Sustainable Fashion Stylist Loren North and her mission!
My name is Loren, and while I know how to bring what is inside of you to the outside so your style reflects who you are, what’s really interesting is I am also a former geologist. I have seen firsthand the effects of clothing manufacturing on the environment. So I decided that I can use my career to make a difference by changing how we shop and consume our clothing. After we work together, you will absolutely feel like a celebrity but trust me I am not going for the TV drama approach because sustainability, the environment and your values are the most important thing for me.
My personal journey to becoming a personal stylist started with shopping at thrift stores and consignment stores.
I used to work in an area that had a lot of big box stores that were convenient to run to over lunch or after work. I kept returning to these stores due to their proximity to my work place and price point. Nothing in these stores was inspiring, but it was easy. I was in a style and shopping rut.
During this time, I wandered into Goodwill. This started innocently enough as affordable and guilt free retail therapy and became more of a mission. I realized that the clothing available at these stores was current, some new with tags, and could form a professional wardrobe. The thrift stores included the typical labels you are used to seeing in traditional retail stores. These clothes were for sale at a fraction of the price. What was even better were the consignment stores- locally owned establishments with even higher quality selections.
Creating a connection between sustainability and style
After a few years of casually shopping secondhand and increasing the amount of clothing I purchased from these secondhand sources, I realized the huge amount of surplus garments and accessories that are available. It’s overwhelming, and also makes you realize why you never need to pay retail again. I took pride in my work trips where I could pack an entire week’s worth of clothes for meetings and everything, including shoes and bags, was from secondhand sources. I also noticed that my style started to evolve and improve, as I was able to really use the items to experiment and upgrade my look.
Fast forward to 2015…I began looking for a career with meaning, and I needed to combine my environmental and sustainability background with my passion for art, clothing and helping people. I realized as a personal stylist I could use many of my talents and interests. It became a moral imperative for me to show others what I discovered and help women who want to update their style, find their look and do it while being conscious of their choices. The movie The True Cost was released and in addition to the all of the other information I have obtained and continue to learn, it cemented the idea that fashion has an impact on this planet, most clothing available to the average consumer is in effect trash (it’s made to be disposable) and it’s time we break this cycle together.
If your values are aligned with mine, then we should talk! Schedule time to speak with me here.