We’re really excited to introduce you to Aspiga’s new ‘Women of Impact’ initiative. We’ve teamed up with a handful of incredible women, who have been supporters of the brand over the years and who, we believe, are also fearless trailblazers.

We want to celebrate their achievements, careers and the impact they’ve had on us as women and to celebrate how they will hopefully be encouraging the next generation of pioneers.

First Up: Meet the Brilliant Mariella Frostrup

A true champion for women’s rights, Mariella’s tireless work as a journalist, presenter, and advocate has made her a powerful voice for change.

As co-founder of Menopause Mandate, she’s leading the charge to raise awareness and drive policy change around menopause, resonating deeply with Aspiga’s mission of compassion, equality, and making a meaningful difference. 

As someone who champions conscious living and has long supported ethical fashion, her admiration for Aspiga is deeply appreciated and mutual. In this Q&A, she shares what drives her, what keeps her hopeful, and why shopping sustainably really does make a difference.

1. Your career spans journalism, broadcasting, and activism. What drives you to champion the causes you do?

From childhood (which I’m sure made me annoying even back then) I’ve always been driven by an urge to speak up about the causes that animate me which tend to center around the continuing inequality and inequity experienced in a myriad of different ways by women across the globe. Now I have a daughter about to step into the adult world it feels increasingly pressing to ensure that she doesn’t find herself the victim of the gender pay gap, glaring health inequalities and the glass ceiling.

2. You’ve been a vocal advocate for gender equality. What’s the biggest challenge women still face today, and how do we overcome it?

I believe the most glaring issue we continue to face is that women’s fertility journey penalises them economically despite their essential presence in the workforce and the fact that in most of the developed world, we now make up 48% of paid workers. Not forgetting the entirely disproportionate percentage of unpaid care work undertaken by women. Most of our workplaces are built on a linear vertical career path that to date has worked for men but fails to accommodate our necessarily curvier career path!

3. Sustainability and ethical fashion are central to Aspiga. How do you incorporate conscious consumerism into your life?

I try very hard to ensure that when it comes to fashion I neither wear nor advertise clothes and cosmetics that are costing the earth, financially or literally. In fashion in particular there has been a very positive increase in small sustainable fashion companies run by women and so seeking them out is one of my priorities. I’m also considering returning to my activist 1980’s days of boycotting products , corporations and more recently countries that I don’t feel comfortable spending my money with. It’s really satisfying to feel that you are making an incremental difference simply by making small everyday choices in what you do. 

Featuring the Guadalupe Maxi Tunic in Starfish White/Gold

4. Your book, Cracking The Menopause, explores the power of midlife. What’s one misconception about this stage of life you’d love to change?

Midlife when it comes to women has for too long been dismissed as an endgame. My experience is totally at odds with that presumption; I feel bolder, more capable and more interested in further challenges than ever before and looking around me at the energy and determination of all the amazing powerful women of my generation I wonder how we could ever have been so misrepresented!!

5. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Life is so much longer than you think so make brave choices, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and embrace change when it comes along even when it feels uncomfortable or unwanted.

6. What’s next for you? Any projects or causes you’re excited about?

I’ve just accepted two major Trustee roles that are both an honour and a new challenge and I can’t wait to roll my sleeves up. They’ll be announced shortly. This year’s Women in Work Summit looks set to be our most impactful yet and I’m incredibly excited about the cookbook Belles Berry (daughter of Dame Mary) and I are publishing in August. It’s called Menolicious and it’s brimful of tasty, easy to prepare recipes with ingredients that properly fuel women through perimenopause and help mitigate some of the many challenging symptoms. I wish there’d been a book like ours when I went through my own menopause and I’m excited to be moving the dial forward on our understanding of this period of hormonal change and how we can make it an easier journey to the sunny exciting liberation that comes post fertility.