April 21, 2023

Mien Muse | Ariel @helloarielchristine ~ Sustainable Fashion Content Creator

We've been following Ariel on Instagram for years now. She's been a wonderful customer to us since the beginning and we love seeing how she wears her Lakeside Jumpsuit. Through the years, her beautiful page has grown as she shares sustainable finds and snippets of her daily life. We're delighted to finally feature her as our Muse, and just in time for Earth Day, we spotlight some of the things that make her special as a sustainable content creator.

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Hello Ariel! Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! My name is Ariel and I now currently live in Denver, CO (as of literally a couple of days ago) but I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I'm a Latina sustainable fashion content creator/photographer who also works a full-time job and chats about mental health, small sustainable swaps, and interior design online.

How did you become interested in sustainability?

I became interested in sustainability back in 2012-ish when I worked at a small local clothing boutique in Santa Cruz, CA. They carried a few ethically made brands and some representatives from those brands would come and chat with us all about the effects fashion had on... well, everything. I did some of my own research and watched the documentary The True Cost and then basically quit fast fashion. Fashion was the easiest swap for me at that time, and then came everything else. My parents are immigrants so I already had a few "sustainable habits" that were just second nature to me. Ya know, saving plastic bags, buying things secondhand, swapping with friends and family, all that good stuff!

Can you share some tips to implement and maintain a more sustainable life?

Make sustainability work for you! I think that "imperfect environmentalism" is one of the best things to happen to the sustainability space. It invites and allows everyone to participate, whenever they are on their sustainability journey. When I first started, it did feel like any waste I made was a failure, so I'm really glad we're getting away from that mindset and just meeting folks where they are. It's a little bit more welcoming and inclusive! Also, this is all about being sustainable and finding what works and will continue to work for you. Whether that looks like thrifting all your clothes, opting for low-waste self-care products, or composting!

Why is sustainability important to you?

If I could make my visit here on this beautiful planet any less harmful, then I'm going to try my very best to do just that. I love the outdoors, and that is at the core of my sustainability journey. I want to keep enjoying all of this beauty, and I want everyone else to have the chance to enjoy it all alongside me.

How are you spending Earth Day?

This might sound silly, but I've always loved Earth Day! Even back in high school, I was always super excited for it to come around! This year, I'm spending Earth Day checking out my new neighborhood's farmer's market. I'm super stoked to see what vendors are going to be there and also to see what produce will be in season!