Eco Fashion World

It's a hot afternoon and I'm strolling through Chicago's 'meatpacking district'. It's here that Jessa Brinkmeyer opened the city's very first eco fashion boutique two years ago. On 1101 West Fulton market the first thing that strikes me is the window display with an installation of white branches and reclaimed wood. 'Made by local artists, I love to work with other creative spirits', Jessa greets me with a smile. 'Meeting interesting people to work with is one of the best things this venture has brought me. From collaborating with an artist who designed our interior out of rags, scrap metal and wood to working with a vintage artist to integrate the best vintage pieces in our concept of being an eco store'.

Over a cup of coffee, Jessa tells me how she got into eco fashion. Jessa: My sister was the one buying me my first bamboo T-shirt. As an editor, I kept coming across articles about eco fashion and I became obsessed. When the opportunity arose, I opened Pivot, which turned out to be, as the name suggests, a crucial turning point in my life. In the past two years as an entrepreneur, I have learnt so much and I would have never wanted to miss that.

KP: How would you describe Pivot's style? Jessa: As classic with interesting details that fit in different wardrobes. We don't sell fuzz!!

KP: You said that your biggest reward is to get to know inspiring people through Pivot and to be able to work with them, can you give more examples? Jessa: 'It's all about relationships really, with brands and designers, with artists and with other stakeholders such as the family members who support me. And it's not just members of the green community I work with, media contacts have helped me to get a lot of press. Besides that, Pivot is the perfect starting point for educating and bringing people together. As a location where we host events and as a concept we bring to museums, festivals and clubs. The MOSS (Museum of Sustainable Style) project we organized last year is a good example of that role we can have in the city'.

KP: What about the relationship with your consumers, who are they? Jessa: More than 50% of the people shopping at Pivot are living in the area. They come here because it's convenient, because 'everything feels so great' as they say and because they like to support the shop owners in their neighborhood. 'Being local' seems to be really important because we often get the question if our designers are local. Unfortunately, that pool is still very small with Lara Miller being the big Chicago pioneer. Of course we sell her collections and new lines of upcoming young designers in the area, but we also have Loyale and Camilla Norrback for example.

KP: Do you feel that 'being local' limits you? Jessa: For now I think it is a strength, but I'm eager to develop a bigger network. At fairs like Magic Ecollection and DNA, I meet designers and sometimes people that run boutiques like me. Being active on Twitter has brought me in touch with the wider eco community while it also helps me to simply get things done. The other day I was looking for a new part-time employee and after posting my question on Twitter, I had found someone within half an hour!

KP: `You sound so positive, but what are the challenges to running Pivot?` 'First of all the misconceptions, I still have to fight against the hippy image of eco fashion. The financial crisis is another major obstacle at the moment. Did you hear what the girl just said to me when we bought our drinks? She loves Pivot, but I haven't seen her for some time because she can simply not afford us right now. She works in marketing and this sector has been hit so hard. With food, you can't economize because you still have to eat. With a cute top, the question arises: 'Do I really need this?' And nowadays the answer is often 'No'.

KP: 'Where will you be five years from now?' This Friday we will launch a shop-in-shop baby clothes section with the owner of the brand. Within the next five years I hope we can keep on informing and inspiring with interesting collaborations such as these and with activities like MOSS. Aside from that we'll also have a strong online store which will allow us to reach out to a bigger audience. In general I strongly believe that people's interest in eco fashion will grow.

With the Obama's and Oprah Winfrey around the corner I envisage a green make-over of Michelle 'live at Oprah'. That will accumulate the pivot point in this city.

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