My Journey to sustainable lifestyle
feat. Encircled
photography by Jonathan Tay
Ever since I started this blog and began posting more about striving to be low-waste and to be a more conscious consumer, I have been asked many times how I started this journey and what inspired me to pursue this lifestyle. I would say that my journey began in a two-fold way, after learning about people living the zero waste lifestyle but also being interested in minimalism. Being an avid fashion enthusiast, styling and clothing have always been an interest of mine and when I realized just how much my wardrobe affected people and our earth, that’s when I decided to pursue this seriously.
A few of the videos and people who inspired me from the start are Lauren Singer, Marie Kondo, and the documentary The True Cost. I first began to read and learn about the zero waste lifestyle after watching a video of Lauren Singer sharing about accumulating four years of trash in a single mason jar. I was floored and really inspired to continue to research, which also led me to examine the amount of trash I was producing in my own life. The other kickstarter to this journey was the documentary The True Cost, which was extremely eye-opening for me especially because of how much fast fashion filled my wardrobe. The documentary touched on questions I had never really given a second thought to before and revealed so much about the fashion industry that I had never known. Through researching and watching videos online, I went down a rabbit hole of capsule wardrobes, zero waste bloggers, and “how to be a minimalist” videos, finally coming to the realization that I have a different and unique journey. I’m sure it took a while for the people I watched to become almost fully zero waste or to curate the perfect capsule wardrobe. Being in a part of town and immersed in a culture where being “low-waste” is not the norm is a daily challenge and that’s why I wanted to share my imperfect journey along the way.
For me personally, I love this lifestyle and keep pursuing it because it helps keeps my heart in check in terms of material things and the constant want for more in this life (not only clothes). Realistically, I have have everything I need and more. This journey has really taught me to be content with what I have and at the same time, I’m still learning this lesson and trying to find that balance every day. A recent post on my instagram had some very insightful conversations going and I truly appreciate the community we are able to have online.
So that’s a little snippet of how and why I started my pursuit to a more sustainable lifestyle. On to the Encircled studio tour!
A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to have an on-site visit with Encircled. If you don’t already know about Encircled, I’m excited to introduce you to an ethical and sustainable clothing brand that is 100% made in Canada! Founder Kristi Soomer, began with a dream to help women travel lighter, which flourished into what Encircled embodies now. It is a brand that focuses on intentionally designing versatile wardrobe essentials to help the everyday woman “be more with less”. I’m excited to share my visit at the Encircled HQ in Toronto, Ontario. Encircled is a brand on a mission to change the way we consume and see our clothes and it’s brands like this that continue to inspire me. I only collaborate with brands that I truly believe in and stand behind their values of ethics and sustainability. I hope that you you enjoy some of these posts and are able to discover new brands along the way if you are on the market for anything in particular!
I met the lovely Angela from Encircled who so graciously showed me around the studio, where some samples are sewn, the humble stock room, the instagram photo wall, and of course, the La Croix stash in the kitchen! I had the chance to try on and style the Jetset Jumpsuit, Dressy Sweatpants, and the Dressy Sweatshirt. These pieces are truly comfortable and versatile. I literally felt like I was in my pyjamas during the entire shoot and I styled each of these pieces in two ways - casual and dressy. I found that these pieces were also perfect for layering. If you’re interested in seeing these pieces in more detail as well as how I styled them for the fall season, hop on over to the Encircled Journal to see the style segment we shot.
Thanks again, Encircled, for the opportunity to partner with an ethical and sustainable brand made with intention.