Peaceful Dumpling describes itself as a health, wellness, and vegan lifestyle website. The founder, Juhea Kim, talked with JSONG about creating peacefuldumpling.com and gives tips on how to live a sustainable lifestyle.
I started Peaceful Dumpling in 2013. I had been vegan for a while and I really wanted to spread the word about veganism. At the time, I was focused on animal treatment. However, in the past 3-4 years, the message has been so much bigger than animal welfare because climate change has become an ever growing issue. Veganism is a huge part of the solution to climate change. l've grown more interested in sustainable fashion, and living a holistic, healthy, and positive lifestyle.
There are challenges for every startup or entrepreneur. It has been a challenge to set my own pace and to continue to push forward when progress is sometimes slow. In any business, accomplishments come later than you want and it takes far more work than you expect. It took a lot not to be discouraged. Staying authentic to my own vision was the biggest key.
I would like to see consumers become more aware of how their choices can either support responsible talent or perpetuate the cycle of pollution and unfair labor practices. One of the biggest changes on how I purchase fashion is that I always support smaller independent designers or designers who use environmentally friendly fabrics. However time consuming, I seek out ethical designers. Something that's really valuable about JSONG is that designer Way Zen designs and manufactures some items in New York City. She's also promoting a lot of made to order, which cuts down on excess production. This is all really good for reducing retail pollution.