Undersea: Marie! First of all, we would like to say how happy and honored we are to have a chance to work with you and create something amazing together. Unfortunately, it is pretty hard to find honest and true-to-themselves influencers nowadays, but You and Jake are so special. We love the lifestyle you live and the message you broadcast.
Would you tell a few words about how you became so conscious about your lifestyle and why sustainability is so important for you?
Marie: It actually all started back when I met Jake and switched to a plant based diet. Inspired by this new lifestyle and all our travels I became more and more conscious about how our actions and our consumption affect the world we live in. I decided that I want to decrease the impact I have on environmental and ethical issues as far as I could and me and Jake aim to inspire as many people as possible to join us in trying our best to make more conscious choices everyday.
Undersea: How did you find out about the brand Undersea Wear? Have you ever met the girls behind the brand?
Marie: That’s actually quite a funny story. Back in 2019 Moni and Daisy from Undersea Wear reached out to me and asked me to collaborate. I got to know their brand and loved all that they were about, especially because I basically live in swimwear and was always looking for a conscious brand that was aiming to lower their impact on our environment while still making cute clothes. Then in December I was spending Christmas with Jake and my family in Fuerteventura and Daisy texted me and told me that she was there as well because she actually lives there. So we met up and spend the day at the beach. That’s how I met Daisy. Moni I know because of our work together and all our phone calls and texting. I love love love working together with them.
Undersea: Let‘s talk about the Dream Sea collection a bit! What are the trends and inspiration behind this collection?
Marie: I actually tried to come up with styles that each girl would love and fit. The one piece is a really dreamy design for girls that like to cover up a bit more and want to be able to be very active in their swimwear, the red Maya design radiates a lot of fierce energy and is for my strong and outgoing babes, the yellow Kaia design is more playful and for girls that like to switch things up and like to express themselves creatively and the beige Maya design is very natural and timeless- it’s an absolute all-rounder. All the designs were created last year when we were still traveling a lot. I was inspired to create pieces that would look great on photos, were versatile and timeless, comfortably to wear and would make you feel happy and confident when wearing them.
Undersea: Do you have a favorite piece from this collection? If yes, which one and why?
Marie: To be honest I don’t. I love all the styles so so much and really go through stages where I wear one design more regularly than the other. It really depends on how I feel and what I am up to.
Undersea: What were the biggest challenges of designing and creating this collection? What have you learned along the way?
Marie: I think the hardest part of the designing process is to come up with styles that others will love. Of course you know what you like and what you would choose to wear. But what about other skin tones, other body shapes, people with different ages... that has probably been the hardest part for me. And also deciding on colors and cuts that will be still in trend when people can actually buy the collection is quite a challenge. Because oftentimes there’s a rather long process and time span between the designing of the collection and the actual launch.
Undersea: What would you tell the people, why should we care about slow fashion?
Marie: I know that fashion is a very ambivalent topic and many people are scared and insecure about where to start and what’s wrong and right. I believe that none of us is or will be perfect but that we can all be more conscious about what we choose to consume and which causes we want to support. It’s not about being perfect but being curious, self reflected and taking small steps in the right direction each day.
Undersea: What’s next for your brand?
Marie: First of all I am super grateful and happy that my fashion project Maja Bali has finally started and that I was already able to work with two of my favorite ethically oriented brands. That’s really a dream come true. I am so excited to see people wearing my designs and am so touched by all the amazing and kind feedback I’ve received so far. As with my first own Maja Bali collection I hope to be able to launch in a couple of months. It will be a mix of dresses and other clothing pieces that are inspired by the styles that are staples in my closet and have accompanied me during all the travels and adventures Jake and I have already been on. I really can’t wait for everything that’s yet to come.
Thank you Marie for this interesting interview! We are also super excited to see all the babes around the globe wearing the pieces of Dream Sea!
Till next time,
xx Undersea
