PAZ Lifestyle

September 2, 2021/Photo: Courtesy of PAZ Lifestyle

Though there is no shortage of mindful brands committed to fair labor and earth-friendly production methods, it’s not always easy for consumers to find them. So Isabella Montoya created an online destination purpose-built for conscious lifestyle purchases.

As an FIT graduate who worked in luxury retail for more than 10 years, Montoya experienced the harmful practices of the fashion industry firsthand.

“After being aware of the powerful negative impact of fashion on people and the environment, my love for her felt bittersweet,” she explained. “I needed to find a purpose that brought design and ethics together from a sustainable perspective.”

Eager to create a resource for mindful shoppers, she created PAZ Lifestyle — a site specializing in artisan-made fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products. 

All brands on the NYC-based ecommerce space boast socially-conscious production methods, and most are run by women and/or BIPOC individuals. 

As a Peruvian-American woman who immigrated to the U.S. with her parents at a young age, Montoya credits her Latin heritage for her interest in fair-trade, artisan-built brands. 

"The artisan tradition presented by Latin American countries is impressive, but at the same time it seemed inconceivable to me that many of these techniques were in danger of extinction due to lack of demand or because they did not receive a fair payment,” she said. 

Subsequently, many of the brands featured on the site spotlight techniques and materials from Latin countries — including Peruvian fashion brand Anyi and Ponchos Rojas, which celebrates textile weaving from the Bolivian Andes.

Products on the site are also accompanied by detailed descriptions of where they’re made, what they’re made of, and the work that went into making them. Montoya hopes that this informative element will help influence consumers’ shopping decisions.

“By having access to all kinds of products that come from an ethical production, I hope they understand that the piece they are acquiring represents social responsibility, equality, ancestral heritage and much more for humanity; which contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” she explained. 

More about PAZ Lifestyle and its artisanal wares can be found here.