A chat with Susanne Manasi Persson, founder of Manasi 7
Susanne Manasi Persson is the founder of Manasi 7, a Swedish beauty brand that merges the performance of conventional beauty with the nourishing properties of natural and organic ingredients. The collection is made with the highest quality natural, wild harvested and certified organic ingredients.
What does sustainability mean to you?
To me it means to see the big picture of things and how to produce and consume in the best way from the best of your abilities. For example I support organic farming and local produce as much as I can. Mother earth will thank us for using less artificial fertilizers and pesticides and instead use more green fertilizers as well as emphasise on techniques such as crop rotation and companion planting. I try to reuse things and recycle. If I buy products from companies that focus on quality over quantity, they usually last longer and minimizes waste, thus more sustainable.
How does your brand embody and promote sustainability?
The products are made in a slow pace and an environmentally friendly way from the beginning to the end of the production cycle. We work exclusively with independent small-scale sub-contractors in our production cycles and produce our products in small quantities, therefore our waste and environmental impact is very limited. We focus on quality ahead of quantity. We also promote organic farming by using up to 100% certified organic ingredients of certifiable ingredients. For example if we use a naturally derived mineral, that ingredient cannot be labelled organic as it is not cultivated, but our Apricot kernel oil is made from the seeds of the apricot tree, which is grown organically. This is better for the soil, animals and humans. Our sustainable packagings are also produced in a small quantity and designed to last and can be reused or recycled. The jars, compacts and paper boxes are made from wood from Swedish trees that grows in FSC and PEFC marked forests.
How has your brand been affected by Covid? And in your opinion, how has the pandemic affected the fashion industry as a whole?
Since we produce everything in Europe and since we do not mass produce anything, our production was not affected severely. We experienced some minor delays in production of our packagings but that was due to our subcontractors are not allowed to use temp workers if they had personnel on leave. I do think that Covid made us aware of the global mass consumption and its impact and the need for a change globally. I think that fashion (and beauty) needs to take a step back from the usual seasonal based collections and instead focus on all year round classics. We can't keep producing just because it is a new season, we need to produce and buy less, but better.
What is your ultimate dream?
My ultimate dream is actually what I do. I have a beautiful son, a wonderful partner and we also run the company together. So if we can continue working together and have a free time with our son that is all I need.
What are your three favourite items from the Rêve Ultime website, not from your own brand :)
My three favourite items are the 18.8 Black sweater from PHI, the Anina Knit Blouse Light Camel from Aiayu and the Bed linen from Reborn in Color.
