Sotela’s Hanna Baror-Padilla Answers the Ethica Questionnaire

Hanna Baror-Padilla wearing an Ace & Jig dress from Ethica

One of the best parts of working in ethical fashion? Meeting an amazing community of women–and getting access to their reading lists, green-beauty secrets, entrepreneurship strategies, favorite recipes and more. Instead of keeping all of this intel to ourselves, we asked Hanna Baror-Padilla of Sotela to share all of her go-to resources for fun, work and conscious living.

Your career path, in a nutshell (e.g., Waitress. Movie extra. Actress. Oscar-Winner):
Entrepreneur / girlboss.

Your personal style, in three words:
Timeless, bohemian, comfortable.

Capsule wardrobe, yay or nay:
Nay. I like having all of my clothes right where I can see them, especially since my week and weekend attire is on the opposite spectrum. I wrote this post about why I don’t like capsule wardrobes.

Your wardrobe workhorse:
Black high-waisted skinny jeans make any outfit look more put together. 

The fast / mainstream fashion brand you secretly love:
Even though I’ve never shopped at this store (crazy, I know!), I secretly love Anthropologie’s clothing. Their clothing is classic and bohemian, which is my favorite.

The last song you listened to:

The last book you read:
WomanCode by Dr. Alisa Vitti. If I could give any woman advice, it would be to buy this book because there are so many things we don’t know, especially how nutrition directly affects our menstrual cycle. In a different life, I would’ve been a nutritionist.

Languages you speak:
Spanish and English.

The last challenge you overcame:
Apart from working through my fear of starting a business, I’ve been dealing with some health issues that I finally got answers for after reading WomanCode. I told you it was life-changing! Last year, I had some digestive issues and other symptoms that pointed to a hormone imbalance. My doctors didn’t even realize it and kept giving me different medications that didn’t work. It’s been a slow recovery, but I’ve been healing myself with nutrition. While going through these issues last year, I kept thinking how much I couldn’t wait for Sotela to launch because none of my clothing fit! I was so bloated that I looked pregnant every single day. I know firsthand how great it will be to have pieces in your closet that will always make you feel amazing.

The recipe you make most often:
Minimalist Baker’s vegan pizza! Minimalist Baker is a genius and the main blog I use for recipes.

Your favorite sustainable tool or discovery:
The Good Guide, which rates every product imaginable. I love looking up the beauty products I can’t make like sunblock and makeup.

The last thing you bought online:
An Ecoalf down jacket made with recycled plastic bottles! I was unsure how it would hold up with the cold and rain, but it definitely proved its worth this winter.

Your favorite Ethica brand:
Litke–I love their feminine aesthetic.

Hanna wearing a Litke coat from Ethica. Photo by Carlos Andrés Dueñas.

Your social medium of choice:
Instagram, even though it drives me nuts! I would probably post more if I wasn’t constantly questioning the quality of pictures I want to post.

Your biggest eco “sin”:
Until recently, I drove 60 miles every single day to my full time job. I would have taken the train if there was a route! Gotta love Southern California’s public transportation system.

A picture of your pets:

Your favorite natural beauty product:
Coconut oil. I use it for everything including deodorant, toothpaste, makeup remover and lotion.

The one thing you want people to know about ethical and sustainable fashion:
You get what you pay for! The biggest complaint I hear is that ethical and sustainable fashion is too expensive because they are used to paying next to nothing for clothing at the mall. Yes, it is more expensive, but quality clothing is an investment. Is it better to spend $20 several times a month on cheap shirts or to buy one shirt that costs $50?

Sotela–a collection of the “last dresses you’ll ever need” that are designed to fit a woman’s ever-changing body–is currently available for preorder on Kickstarter.