In Conversation with Chloë - Julia Rebaudo

This year, we thought it would be nice to speak to other like-minded people, brands and influencers about what sustainability means to them. There are so many small things we can do to help make a big difference. As we chat to people from different industries and walks of life, we hope to find little moments of inspirations, to help us all live better.

This conversation is with influencer Julia Rebaudo – we hope you enjoy.

Hi Julia, tell us a little bit about yourself... 

A recent move to a beautiful old farm steading in the central Highlands in Scotland has brought about a new much-needed life refocus for me. 

Slower living, a much more home-based existence and a daily connection to nature and the wild outdoors has given me something I think was missing from life in London. 

Don’t get me wrong I adore city life, but right now for health (I had an MS diagnosis the year before the pandemic and re-thinking how and where I lived was part of how I approached dealing with it) and for happiness this is the right place for me and my gorgeous bonkers family! 

My page (@stylonylon) continues to document what I wear (these days the focus is on introducing and showcasing sustainable brands) along with the beautiful landscape  around me, and the odd chicken picture thrown in - my Pekins are such great fun and a huge source of daily joy!  

What does ‘living sustainably’ mean to you?

In an ideal world, holistically making lifestyle choices that are consistent and coherent with supporting our planet rather than damaging it! 

But that is a hard path to follow at times and I by no means have it all down perfectly so I focus on what I am able to do - recycling, composting, buying less, reducing fossil fuel consumption where possible; but I feel so frustrated by things like default single use plastic food packaging in supermarkets and how constrained many of us are by having to use fossil fuels. Moving over to 100% renewable and sustainable energy is really important to me and focus for the year ahead. 

In terms of fashion, these last two years I’ve made some definite changes to how I’m buying and wearing clothes. I’ve really backed away from the high-street and fast fashion, I’m buying a lot less and focusing on clothes that have been made sustainably and with longevity in their quality and design. 

I’m wearing my clothes a lot harder up here in the Highlands - I need them to be warm and durable as I’m constantly popping in and out in varying weather conditions - good quality merino thermals, thick but easy to wear knits, tough trousers and various hand-knitted hats and balaclavas are my go-tos! 

Avoiding single use plastic is a big priority. I’m a big fan of fashion and beauty brands who are making moves to remove plastic packaging and look at ways to replace plastic in their products - I love how Bramley is seeking out alternatives in this respect like using glass refillable bottles and recyclable and non fossil fuel biopolymer (sugarcane) plastics. 

What inspired you to start thinking more sustainability?

I think it’s just been a natural evolution as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the planet - through our waste, our travelling, our manufacturing. We can see the impact clearly that our actions are having on this planet through climate change. You would think no person in their right mind would want to make things worse, but then you have our government voting to bring back banned pesticides that will harm our bee population, it’s mind-boggling. 

What do you think is the biggest threat to the planet in your industry?

The avoidable waste produced by fast fashion is a huge problem. I’m haunted by the images of tonnes of discarded cheap clothes from the UK & US piled high in the Atacama desert in Chile; the UK is estimated to throw away 13 millions items of clothing a week! 

I just don’t think we can in good conscience continue to produce at this vast rate. Things do need need to change and that also includes our own demand and ‘needs’ - buying second hand and slow instead of fast fashion, re-wearing your wardrobe and making repairs are all things we can easily incorporate.

What are you doing as an individual to help protect the planet?

As well as cutting down on my own purchasing and planning to travel a lot less by air (lockdown really helped with reflections on this!) we are embarking on a small rewilding project up here on our patch of green with native tree planting and allowing for natural land regeneration. 

And finally, what is your favourite Bramley product and why?

At the moment it has to be the Micellar Cleansing Water with chamomile and rose water. It’s such a lovely, soothing and easy cleanse for nights when I just want to tumble into bed as quickly as possible!