Who said ethical couldn't be colourful?

https://www.nomadsclothing.com/

Nomads: 

For this post I’m going to focus on an ethical company I found who have nice, really fashionable clothes and accessories for sale. Nomads work to ensure that they meet fair trade standards and believe in ‘trade not aid’. They try to help improve producer’s sustainability by working with them in the long-term rather than giving them short-term aid. They use lots of traditional hand craft skills in their products as they want to keep as many of these traditions going as possible. To reduce their environmental impact they now use organic cotton and recycle any of their packaging which isn’t already biodegradable. I liked the ethos and message that this company are trying convey and hope you’ll like them and their products too.

Dress:

I was first drawn to the site when I found this dress which is made from Viscose and is just so funky I wanted it right away. Quite a lot of ethical fashion companies I’ve found have fairly bland colour ranges but not Nomads.

https://www.nomadsclothing.com/womenswear/dresses/shift-dress

Skirt:

This cotton skirt looked very cute and I can definitely picture myself wearing it with maybe a pair of leggings and a cosy Christmas jumper because it’s so practical yet stylish.

https://www.nomadsclothing.com/womenswear/skirts/mini-skirt

Scarf:

Personally, I have a rather excessively large collection of scarves and probably don’t need to add any more but the vibrant colours and intricate patterns of Nomads scarves are just so appealing. They’re made from fair trade cotton and printed with the Japiur inspired patterns.

https://www.nomadsclothing.com/scarves/jaipur-scarf

This company really tries hard to engage us as their customers and for me the personal touches definitely draw me to them. Check out their style tips for each of the clothing pieces and their ‘our favourite’ section which has really good suggestions.

Amazing Accessories

The Eden Project:

http://www.edenproject.com/shop/

Most of you have probably already heard of the Eden Project in Cornwall with its fantastic gardens and eco-friendly activities. I had too but until recently I didn’t realise they sold clothing and accessories along with their plants and food hampers so when I found out I decided to take a look. Most of the clothing bears the Eden Project logo and is just basic t-shirts and jumpers which are nice but very everyday casual. However, the accessories and bags are really lovely and available in bright colourful patterns which I love.

Bags:

http://www.edenproject.com/shop/Cross-Body-Bag-12035.aspx

The bag above is made from all natural materials such as hand-loomed cotton, coconut shells, wood and jute. It is coloured with environmentally friendly dyes and is such a perfect size for any occasion that I thought you’d like it. Alternatively there is the cool spotty range (below) of bags which I also really like the look of.

http://www.edenproject.com/shop/Spotty-Handbag-Large-11788.aspx

Jewellery: 

They also sell bracelets and the charm bracelets in particular caught my eye. They are handmade in Cornwall and the charms are created from recycled acrylic that would otherwise be taken to landfill. They are really beautiful and would accessories all types of outfits fabulously.

http://www.edenproject.com/shop/Multi-Bracelet-Bird-Butterfly-10891.aspx

The accessories and bags the Eden Project sell are gorgeous and ethical so what is not to like? I'd say if you fancy treating yourself they are definitely worth considering or else as some Christmas presents with a conscience you couldn't get better.

People Tree:

Keeping with the accessories theme I came across some a-m-a-z-ing winter warmers from People Tree this week. Made from 100% wool and certified by the World Fair Trade Organisation these are just so cool I couldn’t resist showing you them.

http://www.peopletree.co.uk/womens/accessories/hats/sausage-dog-beret

http://www.peopletree.co.uk/womens/accessories/scarves/hedgehog-fringed-scarf

To Shop or to Swap?

Sticking with the 'its nearly Christmas theme' from the last post, I thought this time we could think about what we already have not what we are giving.

Facts:

In the UK we have £30 billion of clothes in our wardrobes that we haven’t worn for a year.

We also have £1.7 billion worth of clothes that we’ve never even worn lying around waiting for the day that they look as good as they did in the shop. 

Also interestingly, if we wore our clothes for just nine months longer we could reduce the impact of carbon and water wastage by 20-30% and save £5 billion.

Wrap:

http://www.wrap.org.uk/

I found those facts in an article on Wrap’s website (http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-reveals-uks-%C2%A330-billion-unused-wardrobe). Wrap are an organisation formed around the idea of working together for a world without waste. They aim to help people recycle more and waste less and are quite interesting to look and if you read more of the article I’ve linked you will probably find some more intriguing facts.

Swapping:

Working from the facts I found on Wrap I thought I’d check out the clothes swapping trend. Obviously it seems we have plenty spare clothes hanging around so why not exchange them for something we would wear – the idea makes sense.

