Indie Fashion Brand Paulo Redeem Is A New Force In Sustainable Design

NaaAmerley Badger is in many ways just getting started on her fashion journey, but it is already an unusual journey.

As a brand creator Paulo Redeem, Badger recently won the first Amiri’s Gift and secured a $100,000 grant with no formal fashion training on his behalf. Rather than spending the last decade plus hunched over a sewing machine or attending fashion school, Badger spent it working as a teacher, then as an assistant principal, in the Philadelphia public school system.

She started her brand, which focuses on saving unwanted clothes and textiles and garments and turning them into new clothes, in response to excess in her own wardrobe.

I own a lot of clothes, as many people do, and I thought about how I might be able to rework some of them instead of just donating them, Badger said in a phone interview. (It was a smart move from a sustainability point of view, as much as the clothes we donated ends up in a landfill.)

Badger started putting things together, adding cargo pockets to jackets or ruffles to hoodies to make some lovely Frankenstein-style outfits. She got help sewing the pieces, received confirmation from a designer friend that her designs were something truly special, and before she knew it, Badger had created the entire collection.

He spent the next two years working nights and weekends on projects while continuing his work as an educator by day, before making the leap to quit his job to focus on Paulo Redeem full-time in 2021. Moved to Mexico City to be closer to a production partner. potentially followed thereafter.

Two years ago I had this idea: What if I remixed clothes, using things that already existed to create something new? And now I’m in this place where I can actively do that, he said. I have been able to receive the support I think I deserve. And it will allow me to express myself more creatively and dream bigger.

We called to chat with Badger about his unique journey into the fashion industry, the rich history of Black sustainability, and more. Read on for highlights from our conversation.

What is the story behind the brand name?

I was inspired by The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; that’s why I chose Paulo. And then redemption comes from the idea that clothing makes up for its impact on the earth, and makes up for it by using it to make something else.

Where do you get material for your work?

I started the first collection with items from my own closet. By the second collection, people knew what I was doing and would say, Hey, I cleaned my closet. Can I bring you some things? Now that I have the opportunity to scale the brand, I am looking for opportunities to get more deadstock fabrics.

How has being a fashion outsider impacted your experience?

I had to study alone, seek information, and learn through community and relationships. I listen a lot Cutting Room Floor; and that (plus Master Classes, YouTube, etc.) has in many ways been my education. I think, if anything, it allows me to really chart my own path.

How did it feel to go from working as an assistant principal to a full-time fashion professional?

I really enjoy my time as an educator, and in many ways the young people inspire me to really believe in myself and take this work to the next level. Sometimes, they see things in me before I can see them in myself. And some of the models in my shoot are former students who are also interested in expressing themselves in this way.

I see this moment as an opportunity to let go of a version of my past maybe a version of myself that is afraid to quit my job because I’m not sure what will happen, or a version that asks How am I going to pay my bills, or how am I going to get into this industry in which I was not educated? I don’t know much other than that something is calling me.

Often the narratives we tell about sustainable fashion are completely obscured. How do you handle it in your job?

When I think about sustainability, I think about growing up in a household where my mother would put leftovers in a recycling bin, or how I received a gift from my cousin. There is a rich history of black people practicing sustainability, whether it’s about clothing, food, or how we support our community. But when I googled continuous mode, a certain type of person came up, and that person didn’t look like me.

Often the way the sustainability movement responds to such criticism is simply to swap the Black model for the white model, without changing the system significantly. How could real black leadership change this?

In recent years, especially since the murder of George Floyd, there has been a lot of performative activism. There were so many things that people said they would do, but now it seems like people are forgetting them. I feel like I see more examples of black people in leadership, but I think it’s also about looking beyond a person’s identity and not assuming that their identity means that they really think about liberation, or think about how to exist outside the environment. existing system. Because you can easily have bad people and leadership that will only perpetuate the status quo.

What is the main thing you want to achieve with your brand?

I want to be able to express the depth and extent to which I can be creative, and to be able to show that you can exist outside of models and traditional paths in fashion.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.