Latinx Sustainable Influencer Spotlight: Judy from Just Judy Lemon

Judy is a full-time speech pathologist (SLP) who loves to shop, travel, and her dogs! She is also a passionate sustainable and ethical fashion blogger that runs the Instagram page, JustJudyLemon. She teaches her followers about sustainable and thrifted fashion, showcases upcycled items, highlights Latinx/BIPOC business and provides sustainable travel recommendations. Learn more about perspective around sustainable fashion as a Mexican American, how she lives a sustainable lifestyle and her advice for Latinas!

How has being Mexicana-Americana shaped your journey in slow fashion?

Well growing up I always saw my parents being resourceful. Mi mama is so good at reusing things and fixing things when they're broken. She's never been one to just toss things without giving them a little bit of love first, especially clothes. She taught me how to take stains out, care for my clothes, and just appreciate what I have. Growing up, I wasn't in the same circumstance as other girls who could go "school shopping" every year for a whole new wardrobe. My dad was a construction worker and he took great care of us, but there were limits and budgets.

As a thrift and slow fashion advocate, why is it important that everyone give thrifting and secondhand fashion a chance?

Where do I even beginnnn. Thrifting and shopping secondhand is good for your wallet, your style, and most of all our lovely mama earth! On top of that, fashion is such a complicated industry where harsh work conditions, unfair wages, and inequity occurs. By thrifting and shopping secondhand, you can do your part in participating in a more circular model and reduce, reuse, etc.

 Do you have certain habits that help you have a sustainable lifestyle? If so, why are they important to you? 

 I do my best to follow certain habits but I will preface this answer with the fact that I am not perfect and doing these things 100% of my time! Some pretty standard things I do are avoid plastic utensils, straws, bags, water bottles, and overall just single-use items. I bring a lunch to work every day with reusable tupperware, utensils from home, and sometimes I bring a cloth napkin. I also have made the switch to a safety razor in the past year.

I also do my best to "upcycle" or reuse items. This means I use old shirts as rags to clean, saving packaging from things to be reused later, or repurposing glass jars! These habits are important to me because they help me be more mindful of the waste I create and help me think about my impact on the earth. 

What are your top three pieces of advice for a Latinx starting out in slow fashion?

1. Don't switch a fast fashion shopping addiction for a thrifting addiction! Slow fashion is about intentionality and not consumption.

2. Learn about quality fabrics/materials. Man-made fabrics like polyester, nylon, polyurethane are not going to last you a long time. You want to add quality pieces into your wardrobe that will last you a long time and not be ruined after one wash like F21 clothes.

3. Focus on Cost Per Wear (CPW). Sometimes people have turned away from slow fashion brands because they're more expensive. BUT when you really think about it, that $30 Zara shirt that shrinks, rips, etc. after 3 wears was $10 each time you wore it vs. a $50-$100 quality top you buy from a slow fashion brand that lasts you 20+ wears has a lower CPW. 

 Why do you think there are so few Latinas in the slow fashion scene?

I'm not exactly sure! I do think there is more than we think, but finding each other is hard. IG makes it hard to find other WOC in my opinion.

Why is it personally important to you that more Latinas take up space?

Ahhh because there aren't enough of us in the sustainability space EVEN THOUGH a lot of sustainable practices are things our families have been doing for years. And because our culture is so beautiful and rich. I think there's so much we could do as a collective if we took up more space.

What are your favorite slow fashion shopping locations in San Diego? 

Slow fashion brands I love are mostly online, but thrift shopping locations include Downtown La Mesa.

There's a Goodwill, resale shop called Act 2. I also love homestart thrift boutique and our plato's closet locations.

Since you are a full time Speech Language Pathologist in San Diego, CA by day and content creator by night, what is your advice for someone that wants to start making content but may not think they have enough time or expertise?

I think anyone can do anything if they want to do it! I have a hard time juggling both sometimes, but I still somehow carve out the time! It takes some time management, but I will edit and post pictures during my breaks and lunch. I also shoot content in batches so I'll bring multiple outfits so I can have a lot of content ready at once.

What are your hopes and dreams for slow fashion?

I hope more people make the switch and begin to consciously shop for their closet!

Follow Judy on Instagram to support her unique journey in sustainable and ethical fashion