Sustainable Baddie Feature: Zachary Thomas
Meet Zach, the creator behind the @sustainablequeer Instagram page! Read ahead to learn about Zach’s introduction to sustainability and love for vintage, their personal aesthetic, and their philosophy on content creation.
1. Tell us about yourself! Where you are from, what you do, and what your favorite flower is!
My name is Zach and I use they/them pronouns. I live in Boston but I'm originally from South Florida. I love to read, bike, thrift/vintage shop, and I've been having a lot of fun trying my hand at film photography.
I am a content creator in my own space as well as a photographer and social media manager for some small businesses here in Boston. Lilies are my favorite flower, hands down.
2. How were you introduced to sustainability?
Truthfully, I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I was introduced but I'm pretty sure it was through social media back in like 2018. It's been really wonderful to see the space evolve online since then.
3. What is your favorite vintage item that you own? Does it have a story behind it?
Because I'm an indecisive Libra, am I allowed to pick one item of clothing and one item of furniture?
My favorite piece of vintage clothing is this trench/cape piece of outerwear that I bought at a vintage store in April! I have been looking for a trench that fit all of these criteria that I wanted for a while and wasn't having any luck. In April, I traveled to Ireland for a few days and really wanted to have some sort of rain coat that was versatile before I went since the weather in Dublin is unpredictable. I found this piece, put it on, and instantly fell in love because I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculously fun it was. I'm trying to have more fun with my style and I still giggle whenever I wear it which makes it all the more special.
My favorite piece of vintage furniture is this table that I use as my desk. I found it on FB Marketplace for free! It belonged to someone's aunt who was a painter; she used this table for her art for years and the person who gave it to me no longer had the space for it. I love the table because you can see their aunt's presence in it — one side has more paint built up than the other and the color palette is wonderfully consistent. It's rare to know the stories behind what we find so this one will always hold a special place in my heart.
4. How would you describe your aesthetic?
Unapologetically queer.
I always think of queerness as a practice of possibility because of its expansiveness. Queerness invites us to reimagine how we can form relationships, how we understand ourselves, and how we move through the world.
I like to think that my style reflects that expansiveness too although I can confidently say that it's not fully realized in the way I'd like it to be. I was struggling with the fact that my style felt way too safe and I've been working to bring more playfulness into it. It seems to be moving in the right direction now which is a great feeling!
5. What do you see yourself contributing to the queer sustainability space in the future? Do you have any goals you’d like to reach?
I have no clue! Similarly, I'm trying to bring more fun and playfulness into my content creation. When I apply goals to it, it starts to feel too much like work and, while I do put a lot of thought and effort into what I share, I don't want it to ever feel like this chore that I need to tend to or something that I need to check off my list. Maybe one goal is to show that shopping secondhand/vintage doesn't mean that your style has to feel like a time capsule or heavily gendered. It can be just as queer and contemporary as anything else, especially because the majority of "vintage" styles are recycled by these major fast fashion labels and sustainable fashion brands anyways.