Meet South African blogger Senzi Ndungane.

For this week’s Tuesday Talk, we introduce you to Senzi, short for Senzekile Ndungane, a content creator based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Born in Cape Town, the fashion blogger went to the prestigious CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) and TUT (Twshane University of Technology), where she studies Environmental Sciences. The 31-year old’s fashion style is a mixture of contradicting ideas and concepts. Indeed, she describes herself as a “Style Schizophrenic” and changes her style according to her mood. Someday she might play more into her feminine side and other days pulls out a more masculine laid-back look. This while wearing statement pieces to make her outfits stand out. In this article, Senzi opens up about why she consumes secondhand and the importance of being authentic on social media.

What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainable fashion is a movement that encourages change to fashion products and the fashion system towards ecological and social integrity. Sustainable fashion goes beyond just addressing fabric and end- products. It addresses the whole system of fashion. Considering fashion from the perspective of many stakeholders and digging down a little deeper, to the social, cultural, ecological, and financial system. Sustainable fashion is also about benefitting the people involved throughout the fashion supply chain, from farmers to consumers to everyone working in end-of-life facilities such as recycling factories.

What do you want to bring to your Instagram community?

Instagram is my personal style diary. I post all things that intrigue me from fashion to literature and all my silliness. Nothing is perfect, and to live in the age of social media as a young woman is difficult so I try to be authentic as possible hoping to inspire others to be the same.

Why did you choose to consume secondhand?

Buying pre-owned is also a sustainable fashion choice; the pre-owned market is much more diverse. You have access to many designers in one place, offering different bags from various years and collections.

What is your best luxury secondhand purchase? What does that mean to you?

My Prada nylon shoulder bag, firstly, buying pre-owned could be a really big save even though that wasn’t the case with my bag, but I was happy that I had managed to get an item from a previous season when I couldn’t find it anywhere else.

How do you implement sustainability into your daily life?

There is a very conspicuous consumption in fashion, I know there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but one has to be conscious of what they are buying and why. I’d say I buy things that are actually my style, stuff I can still wear in the next two years or more. New trends are created almost weekly. I mean if we consume fast fashion at that rate, that could be harmful in many ways, not to mention environmentally.

Visit her Instagram @senzi_ndungane.