Hello.
My name is Zeeni and I’m the founder of The Lunary. You’ve probably read my name in emails and seen various corners of my face on our social media not a big fan of having my photo taken). The Lunary is a small business founded and entirely owned by myself, which means that I end up wearing many different bucket hats (lol) -- but I do get a lot of great help from collaborators and friends, without whom none of this would be possible, so shout out to all you wonderful people.
Becoming a conscious consumer.
I got interested in the progressive fashion and beauty space only a few years ago, which is super recent since there’s people who have been involved with the cross sections of fashion and sustainability for years. I had never thought too much about it until one fateful day when I fell down an internet black hole while browsing for a new leather jacket. My eyes opened to the negative impact fashion pieces (that normally brought me such pleasure) could have on people, animals, and the environment. The animal cruelty I witnessed online that day was honestly an awakening that led me to start questioning everything I bought - starting with makeup and skincare.
One day while buying new makeup a strange question popped into my head: “do companies still test on animals?” I wanted to assume no, and thought that we had surely moved past such inhumane practices as a society. But I had recently learned that not questioning these things could result in complicit acts of cruelty, so this time I searched the brands I was buying before making my usual purchases. I learned that a lot of brands do in fact still test on animals! Of course they do. How could I have been so foolish to assume otherwise? And because of that I swapped out my products to try new ones, with values that better aligned with mine.
The Lunary makes it easy to shop your values.
This practice of questioning and researching to find companies with values like my own led me to discover purpose-driven, innovative brands and small businesses that I was really proud to support, show off, and turn my friends onto (you included!). My #1 wish is to be able to replicate these feelings in all of you who shop at The Lunary.
The Lunary is a place to discover cool and on-trend fashion, beauty, and lifestyle goods that are kind to the environment, kind to animals, and kind to the people who make them. Finding products that fit these criteria is honestly easier said than done, it almost feels like you’re doing investigative journalism every time you consider a product or brand. But that’s why we’re here: to make it easy for you to shop your values.
How to start your ethical fashion journey.
If you’re just starting out on your conscious consumer journey and are looking to shop ethically and sustainably, I have some great starter questions that will help you evaluate your potential purchases.
First, assess if you really need the item or if it’s just a passing impulse. If possible, consider buying second-hand instead of new to lower environmental impact. Then consider the following questions:
- Who made this? Consider supporting brands with attributes you like and values similar to your own.
- Why was it made? The brand’s purpose or the driving force behind the company.
- How did they make it? With factory workers from accredited factories, with safe conditions, and fair pay. Without cruelty to animals. By hand. Low impact process. Etc.
- What materials or ingredients did they use? No new polyester, nylon, acrylic, leather, or other animal products / byproducts. Aim for natural beauty ingredients unless you’re super interested in putting toxic petroleum on your skin.
- Where was it made? Locally produced or locally purchased are bonus points. Less carbon emissions, ya dig…
Thankfully there have been a lot of new companies in the past few years that are value-driven, authentic, and transparent - making conscious consumerism a little easier these days. Ethical practices are slowly becoming the norm because We the People are demanding it. Be weary of greenwashers (gross) and support purpose-driven, small businesses instead. It’s a little extra effort, but it’s worth it because doing good, feels really, really good.
xo