Swishing:

http://www.swishing.co.uk/

Whilst looking I found Swishing (http://www.swishing.co.uk/) which I think seems like a really well set up and run company. They let you browse through the clothes that are currently available and you can either buy them just as you would with regular online shopping (but they're cheaper) or buy with credits you’ve earned from swapping your clothes previously. All items go to Swishing to be quality checked and make sure there is no fraud or falsely described products. They sound ideal and the products they have up look really nice - check it out especially if you fancy a nice new dress for Christmas parties but have spent all your money on presents! Next time you feel like your wardrobe is getting dull remember you could swap and get some nearly new stuff to replace yours. Also I really liked the section of the site labeled Interesting Stuff as it quite literally does what it says and has some interesting stuff for example an article on blue eyes ... did you know less than 17% of people in America now have blue eyes ... see its interesting so if you were on the site I'd suggest looking at it too.

Chrismas Crackers

http://www.ethicsgirls.co.uk/

Ethics Girls

It’s getting frighteningly close to Christmas now and if you’re anything like me your Christmas shopping seems to be even more behind than ever! So when I found the Ethics Girls site (http://www.ethicsgirls.co.uk/) and saw some of the gift pieces they have I thought I’d share them with you.

Socks:

http://www.ethicsgirls.co.uk/fashion/new-arrivals-35/turkish-socks.html

These Turkish socks are handmade and each pair is unique. They can be washed in a washing machine and are just really funky.

Necklace:

http://www.ethicsgirls.co.uk/gifts/anytime-recycled-neckwire-by-beaucoco.html

The glass beads on this necklace are made from recycled glass. The beads are unique and made from glass collected in West Africa and no chemicals are added to colour them so they don’t cause environmental harm.

Purse:

http://www.ethicsgirls.co.uk/bags-ethical-fashion-accessories-8/mani-handknitted-banana-yarn-purse-by-aura-que.html

These purses are all handknitted from banana fibre. The fibre is 100% natural banana fibre that comes from the excess layers left over after they’ve harvested them.

All I’ve shown you is a snapshot of what Ethics Girls sell so check them out and find some individual and ethical presents. They aim to only sell items that are designed and produced to a high quality. By working with small businesses they can ensure that their stock is ethical and they can categorise their products into ethically produced, fair-trade, organic and/or made from recycled materials.

Gemstones

http://www.etrican.com/

Doing this weeks blog I stumbled across another gem of a eco-friendly company – Etrican. They are based in Singapore and have really nice clothes for such reasonable prices.

http://www.etrican.com/flower-print-skirt.html

They use recycled and naturally grown fabrics in all their products but don’t just stop at eco-friendly materials. They aim to be as environmental as possible throughout their whole company. They manufacture their products regionally to reduce Etrican’s carbon footprint and have eco-friendly offices with limited wastage and recycled paper. As well as this they also try to involve their local community in their quest for ethical fashion by putting on events to raise awareness.

http://www.etrican.com/feather-trim-mini-dress.html

Their accessories are hand-made by people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their gifts are made and painted by the deaf and physically challenged to give them an opportunity to work.

Catalytic Clothing

When I found out about the concept of catalytic clothing I was really intrigued about how it worked. It combines science with fashion to reduce pollution. The clothing is made in a way that it can break down pollutants and turn them into non-toxics when simply being worn. This type of clothing could reduce the level of dangerous pollutants in the atmosphere and leave the air cleaner. Apparently we have no need to worry about any pollutants left on the garments because all the clothes we currently wear collect them anyway and we can wash them off when we clean our clothes.

http://www.sustainable-fashion.com/challenging-what-we-know/catalytic-clothing/

 

This idea seems truly innovative and exciting but needs mass take up to make a big difference so keep looking out for updates and lets make this trend take off so that it makes it to the mainstream!

Going the Extra Mile

Intro:

Since my last two posts have been so focused on the materials and fabric choices I thought this week I'd go back to finding new brands that I think will appeal to you and a bit of interesting ethical fashion related news and innovation.

Rapaniu:

http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/

While researching this weeks blog I came across the Rapanui brand. They are a fashion company based on the Isle of Wight who make eco-friendly casual clothes. They have some lovely t-shirts with a message and hoodies, shoes, accessories etc.

http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/womens-organic-clothes/make-do-and-mend.html#226

For me Rapanui stood out as an ethical brand because of their devotion to going the extra mile for their cause. On their ‘Tracebility’ section they show their supply chain from seed to shop in terms of the environmental and human impact it makes http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/ethical-fashion/traceability-clothing.html. From this page you are linked to sections on their fabrics, manufacturing, energy use, ecolabelling and post purchase impact all of which are very interesting. 

http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/ethical-fashion/eco-labelling-clothing.html

The eco-labelling that Rapanui does is similar to that used on light bulbs where the most efficient is shown as a green category A or you could think of it like the nutritional values on food: all green is healthy and all red probably means it will be tasty but full of things that are not good for you. Using this on their clothing makes it easy for us as shoppers to assess the ethical-ness of the product and then we can decide whether its worth buying or not. Rapanui have started a petition to get independently monitored eco-labelling implemented across fashion in the EU so that we can always make informed fashion buying decisions. If you want to help put some weight behind the petition then sign up on

http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/ethical-fashion/eco-labelling-clothing.html the petition section is near the bottom of the before the comments section I have already because I think it is a cause worth backing.

