Accessorizing the right way with pineapple leather accessories from HOZEN.

You’re in a dressing room -- six dresses, five shirts, four skirts deep. Barefoot, no jewelry on except for your grandmas gold necklace you haven’t taken off since you were 16. Every outfit screams ‘YOU’ but still, staring in the mirror all you can pull yourself to say is -- “this is cute, but am I really ever going to wear this”. All that effort of undressing, redressing, again and again. Completely futile. You leave the store empty handed. Skip to five days ahead, it’s your best friend's birthday, girls night out. You got your favorite pair of black heeled boots on, gold hoops, and that maroon Coach clutch you only bust out on memorable occasions. “F*CK I knew I should’ve bought that damn dress”. Simultaneously, as the whole ‘could-have-been’ outfit configures in your head, you’re full of regret. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, this is a common phenomenon we’ve all gone through one point in time or another.

Face it. Every outfit looks different with a pair of heels and a cute purse. Although we may not all agree on deciding between clutches versus totes, boots versus heels, or even if scrunchies are still acceptable in 2020 (I, for one, believe they totally are). We can all agree on this -- accessories make the outfit. An outfit is composed of all the colors and styles that speak specifically to you. But an outfit isn’t only derived from the clothes you wear, a huge part of the process is accessorizing. Accessories transform outfits. Don’t lie, I’ll bet that you probably have a section of your closet dedicated to accessories -- heels, jewelry, and a wide selection of different hand bags. Accessorizing is a skill, and if done right, can upgrade an outfit ten-fold.

Now that we’ve all agreed with the fact that accessories are nothing but good for upgrading your outfit. In comes Hozen --- a sustainable, vegan accessory brand that does nothing but good for the earth. ‘Hozen’ was adopted from the word for ‘conservation’ in Japanese and that is exactly what they tend to accomplish. To conserve and preserve the natural resources and environment, respectively. The days of leather are long gone, it’s 2020, we’re no longer heathens abusing animals for the sake of fashion. Especially when there are so many quality alternatives. HOZEN bags boast eco-friendly, biopolyoil (grain-based) leather and suede; Piñatex® (pineapple leaf fibers); recycled plastic / organic cotton twill lining; zippers and thread made with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic; natural rubber and remnant rope; recycled cotton labels; and packaging and hangtags made with recycled paper. Also, 10% of the profits are donated to ‘Mercy For Animals’. “ Starting with the raw materials I spent over a year seeking out factories worldwide that proved to be making a true green effort in their production with transparency of the process, accompanied by fair labor practices. In LA, I work with a husband and wife team to make small batches of HOZEN bags based on demand. We make minimal waste of our materials and with these off-cuts we recently designed a new product we call the Card Sleeve. We pay for carbon offsets for the shipment of raw materials to California in addition to offsets for shipment of our goods to customers. All bags are 100% vegan always, which also eliminates the animal agriculture footprint.” Hozen tells HOKU. So feel at ease knowing that with your purchase, instead of sacrificing a life, you could potentially be saving a life. Feel good and look even better with Hozen’s to-die-for accessory line.

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Hozen’s Heart Bag in Flaame! An iconic, staple piece must-have. Pair with anything denim; Denim dress, denim overalls, denim jumpsuit, denim skirt, white shirt, denim jacket -- all outfits mentioned above are perfect for that 90’s babe look. Throw on a pair of red heart shaped glasses to really spice it up. Are you more into nude tones and less eccentric styles? Hozen has you covered. Pair their Tote Block in Charcoal + Natural with your every-day outfit for that ‘pop’ of color in a minimalist fashion. I promise the tote alone will upgrade your outfit substantially. Hozen has mastered the aesthetic of traditional, minimalist luxury in a nontraditional, non detrimental manner. We’ve collaborated and interviewed Hozen to learn all the ins and outs of vegan sustainable fashion.