Erin Allweiss and Melody Serafino share a few things in common: they are both passionate about the environment and champion brands that bring forth positivity, they have a knack for storytelling, and they founded a public relations and brand consultancy agency, No. 29 together. Just about ten years ago, the two were yearning for environmental education and awareness at a time in which the world was lacking in both, so instead of seeking a solution that did not yet exist, Allweiss and Serafino decided to create it.

Now, a decade later and with many successful brand launches under their belt, Allweiss and Serafino are the go-to authority for impactful brand storytelling, and they back it up with ethical values and transparency that is imperative in today’s buzzword-rich climate. From guiding major brands such as VEJA and Mara Hoffman, to kickstarting their own illuminating podcast, the duo has kept busy since No. 29’s birth in 2013. PhotoBook caught up with them to discuss that journey, the agency’s 10th birthday, and more (see below).

Tell me the story of a decade ago, when you two set out to create No. 29, and what current events or happenings spurred you to want to start an ethical agency?
Melody: Erin and I actually worked together at another agency prior to this, which is where we met. When we decided to launch No. 29, we really just wanted to work on clients who reflected our values. A lot of people thought it was a nice idea but not necessarily a sustainable business model. This was a different time. We weren't really talking about sustainability in the same way that they are today. It was really about just working on the things we cared about. We pushed forward and, over time, we've seen that the conversation has evolved and changed. And now everybody's talking about sustainability, but we were really interested in this long before I would say it was 'cool.'

Erin: I previously worked in environmental politics and before that I grew up in New Orleans. So, I always cared about sustainability, understanding that the city was really at the forefront of being affected by climate change. But I also loved fashion and design, and prior to us founding the agency, it felt like those two topics lived in different worlds. Our thinking was, 'What if we combined the two?' I feel like even the scientists have said, 'We've been talking about global warming forever and no one is listening. Our thinking focused on storytelling and that was the premise for our agency. You asked if there was one event that may have shifted things. I would say the election of our previous president shifted how people consumed. They felt like they couldn't make a difference. And, by the way, our agency had been around for four years prior to his election. But we gravitated towards the brands that we were working on because it felt like a solution to be able to spend money on those who were actually making an impact when the government was failing so terribly.

I love so many of the points that you guys just made, especially when you said that when you first started No. 29, it was just about wanting to work with brands that align with your values.
Erin: One thing that we're aware of is that we didn’t set out to be publicists, whatever that means. We consult, we do positioning, and more. PR is often seen as a dirty word or people don't like to talk about PR mechanisms. It's storytelling and for us, we feel like we're the first line of defense in only representing brands that are doing good things. We've had to tell a lot of people no in order to ensure that we're only advancing those who are really doing the work.

Melody: We've been really discerning with our clients. Our growth has been slow and steady and that's intentional because there are a lot of brands we could have taken on and they're not necessarily brands that have been outwardly bad actors; they just didn't really align with the type of work that we were doing. It's really important to us to stay true to that original ethos. I always grappled with the idea of bringing these two worlds together. And, when we couldn't find a job that existed that brought them together, we created it ourselves.

Being selective is a hurdle and a challenge you have to face. What were some other early obstacles you faced in establishing the agency as you champion sustainable fashion and design brands that are oftentimes left out of the narrative, and as women?

Melody: I mean there's the obstacle of just building the awareness and reputation for what we were doing because we were charting new territory. It was difficult helping people to understand the importance of telling these stories. But then there's also just all of the stuff that comes along with starting a business and you really don't know what you're doing from the administrative side of things. That's always a bigger challenge for me because those areas are not my strong suit. I know how to be a storyteller. I know how to do PR and I'm confident in my ability to do those things. We've had to learn along the way and also just surround ourselves with people who are experts in those areas because we cannot be all things. Just knowing where our strengths and weaknesses were was humbling at the beginning.

What is it like working together? Did you always know you wanted to start a company with each other?
Melody: It's really funny because I think we had one conversation about starting this and then both of us were just like, 'Okay, let's do it.' Erin and I were friends before, through work; we met in the office.

Erin: There was so much synergy. We're so aligned on so many things but so different. But at the end of the day, we have each other's backs fully. I know everyone's tired of hearing 'work wife’ or ‘work husband,' but it honestly feels like this is a partnership that predates my fiance.

Melody: There's a lot of respect too, right? Erin's incredibly smart. I would not go into business with someone whom I didn't feel was smart and capable, and there's never been a moment that I've questioned her integrity. When you can trust a person and you feel safe around a person, it's a pretty good indicator that there's probably going to be a solid relationship there.

