we are super grateful to have had so many moments already! We say a special thank you to each other for every order we receive, and make sure to reflect back on all of our accomplishments each week. We are incredibly grateful everyday for the support we have received and the amazing positive response Conscious Citizen has had. It’s really humbling to see so many people in our pieces, including individuals we look up to within the industry, as well as other high profile people. The proudest part is that we can see our community wearing our pieces time and time again, styled in different ways for different occasions, beyond an Instagram post. Continuously receiving the positive feedback really motivates us to continue to grow, continue to learn, continue to develop our brand and spread our message.
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My Conscious Citizen Favorites
Boxy Tee
Conscious Shopper
Citizen Baseball Cap
Stone Joggers
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This blogpost was written in collaboration with Conscious Citizen
Find Conscious Citizen on Instagram & Online
