Danielle Gay Journalist, writer & editor…
madre natura JOURNAL with Danielle Gay
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Please share a little bit about yourself, your background, where you were born and raised, noting some of the defining aspects that have contributed to the person you are today? I grew up on the NSW Central Coast, an or so hour from Sydney. I think there is something about growing up in a smaller town that makes you crave an outlet that offers a different way of thinking about the world, and I started buying fashion magazines at a very young age. What struck me then and now, was how I always wanted to read them from cover to cover—the culture pages, stories about women’s lives, current affairs. It was all so interesting to me. I knew I wanted to write features like this and also be the person responsible for deciding what went within the pages of the magazine itself.
I studied journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney, and my first job out of graduation was as the personal assistant to the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Edwina McCann. As you can imagine, it was a dream job for someone who grew up wanting to work at a magazine. From there, I worked my way up to Digital Editor and eventually Head of Brand over the course of six years. In 2021, I made the leap over to Gritty Pretty as Editor of the (now shuttered) local beauty and lifestyle publication. That closed in May and now I’m a freelance writer and editor with my own newsletter, Reservations.
Danielle have recently launched Reservations, how long until you had the idea till you launched? And why about dating, love, loss and connections? Reservations is a brand I’m building, which began as a newsletter about love, relationships and dating. I went through a significant breakup in December 2022 and it really changed how I viewed the world and my place in it. I was faced with big questions about love, purpose and self-identity. Four months later, I launched Reservations as a Substack newsletter, to write about my experiences and the response was incredible and immediate. People told me how grateful they were to find it: there simply isn’t a resource out there for women going through a life-shattering breakup and then putting themselves back together. Now it’s evolved into a popular weekly newsletter, a community, and a book club, where women can talk about everything from breakup sex to how to recover from a divorce.
Danielle in times of the environmental climate crisis, being sustainable can be an incredible tool to amplify the importance of creating a positive future for our planet and its people. What processes have you implemented in your every day to create this change? I do believe that unless we’re in policymaking, then it’s about small, actionable steps we can take with love and grace. One thing I did recently was change my superannuation to Future Super, which invests for a fossil fuel free future and puts my money towards climate solutions. I also believe in consuming less, so I have been on a bit of a journey the past two years of buying less, donating and regifting clothes, and investing in better quality items that last.
Danielle tell us about your relationship with nature and how you implement it in your daily life? Nature is an essential part of my life. It has a deep meaning for me, as I’m quite spiritual, and I use the word ‘nature’ to refer to the universe, or all things. I have a consistent, daily meditation practice that is about tapping into this channel and learning to flow with nature and the universe. This also involves getting out into nature in the sense of ocean swims at Redleaf, long walks in the park (I love Rushcutters Bay and Beare Park) or getting out of the city for a hike.
Danielle how would you describe your style? And how has it changed over the years? I’d describe my personal style as classic. I lean towards tailoring, timeless silhouettes, and I don’t wear a lot of colour.
Danielle what is your favourite madre natura garment and why? The Palm denim pants. They are so easy to wear but always look so elevated. I like to style them with my Eucalyptus polka dot top or a plain white T-shirt.
Danielle how can we create an optimistic future for fashion? I think the most critical thing we can do is share knowledge about the innovations we are creating in the sustainability space and not gate keep this wisdom. I look to someone like Emma Lewisham in the beauty sphere, who created the first carbon positive beauty business, then immediately shared the IP for this so that other businesses could replicate the model. I’d love to see more of this in the fashion space—that sense of unity and collaboration.
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