Barbara Meier: “Sustainability should be a matter of course for my daughter”

Barbara Meier, 34, is not only the mother of nine-month-old Marie-Therese, but also the model and designer of a sustainable “Mini Me” collection in collaboration with Lild. The summery “Grüner Knopf” -certified collection (available from May 3, 2021) aims to make sustainable fashion accessible to everyone and, above all, affordable.

We met the former “GNTM” candidate for an interview and talked to her about sustainability as well as planning for the next generation and fashion trends. The 34-year-old also told us whether she and her husband Klemens Hallmann, 45, always agree on sustainability.

Barbara Meier: the model in an interview

Have you always attached importance to sustainable clothing or did that only come about in the last few years?
Barbara Meier: That only happened in the last few years. I used to be completely unaware of many things and grievances in my industry. I have always valued clothes; Fortunately, my parents taught me that; but I was never aware of the process of creation. For me, clothing was never a disposable product, it was a product of value, but I definitely didn’t know that the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world.

Do you remember a certain moment or a special situation that opened your eyes to sustainability?
In any case. Environmental protection has always been a very important issue for me. But our development minister Dr. Gerd Müller opened. I met him at an event and actually wanted to talk to him as a WWF ambassador about plastic pollution in the oceans. However, he then answered me with the counter-question: “Ms. Meier, you as a model: What do you do to campaign for fair fashion?” While he was still telling me about the production conditions, I decided that I would campaign for it would like to improve this. This is how my cooperation with the Development Ministry came about, but also my personal conviction that we cannot go on like this.

How has your consumption behavior changed in recent years?
I am much more aware of what I buy and how much. Of course, I prefer to buy fair clothing and also pay attention to seals, such as the green button. Above all, however, I only want to buy things that I really love and that I will still wear for the next few years.

I no longer chase after every trend, but look for pieces that suit me and that are of such good quality that I can wear them for a long time.

I have read that we only wear items of clothing four times on average and that 20 percent of our clothing is not worn at all. I don’t want that. I don’t want to have “corpses” in the closet.

You make a lot of appearances (outside of the pandemic), post outfit posts on Instagram and come into contact with the latest trends: Would you say that it is more difficult as a public figure to minimize their consumer behavior than perhaps someone who is a “very.” normal “life lives?
To a certain extent it’s more difficult because of course part of my job is to keep wearing new outfits. On the other hand, it is also the case that, for example for red carpet appearances, I often get the latest collection from designers and can then send it back. As a private person, of course, you don’t have this option. In addition, I can also use the attention to draw attention to fair fashion. When I post on Instagram, I often wear sustainable clothing and hope to interest and inspire people.

Barbara Meier: That’s what she values ​​when buying clothes for her daughter

Babies and children in particular can often only put on their clothes for a few months due to the rapid growth phases. How do you shop for your daughter Marie-Therese: What is important to you when it comes to children’s clothing?
With Marie-Therese’s clothing, it was important to me from the start that it was of good quality and that it was produced as sustainably as possible. I’ve always looked for environmental seals and I wouldn’t buy anything else from Basics. However, I have already noticed that these clothes are a little more expensive than others. It is precisely this gap that Lidl and I wanted to close with our sustainable Mini-me collection. The parts are affordable for everyone. We wanted to make fair fashion tangible for everyone.

Do you pass on items of clothing that no longer fit to friends / family? Or do you keep Marie-Therese’s clothes for possible siblings?
We’ll keep them in case a sibling comes along. We’re not planning yet, but we have always said that we would be very happy if we had another child at some point. In the end, I definitely don’t want to throw away all of my clothes and also toys, beds, etc. Fortunately, I still have a few cousins ​​in my family who are younger than me and have no children yet. They can get it all if they want.

Will you try to educate your daughter in a few years and make her aware of where the things come from and how they are produced? In any case. I have also been raised to appreciate the value of things and to use them with care. And I always had a wonderful connection to nature and an understanding of environmental protection, avoidance of plastic, etc. from my parents. I would definitely like to pass on these values ​​and also my knowledge that I have acquired in recent years to our little mouse. In the beginning it was definitely playful, but when she gets older I definitely want to show her all the background and context. However, I still have a very small hope that fair fashion will have become a matter of course by the time Marie-Therese goes shopping for fashion as a teenager.

Do you and your husband always agree when it comes to sustainability?
Basically yes. In his job, he is also incredibly committed to the topic of sustainability. His Süba AG relies heavily on the topic of sustainable, energy-efficient and resource-saving construction. I am always very proud when I hear about new projects; such as a building that uses geothermal energy etc. to generate more energy than it consumes. On the other hand, he always finds it super exciting when I tell him about new materials and fabrics that can now be used to make clothes in a sustainable way.

In the private sphere, we are also trying to improve more and more and to take more steps towards a more sustainable life.

However, we both also have different challenges and areas that we want to improve step by step.

Sustainable or green clothing is often said to be not stylish or trendy enough. What do you think?
There was a time when this prejudice actually applied a little. But that is long out of date. Clothing can now be sustainable and stylish! There are many designers who prove this, and our main goal was to design clothing that is not only sustainable, but above all beautiful and suitable for everyday use. But in order for it to be worn by many, it must be affordable for everyone.

Do you still value branded clothing and / or current trends?
I have a few favorite brands that I also like to wear clothes from – when I’m not wearing my own clothes. It is not the brand name that is important to me, but that I like the style.

I sometimes go along with trends, but only if the clothes really suit me and my type.

I don’t buy things just because they are “in”. If I buy something that is currently trendy, I will still wear it years later. Because once it suits me and my style, it suits me I only want to have favorite items in the closet that stay with me for a long time and that I wear as often as possible. I find the trend of only wearing clothes for one season terrible and contradicts any environmental awareness.

Have you tried to incorporate trends into your “Green Button” collection? How did you go about designing the clothes in general?
With the “Grüner Knopf” certified Mini-Me collection, we thought about a year ahead. Lidl therefore brought in the expertise of the upcoming trends. From then on, I brought in my own thoughts and wishes. We thought about which pieces Collection should contain which cuts are not only trendy, but also comfortable and how what can be combined with each other. I was surprised how quickly we had the collection complete and how exactly the finished pieces meet my expectations.

Barbara Meier: “When it comes to travel, sustainability is still difficult for me”

In which areas of life do you still find sustainability difficult?
When it comes to traveling: I now often take the train or drive short distances in an electric car, for example. Unfortunately, flying cannot be avoided entirely. Fortunately, due to Corona, there is a trend towards more video conferences and fewer live appointments. To a certain point, I believe that this will continue to be the case after the pandemic. But flying is actually one of the compromises I have to make at the moment in order to be able to do my job.

Sources used: Interview with Barbara Meier

This article originally appeared on Gala.de

Brigitte