Jennifer Wang is the personal style blogger behind Sustainable Siren, formerly Art In Our Blood. In addition to curating a beautifully inspiring blog, Jennifer is a design student passionate about sustainable fashion and inspiring others, especially young adults, to approach life with an environmentally and ethically conscious mindset.
How would you describe your personal style? What most influences it?
Although my personal style is constantly evolving, one thing that I find stays consistent is an edgy yet romantic vibe. Right now my style is very earthy, goddess-inspired- with a mood of adventure! My style is most influenced by characters I come across that resonate with me (often from mythology, fairy tales, or comic book heroines) and scenic locations that I am drawn to.
Tan Spaghetti Strap Sandals
How did you get into ethical fashion + why is it so important to you?
I became extremely aware of the environmental issues faced by our world in 2015 as the amount of media coverage on this topic was increasing quite rapidly. As a fashion design student at Parsons, I was learning a lot about the ways in which the majority of the mainstream fashion industry was causing degradation to the environment and perpetuating labor issues.
December 2015 after watching the documentary, Racing Extinction, was the final push I needed to take concrete action. It made me realize that I could be using my influence as a fashion blogger in a much more impactful way. Thus Sustainable Siren was born, so that I could encourage people to start considering their choices with a more ethically and environmentally conscious mindset! And along the way, Sustainable Siren has been an incredible learning experience for me as a design student too!
It is important to me because I believe ethical fashion should be the standard and I hope that more consumers and brands will begin to embrace this too!
What piece of the Brave Manifesto resonates most with you + why?
“Do things that scare you.”
As someone who tends to overthink things, I often find myself holding back from doing or trying certain things because of my fear of failure. For example, Sustainable Siren was a huge undertaking for me and I had a lot of worry that it wouldn’t be received well.
With each day that I try something new as a blogger, I learn which things don’t work so well and then discover new things that work immensely well! The small setbacks are so worth it if it means discovering that golden idea in the end. If we constantly play it safe, we will never have the chance to reach our greatest potential.
Brave Bracelet
Any words of advice/inspiration to our audience around how to start pursuing ethical fashion?
Instagram! It can be intimidating to know where to start but browsing hashtags such as #ethicalfashion or #ethicallymade make it so easy to discover new brands that support ethical labor practices. You’ll also discover lots of sustainable/ethical bloggers along the way who each have their own wealth of information to share. Before you know it, you’ll know so much about ethical fashion and where to shop!
Our Spring campaign theme is “The Future is Bright” because we believe if we work together, a brighter future is possible. What is your dream for a brighter future?
A world in which we all recognize how interlinked every part of the natural system is and take measures to protect and respect the Earth and preserve biodiversity.
Keep up with Jennifer’s take on ethical fashion on Instagram, Lookbook, & her blog!