experiences first with époque évolution
If you’ve been following ERIN FRED since its inception (you go Glenn Coco!), you’ll know that I used to blog primarily about personal style and sustainable fashion. Upon receipt of my invitation to an influencer evening with Summerland Salon and Spa and époque évolution, I immediately thought of my early days of styling sustainably manufactured pieces for shoots, getting acquainted with my new DSLR camera, and sheepishly taking photos of myself in in any remotely industrial areas of Santa Barbara that I could find. How things have changed!
Since then, I had done my fair share of research into the eco-friendly segment of the fashion industry, but what made me do a double-take with époque évolution was their vision for creating their new line: experiences first. “Living your life, not shopping or packing for it” means that “style doesn’t need to be precious, or dry-clean only, or exclusive, or uncomfortable, or destructive.”
Their translation of that vision manifested into a line of workout/ work/ nightlife/ travel/ swim-ready apparel for every career woman on-the-go. Okay, I get the first four options, but swim-ready?! I hadn’t heard of that before. Not to mention their method of only using sustainable, organic, up-cycled, deadstock and post-consumer waste recycled fibers when available, and working solely with mills that are committed to best practices and reducing the collective carbon footprint. *snap snap snap*
Their influencer gathering surrounding mindfulness in the fashion, beauty and health industry did not fail to impress either. The private walkthrough of époque évolution’s line as well as the ability to try on my favorite pieces immediately converted me into a true EE fan, especially when I learned that everything is machine-washable and wrinkle-resistant.
However, that night was so much more than just a collection walkthrough; I felt like I entered a safe space of strong and dynamic women, a sisterhood with similar values. I had the great pleasure of speaking during their mindfulness talks, which started with talking about staying true to your voice in marketing, but also extended into further discussion about practical steps I take for self-care and burnout prevention. To take care of my fellow sisters reading, I’ve added a few takeaways that I mentioned during my talk.
mindfulness talk takeaways —
If you do have some crazy deadlines to hit and can’t just take a half day or a day off from work, take a 5-minute break every 45 minutes to walk around, clear your mind, and keep yourself in the right mindset.
To be consistent in content creation and your brand voice, come up with:
Goals — What do you hope to accomplish for your business on social media? Who are you trying to reach?
Messaging — Write down what messages you want your brand to represent. I have three, which are (1) style, beauty, self-care tips for the working woman, (2) tips, tricks and personal insight into female entrepreneurship, and (3) digital marketing tips, tricks and experiences. Seeing these written in an Word Doc or Google spreadsheet will keep you on the right track when coming up with content ideas so that you’re always on-brand.
You don’t owe anyone any reasons or excuses to say NO. You are in charge of your life, and no one will guard your time unless you do. Know that setting boundaries will help you immensely in the long run, and that learning how to say no is a muscle you’ve gotta train. It will get easier with time.
The fierce ladies of époque évolution
Styled by Kara & ERIN FRED
