On a Journey to Slow Fashion with the Owner of Etik Butik, Olga Garajová

I get out of a tram at Palackého náměstí and walk along Rašínovo nábřeží looking for number 54. It’s not my first time here. Etik Butik is one of my top go-to places when I need something specific for my wardrobe. But today I’m not coming as a customer, I’m meeting Olga, the founder, and owner of Etik Butik. “Ethical boutique” is a slow fashion e-shop with a physical concept store in Prague. Their mission is to sell ethically produced clothes but also shoes, accessories, or natural cosmetics. In my last blog post I wondered, “Are we making the right fashion choices?”(read the post here). And that’s what we will talk about with Olga today.

“Slow fashion is about designing, producing, consuming and living better. It is not time-based, but quality-based. Slow is not the opposite of fast, but a different approach in which designers, buyers, retailers and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and ecosystems… Slow fashion is about choice, information, cultural diversity and identity.”

Kate Fletcher (widely credited with coining the term “slow fashion” in 2007)

The Buyerarchy of Needs and Slow Fashion

Olga seats us in the back of her store and starts unfolding what slow fashion represents for her, “There is this pyramid of a slow fashion customer,” Olga introduces me to the Sarah Lazarovic’s Buyerarchy of Needs which illustrates how the slow is created in the relationship between us and fashion.

“The most sustainable option is to wear what you have, to repair or borrow,” Olga explains. “Then there’s a swap. You can for example organize a party with your friends and exchange what you have in your wardrobes. The next step is to buy second-hand. I use this a lot. I have a two-year-old son and I haven’t bought anything new for him. It’s very easy to buy second-hand for children, for example at the Facebook marketplace.”

“And on top of this pyramid is to buy something new. That for me represents making a purchase with ethical, sustainable, local brands. Because sometimes you want to reward yourself. Or you’ve changed a little bit, so your style has changed and you need something that expresses it, ‘cause fashion is about freedom of expression. So sometimes when you really feel that you need something new, then it’s really not a problem nowadays to buy it from ethical brands, because the variety is big and growing.”

From a Shopaholic to a Slow Fashion Store Owner

“I have a kind of shopaholic past.” Olga fidgets in her chair when I ask about how this whole thing started for her. “About seven years ago, when I was finishing my studies and was writing my thesis, I used shopping as some kind of therapy. Because I was so stressed, and I needed someplace where I could relax, and shopping malls were the place for that. So I was like a sales hunter. I got this rush out of it, endorphins in my blood and a lot of things in my closet.“

“But later, I found some information about the fast fashion industry and I couldn’t shop there any more. I felt really strong towards the people who produced the goods. So I found alternatives abroad, and I decided to build an e-shop and to offer the alternatives in the Czech Republic. So it started with a love for the product and its background story. But back in college it actually never occurred to me that I would work in fashion. Fashion just happened somehow,” she shrugs with a smile.

“My relationship with fashion is nowadays rather professional. I get to choose the collections for Etik Butik. But right now I’m a mom on maternity leave, so my fashion style is more for the playground and I’m looking forward to the day when I will have other options again,” Olga laughs.

Praguers and (Slow) Fashion

“What do you think about the fashion style in Prague?” I’m curious about her opinion before we talk more about her store. “It’s really diverse and free,” Olga doesn’t hesitate with the answer. “From the simple jeans and t-shirt to wilder combinations… You can find anything in Prague and I think it’s great because people use fashion to express themselves. I come from a small city in Slovakia and it’s not that free there,” she chuckles. 

“More and more people in Prague are interested in the story of products and they search for ethical alternatives. And a lot of these products are investment pieces.” Olga elaborates, “They are more expensive because the price is fair. It’s not hidden in environmental damage and exploitation of people in third-world countries. So I can tell that for example our customers really think about what they buy and they go for rather basic pieces that they could combine and would last for years. That and sometimes they go for a signature dress, or something interesting, some piece that really reflects their personality.”

Just Think Through Your Next Purchase

“How much does fast fashion bother you?” I ask. “I try to look at it in a positive way.” Olga smiles. “Because I think that it’s very difficult to change from zero to a hundred percent at once. So that’s why I don’t judge when I see someone in fast fashion clothes. They could have also bought it in a second-hand shop or they could have swapped it.”

