BackBeatRags
written by Kyla Rain || photographed by Lucy Blumenfield
Coming into 2019 we’ve seen a growing initiative from today’s youth to take action for a better world, a better future for us all. From political movements sweeping the globe to a heightened awareness of our environmental impact, we’ve realized the consequences that OUR generation will come to experience… These are very real and pressing issues, but if we - as a society - continue to grow and admit our past mistakes, maybe we can create something beautiful.
I had the privilege to sit down and talk over the phone with Isadora Alvarez, one of the many taking a stand against the world’s second largest polluter, fast fashion. Isadora is the owner of BackBeatRags, a sustainable clothing label which she describes as “low impact everyday essentials for living easy.” Inspired by California’s laid-back lifestyle, each piece is created for practicality, with “infused vintage-inspired details done in a fresh and modern way.” All of Isadora’s clothes are made locally in Los Angeles through small family owned businesses, with the exception of a future release, a three piece set manufactured in India that is 100% compostable. Yes, you read that right, you can compost these clothes. If it’s good enough for my plants it’s good enough for me. Each garnet created by Isadora is made of sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, recycled cotton, hemp, and tencel.
From the moment she started in fashion, Isadora saw an industry that was fundamentally broken, deeply rooted in a consumerist society. Because of this, she set out to spark a crucial conversation between consumer and supplier.
So let me ask you, do you know where your clothes come from?
Can we talk a little bit about fast fashion for some of us who maybe aren’t as familiar, could you maybe break down the basics of what we should know and then how companies like BackBeatRags work to end that? What are just some major points that you’ve found really impact people when shopping sustainably?
Basically what I think of when I hear “fast fashion” is throwaway fashion, just like, trendy stuff that is made using the cheapest labor and the cheapest fabrics so normally they don’t really last that long. Plus, they’re probably sewed in kind of dubious factories, they pay usually very little for sewing such a cheap garment, something suffers along the way and it’s usually the workers or the environment. A few fabrics are made out of petroleum or plastic and so I really wanted to do something the complete opposite of that.
And how did you initially start BackBeatRags, can you give us the origin story for how that came about?
So basically I always knew that I wanted to run my own business and have a line, I actually had like a little one. (Backstory, I grew up in the Philippines , and moved to the states ten years ago to get my degree in fashion merchandising. I always knew I wanted to have my own business out here and have a line but I didn’t really know what to do yet, I didn’t really have a concrete idea of what it was going to be. SO after I moved from SF to LA I got a job in the buying department of an off-price retailer because I wanted to learn more about the business/buying side of fashion. I found that it’s super important to actually know the numbers, to not just design. So when I was working there it was then that I realized how much throw-away stuff gets put out in the world and I decided that if I do have a business it was going to be the opposite of that. So after close to three years of working in that industry, I quit my job to sell with a vintage popup. As much as I loved doing vintage, after a while the itch to have my own label started coming up again. At that time I was focusing mainly on vintage tees and sweatshirts, the basics. One day I had like, a eureka moment of like, “oh I should make cool basics inspired by vintage tees and vintage details.” But then I also had that question of how to make it less harmful on the planet, that question kept coming up and that’s when I decided that the fabrics I would use would only be low impact. So we use a lot of organic cotton and hemp and recycled cottons for our styles.
How does shopping sustainably impact the shopper themselves?
I think like… that’s a good question, now I’m thinking about that. Customers now know the value of these products, they know that they’re sustainable, they know that they’re lower impact, use better fabrics and are better quality, so they think about their purchases more than they would in terms of fast fashion. When you don’t value something that much, you tend to not keep it for a long time. But if you are to think about your purchase for a duration of time, you tend to hold onto it longer because you know that you paid more for it, you know that it was made in better conditions and you know that its shouldn’t be a throwaway product.
Especially now, I’ve noticed that a lot more of the younger generations have been starting to get more environmentally conscious when it comes to shopping sustainably and understanding where your things come from which is really great.
It’s very fascinating, in the past two years I feel like people are understanding more and more. I hear that all the time now, that they don’t want to buy fast fashion. Some of them have this one year of not buying anything fast fashion, and I think that’s really great. People are starting to realize that it’s not a sustainable way of living, it’s not a sustainable way of shopping. You need to value. Back in the olden days we valued our clothing because we couldn’t get a lot of it so fast, so I feel like that’s coming back now.
Yes! I like that a lot. What are some ways that you think we can get this message out to companies or a wider audience that we as consumers don’t want fast fashion anymore.
I think it’s just asking more questions, I get a lot of people always emailing me about “where does this come from?” “How are you making sure you’re running your business in a sustainable way?” I think if we question the companies that we look up to, that we think are not doing it the lower impact way, I think that spreading the whole vision of having a little bit more sustainable ways of living can be done through that. If that makes sense?
That makes perfect sense!
And just talking to your friends about it, I think that that is like number one. Nowadays we want to listen to people that we trust, so having that conversation all the time is a good way to spread things.
Can you tell me a little bit about the materials that go into some of your clothing? I know that you guys have a hemp line and some other kind of stuff like that?
