To begin, tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be a co-founder for ALLTC.

I started my career in retail at the age of 16, working as a shop assistant at a shoe store in my hometown of Wellington. Going on to study after high school wasn't something I felt very definitive about, so instead I went full-time on the shop floor and never looked back. This included some time at Max actually!

I recall having the 'entrepreneurial itch' from an early age, reading the likes of 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki as a teenager. After many self-pep talks and almost a decade on the frontline and behind the scenes at head office, I decided it was time to take the leap and start my own business. My first startup, SeekStock, was a platform that captured feedback from retail staff about product demand, filtering it in real-time to head office teams for more agile and accurate decision making. Come to think of it, Barkers was actually an early adopter of the software! After a lot of trial and error, successes, covid, and learnings (no failure around here), I had my sights set on venture #2, All Things Considered.

My ALLTC co-founder John Holt and I met somewhat randomly over coffee, where he shared his vision to showcase the impact statements of every company listed publicly on the stock exchange. As a hard-core environmentalist, I was SOLD on the idea of bringing transparency to the purpose (or lack thereof) of businesses for the benefit of consumers, and I knew instantly that fashion would be the perfect starting point. It didn't take much more than "The fashion industry emits more carbon than aviation and maritime shipping combined", for John to be onboard (he's a hobby pilot).

Working both on the retail frontline and behind the scenes, you've seen first-hand the disconnect between mass retail production and what customers really want. How much of the ALLTC platform has been built around your personal experience in the industry?

When my retail career began, I never once heard the words "sustainable" and "fashion" used in the same sentence. But over the years, and particularly in the last 5-10, 'mindful' has started to reach the masses. While building SeekStock, I learned just how valuable real-time sentiment was for brands, so we repurposed this feedback mechanism for All Things Considered as one of many ways we differentiate ourselves from existing sustainable fashion directories.

We also chose not to act as the authority via brand ratings or to dominate the discussion, instead simply showing consumers what brands are saying about their sustainability and giving them a platform to have their say by voting. This way, we shift from a black and white rating/ranking system to one that invites better collaboration between brands and the considerate consumer. Think of All Things Considered as an interactive information hub rather than a shopping directory.

Having over 15 years of experience in the retail industry and a startup under my belt has positioned me well to concept, design, and iterate our platform to bring visibility and value to all of our stakeholders; consumers, brands, and industry certifications.

More often than not, it can be difficult to find sustainability information for retail brands despite many of them doing a lot in the space of conscious business. ALLTC gives consumers a full run down on what retailers' sustainability practices are with all information taken off their public platforms – you essentially save us average Joes the task of trawling the web to find out if that white tee we want to buy is actually organic cotton or not.

Can you explain a little more on what this process entails for the team at ALLTC?

Brand profiles are currently curated by thoughtful humans, but will soon be driven by artificial intelligence. The length of time it takes to populate a profile depends on the robustness of sustainability information provided - some brands have 17 pages worth, and some have no content whatsoever. Brands added to All Things Considered are selected at random, or based on consumer or brand requests.

No brand pays to be on our platform and we don't offer paid promotions. If a retailer wants to change its listing, they first need to update its own website to publicly acknowledge its commitment to change. (No sliding into our DMs, asking for a cheeky switcheroo). By acting as high-level curators as opposed to the authority in the conversation, we can remain objective and impartial when curating brand profiles.

Can you share more on the voting system? How important is it for you to give consumers this option when visiting the ALLTC site?

We saw the demand for a dedicated and fully transparent platform for consumers to share their desire for industry change, while equally celebrating the brands slaying their sustainability. Consumers that are fired up about the impacts of the fashion industry are already emailing brands directly or tagging them on social media to express their concerns, so our votes are purely an extension of this behaviour. (Only our votes can't be ignored, censored, or deleted like emails and comments.)

Consumer feedback and sentiment are important not only for brands to understand how they are being perceived publicly regarding their sustainability, but also to raise the bar on the fashion industry as a whole, with gentle nudges (downvotes) to the brands with room to improve and do better by our people and planet. Our collective voice will drive change.

In order to vote on All Things Considered, users need to create an account to ensure all votes are genuine. Typically, voters are very intentional about their choices, opting to support or encourage brands they have personal experience with or an interest in learning more about their sustainability - so it's not just a free-for-all. We also feature the certifications, standards, initiatives, and innovations that exist in the industry, along with the brands they're aligned with, to help better educate consumers on every area of the industry.

