Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Madden.
Hi Laura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a sustainable fashion advocate, artist and influencer. I also consider myself an advocate for women’s empowerment, equality and rescue dogs. My husband and I have been married for 20 years and have moved around the US 8 times together during our married life. Career-wise I have a pretty diverse background. I started modeling at age 19 while getting a degree in Kinesiology/ Exercise Science from The University of New Hampshire. I then worked in fitness for 15 years, taught cooking classes, yoga, boot camp’s, aerobics, developed my own gluten-free cookie product, worked as a life coach, style consultant, personal shopper and stylist, blogger, and today I am most focused on my advocacy work for sustainable fashion and building my art brand, ReFashioned Art, which I started just over a year ago. I have been doing art my entire life, but since relocating back to Arizona in 2018, it became apparent that art needed to be more than just a hobby in my life. A large part of my life is also devoted to giving back wherever I can. I serve on four boards, two of which are right here in Arizona.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As a creative entrepreneur, moving around the country as much as we have has definitely made career stability more challenging for me. Every time we moved meant reestablishing myself in a whole new city with a whole new soul. But I would say my biggest struggle has been self-doubt and trusting myself to take risks. Never afraid to reach out to people, network, and ask for help, I’ve been very lucky in each city I’ve lived finding mentors and peers who have taken me under their wings. Finding community has always been important to my growth. I love meeting new people, and being more extroverted has helped me put myself out there, and I believe, as a result has always gotten me a good amount of media exposure.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Always a fashion lover, after learning about the environmental and social injustice in the fashion industry in 2015, I then decided I had to become part of the solution and no longer the problem. Since then I have worked as an influencer, writer and stylist advocating for more responsible fashion brands and consumer habits, mainly writing for lifestyle publications, my blog ReFashion Report, and my social media channels @iamlauramadden and @ReFashionedArt. I am also an artist, and in 2019 decided to pursue my art professionally after mainly ‘being an artist’ only to decorate my own homes for most of my adult life. Every time we moved for my husband’s job, I created new art for our new home, oftentimes repurposing items I’d already had lying around. It never occurred to me that what I was doing was actually ‘a thing’ and ‘that thing’ was hugely healing for the planet- to use items that already exist is the circular economy, and it conserves resources and reduces waste. I created ReFashioned Art as my brand of art, which is made using repurposed materials. Always so inspired by fashion, ReFashioned is meant to be stylish, modern art that adds inspiration and a fashionable edge to your home or workspace. My art is mostly abstract, graffiti style, and abstract portraits. Interestingly, most of the people who buy my art are in some way in Fashion. I ultimately decided to pursue my art because, like with fashion, this is another way to demonstrate a merging of style and sustainability. By repurposing old items into something more fashionable, chic and contemporary, I hope to inspire people to look for beauty where it is not normally found. This is about encouraging people to live a stylish lifestyle and create that for themselves, and in the most sustainable way they can. Reusing items that already exist- I believe that anyone can do this. I want to be the catalyst that excites people to explore their creative edge and also their care for the planet.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am very active on social media, and I believe the best way to create change is to come together. We are stronger in numbers. Social media collaborations, art shows, photoshoots, giveaways, LIVEs, webinars – these are some of the ways I’ve relied on to create partnerships and inspire positive change. I love speaking, and with social media being more important than ever due to COVID, LIVEs are one of my favorites. My websites and social media are a great way to connect. I am very open to trying new things, stretching my comfort zone, and working outside of the box.
Pricing:
- Artwork originals and prints starting at $25- up to $2000+
Contact Info:
- Email: laura@iamlauramadden.com
- Website: https://www.iamlauramadden.com/ + https://shop.iamlauramadden.com/
- Instagram: @ReFashionedArt + @iamlauramadden
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReFashionedArt
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamlauramadden
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYFWDmP0Lot2cvszIG9s4VQ?view_as=subscriber
- Other: https://shop.iamlauramadden.com/
Image Credits
Laura Madden, ReFashioned Art So Scottsdale, photo by Claudia Johnstone The Garment League, Fashion Humanitarian announcement, photo by Carrilee Fox
