Meet Cora Hilts, co-founder and CEO of Rêve en Vert, destination for sustainable style – THE THREAD JOURNAL’s latest Insider – an individual who embodies a connection to their surroundings at home and in their work.
Growing up in Maine, Cora has always had a connection to nature and living sustainably, so creating Rêve en Vert (REV) is a natural extension of her deeply held beliefs. At REV, sustainable luxury is style created from a place of consciousness and honesty, based on four tenants: organic, re-made, local and fair.
I was first introduced to REV at a REV Talks event hosted by Cora at Soho House, about natural and sustainable beauty which certainly got me thinking and am very much looking forward to immersing myself in the REV lifestyle at their upcoming sustainable lifestyle pop-up store.
I recently took the opportunity to speak to Cora about her relationship to her space on a personal level and how it provides a grounding foundation to her work…
Describe who you are and what you do.
My name is Cora Hilts, I am the co-founder and CEO of Rêve En Vert, which is a retail and content site curated to be the destination for a sustainable lifestyle.
What led you on your path?
I always think that growing up in the countryside of Maine really impacted my dedication to sustainable living – growing up so connected to nature made me aware of how much we need to respect and protect it.
Even though I now live in London, I still have that strong pull to nature that makes me feel so strongly about helping people to live conscious lifestyles.
What does honest luxury mean to you?
It quite simply means have nothing to hide – our designers are so accountable when it comes to where they are producing, with what materials, by whom, etc. I think that as the term ‘sustainability’ becomes thrown about more and more we just want to try and keep things as straightforward as possible at Rêve En Vert.
Why are organic, remade, local and fair important to you?
These are the principles I came up to define sustainability when I first started Rêve En Vert and I have felt strongly that these should remain at the core of how we look at the ethos of the designers and businesses we choose to work with. You can learn more about how we define each and why we chose that principle on our ethos page!
What excites you about the designers you work with?
I think the designers’ passion more than anything – so many of the people we work with at REV are not just producing sustainable items, they are living sustainable lifestyles and encouraging others to do the same. I honestly don’t think you can be a sustainable designer these days and not live a conscious lifestyle – you really need to live and breathe what you are creating and how that impacts the wider world.
Tell us more about your new pop-up shop…
I am so excited for this – we have two pop ups, but in the same space.
So the first is a sustainable lifestyle pop up with some incredible events and a unique curation of an assortment of REV’s lifestyle items from fashion to home to baby.
The second is all about a conscious Christmas, and will be pushing people to only buy gifts that they know people will genuinely love. We will also be giving suggestions of things they could buy alternatively – like adopting an animal through WWF that is endangered or a gift certificate to a sustainable restaurant.
Come see us in Dalston if you are in London – it launches November 14th!
Where is home for you?
My temporary home is London but my husband and I just bought a house in Maine across from my parents and I hope that we can really begin to spend much more time in the country (I am aware of needing to set up tele-conferencing so I am not flying back and forth to London all the time when this happens though!)
How would you describe your home?
A blend of vintage and minimal furniture, slightly Scandi but warm, freshly picked flowers in summer and dried flowers in the winter, with a good coffee machine and big kitchen.
Do you apply the same sustainability principles to your home as your work?
Absolutely. My Masters degree was actually in Environmental Politics and Sustainability, so I always thought I was living my life ethically but over the past six years of running REV I have gone so much further with it than I ever thought I would. I think about everything now – what I eat, how we travel, the conversations I am having at dinner parties – nothing really for me is separate from what I do with the business.
What does homecoming mean to you?
There is a bridge that you need to drive over to get from New Hampshire into Maine and my mother always used to make me roll down the windows (even it was February and snowing) and smell the fresh air that is so unique to Maine as it has so little pollution and so many trees. I still do it now with my husband – that fresh air is homecoming to me.
Do you have a sacred space or favourite place in your home?
We have a reading nook with a big white chair and a lot of books. I like to be there with a cappuccino or a wine depending on the mood.
How does the ethos of ‘sacred space’ play a part in your work/life?
It means having things that you love and treasure and are unique to you in some way. For me, that means having things that were sourced sustainably or given to us for a specific reason that is meaningful. I don’t normally find items that beautiful without a story behind them.
What rituals do you carry out in your home/studio?
On Sundays we always go to the farmer’s market and I love Sunday evening the most because I am normally listening to jazz, having a glass of red wine, and cooking something with all the fresh and organic ingredients I’ve been able to get that morning. It’s my absolute favourite time of the week.
What are your home aspirations?
I want to get solar panels on our house in Maine and an electric car, and also to really up the ante with our gardens and be able to grow the majority of our food.
In London, we are trying to get our hands on an allotment so we can grow everything here but it’s harder. I would also love to but the boatyard down the road from us and turn it into a destination for conservation and eco-tourism…next business!
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I would love to live in a California that was safe from climate change, or a Bali that was free from plastic pollution! I have never been to Byron Bay but I also feel like I would be very happy there…but I love London and Maine and am very very lucky to have bases in both!
Find out more about REV’s offerings,
*Visit the REV website to shop for the ultimate in gorgeous sustainable style
*Visit the Rêve En Vert Sustainable Lifestyle Pop Up, November 14th – 22nd 2019
A week long pop up full of sustainable events, talks and of course, a little pre-Christmas shopping.
The Factory, 21 – 31 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, London, E8 2DA
*Follow Cora and REV on Instagram for soulful sustainable living inspiration
