‘Trying to make sustainability mainstream‘
I have an opportunity right now to deliver something special. Something that everybody can easily click on and read. When an opportunity like that presents itself, I say use it. So I’m using my chance to get the word out about someone special. Her name is Grace Beverly and I believe she’s an influencer everyone should take their hat off to, and here’s why….
Grace-fully done
Grace is someone who turns down multiple brand deals and regularly declines free packages of clothing. She uses her platform to change peoples’ minds and cultivate a more conscious approach to fashion.
Grace Beverley, formerly known as ‘Grace Fit UK’, is a vegan fitness fanatic who does everything humanly possible to raise awareness about topics she considers important. Whilst educating her audience on her ethical dietary lifestyle that minimises environmental damage, Grace operates as a sustainable fashion activist.
Don’t diss Grace
find it sad that the word ‘influencer’ comes with so many negative connotations. I understand that many influencers are perhaps a little naive about the impact they have on large amounts of people in terms of fast fashion…but is it unfair to instantly dismiss the concept before hearing what they are influencing their audiences about?
Since starting her Youtube channel in 2016, Grace has gained over one million followers and has enlightened thousands of people on topics they previously knew so little about. She initially posted lifestyle videos, showing people her fitness routines and what she ate in order to stay so healthy. She demonstrated perfectly, how it is possible to maintain an active, balanced lifestyle whilst studying at university.
Lots of people were interested and wanted to know the secret of staying motivated while aiming for an athletic physique. However, things really took off when Grace blogged about her vegan journey. She initially took up the ‘challenge’ of trying veganism and planned to do so for the entirety of her travels. It wasn’t long however, before she turned the challenge into an ethical choice. Grace posted a video online explaining how she no longer wanted to contribute to either animal cruelty or environmental damage.
So now you know a little of Grace’s back story and why people initially followed her channels. For me, though, her main influence came a couple of years later, when she set up her business. That really opened my eyes to the world of sustainable fashion.
Grace Land
To be completely honest, for a long time I ignored sustainability within the fashion industry. I think it is important to be upfront about that because my mindset only changed when Grace started to mention the word more often. Maybe thats really ignorant of me but that is why I believe it is unfair to disrespect influencers. They are the people who have the power to capture attention and are often the people behind important movements that everyone should join.
Grace’s business, TALA, sells activewear and loungewear that is 92% sustainable. Whilst this alone is incredible, affordability is what makes this brand different to any other. When Grace blogged about sustainable brands she always pointed out that although they are amazing and help the planet, they were being sold at extortionate prices that put them out of the reach of many consumers.
In an interview with ‘euronews’ Grace said “it seemed that sustainability was a trendy thing so brands thought, ‘we can charge a premium on that’. So I thought, let’s find a middle ground”.
She did. TALA’s products are made from up-cycled materials. Plastic bottles, factory offcuts and substances that would otherwise be going to landfill are remodelled into something affordable and on-trend. Grace tells her audience about her awareness of water consumption and explains that her team do whatever that can to reduce co2 emissions and avoid harmful chemicals.
The TALA website states that they are on a mission ‘to create products that are 100% up-cycled’ and I believe that with a little more time and a lot more awareness from outsiders, this will happen. The TALA brand is for ‘people who care’. We all like to act as though we care, but sometimes put little effort into actually caring. The aim of TALA products is to be good to the environment while, at the same time, supplying customers with stylish garments.
From sitting in her bedroom and talking to a camera about leading a healthy lifestyle, to becoming a multiple business owner and London’s young entrepreneur of the year, Grace Beverley is an influencer moving in the right direction. She has turned waste in to a sustainable empire and turned heads away from feasting in the fast fashion frenzy.
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