Have you had any retailers or associations reach out regarding the information shared and/or the voting system? How do you go about vetting this feedback and ensuring transparent representation for both retailer and their consumer?

Yes, we've had a number of brands reach out to us and the response has been really positive! Naturally, with a new and unfamiliar platform (especially one with a voting element that could be seen as controversial), a small handful of brands have expressed some apprehension. We don't necessarily think this apprehension is a bad thing, as feeling discomfort can often indicate that something needs to change. We want to ensure that our overall mission is clear though, and that's to raise the overall standards of the fashion industry collectively.

The feedback we receive often is that it's hard to tell how big or small a brand actually is, and that smaller brands shouldn't be compared directly to big-box retailers. We couldn't agree more, and we're actively working on segmenting brands according to their size and scale of production to ensure there is context behind any comparisons. We find that most considered shoppers want sustainability to be black and white - to be told which brand is 'good' and which is 'bad'. But the reality is that it's just not that simple due to the complex nature of the fashion industry's supply chains, and we encourage consumers to dig a little deeper themselves.

While there is no expectation from consumers of sustainability perfection, what they will get behind is genuine progress. Brands that are transparent about what they're doing well while taking ownership of the areas that need work, will foster trust with consumers and maintain brand integrity. Ultimately, our key message to brands is to ensure they are telling their authentic story about their sustainability efforts, no matter the stage or how small the changes may seem - as consumers are watching and researching intently.

We're all about thinking ahead and dreaming big! What are your big dreams for ALLTC? Do you have plans to expand on the platform and if so, can you give us some insight into this?

Absolutely, we have plans to scale globally! We already feature a number of international brands as many of these are stocked in New Zealand. With an estimated 300,000 fashion brands globally, we've got a lot of ground to cover! Not to mention the homeware and beauty/cosmetics industries which we will likely include in the future.

Feature-wise, we're looking to expand on our community elements to include reasons for voting, commentary, and conversations. We also will allow brands and certifications to have a verified voice in the discussion to further enhance trust and transparency in the industry. Our brand profiles will soon have more depth, showing the countries a brand manufactures in, whether they have a sustainability report or code of conduct/ethics along with direct links to these, and segmentation of brands based on their size and scale of production. It's been less than a year since we launched, so we're really only just getting warmed up - stay tuned!

Could you tell us a bit about your personal style and how it's influenced by your lifestyle?

My style is definitely a reflection of my sustainable values. I aim to reduce my environmental impact in all areas of my life, and fashion is no exception. For the last few years, I've maintained an 80 percent pre-loved wardrobe, with the remaining 20 percent consisting of well-considered purchases. I am very slow to discard pieces in my wardrobe because wearing what you already own is the most sustainable fashion action one can take, not to mention the massive problem that is textile waste.

As an avid outfit repeater, timeless wardrobe staples are my go-to over seasonal items as they can be paired seamlessly with so many things. When shopping either pre-loved or new, I conduct a 'gap analysis' of what's missing in my wardrobe so that I'm intentional about what I buy. Oh and I always sleep on it! Good quality vintage is also a soft spot of mine as it not only stands the test of time being so well constructed but it effortlessly transcends trends.

It might sound crazy, but I have only ever purchased one item online (luckily it fitted)! The convenience-benefit analysis of online shopping from a sustainability perspective just doesn't reconcile in my opinion. The risk of an item not fitting, the packaging, and the emissions associated with delivery (which is doubled if an item is returned), are things that simply don't align with my values. I'm old school in the sense that I like feeling the fabric and quality of an item before buying it, ensuring that it fits, and knowing that I love it enough to not return it.

Lastly, what words of wisdom do you follow in business and in life?

I was recommended a book in my early twenties called 'The Four Agreements' by Don Miguel Ruiz, which is essentially a hand guide on how to live a life free from internal suffering (deep, I know). The Four Agreements are: Be impeccable with your word, Don’t make assumptions, Don’t take things personally, and Always do your best.

I realised that I was placing far too much importance on other people's opinions and that I wasn't living life completely for myself. This book really helped me declutter the mental noise, and channel that energy towards achieving my own goals and living a life that feels right for me.

Want to learn more about All Things Considered? Head over to www.alltc.co and have a look for yourself!

Photography by
Louise Corry