FMD: We absolutely love your site. Not only because of the amazing variety of brands, and beautiful imagery, but also what it stands for. How did you put These Native Goods together?

Chandra: I was doing a lot of research looking for ethical brands, trying to find products I felt good buying. Every time I was in need of something new I spent hours, sometimes days, looking for an ethically made version. I have the worst memory, so I started compiling a list of brands to help me remember the good ones and to save time. I also included notes about what the company made and where it was manufactured. Then I figured this could be useful for other people. Right around the time I was starting to put it all together, was when I saw the documentary The True Cost. It mostly focuses on manufacturing in the fashion industry and talks about the Rana Plaza collapse where over 1100 people were killed. A bunch of big companies in the USA outsourced there. People had reported that the building wasn’t up to code and that it wasn’t safe. But, all these safety regulations went ignored, and people lost their lives.

The documentary also addresses the amount of waste that goes back into the environment. Both from producing clothes and also from overproduction. People are going through clothes like, “oh buy that five dollar shirt from Forever 21. Who cares if you only wear it once.” Disposable fashion now seems to be the mindset of the majority of the people in the US. But, it’s not a very good mindset. So I created the directory to give people an alternative. I wanted These Native Goods to be USA based not only to support our local markets but also because we are generally more strict with our safety regulations in the work place and protecting the workers. 

These Native Goods is still a work in progress. There’s a lot of challenges with it too because US made products are always more expensive, so it’s not something that can fit into everybody’s budget. For some people, it can work if they just change the way they’re shopping. For instance, a lot of people buy whole bags of fast fashion a few times a month. If you add up what they’re spending, they could buy one or two nice pieces that would last them longer, for the same amount of money. But for other people, no matter how much they save on their shopping, they’re not going to be able to afford to spend $400 on a piece all at once.

FMD: Are there any ways we can shop in a sustainable way without having to spend hundreds of dollars? We know that many models starting out don’t always have a lot of money, but are expected have a variety clothing, accessories and beauty products. They find themselves trapped in fast fashion.

Chandra: Yeah, I remember having to go to a casting and the requirement was to wear a short black dress. I didn’t have one that was figure flattering, so I grabbed one real quick from Forever 21. I’m always trying to find ways to make it work for everyone. One I talk about on These Native Goods is buying second-hand, and for me, that’s something that I’ve always loved. I also love shopping vintage. You get amazing deals. I’ve actually bought second-hand pieces from brands that are on my site, for a fraction of the price through E-Bay or Instagram. 

Some ethical labels do have lower price points than others, the more detail involved in the pattern making and construction of the garment the more costly it will be. Additionally, certain sustainable fabrics or higher quality materials can bring up the prices too. But it is possible to find some ethical brands in a more affordable price range.

FMD: Can you recommend any brands that you think would be good for models to check out?

Chandra:  Yes, definitely. Groceries Apparel does really simple things like t-shirts and tank tops that would be perfect for castings. Just pair with some flattering jeans or a cute skirt. Also,  Flynn Skye . There are quite a few other lines in the directory that do really great basics as well.

I think for models the natural beauty thing is also really important because taking care of your skin is a priority. Although bigger skincare brands always promise no wrinkles, and other anti-aging miracles, I really think that aside from eating right, the best thing for your skin is to use products that contain natural ingredients, and they won’t ruin your skin over time. I have a couple of cosmetic lines in the directory, like RMS Beauty. At the moment I’m working on a new feature with a brand called Vapour Beauty, that does foundations, lip colors, and other cosmetics too. And, there’s another one called Plain Jane that does really good mascara. Although these brands are more expensive than Walgreens, I feel that investing in your skin is vital when you are in the modeling industry.

FMD: Should we be skeptical about products claiming to be all natural?

Chandra: That is a problem in the marketing world because there are companies that claim they are all-natural but when you actually look at the ingredients they’re not. My cousin has been working as a natural skincare esthetician for over 10 years, and a lot of times when I’m working with a new company and come across ingredients I’m not familiar with I’ll run them by her. Is it safe? Is it necessary? Would you use something like this? She’s a great person to bounce things off because of that.

There is also a website, Environmental Working Group, that has a section called Skin Deep. You can enter any ingredient to get a breakdown of what it is and the possible risks of toxicity. They also give a rating from one through ten, one being no risk at all, and ten being “I would not use this.” But, you also have to consider the fact that one ingredient can be derived from multiple things. Depending on if it’s man-made, or if it came from a plant, the safety rating on the EWG site could be different. Additionally, it is also dependent on how much of an ingredient is used. For example, if a preservative is used in small quantities to keep the product from molding, it is actually less dangerous than applying a product that has mold in it. But if there is a high amount used, then the toxicity rating is increased. So, there’s a lot of variables. But it’s a great database to give you an idea.