Kourtney Kardashian Says the Fact That Her Sustainable Boohoo Collab Is Making Noise Is Actually a Good Thing

What do you get when you combine a famous fast fashion brand with a well-known celebrity and the promise of sustainability? Well, a little bit of backlash for one. That's exactly what happened when Boohoo first announced its new sustainable line with Kourtney Kardashian, Boohoo by Kourtney Kardashian Barker, but the Poosh founder tells InStyle that was essentially the point.

"I know that it's making some noise, but I think that's honestly the purpose," she says over the phone prior to today's launch on boohoo.com. "Hopefully this is making people who maybe never even knew that this was an issue [in fast fashion] to be aware of it. There are a lot of comments I'm seeing about it, but I think that is the point."

Kardashian herself did have doubts when the brand first approached her with the idea for a sustainable collection, since she knows that, historically, "sustainability and fast fashion do not go hand in hand." But after giving it some thought, she realized how it would allow her to use her platform to enact change.

"I've done a fast fashion collab in the past with no purpose behind it, so this is probably one of the first ones that really has a good motivation and intention behind it," she says. "Using my platform to start the conversation, and even through small changes — I think small changes and any impact we can make is really important."

For this collection, Kardashian says the brand used recycled cotton and recycled PCU, and also opted to include vintage pieces in the mix.

"I've selected vintage T-shirts and vintage leather jackets, so we're selling those," she says, adding that an important detail for her was to focus on quality. Kardashian knows firsthand that no matter the brand or how much a piece costs, in order for it to become a long-term staple in someone's wardrobe, it has to be well made.

"Some of my favorite pants that I've had for, I don't know, 20-something years are Gap leather pants. A lot of the inspiration were classic pieces from my own closet that I've had for years and years and rewear over and over again. I think that's what it's about, and it's almost retraining people that do shop fast fashion to really pause and think about what they're buying and if it is something that they're going to want for a long time."

Kardashian says that designing this line and speaking to industry experts has also opened her eyes even more, helping to make her a more conscious shopper.

"I'm really pausing to think about the clothes that I'm welcoming into my home and into my closet and think, 'Do I want this for a long time?'" She says she's also enjoying renting clothes instead of buying them, and aiming to be more sustainable outside of the fashion world.

"We've done some Poosh articles over the years on different, easy ways that you can be sustainable at home, and I'm really into composting," she tells us. "I have a composter that was on our Poosh gift guide last year."

Still, Kardashian isn't putting pressure on herself to be perfect 100% of the time. She knows it's a learning process and plans to make changes as she goes.

"My water usage was a news headline when I had no idea," she says. "I was like, 'This can't be right about me!' Because I was following the watering laws that were like, you can water two days a week or whatever it was. I don't personally look at my bill, and not that that's an excuse, but I guess they were saying it was on my bill. Then, I was made aware because of the news headline and now I just completely stopped watering my lawn — my lawn is completely brown. But I am now under my allotted water usage, and on my last bill they wrote 'Congratulations!'"

She does welcome being held accountable and says that by joining Boohoo, she plans to hold the brand accountable, too. "I think that was the point of me doing this with them."

For the collection itself, Kardashian aimed to find the perfect balance — items she knew people would buy that included playful twists, but also would be versatile in the long run.

"We made these long, to-the-floor dresses that are really classic, but then they have a little chain detailing," she says. "Over time, the chain is removable, so it's easy to just keep it as a classic dress. Also, you can use the chain as a choker. The chain makes it exciting, but then if you just want to have it be more classic over time and not get sick of it, it's a dress shape that you would have forever."

Kardashian is also excited to show off the collection during New York Fashion Week. She hopes the runway show, taking place on Tuesday night, will help to elevate the clothes and perhaps "have people think of it in a different way — that it's not just a disposable trend or piece of clothing."

"I think it's going to be really fun," she says. "We helped with the vibes and the music and I'm really excited."