Cool To Be Kind: A Vilda Editorial with T H R I V E

It is not a rare sight to see a beautiful young model on the streets of Berlin wearing nonchalantly cool, “I just threw this on” clothing that just happens to look like effortlessly perfect streetstyle material. But what is rarer is said young model being clad in entirely sustainable, animal-free and ethical garments. On the day when photographer Per Norberg stepped behind the camera to shoot model Annika Marie for Sweden’s leading sustainability store T H R I V E in collaboration with Vilda, this was exactly the case. 

Button-down Oxford Shirt in Bright White, Knowledge Cotton Apparel; Europa Coat, Jan N’June; Skinny Hazen Jeans in Pure Blue, MUD Jeans; Wata Canvas shoes in White/Black, Veja 

T H R I V E,  a brick and mortar concept store in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an online shopping destination, offers men’s and women’s apparel and accessories as well as homeware with a focus on sustainability and ethics. Dedicated to bringing their customers the best in eco-friendly, fair and sustainable fashion, T H R I V E are PETA-Approved Vegan and all of the designs in the shop or on the website are free from harmful chemicals, pesticides, and toxic dyes. 

Daya Roll Neck top in Navy, and Inga Cord Pinafore dress in Navy, both People Tree 

Entrepreneurs Sara Lundqvist, a construction graduate in energy and sustainability, and Fredrik Alexandersson, a formal senior systems architect in IT,  founded T H R I V E in 2015 with an aim to embody the motto “be the change you wish to see in the world.” A year later, they were joined by renowned fashion photographer Per Norberg, and most recently, blogger and eco-entrepreneur Anna Fernmo joined the team. Together, the team behind T H R I V E speaks to the conscious consumer who would like to build up a wardrobe free from slave labour, environmental destruction, and animal cruelty – without ever sacrificing style.

Lillit knitwear in Curry, Armed Angels; Kana Cord Trousers in Wine, People Tree; Wata Canvas shoes in Black/White, Veja

“Have you ever felt like something just isn’t right, and the only way to change the current situation is to just take action, even if you don’t know how, or where to begin?” ask Fredrik and Sara (editor’s note: as founder of this magazine, yes, I’m very well aware of the feeling, and I’m sure many other ethical entrepreneurs with me!) “That’s how it all began for us here at T H R I V E. We all had a few things in common: great careers, a passion for fashion and  the luxury to travel and live on the other side of the world. Everything seemed perfect – but when we realised that the fashion industry is the world’s second-largest polluter and millions of workers are forced to work under slave labour conditions for minimal wages, that countless animals are being killed or mistreated just for our pleasure to wear their skin while the rivers are being filled with toxic flood water, we thought that’s just wasn’t ok, something had to be done.”

And something they have done indeed – the shop, which stocks over 40 sustainable brands such as Armed Angels, Bourgeois Boheme, and People Tree, is a one-stop style destination for customers who want to change the world through their clothing. As a retail concept, T H R I V E operates in small, carefully curated batches, hand-picking the best from the world’s leading sustainable fashion labels. They call it “respectful fashion without compromises”.

Armed Angels dress; Bourgeois Boheme boots

Despite industry claims that “brick and mortar is dying”, T H R I V E have no plans to scrap their concept store in Gothenburg. The team sees it as the perfect complement to their online shop – this is why all the items available in store are always available to shop online, and vice versa. If something sells out online, it is also taken off the shelves in the shop, and the other way around, making sure the two services perfectly mirror each other.

High Five top in Black, Dedicated; Tilly Cropped jeans in Black, Armed Angels; Alanis boots, Bourgeois Boheme

What’s next for the brand? The team recently launched their own production company and are currently producing limited-edition statement t-shirts, posters, flyers, mixed media, and video content to inspire more brands to take the step towards sustainability. Stay tuned and watch this space!

Blouse dress in White, Studio Jux; Bike knitwear in Black, Dedicated; Alanis boots, Bourgeois Boheme

For this shoot, the impossibly cool allure of Berlin served as a backdrop for an array of outfits, from a slouchy take on menswear-inspired chic, to a form-fitting dress teamed with Chelsea boots (and a pretzel). Stylish, effortless, kind – this is true Vilda material. See all the exciting imagery below.

Cats Forever top in White, Dedicated; Tilly Cropped jeans in Black, Armed Angels

 
All photos by Per Norberg – Photoagency.se
Model: Annika Marie – Modelwerk
Styling: Anna Fernmo –schysstva.se

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Sascha Camilli

Founder and Editor

A passionate changemaker, Sascha Camilli is the founder and editor-in-chief of Vilda Magazine. Born in Moscow and raised in Stockholm, she has also lived in Los Angeles, London, Milan and Florence, before landing in her current hometown of Brighton, UK. She was selected as one of GLAMOUR UK's Most Empowering Nu-Gen Activists and is a frequent public speaker on the topic of vegan fashion and material innovation. Her book Vegan Style is out now on Murdoch Books.

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Vilda (Swedish for “the wild one”) is an international digital vegan fashion magazine. Our aim is to inspire elevated compassionate living. For info and media kit: hello@vildamagazine.com

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