Left: Hat by Blanche CPH － jacket by Baum und Pferdgarten － bikini by Elliss. Right: Top by Marine Serre － earrings by All Blues.
Sustainability within fashion has always been an issue. Whether it’s the environmental impact of disposable fast fashion or the working conditions within the manufacturing process, it’s clear that as an industry we have a problem. But until major brands take steps to address their processes, what can we do as individuals?
Model Lou Schoof has taken dramatic steps in order to make a difference. A year ago she made the career-altering choice to work only for environmentally conscious brands, and outside of fashion, she has built a home entirely from sustainable materials. Here Lou takes us inside her eco-home in Germany and tells us more about the ways in which she is addressing climate justice.
Left: Full look by Matteau. Right: Top by Ninety Percent － jeans by Redone.
“In 2019, I made a decision about exclusively collaborating with clients that work in an ethical and sustainable way.
At that point, I sat down in my eco-home in Northern Germany that I had designed and built together with my dad. We had found natural alternatives to conventional materials and energy-saving methods to integrate.
Left: Bikini by Matteau. Right: Top by Elliss － earrings by All Blues － vintage blazer.
Through this process, I once again learned that the new can only happen when you leave the old. Leaving the old opens the way for creativity.
Working in the fashion industry, I experienced creativity on a visual level. Working on the house, I now really understand that the visual can be as—or more—pleasing when made of unconventional components.
Right: T-shirt, bag and belt by Stella McCartney － vintage shorts.
Research on sustainability in fashion turned out to be similar to research on sustainability in building. The purer the material, the better. Local materials prioritized. Coloring processes are essential.
At the same time, I became active in the climate movement fighting for climate justice. No matter where life happens to be—if on a building site, at an office or on a photo shoot—we need to be the change we want to see in the industries we work within.
Left: Vintage blazer by YSL － earring by All Blues. Right: Full look by Matteau.
Shooting some of my favorite sustainable looks in my home while being quarantined brings my beloved worlds together. Contradictions do not have to be forever.”
