A conversation with Christie Tyler - the blueprint to the beauty of minimalism
Image via @nycbambi on Instagram.
Christie Tyler has probably one of the most recognisable social media feeds, with over 400k people following her love for neutrals, cityscapes, and fashion. But her endeavours go far beyond simply posting pretty pictures. In recent years, Christie has become committed to taking a more sustainable approach to clothing - and life. Her vintage furniture/homeware business ‘Vollective’ fills a gap that many of us may have not even known to look for.
To start, could you explain a bit about your journey with blogging and social media?
Tumblr was a platform that I became obsessed with early on and, to be honest, it became the start of my career. When I was about 14 years old I would go on Tumblr for hours and it became such an inspiring platform for me. It is how I grew my love for photography and capturing little moments of beauty. I created my own Tumblr dedicated to my own photography, but I really never meant for it to be seen. It was more like my personal photo diary, but somehow people started seeing my photos and started asking me for fashion advice (I would post my outfits since I was mainly interested in fashion photography). I sort of just went with it, and when I was 16 I started a separate Instagram for my photography, my outfits, and little lifestyle things that made me happy. Back then, I didn’t know that blogging and photography could be a full-time job. For me it was just a happy accident. Then I moved to New York City to study marketing at a fashion school and I continued blogging, even through internships, jobs, etc. My audience grew and once I graduated I knew it was what I wanted to do full-time. I got signed to an agency for my creative work and the rest is history.
How do you utilise your growing influence in a positive way? Is there a sense of responsibility that accompanies a larger platform?
I try to advocate for sustainability and shopping vintage as much as I can and advocating for all issues that I feel passionate about. I think no matter how big or small your audience is, we all have a responsibility to advocate for the change we want to see in the world. Especially as a white person, I know that much of my privilege has gotten me to where I am now. By not advocating for Black lives, Asian lives, all lives that haven’t benefitted from white privilege, I would be doing a disservice because we (as white people) have a responsibility to use our privilege for good. If I have a bigger audience because of my privilege, I would hope to use it to amplify the voices that don’t have a platform.
Do you feel that the audience you’ve grown on social media share the same values as you?
Yes! And it is such a wonderful thing. Nothing makes me happier than having a community that is so aware, supportive, and honestly that teaches me things too. It makes me so happy to have an intellectual dialogue with my audience or just talk about mutual passions. I feel like that is the reason why social media called out to me at such an early age—I never really had friends or a group that shared the same interests (interests in photography, art, and fashion) so I think that is why I gravitated toward Tumblr. It was my chance to feel like I fit in and that I could talk with people who appreciate the same things I appreciate.
What is your relationship with clothing like? And how has it changed in recent years?
I have always been a fan of comfort, but of course, along with the rest of the world, comfort has been key for me in the most recent years. I feel my best in layers and in an outfit that I don’t have to fidget in—where I can just feel my best, feel like it is flattering me, but without fuss. I am really drawn to muted silhouettes, neutrals of course, and effortless looks. I have such an appreciation for vintage and sustainably made items because I want to build a wardrobe that is everlasting and built of essentials that I never get tired of. That has been my motto recently and it makes me the happiest.
When did you decide to take a conscious sustainable approach to fashion?
I think it was after a year or two of fast-fashion shopping (this was right when I moved to New York) and I would just wear something once and then not like it anymore. I became tired of that quickly and it made me even more guilty when I realized how unsustainable that was. Being in fashion and becoming more aware of all things made me realize that if I want to be in fashion, I need to try to do it as sustainably as I can. I also had a growing audience and knew that it is my responsibility to acknowledge how wasteful the fashion industry is and how we can be the best we can be as consumers. To me, though, it is not about putting guilt on consumers. Shopping sustainably is a privilege not everyone can afford. It is important to keep that in mind, too.
What’s the story behind your curated vintage homeware service, Vollective?
Vollective originally started as a vintage jewellery business that my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Melissa, created. I helped her with the photography and marketing, and after a year she came to me about doing vintage homewares, which I was all for because interior design is my second passion. It was perfect for the both of us—we love interior design, homewares, vintage, and wanted to keep being sustainable so it all followed so naturally. Now, I do half of the sourcing for our items along with marketing and photography. It has been such a passion project and the fact that other consumers understand and appreciate the homewares we source is an amazing feeling.
Where do you see the future of fashion heading?
I hope we keep evolving into doing things differently—doing them sustainably, creatively, with awareness and diversity strongly in mind. I hope fashion keeps evolving and including every single person whether it be from skin color to body type to disability to every type of person that exists. I think the whole exclusive term is old. Who wants exclusivity? We all want to be unified and appreciated. This year, with the pandemic, has also been surprisingly inspiring. I have never seen such creativity for debuting new collections. It has forced us all to rethink, challenge ourselves, push ourselves creatively, and see how we can do all things differently with purpose.
Adding onto the last question, where are your next endeavours taking you?
This is the first time in my life where I don’t really have a plan, actually. Sort of terrifying…but I’m looking forward to continuing appreciation of the little things—bike rides, spending time with friends and family, being in nature, appreciating home. I do hope to get into more creative direction work. I have always had plans, but right now I just want to live life.
To sign off, could you recommend us something? A book, business, or some food for thought?
Read Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