Biodegradable Fashion:

Some innovative, ethically motivated, high-end designers such as Gucci, Stella McCartney and Puma have developed clothing, footwear and accessories that extend the idea of reducing, reusing and recycling fashion. Some of their products are now biodegradable which reduces the environmental impact greatly as they will no longer clog up landfill and pollute the earth.

Gucci sold biodegradable sunglasses and footwear this summer.

Guicci Sustainable Soles http://www.gucci.com/us/worldofgucci/articles/sustainable-soles-marona-green-ballerinas-california-sneakers

Stella McCartney produced faux croc skin and faux leather heels with biodegradable soles.

Stella McCartney Biodegradable Soled Heels http://www.ecouterre.com/stella-mccartney-introduces-biodegradable-soles-for-fall-winter-2012/

And Puma are producing trainers and t-shirts which once finished with can be taken to stores and then will be sent to a contractor to be shredded and re-used as fertiliser. 

Puma InCycle Trainers

http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/10/puma-launches-line-of-biodegradable-shoes-clothes/

The idea of biodegradable fashion is revolutionary but needs more development as so far, for example, with Stella McCartney’s shoes only the soles are biodegradable but it is a step in the right direction.

What to wear? Or why to wear it.

Ok, so as promised for this post I’m going to give you some more information on organic and renewable fabrics.

Organic Cotton and Linen:

Organic Cotton does not use pesticides in production which benefits both the farmers growing it and the environment. The BCI – Better Cotton Initiatives – are an organisation which aims to help improve working conditions for farmers and aid the development of farming practices. They are also trying to find ways of reducing the excessive use of water and chemicals in Cotton production.

Organic Linen Suit (http://us.hessnatur.com/shop/productdetail.action?modelCode=34674&pos=10)

Organic Linen is made from sustainably grown Flax plants and all of the plant is used in production, nothing is wasted. It is strong and very durable meaning that even after lots of wear it doesn’t grow thin instead it actually gets softer and more comfy. Linen is also very absorbent and keeps you cool when wearing it. Even once past the stage of usefulness organic Linen still doesn’t harm the environment as it is biodegradable.

Tencel Logo (http://www.nienfoun.com/)

Lyocell:

A less well known eco-friendly fibre is Lyocell, often refered to as Tencel as this is a branded form of the fibre. It is made from Cellulose (wood pulp) and has a silk-like feel. During its production process chemicals are used to break down the pulp, however, only non-toxic ones and almost 99% of the chemical solvent is recovered to be recycled back into the process. Lyocell marks a huge development in environmentally sustainable textiles although it is not perfect and still requires a lot of chemical dyes to alter its colour.

Lyocell Dress (

http://www.zalando.co.uk/miss-sixty-april-dress-purple-mi321c00y-916.html?wmc=AFF44_AW_EN.5851_..&awc=3356_1351982639_edf84f51f997a039af11be7fe856802d

)

Organic Hemp:

Organic Hemp could be considered one of the best eco-friendly fibres available. It is a very easy crop to cultivate requiring little water and no pesticides as well as growing in almost any terrain. It grows at a very quick rate and enriches the soil it is planted in making it more fertile for future crops. When its made into fabric it has similar properties to linen and cotton. Also don’t worry it does not release oils that make you high – that is a myth!

Bamboo and Soy:

The use of Bamboo fibres is growing at the moment. Bamboo has a number of good properties such as its hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial and absorbent qualities. Like Hemp it grows very quickly but at the moment uses a lot of chemicals in processing so has not reached a stage of ideal eco-friendliness.

(Bamboo Garment Catwalk

http://www.w-iii.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/eco-fashion-bamboo-clothing-organic-rayon-green_large.jpg )

Finally, Soy fabric which is a by-product of Soybean production. This can be used as a silk substitute because of its lustrous feel and draping qualities but like Bamboo needs more development to reduce its reliance on chemicals.

So, that’s a brief education in eco-friendly fibres and fabrics for you. There are more out there but these were the ones that are used most often so keep a look out and where you can switch to the eco-friendly fabrics and reduce your environmental impact.