Welcome to the insightful journey of Sara Márquez Blanco , the founder of Etikal Media, a marketing agency focused on promoting sustainability within the fashion industry. Sara’s passion for fashion was sparked at a young age, only to be tempered by a critical awareness of the industry’s negative impacts. Determined to effect change, Sara pivoted her focus to ethical fashion and founded Etikal Media, aiming to empower sustainable brands and reshape consumer perceptions. In this interview, Sara shares her experiences, challenges, and strategies for fostering sustainability while achieving professional success and contributing to a brighter, more conscious future for fashion.
Can you tell us about your journey in the fashion industry and what led you to establish Etikal Media?
Since I was a teenager, I have been passionate about fashion. However, when I was around 18 this passion stopped. Why? Well, it was because of Instagram actually. I started seeing all the harm the fashion industry was causing to our people and planet and I thought that was unfair. Since then, every day I became more and more aware of this harm and, when I was 20, I decided to stop supporting the industry. I stopped buying fast fashion forever, and I started buying only second hand. That made me see that fashion is more than art and design, it’s even more than wanting to make a statement. I learned that fashion is a very powerful expression tool, and when used correctly, it can make our lives better. However, a lot of brands take advantage of this power to push people to over consume things we don’t need to “impress” people we don’t even like, and the worst thing is that they use very unfair and aggressive marketing tactics that make some people feel anxious and depressed.
What inspired you to focus specifically on sustainability within the fashion industry?
I want to make a change. I am aware I can´t change people’s perception of fashion by myself. That´d be crazy. However, I want to help ethical fashion brands, who share my beliefs and values to become more visible and more popular. I know marketing is a very powerful tool to change society and I want to make use of my knowledge and experience to collaborate with brands and together make a positive impact in the industry.
Could you share some of the challenges you faced when starting Etikal Media and how you overcame them?
My biggest challenge was that I was alone. I honestly thought running a business would be much easier and faster. I am lucky that I went to business school and I had mentors to help me create and scale my business. However, being alone sometimes makes me feel unmotivated, uninspired and overwhelmed. I not only have to do my client´s tasks, but I also have to get them results to make them happy and I also have to run my business on the side. So, it’s very hard. However, recently I started collaborating with other freelancers who are in the same situation. We share projects, aiming to offer a more comprehensive and high-quality service to our clients, and we also help each other stay motivated and do cross-promotional activities. We basically work as a full-stack agency, but everyone is independent.
Another big challenge was the time and money management. As someone who is trying to build a marketing agency, I need to do a lot. Sometimes I find it hard to prioritize tasks, or I spend a lot of time doing something that it’s not that important or that can be done in a much faster way. Recently, I started doing the following:
-First, I prioritize tasks (I ask myself which tasks need to be done urgently, which ones will give me a direct benefit, and which ones are just extra)- Then I see how much time I have and how can I complete each task in a faster way. This is helping me become more organized and also less overwhelmed.
Exactly the same happened with money management.
How do you define success for Etikal Media, both personally and professionally?
For me personal success is defined by how much you know and how you can use that knowledge to make an impact. I check on myself every week to see what new things I learned and how I can apply that to my client´s strategies or to my own business. In the long term, I will define success by seeing my work has had a positive impact in the industry. If I helped more brands gain visibility and popularity, and I helped them switch consumer perception towards more ethical purchase decisions, I would feel very successful and satisfied with my work.
On a professional level, I think success comes in the form of clients, right? For now, I am a very small agency, so I am focusing on awareness, and on connecting with my audience. So I define success by how many conversations I had, how many people engage with my content on social media, and how many collaborations I have within my niche. Also, getting results for my clients define like 90% of my success.
In your experience, what are some of the biggest obstacles for fashion brands and creators in adopting sustainable practices?
I´d say the costs. Buying and producing sustainable garments is always more expensive than producing/ buying fast fashion items. Also, as I mentioned before, fast fashion brands use aggressive marketing practices that push consumers to buy garments they end up regretting. Sustainable fashion requires a long-term commitment (mostly when it comes to brands), and that means sometimes they need to reduce their revenue. The problem is that not every brand is willing to do that. I mean, if you do it just because of the money, why should you care about anything else?
Can you highlight some key strategies or initiatives that Etikal Media employs to help brands enhance their online presence while staying true to sustainable values?
I encourage my clients to build a brand, and not to just sell clothes. I craft a solid long-term strategy for them (that of course will be continuously tested and optimized). This way, we focus on creating a long-term engaged community that loves the brand, and help them create their niche in the market. We don´t push people to buy, but we offer them value, related to them, and make them feel they are part of the brand. And of course, that also leads to the brand’s success in terms of sales. It´s indeed a slower process than if we use Shein´s marketing, but it´s more efficient in the long-term and it will help the brand be recognise as a good brand, with good values and with high-quality garments.
What role do you see collaboration playing in advancing sustainability within the fashion industry, and how do you approach collaborations with other brands or organizations?
As I said before, I collaborate with other freelancers that work in the sustainability or fashion niche (copywriters, designers, branding experts, SEO/ SEM experts, etc). So, if someone is reading this and interested in doing a collab, feel free to reach out!
Also, I am an ambassador of the Slow Fashion Movement, and I collaborate with the Good Clothes Show by regularly giving digital marketing tips to their community. I feel that, in the sustainable fashion niche, we all have the same mission. We all have the same purpose in life and that´s why, we all want to see each other succeed, because their success is my success and the other way around. So, here it´s very easy to collaborate with others and find great support.
As a business owner in the sustainability space, how do you balance the pursuit of profit with your commitment to environmental and social responsibility?
Even if I would have higher profits by exploding someone´s work or any natural resourcing in an unethical way, I wouldn’t do it. I prefer having less profit and staying true to my values. Also, I strongly believe that when you love what you do, and you believe in what you do, you´ll never be out of money. I am also not the type of person who dreams with ferraris and fur coats. When I have enough money, I love sharing it with others, and making donations to organizations that take care of people and animals rights.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business with a focus on sustainability?
Always stay true to your values, and make sure you are informed and engaged with the sustainability advancements. Also, make sure the clients you work with are truly sustainable, because there is a lot of greenwashing overthere.
Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for Etikal Media, and how do you envision contributing to a more sustainable future for fashion?
I want to find more small and sustainable fashion brands that are eager and very committed to make a positive impact in the industry. I want to engage in more collaborations with those brands and work together, and with other freelancers in big, meaningful and impactful viral marketing campaigns. You know those campaigns that are always remembered over the years and help boost society changes? Well, my dream is to be part of some of those campaigns, but within the sustainable fashion industry. I know small and sustainable brands always have budget restrictions for these things, but I also know this will be possible one day.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-marquez-blanco-a2a43a1a7/
