Azucena Morales
Founder | Designer | Up-Cyclist
Webisode Season 1
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Sustainability, Inclusivity & Creativity
Summary:
In this episode of ZÁY SHEEN Webisodes, Tafreed Butt sits down with Mexican American sustainable fashion designer and chronic pain warrior Azucena Morales, founder of Lilium Floss. Azucena shares how watching her grandmother and elders embroider, mend, and repurpose clothing in Mexican culture shaped her love for fashion and her belief that sustainability is rooted in tradition and community. She recalls learning to sew as a child with her sister, falling in love with design, and later pursuing formal fashion education while still relying on curiosity, trial and error, and accessible resources like libraries and YouTube. Azucena explains how her chronic pelvic pain and lived experience with disability inspired her to create adaptive, comfortable clothing that centers people with different bodies, sensory needs, and mobility challenges, often using clients’ existing wardrobes, thrifted textiles, and even bed sheets to design custom pieces. Throughout the conversation, she highlights the importance of inclusivity, affordability, and creativity, reminding listeners that everyone can be an artist if they are willing to experiment, start small, and think more consciously about the clothes they wear.
Fashion With Purpose
The Story Behind Azucena Morales and Lilium Floss
Sustainability, culture, and creativity come together beautifully in the work of Azucena Morales, founder of Lilium Floss and a proud Mexican American designer redefining what fashion can be. Growing up surrounded by women who used embroidery, mending, and repurposing as a way of life, Azucena learned early that clothing holds history, identity, and meaning.
Her journey began at just ten years old when she sewed her first dress by hand with the help of her older sister. Today, she combines traditional techniques with modern design to create sustainable pieces that honor her heritage. What makes her work even more powerful is her commitment to inclusivity. As someone living with chronic pelvic pain, Azucena designs clothing that supports people with disabilities, sensory challenges, and unique body needs.
Through Lilium Floss, she transforms thrifted textiles, old garments, and even bed sheets into beautiful, comfortable, and personalized clothing. Her mission is simple but impactful. She wants fashion to empower people, reduce waste, and celebrate every individual exactly as they are.
Azucena reminds us that sustainable fashion is not just about the environment. It is also about dignity, accessibility, and love for the craft. Her story shows that good design begins with empathy and that creativity grows strongest when rooted in culture and purpose.
For both Izzy and Tafreed, sustainability is not only about fabric, water usage, or recycling. It is also about the people who make our clothes. Many garment workers in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal earn far below a living wage. They often work long hours in unsafe environments to produce inexpensive clothing that sells in the West.
Tafreed’s own background in Thailand gave him firsthand experience with this reality. He met workers who did not receive fair wages and saw clothes produced with little regard for quality or ethics. It was this environment that pushed him to say no to fast fashion and to start building something better.
The episode highlights a powerful message. Change begins with awareness. It grows through conversation. And it becomes real when brands and consumers choose ethical production, fair wages, and quality materials.
Fashion lasts longer when it is made with intention. The world becomes cleaner when we buy less and use what we already have. And the industry becomes fairer when we think about the hands behind every stitch.
Fashion for Change is not just a podcast. It is a reminder that style can be beautiful without harming people or the planet. With voices like Izzy and Tafreed, the movement continues to grow, inspiring listeners to choose better, live consciously, and support fashion that values humanity.