This time we had a very honest and inspiring talk with Nisi and Desi from the blog teetharejade. We talked about their work together as twins, strokes of fate and that especially as a blogger you know that not all that glitters is gold. Here are the answers of our two #vieriwomen:

Do you store your jewelry in a special place?

Nisi: I store the jewelry that I wear the most in a leather bowl in my hallway. This way its always handy if I want to put my jewelry on before I leave the house and it´s where I put it when I come back home at the end of the day.

What is your favorite piece of jewelry and what is your connection to it?

Desi: My gold necklace with a round shaped pendant is my favorite piece of jewelry. My mother gifted it to me and she got it from my dad. On the pendant the sign Capricorn is engraved and other the other side you find my dads name. Like that I have him with me all the time.

A woman that you especially admire…

Nisi: That will be my mom. With just 19 she came from a province on the Philippines to Germany, after she married my dad there. She learned German, raised three kids, travelled the world later on and fought breast cancer. Even though we didn´t had the closest relationship in the last years, I truly admire her and I think that she is a really strong woman.

You choose the „Respect Fairytales“ necklace – do fairytales have a special meaning for you?

Desi: Even in fairytales the world isn´t always whole – envy, jealousy and hostility. But strong women always find a way out and that gives me courage!

What makes you a #vieriwoman?

Desi: Being self-employed and my courage, to follow my passion through!

Nisi: My degree in Computer Science at TU Berlin was dominated by men. Not only where women remarkably underrepresented (e.g. only one single female in a course), but you were constantly confronted with stereotypes and underestimated. But I fought back and the couldn´t hold my down. I happily do, what isn´t expected of me or you one wouldn´t see me doing. And I am sure that a lot of people didn´t think that I would finish my degree.

 

You don´t only live together with Nisi but you work together as well. Where there times where one of you said, now it´s just enough or is this the wonderful thing about twins, that it´s never enough?

Desi: Just like it is with all twins, we do get in fights from time to time. But we are even faster in making up again. We are a well coordinated team and we know each other like no one else, so we can anticipated the others behavior. Nevertheless separate apartments are in the works. But the beautiful thing about being a twin, is that it only worked this good for so long because of it ;) In regards to work we will continue to be a dream team for a long time.

Nisi, not too long ago you publicly and openly discussed your battle with Trichotillomania. What gave you courage to do that? Do you think that you were able to help others with this step, taking into consideration the rather public role you own?

Nisi: Firstly I did it for me, because I realized that talking about it made me feel better. If you talk about a problem, the problem gets more real, because you tend to not notice it or push it away. I anticipated that among our readers and viewers had to be some people that are affected by it as well and I hoped that I could help them with it. Because, like I said in the video, as someone affected by the illness, you believe that you are the only one suffering, you feel ashamed and you think you are totally crazy. I at least wanted to show, that that isn´t the case. I hope I was able to give courage, to open up towards family members and friends or to seek professional help. But I didn´t expect so many people among my readers and viewers, that are affected by different compulsions.

VIERI exclusively works with ethically sourced gold and the respect towards all humans involved in process of gaining the resource is a main concern. Do you think that the way we handle fashion and beauty has really changed in the last years?

Nisi: I would definitely say that in the last years there has grown a larger awareness in regards to that. You are able to get more and more access to information, for example on how the extreme low prices are even possible and who has to suffer for them. The people do care today.

Do you consume differently?

Nisi: I don´t consume ethically enough, because I don´t abandon certain labels (like Zara) yet, although I am aware that these labels don´t produce under fair conditions. But what has changed for me personally is that I consume a lot more thoughtful. I used to consume excessively. But since I underwent a six month long shopping ban, I think about the piece 10 times before I buy it or not (excluding rare “schockverliebtheiten”). No more throwaway mentality and more quality and quantity.

Do you notice a change with your readers & followers? Are they becoming more critical and question certain things more?

Nisi: We felt a change in the last years, since more and more readers have written us, that they themselves are not buying so many things or that they are choosing the higher quality pieces, although they might be more expensive. That they used to shop so many things before, and that they weren´t even happier when they did that and that they now consume less and more aware. Of course you can do so many things better, more often and be more aware, but I see a start.

You are surrounded by beautiful things all day, to what extend did your feelings towards them change?

Nisi: Especially as a blogger, I know that things aren´t always what they seem from the outside. Just because we don´t talk about problems, don´t mean that they are not existing. Behind every feed that looks like the perfect live, are normal and even bad days hidden by people that are like you and me. Not all that glitters is gold.

Will you tell us your 5 favorite Instagram profiles or blogs or interior shops? Where do you find the most inspiration?

Desi: I don´t only find inspiration when I am travelling but also in my hometown Berlin. But the biggest inspiration is the World Wide Web. My favorite blogs are “The Fashion Fraction” by Michèle Kris and „Collage Vinatge“ by Sara Escudero. On Instagram I love to follow the account by Grant Legan (@grantlegan) and Pepa Mack (@pepamack). And I also love the interior section at Urban Outfitters – that is really me!