What do you think the key is to get those who are not immersed in the world of sustainability interested in ethical fashion? How can we make it fun and digestible?
Erin: If we're guiding a brand and helping them to tell their story, first off, we'd start by unpacking how things are made sharing the backstory. At the end of the day, we choose things that we're personally excited about. Everything that we've worked on, I desperately want to exist in the world and thrive. So, it makes our job so much easier. I mean, we've worked with Veja for seven years. The two founders are so wonderful and the product is incredible. It's been remarkable to be along for that journey. But I also wear the shoes, like everything that we work on, we have touchpoints. You look around our office and it is surrounded by everything that we work on.

Melody: In some ways, we are ambassadors for the brands with which we work. It's not just about the stories, but it's about living the brands as well. So, whether it's a fashion client or whatever it may be, it's about really trying to absorb the ethos of that brand so it feels super authentic. And to Erin's point, we're trying to put together the pieces to help tell a story clearly. It's also about making sure we're being transparent, right? We totally remove the jargon where we can. I think we are good at understanding how things are going to land with someone who maybe is not familiar with this space. If we really want to make an impact and get other people to make better choices, we have to help them. We have to help them bring themselves into the story.

I really appreciate that aspect of living the things that you champion because you're showing that you're an authoritative figure to be speaking on it. We are beginning to approach a period where these sustainability “buzzwords” can be used flippantly. Along with making these topics digestible, how do you communicate them in a genuine way?
Melody: I mean all of these terms that we haven't found better words fo mean everything and nothing. The meaning has been diluted and has been used in ways that confuse consumers, intentionally in some cases. At this point, we're actually trying to — in some ways — avoid those words and think about 'How do we pull back the curtain and actually show people what these terms mean?' For us, when we look at sustainability, it's comprehensive. It's not just “What does the end product look like?” If there's an opportunity to take journalists to a place to see something being manufactured or made, we love to do that. Because I think that's where you really see if a brand is telling the truth or not.

Erin: Those are the questions that we ask upfront too before we sign. “Can we come and see it? Can we take journalists behind the scenes to have documentation? Do you have certifications?” There are so many different standards. I must also add, though, whenever you're creating something, nothing is perfect. I do think that some friends of mine are always scared to tell me where they shop because it's not totally sustainably made. The thing is, we are just trying to do better and move the needle. And Veja, I think that they are so great with how they talk about themselves. They have a tagline: Sustainability is an empty word. They prefer transparency and that's the same for us. It's about being honest and not covering over or glossing over anything. I also think it's important to not say what you are going to do, but what you have achieved.

It's really admirable that you are starting to show people what really lies behind that word. Your agency uplifts and gives voices to founders and creators doing amazing work. Tell us more about how you choose whom you work with, and why?
Melody: Well, I think the timing is well-aligned for this question because one of the things that we're going to be launching this year is an advisory council that's working with us to vet some of the brands that come to us. We have some folks who are experts in different spaces whom we are looking to help us understand and get down into the nitty-gritty of the details. What's the manufacturing facility look like? Are they B Corp certified? What are the resources used to create something? They're going to be asking really specific questions. We're super excited because it will help to get at the core of who is the right fit for us as a client.

Erin: We have a Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist who's working with us on the advisory board and going to be looking into this. In terms of the questions that we've asked, we do ask about the supply chain. We do get specific about the factories and where things are made. In the case of Veja, we've gone to the Amazon to see how they've tapped the rubber to turn it into shoes, which has been incredible. We've gone and seen their shipping facilities. They break down the cotton and poly blend, so we've seen that in person. That's the thing that is the most fun part of the job for us. We get to see all of these people who are genuinely making change and it's so fun to celebrate those stories.

As many of your clients are diverse, what do most of the brands you work with have in common, and how are they shifting the standards of the industry?
Erin: I hope this is not going to sound totally cheesy, but I would say the brands are all building the world that we would like to see. It's all of these different pieces from nonprofits to organizations to brands that we want to use and that are doing things in a better way. We use these methods in our model for being more thoughtful. It's probably confusing to look at our clients, but they're all doing what they do in a way where it's curating this world that we would like to see — a world that's a little kinder in terms of how we consume things.

Melody: And can still be beautiful too, right? These companies, organizations, or brands can have all of these values, but it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive when it comes to design or beauty. These things can coexist and actually coexist quite well.

Erin: We're launching our third season of “Enough”, the podcast, where we interview people who are making that change and they come from so many different disciplines. They're not just our clients. Some are. We have them sprinkled in just because we love working with them. But there are many others that we'll be talking to, like fifth-generation dairy farmers about what the first regenerative dairy farm looks like.

