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Born and raised in Los Angeles, a resident of Silver Lake, Candace Reels is a feminist, an activist, a blogger, and an Instagrammer. Her platform, Female Collective, is a digital community empowering women to come together and tell their stories. Says Candace, “We are so much better working together than working separately. There are so many things that separate us, but if we can use all of those things and work to equalize all playing fields for all women, it’s just much better for the world and all of us.” We were pleased to feature Candace in our first women’s catalog! She was a natural fit in spirit and aesthetic. We recently caught up with her about the shoot, and about Female Collective.

Tell me about the Outerknown shoot.

We shot in Santa Barbara in February, which was great. They’re just all wonderful people who are excited about putting out such great clothing for women. There are awesome basics that can pair with anything, but that can go from casual to dressy. There were mainly women on set, which I loved. It was one of the chillest shoots I’ve been on. It just felt like a group of friends.

Did Outerknown’s commitment to sustainability and the environment factor into why you chose to do the shoot?

Yes, definitely. For me, being a feminist, I think you need to be involved in all aspects of what’s happening in the world. Climate change is a huge issue, and if you’re going to put out clothing it should definitely be eco-friendly and it should be great for the planet, and that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Tell me about Female Collective.

I started this about three years ago. I was in a weird place in my life. I wanted to be inspired; I didn’t know what that was. So I just decided to start my own Instagram account. I didn’t tell anyone about it. I would just post daily inspirational and motivational things to help me get to the next step in life. And it eventually grew, because you learn that you’re not the only one going through this stuff, and there are tons of women around the world going through the same things. So now it’s turned into this online platform for women to feel supported and celebrated. It’s a daily safe space for women on social media.

What inspired you to start it?

I call it my midlife crisis when I turned 26. I just felt really weird about my job. I was actually working in the fashion industry, and I wasn’t feeling inspired by the work that we were doing. I’ve always known I wanted to do more, I just didn’t know what that was. So I call it my self-care/self-love journey that bloomed into Female Collective.

What’s a typical workday like for you?

It’s really silly but the first thing I do is go online ‘cause that’s my job. I don’t schedule posts; I just post about how I feel that day. I look for self-love quotes that speak to me.

Self-love is a fascinating notion. We live in LA, where there’s tons of status anxiety. It’s so easy slip into low self-esteem. How do you keep your self-love flowing?

It’s so true. I’ll go to parties and events and the first thing people ask you is, “What do you do?” and “Who do you know?” For me, I have a list of affirmations that I have printed out from a while ago, and they’re taped on my wall. I read those every morning, and that really helps me set my day for things that I know are going to come up.

Do you have a spiritual practice?

I work from home, so I make sure that I go outside everyday. I go for walks. I like to be in nature, I feel that really grounds you.