From Compulsive Shopper to Committed Conscious Consumer
© All rights reserved
Before Meanwhile Boutique: Manon's Story
In the past, she contributed to overconsumption. Today, she has made it her main cause. Since 2019, the 32-year-old woman has been living an eco-responsible lifestyle. A consumption approach that takes into account respect for the environment and sustainable development. In her kitchen, white vinegar replaces household products while in her bathroom drawers, there are no plastic bottles on the shelves. Only organic solid cosmetics and zero-waste hygiene products. "I consume little, much better, and only what I need," she says with a smile.
Yet, just a few years ago, she was a different person. This former compulsive shopper loved buying and collecting all kinds of items. A fashion enthusiast, what she loved above all else was clothes and accessories. Buying duplicates, or even triplicates, for fear of not finding them in stores again, bags of all shapes and colors, shoes with low and high heels. That's what Manon's wardrobe looked like. "I bought a huge amount of clothes and shoes. So many that I no longer knew where to put them."
A globe-trotter at heart, her awakening began while she was traveling to all corners of the world. "At the time, I took a plane about ten times a year, even for short trips in France. If everyone did as I did, the planet would be in a more catastrophic state than it already is." After each trip, she returned to her small Parisian apartment with several suitcases filled with "souvenirs and new purchases". After spending a year in the United States, Manon decided to sort through her wardrobe. "I returned to France with 7 suitcases full of clothes. Two more than when I left."
Aware of her excessive consumption habits, she decided to learn more about fast fashion. And that was the turning point. "I read many articles about the working conditions of workers and the environmental damage caused by fast fashion. I also saw that a garment factory had collapsed in Bangladesh and caused the death of thousands of workers. It broke my heart. I no longer wanted this kind of tragedy to happen again."
"Take action and raise awareness about a responsible and ethical world"
Full of enthusiasm and passion, she then left her job in communication and marketing to pursue a project that was close to her heart: take action and raise awareness about a "responsible and ethical world". In 2020, she brought together her skills and values in order to create her online platform of committed brands: Meanwhile Boutique. A "in between" in search of "alternative solutions to consume responsibly and in respect of the world around us".
Armed with her "ecofriendly & happy" t-shirt, Manon juggles phone calls and social media to find creators and committed artists for the environment and responsible consumption. And there's no way she's choosing them at random! Very organized thanks to her multiple "to-do lists", she creates a custom values charter allowing her to select the greenest brands based on transparency and ethics. "I prefer to help a small brand that wants to do better rather than an incredible big brand that claims to be "ethical" but doesn't even know where its materials come from." she explains.
From ready-to-wear to home decoration, Manon wants to show that it is truly possible to consume in a 100% ethical and responsible way. And if she had the turning point, "others can do it too".
Manon during one of her wardrobe clear-outs in 2013