They're people whom we admire and we think are on the front lines of solutions, people who are rethinking broken systems. In this season, we talk to a guy who started a chocolate company whose product is produced in Madagascar, where cocoa beans are grown. But most chocolate is produced in Europe, which gets the glory for chocolate, despite the actual bean coming from Africa and Africa not being a major producer of its own export. So, there are interesting people whom we want to hear more from. We feel like there's enough doom and gloom in the world. And, these are the people who actually are giving us some hope for solutions.

Bringing positivity into whoever is listening and into your own lives is a great motivator. Because like we said, there's a lot of bad news and I think it's really cool to just immerse yourself in something good. And it's interesting to me that most of these topics are not just things you'd see scrolling on social media.

Melody: We talk about it in a way that feels resonant to a wider audience too. There are podcasts that exist that are in the climate science space— that is not what this is. We are not scientists, we are storytellers. So, this is really hoping to bring people into this space who may not see themselves as sustainability people but are curious about what folks are doing in impact or mission-driven work. It's honestly our brain in a podcast.

I think that that's the heart of it: showing people that there are exemplary figures in different industries across the board. It doesn't just have to be a climate scientist doing something positive for climate awareness. By dipping into different demographics and interests, you engage more people.

Erin: We want to show that every industry can make a difference. You don't have to go work for an environmental nonprofit to make a difference in climate change. Whether you're in the auto industry, if you're in retail, it doesn't matter — all of this intersects.

What has been each of your favorite podcast episodes so far, and why?
Erin: My favorite episode from a previous season was for the congressman for whom I worked. He's from Portland, Oregon, and he co-chaired the global warming committee and helped to write the Green New Deal with AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]. He's been in office fighting as a progressive for more than 30 years. I just think about how much that must take to keep chipping away at things and the amount of internal fortitude. He kept at it and it's just so inspiring and a reminder of our democracy needing everyone to participate. I think the reason I'm so enthusiastic about that one is because I think that we can all feel so sad and hopeless when it comes to Washington, D.C., but I think that if people listen to him, they would be incredibly inspired.

Melody: I had the opportunity to speak with Chris Burkard, who's a photographer and filmmaker. He's a National Geographic photographer and he has been capturing climate change in real-time. He's been to places like Iceland more than 30 times and he has seen the change in the terrain through the lens of his camera. I always really loved his work from afar. And so, getting to actually talk to him about what he's learned through his work as an artist was really fascinating. Through the many years of his work and watching the evolution of the planet firsthand, his photos are really beautiful and it was so exciting to actually speak to him about it.

They both sound like really amazing full-circle moments for you two. Coming on the tenth anniversary of No. 29, what are you two most proud of?
Melody: I think when you're building something, you never really sit back and get to appreciate what you've built. Some days I still feel like it's year two. And other days I actually take a minute to think about it and I'm like, “Oh, we've done a lot in the last 10 years.” I mean I feel proud that we've kind of owned this space. There has not been, to my knowledge, another agency with this depth of knowledge in sustainability and impact. I think a lot of people are trying to add this on or make this a department within what they do. But it doesn't necessarily align with the greater ethos of the organization. I feel really proud that we have been true to that original ethos over time. And we've gotten to grow with some incredible brands.

Erin: I'm so proud of the team that we built. We have team members who've been with us almost the whole way. This doesn't happen just because the two of us work together. It's each person who's contributing. So that's incredibly special as well.

How do you hope your work will reverberate to larger audiences and what is the broader message that you hope others take from your work with the brands we mentioned among all of the other ones that you work with?
Erin: I hope that across industries, people can find a product, organization, or idea that is a solution to something that they're facing. It's interesting that we've become sort of the go-to agency in sustainable fashion. Even seven years ago when we were talking about it, people were like “Sustainable fashion? That's not cool.” But it became a wonderful mechanism for talking about other things. I mean, because everyone has to get dressed every day. So, from there, we could start to break down how are things made, and where does it come from? I would love for people to come to our agency and discover brands they didn't know about and find alternative ways of moving through the world. I hope that puts pressure on bigger brands who certainly feel the heat because they're not doing things the right way.

Melody: Ultimately, I would love for people to feel inspired by the brands or organizations that we work with and take action in some way. Whether that's making a better purchase decision or thinking about their food waste in their own kitchen and making better decisions there. We don't expect everybody to be doing everything all the time. It's impossible to do everything across the board, but whether it's fashion that they care about and they can make a better choice there or technology, food, I hope it inspires real action.

Article by Kayla Curtis-Evans, Contributing Sustainable Editor PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine
*All images courtesy of No. 29

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