In Conversation with: Cora Hilts - Founder of Rêve En Vert

We’re so delighted to be stocked on Reve En Vert, when did you decide to launch the brand and what prompted it? What were you doing beforehand?

I came up with the idea for Rêve En Vert oddly whilst I sat in a class on renewable energy. My professor mentioned that after the oil and gas industry, fashion was the second most polluting industry on earth. I was completely shocked. I feel like now a lot of us are aware of this fact but six years ago, I just couldn’t believe that an industry that was meant to be so innovative and creative could be so far behind on environmental and humanitarian concerns - how could something so beautiful be so truly ugly? That’s when I had the idea for Rêve En Vert – a retail site that would curate only sustainable items that were made as aesthetically as they were ethically, which would allow for people to make significant change in the way they shop easily. We began as a sustainable fashion retailer but now have evolved to so much more for overall conscious
living.

If there is such a thing as a normal working day, what does it look like?

Right now, I am trying to keep up as much of a routine as possible. I wake up, make myself an oat milk cappuccino and then check my emails and check in on the news, read the New York Times, etc. Then I go for a run in our local park - I find exercise so important for my mental and physical health and being out in nature is so important to me, even living in the middle of London. I then work pretty straight through until 6, when I pour myself a glass of (organic) wine and make my husband and I dinner. I absolutely love cooking and experimenting with lots of vegetables.

What has been the most exciting moment since launching the REV?

Probably when we raised our first investment round - it was difficult as a young woman to convince people five years ago that sustainability would become such a huge part of retail and there were a lot of road blocks. But we persevered and it was so incredible to find a number of female investors who believed that what Reve En Vert is was the future.

What do you find most exciting about the sustainability conversation today?

That it is progressing so quickly and consumers are becoming more aware of the drastic need for change. When I first started Reve En Vert six years ago, it was an uphill battle even getting people to engage with the topic of sustainability, and
how it related to them personally. However this is no longer the case as environmental concerns have started to reach us all and whilst it can be a bit overwhelming, it’s no longer swept under the rug. I feel this conversation will only get louder.

If you could change one thing to make the world a better place, what would it be?

I would get rid of the oil industry and replace all of our energy and production needs with solar, wind and geothermal energy.

When do you feel most empowered?

When I am talking about the things I am passionate about - ethics, sustainability and the preservation of the natural world.

Do you have a mantra of a quote you live by?

I just got a new one that my husband said to me from John Lennon which is, “being honest may not get you lots of friends, but it will get you the right ones” - it reminds me to always speak my mind and stand up for the things I believe in.

Do you have an earliest scent memory?

Yes - lilacs actually which is still one of my favourite scents of all time. There was a large lilac tree that grew outside my window in my parent’s home and it used to waft in my windows. It still makes me homesick when I walk by a lilac!

We are passionate about flowers – do you have a favourite?

Ditto! They have been my treat to myself throughout the pandemic as they seem to always brighten a space no matter what is happening. My favourites are either calla lilies or peonies. Calla lilies because they are so elegant, and peonies because they remind me of my grandmother who planted them en masse throughout our gardens.