Q & A Exclusive with PlanetThreads Founder!

June 17th, 2009 · 1 Comment

JoAnn Ciaramello is the founder of PlanetThreads.com, an online boutique that sells earth-friendly clothing for men and women of all ages. JoAnn is a WAHM from Connecticut, the mom of two boys, for whom living sustainably has always been the norm. She is sharp, funny, and articulate about her passions for both sustainability and style.

Kelli – The clothes on PlanetThreads.com are super cute – would you say they are comfortable as well as fashionable?

JoAnn – I love that all the items that we carry are multi-dimensional. With an online store everything has to be first and foremost fashionable, stylish and unique. Of course at PlanetThreads.com everything is earth-friendly as well and I am constantly wowed by the luxurious nature of the organic and sustainable fabrics that our designers use. So yes, everything is really comfortable and easy to wear, even the dressier items! I wear a lot of the items that we carry and this helps me promote them on our site with personal anecdotes in the product descriptions. I wear them, wash them, and then write about them. This way I can speak from first-hand knowledge how the eco-fabrics feel and wear.

Kelli – As a stay-at-home mom of 3 boys, I find that I need clothes that immediately go from Play-doh parties to dinner with my hubby with little effort. You know… just change from tennis shoes to heels and add some jewelry. Are your clothes “transition-friendly”?

JoAnn – I also lead that life – mom of two boys that moves from health club, to school class room, to running errands in-between, meeting with designers, friends and other contacts. I wear casual clothing most of the time. PlanetThreads.com has casual options from many different designers. Toggery by Kate D’arcy is such a versatile line — literally just changing out your shoes and jewelry takes you through the whole day. I carry shoes and accessories and a small bag of beauty essentials (organic and eco-friendly of course!) in my car and put them on and off as needed. It really works!

Kelli – I have noticed that most moms, myself included, tend to be very fashion-forward when shopping for our children but not so much for ourselves – why do you think that is and what advice can you give us?

JoAnn – Once we have babies, our focus changes completely from ourselves to them, and that is a very natural thing to do. It just happens this way and we don’t really have any control over it. But over time I’ve found that I need to get a little “me” back in my life, and being fashionable and current really helps. It also helped that I was the first of my circle to have a child so my childless and single friends kept me on my toes too. Reading fashion magazines is so much fun, but even if you don’t have time to curl up with a magazine, the plethora of online fashion sites and independent fashion bloggers out there can really keep you reeling, and just actively searching for fashion information regarding what’s current, the trends, the colors etc. will make one more interested in being fashion-forward again.

Kelli – Many of my peers have chosen to stay home with their children and consequently are trying to make life great on their husband’s income alone. Do you think your prices are 1-income-friendly? Did these thoughts go into your pricing for the site?

JoAnn – One of the reasons PlanetThreads.com was created was to make eco fashion attainable and available to everyone. PlanetThreads.com is a great place to start to make wardrobe changes that are eco-friendly. I have customers that have started with simple tanks and now routinely look for new items from our store. They’re hooked on the idea that they are making a change in their lives that affects greater things in this world not only for their lifetime but for their children’s as well. You can organize items on our site by price-point and I find our customers use that feature a lot when they want to shop and only see things that are in their price range.

Kelli – So many moms tend to wear a million hats: banker, chef, party planner, executive assistant, personal shopper, maid, doctor, chauffeur – what suggestions do you have for finding time to “fit it all in” while also doing something rewarding for yourself like run a business?

JoAnn – We try to fit it all in every day, and inevitably something doesn’t work out, and we end up running out of time or energy. I think the trick is just not to feel guilty and to accept that you may not be able to do everything you want in one day. If I’ve done my best to keep things up and running and also been able to have a little fun then I’m golden.

Kelli – What do you do within your personal life to stay green?

JoAnn – I purchase organic food and frequent local farms for fresh items. Of course I am working toward a more eco-friendly wardrobe for myself and my family, and generally doing this online is a great way for families to start. Eco-friendly clothing is not readily available via malls and stand alone stores. Also switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products is a huge green step too. I’ve always shopped vintage for furniture, jewelry and clothing. I love clothing exchanges and hand-me-downs. I always recycle, re-use and repurpose items as much as I can. A general sentiment of avoiding waste can go a long way.

Kelli – What is one thing every one of my readers could do to help the environment?

JoAnn – Become informed and interested in helping the environment and then deciding to start somewhere in your life where you can tweak the way you do things, the way you purchase, brands you support etc. Small steps lead to big changes, and instilling this in children at a young age is the key to a sustainable future.

Kelli – How can we teach our children to be environmentally conscience?

JoAnn – It’s as easy as do as you say, and say as you do. If your kids just know that plastic doesn’t go in the trash but rather in the recycling bin then it’s just how they operate. Or even better if we get them thinking of creative ways to re-use things at a young age it sparks imagination AND environmental awareness. How can you top that? If we as parents are environmentally conscious and display good choices and practices, then our children will naturally (pun intended) follow our lead.

Kelli – Will you be adding kid’s lines to your shop in the future?

JoAnn – Oh, yeah! It’s in the works now; I am doing a lot of investigating to find the brands that I feel are most aligned with PlanetThreads.com both in style and substance. Stay tuned!