Her very first beauty tutorial, published on YouTube in 2011, was about a foundation from the famous makeup brand MAC. But over the years, Sandrea, a hairdresser by profession, has diversified her palette of subjects.
On his channel, we chat about fashion, lifestyle and shopping.
Expatriated to the United States, the YouTuber quickly found success, especially around
unboxing
sequences .
Subscribers flock as much as the clothes that accumulate in his closet.
Until an "electroshock" due to several upheavals in his life.
A year ago, Sandrea decided to say stop to fast fashion.
In a YouTube video already viewed nearly 100,000 times, she takes stock of her weaning.
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From now on, Sandrea intends to use her influence wisely.
She now alerts her community to disposable fashion, known as “fast fashion”, and its social and environmental abuses.
Because despite their dubious and questionable practices, brands like Shein, Boohoo, Pretty Little Things or Zara continue to seduce the younger generation as well as influencers who order mountains of (very) cheap clothes.
And this, even though the scientists of the IPCC highlighted, in a report last April, the role that could be played by influencers in the ecological transition.
Meeting and story of a transformation.
Read alsoBoohoo, the emblem of a fashion that is going too fast?
Madame Figaro
.- A year ago, you decided to give up
fast fashion
for good .
What was the trigger ?
Sandrea.-
I had already been reducing my consumption since the beginning of 2019. At the time, what motivated me to stop fast fashion was above all linked to the quality of the clothes, which I did not find "sustainable".
The seams, the fabrication…it wasn't worth it.
But it was only in August 2021 that I stopped definitively.
At that time, I have no considerations other than “how do I present” and “how the garment falls on me”.
Through fashion, I claim to access a certain milieu.
I tell myself that if I am dressed in Boohoo it will not pass if I am invited to Fashion Week!
And then there is the health crisis.
There, everything changes.
I was in denial, didn't want to accept that I was wrong
sandra
How has the Covid crisis been decisive in your awareness?
It's a big trigger.
Until then, I was always traveling, I had no time to ask myself and all of a sudden, I find myself looking at myself in the mirror.
I see news that announces that nature is taking back its rights, that dolphins have returned to an area for the first time in years, for example... All of this is part of an electric shock that helps me think about my own impact on the planet. .
I review my way of consuming, creating content on YouTube and social networks.
I then want to transform my influence, to have a beneficial impact and, why not, to create a small click in my community.
This whole period corresponds to a big questioning also in my personal life: I separate at that time from my American husband.
In video, Sandrea looks back on her year without fast fashion
Has your online community ever alerted you to the impact of disposable fashion?
Not at the start, because we weren't yet necessarily aware of behind the scenes.
Then, documentaries shed light on what was behind fast fashion and some critical comments started to appear under my videos.
But frankly, I didn't watch them.
I was in denial, I didn't want to accept that I was wrong.
What did fast fashion mean to you then?
Fast fashion fulfilled my desire to own.
Coming from a modest family, I did not have access to everything.
As a child, I took over my big sister's belongings for a long time.
Then I grew up, I earned my own salary and I was finally able to satisfy the lack that "13-year-old Sandrea" felt.
Buying fast fashion has become a habit and a way to express my personality.
I didn't really know who I was yet and I went through all the styles: rock, retro, bohemian... I felt so empty and sad that placing an order for 20 items gave me a little moment of happiness.
Then I unpacked the order, again I felt pleasure then I put all the pieces back in the box.
Without ever wearing them or cutting off the labels.
With luxury, it was the same thing.
I
liked to buy myself designer pieces and that brought me satisfaction, for a moment.
Even more than fast fashion, moreover, because I had to save money and people complimented me more.
Buying fast fashion was the way to deal with my negative emotions
sandra
Fear of missing out, logic of reward: we find in this consumption of fast fashion the mechanisms of addiction...
Yes it's sure.
I have an addictive personality and that's why I've always avoided gambling.
On the other hand, I was not aware for a long time that the consumption of clothes could become an addiction.
For me, buying fast fashion was the way to deal with my negative emotions.
But it had a bad impact on my life.
Financial first, because spending thousands of dollars on shopping inevitably has repercussions on your bank account.
And then, I felt basically physically, and psychologically oppressed.
In a YouTube video, you talk about Balenciaga sneakers that you ended up buying when they weren't your style. Why did you succumb to trends?
For years, I thought it was necessary to stay up to date with new trends.
Basically, I was looking for the approval, the recognition of others.
Today, after more than three years of therapy, I realized that it wasn't worth it.
I want to be more authentic and show my true personality on social media.
And too bad if I don't have everyone's validation.
At one time, I would never have dared to show myself twice with the same outfit
sandra
It's rare to see influencers show up several times with the same clothes. What was the impact of social networks in your overconsumption?
It is certain that social networks have increased my appetite for "clothes".
Especially since at one time, I would never have dared to show myself twice with the same outfit.
I would have been told and I would have felt uncomfortable, ashamed.
Even today, I sometimes receive comments telling me that I wear the same clothes.
I want to answer: "Yes, I like them, they suit me well, what's the problem?"
But for several years, I accepted this diktat from the networks.
Without it, I would never have consumed so much, I would not have taken injections, modified my body, spent so much money, traveled to certain places...
As an influencer, some of your content was linked to fast fashion brands. Did this decision to give it up have an impact on your business?
Yes, I had to stop certain collaborations.
There are brands that no longer want to work with me because I go against what they do.
And then, you should know that most of my content was affiliated: I drew a financial resource from it.
Reviewing my consumption therefore also meant reviewing my business model and accepting to lose money.
When we review the consumption of fast fashion, should we then favor
green
and ethical brands?
Buying green and ethical is good, but it is still and always consuming.
From my point of view, when ecological awareness emerges, everything must change in life: we can decide to buy better, but above all we must reduce our consumption in general.
That goes for everything: fashion, decoration… Now, I try to buy as many second-hand items as possible: toys, furniture and even fast fashion.
Lots of things already exist, so you might as well circulate them and use them.
Especially since there is something for all tastes and for all wallets.
Because, let it be said, everyone does not necessarily have the means to buy ethical parts.
In video, the fashion industry in 12 figures
How has consuming less been virtuous for you?
It was on all counts.
Already, I have less laundry and laundry to do so less mental load.
Then, today I feel so proud to have regained control over my impulses.
I don't even have the desire to buy anymore.
My state of mind now is rather: “What am I doing to reduce my carbon footprint as much as possible?”
It became my new challenge.