Yeah, so we tend to focus more on natural fabrics, fabrics made out of plants. My personal favorite is hemp, we use a lot of hemp fabrics, organic and recycled cotton, tencile which is made out of eucalyptus trees that are sustainably farmed.
How did you develop the style that BackBeatRags has today?
I basically am very inspired by the California culture, like surf/skate, super easy-going, laid back. I think that defines the BackBeatRags aesthetic.
What are some of your major inspirations for your personal style as well, in addition to the company?
It’s funny because Gwen Stefani, back when it was still No Doubt.
Yes I was reading about that! Oh my goodness, I love the No Doubt era so much.
Yeah, so I think it’s a lot of that. A lot of the Venice skate themes back in the 70s I believe, and then yeah, that’s basically my personal style! A lot of vintage tees, jeans, jacket, that’s it. Easy and effortless.
The holy trifecta. I also love that you guys run a blog on your website along with the shop, could you maybe talk a little bit about that? Why’d you decide to add that feature?
Just because like, I come across women that I am inspired by, I admire. The people that I photograph, even the models that I use I usually end up being friends with them because they’re so amazing and they have a beautiful personality. I wanted to bring that to the forefront, these are not just random people, they all have a story to tell and I think it’s pretty cool. I just want to also give them a platform with my little audience.
I like that a lot, I also noticed that as I was scrolling through some of your pieces that are for sale, that you guys don’t use the stereotypical “cookie cutter models.” You use people from all different backgrounds and body types. Why do you think it’s important to portray a realistic image of women when marketing in fashion?
I think nowadays we, and I just had talked about this a couple weeks ago, we are so conditioned to be a certain way, have a certain body type, look a certain way. I think in this day and age that’s not you, people that buy our things are actual people and they usually are not stick then or have the perfect size six. I also get a lot of feedback, I always ask my customers “what do you want to see? What do you want to experience when you go to our website? When you buy our stuff?” The resounding feedback that we got was that they wanted to see a lot more of different body types because they’d constantly be asking me questions, “I’m 5’2” and I have a C-cup, what should I wear?” SO having more of this represented on my website, I think it just helps everybody. And it’s… you know, it’s real people. We have real bodies and should put that out to everyone.
Why do you think that bigger companies aren’t doing this, because I feel like, how we were talking about how people are being more conscious with what they purchase, they also are being more conscious with the media they consume. Why do you think bigger brands and fashion labels aren’t picking up on the fact that we want real people to show us what this clothing would look like, you know?
I… that’s a good question. I think, especially with older more established companies, it’s harder for them to pivot once they’re stuck to a certain way of doing things. What’s vert exciting about smaller brands is that we’re very much controlled by the actual owner, so it’s easier for us to talk to our customer and really listen and be able to get the feedback and turn it around really fast. I think that with bigger corporations that’s a harder thing to achieve, but I have seen a lot more companies now go towards that. I think that, after like decades and I guess… I don’t know, a century of being conditioned that “it should be like this,” it’s hard for people to accept that things are changing.
Circling back to what you said about how everyone you work with you’ve become friends with, who are some of your favorite individuals to collaborate with in your company?
My factory, I mean that’s probably not the answer to your question but the people that I love collaborating with are the people that make our clothes. I always go to them and ask them “is there a better way we can do this? Is there an easier way we can do this?” Just like, talking to them everyday and collaborating with them is something that I really truly love. And I think that’s why I also have decided to do a majority of my... well at first do all of my production in LA, because I wanted to have that relationship with the people that were making my clothes.
What’s one message that you’d want to send to someone interested in BackBeat or sustainable fashion, or just someone reading this article?
I guess I can touch on sustainability, there’s never going to be a perfect world where you’re 100% sustainable. That’s just impossible, as human beings we are creating waste all the time, but what we can do is to choose the better choice. Like, buy a little bit better things that last you longer, go the extra mile to bring your bamboo cutlery, bring your water bottle, all these little things help in a bigger picture.
That was all the questions I had to ask, was there anything else that you wanted to throw out there, an announcement or something you’re really excited about coming up?
Yeah, we are coming out with a three piece collection that is made out of organic cotton and linen that is also plant dyed that we have had manufactured in India, so that’s something that I’m super excited about because basically this thing is 100% compostable and it’s not bad for the earth because it is dyed with plants!
Well I cannot wait for that, is there a specific release date you have set for that?
I believe that is going to come out by April... depending if it gets shipped here on time haha.
Amazing! Thank you for taking the time to talk with us.
Walking away from your computer screen, switching to the next app on your phone, call or text message, I hope this interview left you with something. I hope you begin to see more than just trends and price tags, but the journey that piece of clothing took to get to your closet. There’s more that goes into the fashion industry than they’d like us to see, but it’s having conversations like this that allow us to become more aware, to find out the full story. I’d like to thank Isadora for the work she's doing, and the lengths she goes to to not only educate, but inspire us to become environmentally conscious in all levels of the term.
We may never lead ourselves into a fully sustainable world, but who’s to say it’s not possible?
And if we do, will this have been just the beginning?