Ambassador Spotlight Series

with Shirley

What are your current hobbies, projects, or things you’re learning?

Reading is a big passion of mine!! I used to read upwards of 120+ books a year and would wheel a mini cart to the library because I would check out so many. That number has dwindled down to about 50 books a year, but I’ve been intentional with setting aside more time to read and it’s been the best! 

Over quarantine, I finally learned how to play mahjong and now my family does weekly mahjong nights. It’s been a lovely way for us to spend time together and I cherish it so much! Other than that, I’ve been learning more video and photo editing techniques to try and rejuvenate my enthusiasm for the whole creative process. Being in lockdown all year has been an interesting opportunity for me to push myself creatively while giving myself the compassion to take a break.

What got you started in the slow, sustainable, and ethical fashion niche?

I was doing my 3rd “closet clean out” of the year and got very overwhelmed with how much stuff I had. How was it possible that despite doing 2 “clean outs” earlier in the year, I had the same amount of clothes to give away each time?

I’ve learned about sustainability before, but never felt like I was in the right position to talk about it because I wasn’t “perfectly sustainable” and didn’t know everything there was to know about it. But something clicked in me, and I realized that sustainability looked different for everyone, there’s no such thing as being “perfectly” sustainable, and everyone starts somewhere. My journey started out more consumer-focused, but it’s been really cool to see how I’ve evolved since then. Not only am I way more politically active (and understand how much that ties into sustainability action), but I also understand that the pressure and change should be focused on large corporations, policy, and government.

What advice would you give to someone looking to join or learn more about the slow/ethical/responsible fashion niche as motivation or reassurance? 

Remember that it isn’t a perfect process and there’s no such thing as being a perfect slow/ethical/responsible consumer. Everything is so intersectional, and slow fashion is no exception. 

Start off with a small step and then go from there! I started off by unsubscribing and unfollowing from fast fashion brands, and then supplemented that by following people focused on climate change and slow fashion. And remember, the most sustainable option is something you already own :)

What other projects or things are you looking forward to this year? 

I’m really looking forward to (hopefully) seeing more friends this year and picking up a new hobby (looking into knitting!!). But overall I’m just really grateful for the perspective that this past year has allowed me to have, the amount of growth I’ve gone through, and all of the new and old relationships that have blossomed!

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