Sustainability has long been on the lips of experts, activists, bloggers, vloggers, and even moms (and dads) wanting to encourage their families to develop eco-friendly habits and awareness of their global impact which small purchasing decisions can make. Eco-conscious trends are now taking the fashion industry by storm, as the drivers of consumer spending habits change. Savvy shoppers are more educated about fashion supply chains, from farms to factories to retail stores and our wardrobes, and what very real impact our consumption has on the planet –  from climate change to fair trade practices.

In this month’s sustainability-focused issue, we have indulged in going green. We all want to make better choices when we choose to shop and naturally we also want to feel transformed and beautiful through the purchases that we make. Sustainable choices for your wardrobe can easily be achieved using the simple but empowering choices we made to transform hardworking homemaker, Angela Im.

Im is mom to 9-year-old Isla who she diligently home schools, while also encouraging eco-friendly behaviors in and outside the home. From attending local clothing auctions, where ladies buy previously-loved items for charity, to zero-waste efforts when it comes to cooking, Im is never far from a sustainable act!

Embracing the philosophy of living sustainably, where less is always more, we started with a haircut. Less hair and beautiful woody highlights framed Im’s face beautifully, allowing attention to be drawn to her dancing eyes and infectious smile. Hairstylist, Ken of Catherine De France salon in Sanlitun, once again brought our vision to life, first by softening Im’s brunette tresses with a brighter brown and adding color with a few highlights. Ken finished the styling with a blow-dry and curls for an elegant but fun look.

Im doesn’t often dress up or wear makeup, and remarked how little she frequents the hair salon or mall for some retail therapy, so we went all out with a simple but striking palette for her makeup; slightly smokey eyes with pink lips, and a little gloss for a touch of glamour.

To add a little ‘zen’ to our eco-conscious photo shoot, we opted to dress Im in the yoga pants with matching tank top from eco-conscious activewear line, Teeki. The soft and durable yoga gear is made from 79 percent recycled plastic bottles. We love the idea of using a material that is increasingly polluting our oceans to create pieces that women use to move, meditate, and reflect in. Im is a bright and positive soul, and so we matched her contagious smile and energy with a little red number from my very own wardrobe for the second look.

To breath a little life and fun into the dress, we secured the eco-friendly services of designer Amili Ma, who is currently running a number of workshops, teaching people how to mend old clothing. Ma uses motifs, embroidery, and all kinds of embellishments to transform clothing that’s been stuck in the back of the wardrobe or pieces that you just can’t bear to let go of, but which are a little worse for wear. Using an assortment of red buttons, Ma created a heart motif on the dress, drawing attention to the little patch of skin at the back. The simple but whimsical design showcased the dress while adding a new dimension. We accessorized with a beaded necklace I bought in Malaysia back in 2012 and a yellow statement piece from Chariots Jewelry, who donate one hundred percent of their proceeds to their partnered charities.

The colorful and minimalist backdrop was generously provided by M Woods art gallery, where Swedish artist Nicolas Party’s first exhibition in China, Arches, celebrates nature and landscapes with hand-painted murals and a purposeful engagement with physical space and color. M Woods is currently running educational workshops for kids with specialized programs to help introduce the world of contemporary art to children and young adults. This imaginative and inspiring space perfectly partnered with our sustainable fashion shoot.

Be more sustainable with your fashion, buy less, spend less, and love what you already own using imaginative and creative tools. Have a rummage through your closet (or someone else’s) and further cultivate an eco-conscious mind without the need to give up on style!

