Monika Meets ~ Bianca Foley
At the start of this year we met the wonderful Bianca Foley via the world of Instagram. After discovering a shared love for all things slow and sustainable, we took some time to chat to Bianca about her podcast, how changing to a more conscious lifestyle has impacted her and life after lockdown. Plus a special guest 🐶 Photos by Andrew Addai
Hi Bianca ❤ Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
I am a sustainability and style content creator, based in London. I create content for a wide range of brands but particularly enjoy creating for brands who match my way of life.
You host the podcast Sustainably Influenced With Charlotte Williams - what prompted you both to start the podcast?
The conversation started when we noticed the amount of packaging we received as influencers. The volume was quite overwhelming! We both wanted to learn a lot more about sustainability as a whole so we held an event with an amazing panel of experts. The tickets sold out and from that, we realised that this was a conversation that so many people were interested in so from that, Sustainably Influenced the podcast was born! Hopefully when we are allowed to hold events again, we can host another one!
So imagine you’re talking to someone who knows nothing about sustainability - what are some ways that one can get involved right away and what would you want to discuss with them?
My one piece of advice is to not try to change everything at once - it's a marathon not a sprint. Try changing one area at a time, or split your house into zones and look at sustainable changes you can make in each zone. Don’t move onto the next zone until you’re confident you’ve made the changes that meet your needs. For instance, I think the kitchen is a great place to start and a zone of that size can be further split into smaller zones to make it manageable e.g. cleaning products, laundry, food. It takes a bit of time, but once you make the changes, you won’t want to go back to doing things the old way!
Who would be your dream podcast guest?
Oh my gosh - what a question. I think Orsola De Castro would be an absolutely incredible guest, as the founder of Fashion Revolution, I think the work she has done is phenomenal and is someone who lives and breathes sustainability!
We’ve seen you like to describe yourself as ‘sustainably curious’. What is the biggest impact/improvement you have noticed through living more sustainably?
I was definitely eco-curious in the beginning, I didn’t want to label myself as someone who knew everything about sustainability because I was in the early stages of making changes myself. For me, the biggest improvement has been in my wardrobe. I no longer impulse buy and when I do want to buy something, I check if it is available second hand first. However, the changes go far beyond the limits of my wardrobe. I’ve been making positive changes in so many places and I’m much happier for it.
What would you say is the biggest obstacle with sustainable living and how do you work towards overcoming it?
The hardest part was getting my partner on board! I think these changes came about so organically for me, it was hard making changes to someone who wasn’t necessarily interested! A few years on, he sends me info on sustainable campaigns and initiatives and is really interested in the work that I’m doing! It just goes to show that it has to be something you genuinely want to do!
What is your favorite part about being a sustainability blogger & content creator?
The learning! I have come across so many incredible brands and stories. It’s so wonderful to know that there are others on the same journey as me. I am a big believer in people trying their best, I think the more people who make a number of small changes and stick to it, the easier and more normal it will be to live sustainably.
As we make our way out of lockdown, how are you feeling about life easing into a ‘new’ normal? Anything you’re looking forward to in particular?
Hitting the gym - I was so pumped about working out in the first lockdown and was in the best shape ever, then after summer 2020 it all went downhill! So now I’m back in the gym and enjoying getting to grips with my fitness again. On the other hand, I’m also really excited for restaurants to reopen, because I love my food!
How would you describe your personal style and do you feel like the last year has changed it at all?
I have always been a uniform kinda girl. My figure isn’t always easy to style, being 5’2” and very curvy so have found what works well for me and stuck with it. Jeans, tee and a blazer, or a dress and blazer. That way I get a lot of wear out of what I own and most of my pieces can be worn any time of the year.
Can you tell us some of your favourite instagram accounts to follow on instagram?
There are way too many - my wonderful friend and podcast host Charlotte Williams @charlottesevensix is ridiculously stylish; @curateandrotate offers a weekly drop of really beautiful pre-loved pieces and I love watching how they are all styled; @nxcv.a is a more recent follow, but her style is impeccable and its so nice to see some rainbow colours on my feed; finally @izzy_manuel is a sustainable fashion blogger and student who is just a sweetheart with such fun style!
And finally, what is your favourite MTL piece?
It is a toss up between the Camille Animal print slip dress - which I have worn about 20 times already and the Stevie Mixed Print Maxi Dress, which is the first MTL piece I ever wore which I rented from ByRotation for a shoot!
Thank you Bianca! x
Follow Bianca on Instagram @biancaffoley
