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.