In recent years, more and more fashion brands are claiming to be sustainable and ethical. But, what does sustainable fashion really mean? Can any fashion brand be truly “sustainable”?
Our founder, Vikas, gets to know more about Claudia and her vegan handbag brand, Miomojo, where “Ethics meet Aesthetics”.
Photo: Miomojo
Vikas: Hi Claudia! Tell us more about you
I have always been exposed to fashion as my mum had a small clothing shop. I had to help out since a very young age and was directly involved with the process such as going to wholesalers to select the items, storing, labelling and preparing the goods once they came in our the small warehouse in the backyard and helping out in the shop every time I was off from school.
Growing up, I was interested in being able to interact with diverse groups of people from all over the world. Thus, I studied many languages from an early age. I also started travelling as soon as possible and soon found myself in a university in Germany. In university, my interest in fashion widened further into the realms of design, especially interior design. After all, there are interconnections between creative and design endeavours.
Was there a moment when you started to pay more attention to animals and the environment? When did you go vegan?
I understood my love for animals very early on. As a young girl, I was saving fish that was sold by putting them into our bathtub. We also had cats and dogs which we constantly sheltered from the streets. Our house was also on land where we kept all kinds of farm animals. Unfortunately, we also kept pigs who never saw the light of day except when left out to stroll maybe 3 times in their whole lives... I was feeling pretty desperate, especially from the unbearable screaming when they were killed. It was horrible. I knew that it was wrong and refused to eat meat when I was 10 years old, much to the disappointment of my parents. They would always try to hide meat in vegetable balls or tomato sauces. Fortunately, I could detect even the smallest piece of Ham and refused to eat some of their food, which led them to give up eventually.
Photo: Miomojo
With time, I also gave up fish and cheese. Like many of us, I did not know about the horrors of the dairy industry. The more I knew, the more I felt that it was impossible for me to contribute to the immoral, shameful and unethical practices of the industry. Nowadays, it is so much easier for us to live happy and healthier lives without harming animals, and also reducing our impact on the environment. Why shouldn't we?
I totally agree! Tell us more about your company, and what does it mean to you
Miomojo comes from the English expression: Today I lost my mojo, or today I got my mojo back and so on… When you have your mojo, you are in a state of bliss, very inspired and feel that all of your dreams can come true. It was too English-centric, thus, I translated the term “My” to its Italian counterpart, “Mio” and voilà, we get “Miomojo”. Afterwards, I discovered that “miomojo” also means lucky bag in a South African dialect.
Photo: Miomojo
I would think that even with how great your product is, it must not have been easy to start as a sustainable business. What was it like to start a business that challenged fashion trends?
The beginning of Miomojo was exactly what you would expect - extremely time-consuming and challenging. Plus, issues on sustainability and using vegan materials were rarely discussed. I was looked upon condescendingly initially but, when it became apparent that issues of sustainability and social responsibility were gaining ground, I was respected more which gave me strength to continue.
It was hard finding factories and partners that believed in our business model. Eventually, we were able to make compromises necessary to make things happen! I enjoy being disruptive and am very happy more strides are made in the industry to be more sustainable and ethical. This year, we were able to try new products like mushroom leather, and are excited to introduce them into the market.
You know the saying: first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you (this happened to us with the leather industry attacking us a couple of years ago), then you win.
You are definitely winning now, what do you think is fueling the trend in sustainability in the fashion industry?
I think that a greater awareness of where our things come from, and our contribution to a capitalist society is influencing people’s choices. There is still more that needs to change, however, we have made great strides over the years. We are experiencing first hand the consequences of climate change and environmental damage, such as, pandemics, natural disasters and so on, so people are more conscious of these issues.
Photo: Miomojo
Being more conscious of such issues, how do your products differ from the typical unsustainable fashion brands?
Materials that cause deforestation and biodiversity loss are common. On top of that, wasteful processes are also the norm and therefore, contribute to the climate crisis. Miomojo would never use animal-derived materials. We aim to support new materials and operations that are ethical by finding the right materials and creating beautiful products with them. For instance, we use materials such as Apple Skin, Cactus Leather, and BioVeg (alternatives using biopolyols originating from no-food and GMO-free grains, combined with textiles sourced from natural or recycled materials) which are biodegradable and sustainable. We are also testing other alternatives like Rice Skin and mycelium.
You can view an example of a product with our Life Cycle Assessment Analyses here
That’s exciting, any campaigns to look forward to in the future?
We are preparing ourselves for a complete new phase for 2023 and 2024, focusing most of our efforts in a structured distribution through selected shops, department stores and online marketplaces, beginning in Europe.
I am very much looking forward to that! Is there anything you’d like to share with the abillion community? How can abillion members support you?
Mahatma Gandhi once said that “the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” There is still so much to learn and so many more ways to improve and optimise, but I am hopeful that Miomojo can help inspire a greater level of compassion and consciousness in Italy and the world at large.
I’m excited to continue growing along the way and thank you for considering becoming a vital part of this journey with us!
Photo: Miomojo
