Victoria Everman is a model, environmentalist and journalist living in San Francisco. She is a contributing blogger for In The Loop, a founding member of GreenMUA and the U.S. Spokesperson for Twice Shy Clothing.

You lived in Darien, Connecticut. Is that where you grew up? How did you come about your green mission?
 
Actually, I never lived in Darien, but I did live on Avon, Middletown, Enfield and Stamford. I didn’t grow up in Connecticut – I was born in Indiana and have moved around a lot. Living green was something that I always grew up with, but not in the traditional sense. My family was green because it was more affordable to reuse or make our own things (including food and clothing) than buying new. Some school years began with shopping at the Salvation Army. While those days are behind me, that do-it-yourself mentality has still stuck with me.
 
You’re part of this new breed of model who blends her career with environmental activism. It’s no longer an after thought, you integrate the two. How does that work?
 
Being a green or eco-model was just a natural part of my career progress. I’ve been modeling since I was 6 and being able to work with sustainable companies and organizations is a fantastic opportunity. Being a green model isn’t just about wearing organic cotton clothing and being mindful of how much you travel – there are many more elements, such as make-up, hair products, locations … etc. There is no rule anywhere that says you can’t be beautiful and sustainable – if national parks can do it, why can’t models?

Hi Starre, you’re Eco-Chick, one of the most widely read, prolific and respected green fashion bloggers on the web. Yet, you’ve been writing about hard core environmental issues for many years… you have a BS in Geology, a minor in Biology from Syracuse and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia. What made you pick sustainable fashion, of all things, as your preferred avenue to chronicle green change?

I am a total science nerd and I love being outdoors, learning about rocks, plants, insects and ecology. I taught environmental science to kids and worked as an environmental scientist when I first got my undergraduate degree. But I feed on change, and I’ve always loved writing, and creative endeavors seem to be endlessly challenging and they keep my restless mind entertained. I come from a family of artists and scientists, and I’ve always wanted to combine the two (and am fascinated by those few souls who also look at the world this way). So how could I bring together science, design, visual art and show my love for this amazing planet?

Fashion seems ideal to me since it has the science (fabric and fibers, production and dyeing of textiles, growing plants sustainably–or not) combined with design and artistry. I have a very strong aesthetic sense even though I was never a visual artist (my father and stepmother are illustrators and painters though). I was raised by my grandmother who taught me to sew and fostered an appreciation for clothes and design and as a child. I wouldn’t really go shopping for clothes- we would go to the fabric store and I would pick out – even when i was just 5 and 6- fabrics and dress patterns and she would make them with me. When I wasn’t making clothes and quilts with her, I was off in the woods, covered in mud, exploring the wetlands that my house was built on.

My grandmother also designed our home herself, and it was built in 1967 so it was super-modern, but at the same time totally integrated into the environment it was sited on; she was inspired by Russell Wright (no relation to Frank Lloyd Wright) who produced the iconic American Modern dishware line and also built an incredible house in the town I grew up in called Manitoga. Every room in the house has an indoor and outdoor component (even the bathrooms!) and a tree trunk is a main support in the center of the house. Rock floors, and seasonally-changing cabinets were design elements. The house I grew up in had similar features and was built on a rock ledge, so we were totally integrated into our surrounding landscape. We kept huge organic gardens and ate local meat and eggs from our neighbors. All of these influences and dichotomies- a modern house on a dirt road, art and design coupled with fresh food and the real physical labor of gardening, freedom to create and respect for the local ecosystem….It was an incredible place to form an aesthetic!

Courtney Dailey is based in LA where she does double duty as a fashion photographer and a professional make-up artist. We met on Model Mayhem, or Myspace, can’t remember… I pride myself having become the green conscience of Model Mayhem, tracking new talent to see who the next green stars are going to be. Courtney and I shared a singularity of vision. She joined GreenMUA, a project we started to assist professional make-up artists to green-up their kits. I asked her to be my first interview victim on the Greenloop.

Lips Nvey Lip Lustre Armor Rose, Eyes Alima Cosmetics-Azure Model Amie

Hi Courtney, where are you from originally, what brought you to LA? Couldn’t have been clean air!

Ha, Yes, it was most definitely not the air quality! I was born and raised in Detroit. I made the “big move” in November ’07. In recent years, Detroit’s economy had been in a serious and vicious decline. Despite my love for the Motor City, I needed to find an outlet for my creativity, where I could still survive as an artist. I thought about New York, but my prerogative is, if one is going to pick up their lives; pack their cats and rabbit for a road trip, the destination should be somewhere warm.

Is it true what the mayor says, Los Angeles is fast becoming the capital of green fashion? There’s such a buzz with Hollywood celebrities going green, how does it affect professionals in your industry? What changes does it bring?

There is a lot of Buzz about the green movement, and it’s refreshing. I think LA has long been ahead of the game. Coming from the Midwest where post consumer recycling isn’t a cost efficient option, Los Angeleno’s recycle everyday.