Get this look

Catherine de France Salon 
East Avenue Building G/F 10 Xin Dong Lu, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区新东路10号逸盛阁首层 (8442 5120)

Chariots Jewellery
WeChat ID: TinaChariots

Amili Idea Embroideries
WeChat ID: aimili120100

Teeki Yoga Pants
www.teeki.com, WeChat ID: TheresaRe

M Woods 
D-06, 798 Art Zone, No. 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District. (8312 3450)

Mother of three Helena Nord used to live in Zhuhai in southern China before her family moved to Beijing in the summer of 2017. She had always been prepared to travel far for a good hairdresser. “Good hairdressers were not easy to come by in Zhuhai, so my girlfriends and I would normally go to Macao when it was time to trim those split ends,” she smiles. Yes, Helena has a nice sense of self-deprecating humor and was the perfect candidate for a make-over. She did have a moment of panic the day before the makeover, as she wanted to make sure that she would get a say and not be dragged into something she didn’t like. After a bit of encouragement from the team, Nord realized that it’s not called a makeover for anything – so she decided to go with the flow. Not only did she agree to try something new, she also suggested to go shorter than the length hairstylist Anna from Catherine de France had originally planned.

A classy bob below the jawline framed Nord’s face, but the real change consisted of something she had never tried before in her life: dyeing her strawberry blonde locks! Anna suggested highlights in order to “lift” Nord’s natural color slightly.

The result was truly stunning while staying natural, so a happy and relieved Nord could finally sit back and enjoy the styling and pampering. Anna went for a wavy vintage styling and completed the look with a bold evening make-up featuring smoky eyes and nude lips.

With hair and makeup done, it was time for Nord to slip into a beautiful, deep purple dress from the China/US-based brand Dream Cloud Couture. The brand aims to combine Chinese traditional heritage with modern Chinese design, and in terms of the fabric, this qipao-inspired dress is made of something special. “Perfumed cloud silk” is a type of silk which is obtained by adding pressed yam fruit and mud from local rivers in the Guangdong area to raw silk, in order to create a special color as well as a thicker and heavier type of silk. Due to the craftsmanship required, it is also known as “soft gold.”

The all-important accessories for Nord’s photo shoot were provided by Bettina from Seeds of Serenity. The lime green pompom earrings were the perfect contrast to the purple dress, and some sparkle was added with a delicate, beaded bracelet and a matching long necklace.

The exclusive cocktail bar Finders Keepers provided the perfect backdrop for an elegant photo shoot, and with newfound inspiration and courage, Nord waltzed out into the Beijing Friday night, looking more glamorous than ever.

Get This Look

Catherine de France
Tue-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun-Mon 11am-6pm. 1/F, East Avenue Bldg, 10 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区新东路10号逸盛阁首层. (8442 5120)

Dream Cloud Couture
WeChat: luckycloudcouture

Jewelry by Seeds of Serenity

This article appeared in the beijingkids November 2018 Beijing Makers issue
Photos: Uni You

This Week on beijingkids: Lessons from the BISS school crisis, recognizing the signs of student stress, Breast Cancer Awareness month, and more!

Lessons From BISS Crisis as Beijing Authorities Save Troubled School

As Beijing BISS International School gets a new lease on life, there are lessons from this crisis that everyone who cares about the city’s international education should know about.

Mastering Mindfulness: Beijing’s International Schools Continue to Expand Support for Students’ Wellbeing

The importance of recognizing signs of stress in students is increasing at Beijing’s international schools at a crucial time in China, where many still consider mental illness shameful.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: How to Show Your Support and Love

It takes all of the patients’ energies to stay strong at these trying times, but there are ways that we can show our love to them.

Headband, Banned!: This Mom Discovers Class and Sass at Catherine de France

We took this kindergarten teacher to a hip salon popular with the international community, and the results are posh!

Want to know what’s happening in the Beijing expat community? Tune in on WeChat account every Sunday morning for This Week on BJK Online, our weekly roundup of the articles and other essentials published on www.beijing-kids.com. See more of our previous roundups here.

