I had the recent honor of being featured in an interview with Secondhand Steph.

Steph is a capsule wardrobe enthusiast and slow fashion advocate. She recently started a series on her blog that interviews different bloggers within the sustainable fashion space and explores how they got into the lifestyle, what their inspirations are, and their general thoughts within the specific industry.

Check out some of my responses to her questions below!

How did you first get into ethical / sustainable fashion?

“Looking back at it, I think a lot of principles that tie into sustainable fashion were instilled in me as a child. My parents are immigrants from Taiwan and I grew up in an environment where they consumed thoughtfully and used everything for as long as they could.

The conscious commitment to ethical/sustainable fashion started about a year ago when I realized that my style blog didn’t have a direction and I wanted to leave a positive impact on this Earth.”

What’s something you really want other people to know about ethical / sustainable fashion?

“It goes beyond just fashion. It’s tied to so many other industries and issues—the environment, human rights, equality, representation, etc. Additionally, ethical/sustainable fashion is a spectrum and I think it’s important adapt a system that works sustainably for your lifestyle. There’s no right answer. Do your research.”

Who are your inspirations (ethical fashion or otherwise)?

“Recently, I’ve been drawing a lot of inspiration from women of color, specifically women who look like me. Representation is a hot topic in industries such as tech and business and the ethical/sustainable fashion space should be no different.

Within the ethical fashion realm, I love Kamea Chayne (@kameachayne), host of the Green Dreamer Podcast; Cat (@cookiecat.herine) from restitchstance; and Terra (@gratefullyterra) for fitted looks and representation over 40!

Conceptual and artistic accounts also boost my creativity and push me to look at clothing in a different light. @fongminliao is a painter with a clean and luxurious aesthetic; @homeless_handmade for creative poses and interesting mood boards; and @ruba, the creative director of Revlon for juxtaposition and composition.”

Keep reading for my tips on finding thrifted pieces and the books/tv shows that I’m currently consuming!

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  photographs by Steven Hyon