A broad smile, two books on your knees and a strong message: another fashion is possible. Laura Opazo from Madrid is one of the great promoters of a new way of approaching clothing consumption. The one where the important thing is not to buy a lot, but to buy better. In which respect for the planet and people It is centrally placed against compulsive consumption. Ideas that he concretized in two books ‘Sustainable Wardrobe’ and ‘Fashion is revolution’.
In a casual chat with LOS40’s El Eco, Laura Opazo tells us about her process of raising awareness, her vision of the fashion industry present and his way of seeing the world. Also on the music: in fact, at the end of her two books you will find lists with “beautiful songs to motivate people to change their wardrobe thanks to the music made by women”, in her own words.
How would you introduce yourself?
It’s hard to define yourself, but if I had to do it briefly… My name is Laura Opazo and I do a lot of things, as a good freelancer. I can say that I have carved out a place for myself in the dissemination of sustainable fashion. I would like to define myself as a specific professional in journalism, even if I was a bit intrusive, because I come from the world of advertising and marketing. Personally, I would define myself as a firecracker (laughs).
Basically, what is sustainable fashion?
He is the one who seeks balance with the social and the environmental. The fashion that has prevailed in recent times, especially the fast fashion of the last two decades, exploits the people who work in the sector, does not generate wealth and is extremely harmful to the environment. What sustainable fashion seeks is precisely the opposite: that all of this is properly balanced.
You have published two books. Tell us about them.
“Sustainable Wardrobe” is a post-pandemic book that was published in November 2020. The second came out of the oven recently, February 22, 2023. The first is a guide to help people consume more consciously: we are indoctrinated by the low cost industry. For its part, “Fashion is Revolution” is a tribute to the people who have changed and are changing the fashion industry. There are 40 women, and it is no coincidence that this is the case: throughout history, the canons of beauty have imposed themselves much more on women. We are the most exploited by the fashion industry, especially in the case of seamstresses in Southeast Asia, and also those who consume the most fashion. For all this it is logical that it is the female voices that stand up against it. Sustainable fashion speaks feminine.
In this second book you quote artists like Madonna, Rosalía, Billie Eillish…
Each is revolutionary in a different aspect. Not all of the artists I talk about in the book necessarily have a commitment to sustainability, but they have brought some very interesting things in terms of image. Perhaps the first artist to make it clear, courtesy of names like Cher or Brigitte Bardot, was Madonna. She emerged as an artist in the 80s, when the era of the image began, which continues to prevail today thanks to social networks. I find it very interesting how he appropriated his image in a very masculine industry and was able to create his own aesthetic discourse.
I got into oniomania, which is an addiction to shopping. I felt an existential void. All this led me to decide that I wanted to contribute with my work to make things different”
Almost everyone who is aware of sustainability remembers the moment they clicked. What was yours?
It was around 2015 and 2016. At that time, I was working as a publicist in a fashion magazine and I presented a TV show called ‘Moda reto’, in which I had to dress a person with less than 50 euros. For this I went to many infra-low-cost stores. After two seasons, I started to feel very uncomfortable. I was wondering: if I can buy it so cheap, how much is it made? On the other hand, I realized that I didn’t want to continue putting up with this bulimic consumption of clothes. I was part of it myself: when I was stressed, I would go shopping, come home and realize that I had bought things that I didn’t need at all. I think I touched oniomania, which is an addiction to shopping. I felt an existential void. All this led me to decide that I wanted to contribute with my work to make things different.
In your daily life, what do you do to make the planet a better place?
I don’t think that’s an example of anything. When it comes to fashion, which is my field, I try to reuse a lot of what I have and get creative. That last one sounds silly, but it’s very important. We live in a society of immediacy: you go to the supermarket and they sell you chopped onions. The same thing happens with fashion: you go to the store and they present you with an aesthetic proposal on a mannequin. We have stopped exercising that muscle that allows us to play with the things we already have in the closet. Creativity is not a gift, but is exercised like someone going to the gym.
You don’t have to buy anything to expand your wardrobe.
How do you work this creativity?
Trying to give a different and original answer to all your daily processes, including dressing. Sometimes you don’t need to buy anything to expand your wardrobe. I would advise people to face their closet. I don’t want to do a Marie Kondo and rearrange everything, but analyze myself as a consumer. To look at oneself in the mirror. Sometimes it’s a painful process, because you realize that 80% of the decisions you’ve made speak of you as a compulsive, awful consumer. And that you lack aesthetic personality. But you don’t need to blame yourself either, but rather draw conclusions and start changing from there.
Finally, do you think that this message reaches the youngest? Will people increasingly demand sustainable and responsible fashion?
I think so. An example: the youngest often have second-hand platforms like Wallapop or Vinted as their first purchase option. It’s true that they are the children of two crises, but that makes them more aware of what it costs. But whether it’s environmental impact or economic adjustment, it’s clear they value second-hand in a different way than those of us who grew up in the 80s, when ‘She was seen as little less than something for the poor. That this stigma has disappeared is very positive. At the same time, movements like Fridays for Future reveal that there is greater awareness. I think the future holds hope.