“I’m not a fan of these brands of course, but I hope that people will slowly make the change.” Olga revisits the pyramid, “The most sustainable choice is to wear clothes that you already have. So if you have a closet full of fast fashion brands, and just realized what is behind the production, it’s not sustainable to throw everything out and buy all new, sustainable brands. It can take many years until people exchange their wardrobe.”

Etik Butik, the Origins

“Let’s talk more about Etik Butik,” I suggest finally. “First of all, congrats, because your business is a huge success.” “Thank you !” Olga grins. “I tend to forget that. I’m the kind of person that focuses on the potential and what more could have been done, so sometimes I need to stop and say, ‘This is a success’. There is a lot of work behind this and I’m happy that we’re here and that we have people around us who are really committed.”

After Olga started the business she would go to the store after her full-time job and work there all by herself. Half a year later she switched to a part-time contract with her employer in order to dedicate more time to the growing business. “At the beginning of some project, I always have a lot of energy and I am really excited. And it didn’t bother me that I worked until three AM and then got up in the morning and went to work because it was like my baby.” 

Challenges of Running Etik Butik

However, Olga learned this tempo wasn’t sustainable in the long run. “After two years it got a bit difficult, because work-life balance is a must. And it’s even harder to do when I’m a mom. It’s still a work in progress to balance life and the business.” Luckily, Olga isn’t in it alone, her employees and husband have got her back. “My husband was a big support from the beginning. We did everything ourselves. We’re sometimes joking that we passed with a minimum viable product. That means that it’s not perfect, but you start and you just go and improve along the way. It’s still a journey…”

Etik Butik celebrates five years this year and one year since moving to the professional store at Náplavka. Olga explains how this year is special for them. “It was challenging with Corona. Because we had to close down in March and April. So those are of course difficult times and we don’t know what will come this autumn. But we haven’t experienced any real set-back yet. And we take this as just another challenge.”

“As a business owner, you don’t have the securities of being an employee. And sometimes I have to deal with these challenges in my daily life that make me forget about the big picture. Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself that running this store isn’t about worries if I will pay the rent… that always works out somehow. What’s important here is the message and that really is to show the alternatives.”

Etik Butik’s Added Value

”So what can a potential customer expect from visiting Etik Butik?” I ask and look around the store as Olga answers, “I think the biggest added value is the selection of brands that are all ethical, so you don’t have to search for the information yourself, but you just come and you know that everything you see here is ethically produced.”

“I hope that we will step by step make the selection of clothes even better, because this area of fashion is growing so there’s room for choosing new brands and looking for the signature of the store. There are other stores in Prague that sell slow fashion and each store is different and has a unique signature. This collection you can see here reflects our current signature, but it’s developing.” 

Next Steps for the Etik Butik

“There is room for improvement when it comes to spreading information.” Olga fills me in on her future plans, “I would like to provide more structured information about the stories of the brands, which are often interesting and powerful. Behind those brands are people who are in search of more sustainable ways of doing things and they all believe they can change the world at least a little bit. So that’s really inspiring and when I get lost in daily life’s struggles, I take new energy from these stories.”

“And we are dreaming of opening a store in Bratislava,” Olga shares another vision and wish. “Because my husband and I are from Slovakia. It’s our country, we have families there and we also want to contribute there. And although we know it will be challenging to run a store from abroad, we feel like we should really try it.”

“Be the Change You Wish to See in the World”

I’m looking forward to following Olga’s journey and hopefully seeing her succeed in the expansion very soon. “What’s your message for the readers?” I’ve got one last question. “I really believe we don’t need to be perfect all the time,” Olga thinks about it for a second. “When you hear about this for the first time you don’t need to go from zero to a hundred percent. That’s why we have above the register, this quote…”

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“… just remember that your every action is a vote for the future that you want to live in and every step counts. That’s what I try to remind myself. Every little decision is contributing to this change that you want to see in the world.”

“So if you have a walk around the river just stop by and check the materials of the sustainable and ethical future with your own eyes, and feel them with your own hands. And you’ll see, once you try it, it’s hard to go back.”

Check out more info on the Etik Butik’s platforms:

Website 

Instagram 

Facebook 

Thank you for reading! If you want to learn about more places where you can shop sustainably and ethical try Guide to Slow Fashion in Prague

And if you want to learn more about this topic read this post Are You Making the Right Fashion Choices? – Slow Fashion in Prague.