Meet Mathilde, the Instagram activist

Mathilde, you are the young, committed student behind the Instagram account Make My Clothes Great Again, which raises awareness about eco-responsible fashion.

For those who don't yet know your account, you approach a multitude of topics related to the world of ethical fashion in a relevant and funny way. You help your followers decipher the human and environmental impact of our clothes. And you are the opposite of the classic Instagrammer: you very rarely show your pretty face and don't advocate excessive consumption, but quite the opposite!

At JULES & JENN, we truly admire your quality content and your painstaking (and painstaking!) outreach efforts. So, we wanted to learn more about your inspirations, motivations, and future projects…

Mathilde, what was your personal and/or professional journey leading up to the creation of your Instagram account? And why this name, in English: “Make My Clothes Great Again”?

I started having serious eczema problems when I was very young, and was hospitalized because of them. I was advised to avoid polyester and all materials that "itched" because they seriously aggravated the problems. Later, as part of my higher education, I did internships in responsible companies, including one for which I had to conduct market research on responsible household linen and labels. I started to "fall into the pot" at that time, around 2017. It was a real turning point. I quickly tried to raise awareness among the people around me, starting with my friends, then, gradually, people on Instagram. I switched my account from private to public, and it was on! As for the name of the account, I give a little nod to a famous slogan, because this sentence structure speaks to everyone. But this name above all means that it is important to restore the nobility of clothes, as if they had lost something they had before: for me, it is about quality, the art of taking the time to make, in beautiful materials. It refers to the idea of ​​a society where we took the time to make things, and unique, tailor-made things... Brilliant, really!

You give young people of your generation all the keys to "consuming better" and you are followed by more than 17,000 very engaged subscribers, what is the secret of this success: very "girly" publications and illustrations, a refreshing humorous tone?

I actually try to give my vision of things, that is to say I adopt a non-injunctive stance and I try never to judge, to be moralistic, but on the contrary, to be benevolent, to show that everything is possible, to be optimistic... To inspire, in fact!

I think this vision of things is the essence of the account. Behind it, there is a lot of work on the visual identity of the account and its tone. I also favor the approach of quality over quantity: a bit like in my consumption! I want to write content that always has an impact, so I try to take the time to turn it well, to think it through, etc. I think that this way I avoid clumsiness, which only attracts kind people, I love it!

Instagram account @makemyclothesgreatagain

Apparently, you're a former fashion victim. How did you manage to radically change your way of consuming?

As for my fashion consumption, indeed, I am a former fashionista (haha!), and I think that this phase of disgust was necessary to realize that I had gone too far, for my part. I gradually managed to change my consumption without imposing myself too much, little by little: first, I stopped all superfluous, useless purchases. Then, I bought new the items that I did not see myself buying second-hand (lingerie, shoes, etc.), if possible labeled. For the rest, 100% second-hand: here again, my consumption evolves daily! I am more demanding about the materials, the seams, the era of the clothes I buy than two years ago for example. I think just as much about buying second-hand clothes because I do not want to participate in a copy of overconsumption… Thrift store version!

Mathilde's humor and frankness on her Instagram account @makemyclothesgreatagain, for learning while having fun!

Many brands are now imbuing their advertising with environmental messages, which can sometimes be confusing or misleading. What are your recommendations to our readers to avoid falling into the trap of "greenwashing"?

Indeed, it's a very, very big subject! It's also the subject of a good part of my book. I think that consumers are literally lost in the face of the "infobesity" that also exists today when we try to move towards "green". It seems important to me to know where to start first. In fact, it's a bit like a cooking recipe: you have to structure the steps. First, you can ask yourself, for example, what the item you're holding is made of: on the label, don't hesitate to check whether it's synthetic, artificial materials, natural materials, or even organic and/or recycled materials, and in what proportions? Even better, if the overall offer contains an encouraging proportion of sustainable collections, you can ask yourself whether these responsible materials are labeled. Here again, there is a whole jungle of labels, but the most reliable and widespread can be counted on the fingers of one hand. We can then check what the brand's social commitments are: beyond an environmental commitment, does the company do its utmost to reveal its costs, locations, and production conditions? If this is the case, it is likely that it is already much more responsible than a brand that does not! If a brand does none of these things and claims to be very committed, it is certainly misleading communication.

You've just written your very first book, "Changeons de mode!" (Let's Change Fashion!), published by Eyrolles. Congratulations! What will you reveal in it, and why should we all rush out and buy it?

Thank you so much! Indeed, I can't wait! I transcribe all my knowledge about the fashion industry in the first part. Then, I give a whole bunch of practical advice on our relationship with the wardrobe. In a final part, I offer what I call "little all-terrain guides", that is to say guides which, concretely, will help people to make (more) reasoned purchases, and not to be fooled: how to analyze labels, how to recognize greenwashing, how to identify a quality garment, beautiful materials, and so on! Not to mention the resources and good addresses which, undeniably, helped me in my transition. 🙂

Photo credit © Mathilde Lepage

Finally, if you had to choose a JULES & JENN classic, what would it be?! And why?

I would choose a pair of white sneakers ! Sneakers accompany me in all circumstances: work, evenings, holidays, whatever my outfit! They are a wardrobe essential and a sensible purchase, I love them!

Thank you for your confidences and for this desire to shake up the world of fashion!

Thank you. :)