Photos: Courtesy of WAB, chinadaily.com, Miguel Á. Padriñán via Pexels, Uni You

I have covered many makeovers for Indulge, giving new looks to mothers all over Beijing. This makeover was one of the most fun, by far; not only because I got to hang with a lovely mother, but because this mom was so overjoyed and grateful for her new look. Iryna Kurniawan told us she’d never felt so pretty, not even on her wedding day. She kept sending us updates about her hair in the days following her makeover, and several people contacted us complimenting Kurniawan on her new looks. I caught Kurniawan looking at herself in awe in shop windows.

Kurniawan is a longtime Beijing resident, having arrived here in 2004 with only a notebook filled with phone numbers. It was a time when smartphones did not exist and the wonders of the internet were not readily available, so she has many exciting stories of her first years in Beijing. Kurniawan has been working for the last eight years as a teacher for Ivy Education Group, and loves her job as a kindergarten teacher. She is mother to a five-year-old daughter, who happily attends the same school mom works at.

We took Kurniawan to Catherine de France, a perennial favorite salon with the international community. Their new salon artist Sébastien Emery has been highly spoken of, and I was looking forward to seeing him work on Kurniawan’s hair. I was not disappointed. He took the time to speak with her and figure out what would suit her face and lifestyle. Kurniawan often wears headbands, and owns over 30 of them. Her husband once asked her why she had so many: “You only have one head!” We ladies know that’s not how it works.

Kurniawan had experimented with home hair colors so there was some fixing to do. Emery added some pretty dark streaks and blond locks, making her face pop. He gave her a short inverted bob cut that really suited her. It’s good to know there is a stylist in town that can work some magic with a tired mom’s hair.

Catherine de France’s make-up artist worked some magic, and went over the top with fake lashes and big smoky eyes. I could hardly recognize the mother from the one that walked in that morning. Kurniawan popped herself into a dress from a clothes auction, her favorite pastime and the most ethical way of adding great pieces to your wardrobe. She looked like a proper femme fatale. As mothers, we don’t get the time to really feel super pretty, and this mom took the spotlight with ease. It’s evident that Catherine de France has not lost its magic touch, and Kurniawan is the living proof.

Catherine de France
Tue-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun-Mon 11am-6pm. 1/F, East Avenue Bldg, 10 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区新东路10号逸盛阁首层 (8442 5120)

This post appeared on the beijingkids October 2018 Mental Health issue.
Photos: Courtesy of featured schools

Its been almost four years and my daughter never had a haircut. When I saw a discount at the fancy Catherine de France hair salon on Sunday, I thought I should take my girl. I asked my four year old plenty times before we left the house if she wanted a haircut, and if she was really sure, she was.

Surely when we got to the salon she got nervous and scared. Lucky for her there were some rocking horses and slide outside, so she could play a bit. One of the hairdressers wanted to go outside and cut her hair were she was convertible. But daughter decided that she wanted to come inside, and watch some paw patrol while getting her first haircut ever.

We discussed the haircut and the hairdresser was a star with our girl. Patient and working fast, getting rid of the dead ends with finesse. While getting her hair cut she was watching her show and was a happy camper when the hairdresser asked if she wanted a braid. The haircut cost around RMB 100 with a 10% discount on Sunday. We will be back for more hair styling as the patience was priceless.

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of last year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is not only about getting the annual check-up at discounted rates at hospitals around town or running to raise funds. It’s important to get information as well,  recently opened Sanfine International Hospital and Catherine De France Hair Salon will having a Beauty and Health mini fair on October 24 from 2-5pm at Sanfine Hospital on the 5th floor. The pair will be collaborating with Calin Fashion Academy to help both women and men indulge in variety of pampering activities.

This free event offers the use Sanfine’s state of the art facilities especially technology that can assess your skin, clean deep pores and even remove unwanted. Hair will be done by the stylist from Catherine De France, and makeup done by Calin Academy. There are lucky prizes in store and gift bags to take home with you.

Scan the QR code and RSVP to the event by typing  “Look Good, Feel Great”

Photos: topnews.in, Sanfine