Zero Waste Party at Jussara Lee
On Tuesday night, Jussara Lee held a Zero Waste Party, dedicating their time and effort to hosting an event that would have little to no impact on the environment.
Walking into Jussara Lee, the sustainable clothing store named for it’s owner and head designer, one is immediately met with a sense of peace and contentment. Much of this feeling comes from Jussara herself, a woman who, by her own judgement, has decided to consciously move away from practices that are harmful to the environment and people in order to help the world in her own way. "Making people clothes is fine and dandy,” she tells me, “but there has to be a strong reason to carry on for so long. It’s important to feel like what you’re doing has meaning and purpose.”
One such way Jussara works to bring more purpose into her work is by enlisting homeless women in India to make shopping bags out of newspapers, and then using them in her shop. “Everybody wants to be doing something,” she explains, and by bringing her work to them, Jussara opens up an opportunity for them to have a better life.
One of the sustainable shirts created by Jussara Lee.
This outlook is not limited only to her workers. One of Jussara’s favorite pieces is a coat made out of scraps of discarded thread. For her, a coat like this “epitomizes the kind of luxury that is not the traditional,” -- that is, a beautiful piece that can be worn without any masking of what was put into its creation.
So if you’re looking for beautiful, cruelty free and sustainable clothing in New York, look no further than Jussara Lee.
Photos provided by Jussara Lee
