Hiiiiiiiiiiiii :)

What turning point in your career do you consider your "big break"?

When I was 23, I used to work for a big fashion company, and I was sent to Asia to find new suppliers and better prices. It was the time that fast fashion was dominating the world, so to be competitive, the local companies started copying the fast fashion model. It was really [challenging] for me. I saw children and older people working with no dignity, [it] was really terrible. It was [difficult] because my work and personal success were contributing to injustice and a bad system that was getting bigger and bigger. 

When I came back, I got a bonus and a promotion at work, but I couldn't forget the images I'd experienced, and I soon quit my job to start my project on natural dyes. It is important to say that on this same trip I went to India, I found a group of women who worked with natural dyes. It was a relief, and I felt passionate about the idea to make colours with plants. So the seed of my current project was found there, in the middle of a [tough] experience. It is important because I can never forget why I started all [of] this.

What advice do you have for striking a work/life balance?

I'm not very good at this balance, because I think for a long time, my work was also my passion, and my personal life was really associated with my work. But in the last few years, when my company started to grow, I felt it was necessary to find my individuality again. So I started to learn pottery and astrology. Somehow it always connected with my work research, but there are some things that I decide to keep in my personal life. 

My advice is to find personal moments in your life that have no goal, no next move; just pleasure and joy. We live in a society that needs to be productive all the time. So when you can, try not to be productive. It will inspire you to design new possibilities of living.

What anxieties, if any, do you hold about your life/career? And how do you deal with them?

It is not easy to be a CEO when you just want to be a creative person. I built my company with a very strong ideal of positive impact and passion. But I'm not a good manager. Also, I don't have all the answers. It is hard to be the one who needs to have all the solutions because simply I don't have them. 

I try to keep doing exercise and yoga, and also therapy helps. But mostly what I think is a good solution to anxieties in work is trying to find solutions in a group, sharing problems with a team is a relief, and having their ideas and support is very powerful.

How has the current COVID-19 situation affected your industry, and your work personally? How have you dealt with it?

It is hard to produce garments [from a distance]. It is just not possible. We have a small factory, and we need to be there to make things happen. It is possible to decide things in virtual meetings, and I appreciate technology, but some processes need to be tangible. So it was a struggle in the beginning. But as a team, we could collaborate and share tasks, so every day there was someone in the studio. It was a difficult time, but we learned a lot about communication and empathy.

The fashion industry is collapsing. Not because of COVID, but for a long time, we have been producing more than we can consume. It is a really unsustainable market. But as we are in another market, I think for us it was not so hard. Our clients wanted to support us, and it was really beautiful to see that we have a community and our [mission] is clear. We are not just selling clothes, but creating a living ecosystem that is moving to a new direction. I'm not sure about where are we going, but I think we are part of a big movement of transformation in the economic system. It will take a long time, but what we are doing now will reverberate important changes in the future.

What does productivity look like to you, and what tips do you have for managing your time?

We live in a society of productivity, so I feel pressured about being productive. I try to be more connected with my own process. It means that sometimes I will be really productive, but sometimes I will just be generating new ideas, and maybe I won't be that productive in these periods. And it is ok. But I do try to give myself some routine; it makes me feel comfotable and secure. 

How do you deal with procrastination?

I really don't. I try to respect it. It takes time to create something; you can't have fruit without a flower. So I like to think that procrastination is about not being ready. We need to try not to feel guilty about it. When things are ready, they will come. We need to respect your own process. Society want us to be uniform, we can't let it happen, because if we do, we kill our creative power.  

What do you consider your biggest failure? And how did you persevere and grow from the experience?

I fail all the time. It is always tough to manage my inner world and outside world, but with time I've learned that failing is part of the process and is important to [explore] new directions. Also, you can find new perspectives and solutions from failing. I don't have a particular moment, I feel that I'm always in process, and never really regret anything. Every movement I made got me where I am now, and it is where I want to be, so I don't really think about it. I just try to learn what is important about all the experiences I have. I think if you believe in what you do, you will persevere somehow. 

When working on a new project, how do you overcome self-doubt and fear?

I usually start a new project with passion, so, naturally, I believe in its potential. I just let it go. Again, I trust in the process.

Do you have any rituals that help with your work or mental health? 

When I feel confused and insecure, I usually try yoga, meditation and writing. I think that writing is very good to elaborate on problems and anguish. It always clears my mind.

What's the best and worst advice you've ever been given?

Once my boss said: "It is not hard to get there, but it is really hard to stay there". When he told me that, I thought it was really arrogant. But now I understand it. Sometimes you need to find the strength to start and build something. It is not easy, but you have energy somehow. But after you do it, keeping it alive is everyday work. You need to feed your project and ideas every day; it's like watering plants. It was important to me to understand it.

I don't remember the worst advice, but of course, there was a lot of it.

How do you navigate social media, any rules or guidelines you set for yourself?

I don't have any rules; I think it is organic. My interests get me into new things. And of course, sometimes my feed is really boring because of that. So I try to find new references through books and real experiences. Also, I can follow new projects from by people I like and admire.

List five things keeping you inspired and sane right now.

4. I run or walk in the street to remember that we live in communities despite the quarantine

5. Art, design and poetry always.

Who do you nominate for the next interview? Why?

Researcher and Biologist Kiri Miyazaki. She is growing Japanese Indigo in Brazil, and her story is very inspiring.

Much love, 
Lilith and Arabella

L+A xx

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