Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Tanaka.
Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started Global Garbs as a creative outlet back when I was at my corporate fashion job in NYC. My title at the time was Director of Global Merchandising and a part of my job was to check out the trends in other countries. I always loved this part of my job. I found it so interesting to see what trends were happening in Japan, vs England, vs the US. That’s how the idea to start Global Garbs began. The blog originally started as a way to keep track of trends and feature different bloggers all over the world with a unique style. Hence, the name Global “Garbs” which means a unique piece of clothing.
As the blog began to grow I started to get more and more requests from fashion bloggers all over the world asking to either be featured on the blog or Instagram, but what I noticed was that the majority of the clothing that these bloggers were wearing and promoting was either Forever 21, H&M, ZARA or some other fast-fashion company.
Then one day I watched the documentary The True Cost. This already confirmed what I had already been extremely suspect about these fast fashion companies. Basically, the film covered the Rana Plaza collapse and the many ways the fashion industry chooses to make money regardless of ethics.
I started to become more aware of who was wearing what and started to only want to feature bloggers who chose sustainable or ethical clothing. That’s when I decided to shift my focus altogether. I decided my main interest wasn’t just fashioned alone, but sustainable and ethical fashion designers – specifically smaller companies who were trying to make a change in this crazy industry.
So today Global Garbs is a fashion blog focused on highlighting emerging designers, brands, and creatives who are making a change in the fashion industry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I definitely have had a ton of obstacles and it continues to be a struggle…isn’t that what entrepreneurship is all about though lol?
In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never worked on websites before and learning how to set everything up, learning social media, SEO, etc. took up the majority of my time. In addition, I was also working a full-time job and trying to grow the blog at the same time. I would work my regular 9-6 job then come home and work on my blog for another 3-4 hours depending on how much energy I had left.
Having enough time has always been the biggest struggle of mine. It still is. I recently had a baby and now I’m juggling any free moment more than ever.
Another big challenge in this industry is that the majority of brands starting out as a sustainable or ethical fashion company have a very small if at all advertising budget. It’s difficult to get paid other than by their product (which is always nice), but you can’t pay the bills with clothing.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Global Garbs story. Tell us more about the business.
Global Garbs as a business makes money via sponsored advertisements and paid collaborations. We specialize in creating content for brands that is authentic in telling the brand’s story.
Our readers are looking for quality brands but are interested in more than just design. They want to know the specifics on each company in terms of where the clothing is made, what fabrics they use, and what their company stands for. This is what separates us from other fashion blogs. We aren’t going to be posting the latest trends with cheap fast-fashion articles.
We want to inspire a change in the way someone shops. Other topics such as slow fashion, minimalism, mindfulness, zero waste, and sustainability in general are interests our readers find valuable.
We will never post a brand that we feel is greenwashing or trying to sell you something by saying their brand is “sustainable”. Being transparent is very important to us and our reader. We know that most brands aren’t perfect but they are trying their best to do better.
I’m most proud that I was able to pivot the blog’s mission and continue to find passion and a community of bloggers and brands that have similar ethical standards.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck and what I feel is manifestation has played a huge role in my life and business. When I was at my corporate job I was looking for something more creative, whether that meant a promotion or even a new opportunity.
Instead, I got laid off. But this ended up being the best possible thing. Not only did it allow me to start focusing more on growing Global Garbs but I was getting married at the same time so it freed me up to plan my wedding (without all the stress). I ended up receiving a decent severance package and focused on building the blog, creating content and growing an audience.
I’ve also had some rare opportunities come to me through the blog out of the blue such as being invited to attend the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day held at the United Nations or being asked to cover a Pre-Oscar gala while being given a hydrogen car to test drive for a week.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.globalgarbs.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/global_garbs
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/globalgarbs
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/globalgarbs
- Other: www.pinterest.com/globalgarbs
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