In conversation with Madeleine Darya Alizadeh, creative director and fair fashion advocate
Madeleine launched Dariadéh in 2017, after years of writing about sustainable fashion on her blog dariadaria. Her commitment to a fairer fashion started almost a decade ago : “In 2013 I saw a German documentary about leather tanning in Bangladesh. It was a few months after Rana Plaza collapsed and was the final straw that took me to switch to a more conscious approach to fashion.” explains the 32 years old creative. “I wanted to put all the things I ask from brands into action and see if I could realise them myself. I wanted to create fashion that is emancipating, more inclusive and timeless.”
Indeed, Dariadéh is committed to sustainability and another essential point often forgotten by ethical brands : inclusivity. By offering clothing from size XXS to XXXL, the brand is (unfortunately) a rare case in its field.
© Simona Kehl for dariadéh
When asked about being a body positivity advocate through her brand and social media accounts, and her own relationship to her body, Madeleine expressed an enlightening approach : “I’m not a body positivity advocate, as this term belongs to the Fat Acceptance Movement and should not be used by people like me. But what I do advocate is supporting the Fat Acceptance Movement, to be an Ally. I also don’t like to talk about my own body confidence because I find it absurd to take that stage for myself whilst being in a socially accepted body. I don’t like it when skinny women that accord to the norm hijack a stage that is supposed to belong to those marginalised.”
“Affording fair fashion is also a class issue and I think we need to remind ourselves that it’s not an individual's job to fix the shortcomings of our politicians and policies.”
As someone who has a valued voice – her Instagram account has over 333K followers, Madeleine keeps a clear vision : “I don’t have a mission, but I like to inform! I understand my privilege and my power and try to use it wisely to highlight topics of injustice, especially in the fashion industry.” What is so great with her approach is that she doesn’t lose sight of the industry’s biggest issue : it is a global system. “I think understanding the structural problems is important. Movies such as The True Cost can help to get a grip on what those are. Also I highly recommend reading Tansy Hoskins Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion.” Having this in mind, she also reminds us the importance of not blaming individuals : “Affording fair fashion is also a class issue and I think we need to remind ourselves that it’s not an individual's job to fix the shortcomings of our politicians and policies. We need the right laws in place, so voting and voting for the right parties is key! ”
When asked about brands she appreciates, the writer and CEO evokes Filippa K and Elementy Wear for their timeless, high quality basics. She also selected her favourite pieces on Stilbaar. Discover them below!
