Sustainable and ethical fashion + Spring

Easter definitely means Spring and even though one might argue that it’s not quite Spring weather yet it’s high time to start preparing for those Spring outfits for when we’ll abandon the warm coats and thick socks.

Below are some sustainable and ethical current favourites that’ll give you the perfect look in the Springtime sunshine!

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BySigne oversized tee dress in organic cotton – perfect for when you want to start wearing dresses but it’s still a bit cold out.

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Gorgeous Springtime sunglasses by E&E Glasses that produce handmade eco-glasses.

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Simple and stylish ring by Soko, a platform connecting makers in the developing world to other markets using mobile technology. The brass is upcycled from trash such as belt buckles and door handles, and the horn is locally sourced and reclaimed from Kenyan butcheries.

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A denim jacket is perfect for Spring and this one with a woven twist is upcycled by The New Denim Project. Their yarns and fabrics are made of natural cotton with upcycled pre-consumer denim waste, where the waste is ground back into fiber, spun into new yarns and woven or knitted into new sustainable fabrics.

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Eco-friendly/sustainable/vegan wallet by Matt & Nat.

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Slingbacks by Straw – their leather materials come from excess export production.

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Birds on branches = a true Spring sign. This beautiful handmade necklace is by Johanna N, who promotes sustainability and transparency in the supply chain.

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Loving this simple, plain backpack with the turquoise detail from Carv – handmade using vegetable tanned leather. 

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Fourteen fair trade favourites

One could argue that the term ‘sustainability’ mainly brings our mind to the environment and making sure resources are considered and that we’re being mindful or waste and durability. But true sustainability should also entail considerations around human factors, such as the creators of the products we use and buy. This brings us into the territory of ‘ethical’ products and the fair trade movement. But unless you’re a seasoned buyer, you might struggle when you’re looking for anything beyond coffee and chocolate that has got a Fairtrade mark.

The annual campaign Fairtrade Fortnight exists to highlight the stories behind our products and to encourage fairer production and purchases. This year’s campaign is very much focussed around breakfast – to mainly highlight ‘standard’ fair trade products such as tea, bananas and cocoa – but the world of fair trade goes way beyond your morning meal.

To continuously focus on these few products may be the right approach as they’re widely bought around the world and therefore support the idea of ensuring ‘fair trade’ is used within a relevant context. But to widen the discussion and to encourage fair purchases beyond basic groceries, highlighting fair trade within other industries is equally important.

As consumers we need to be asking questions around the origin of the products we buy, and invest a bit of time in finding brands that show transparency in terms of where their products are made.

Ending this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, is the following edit of 14 current fair favourites – one for each day of the campaign – showcasing brands that are going the extra mile to ensure we can be more aware of where our products are from.

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Loving the clean lines of this vegetable-tanned leather bag, hand made in Haiti through Tribe Alive’s social enterprise

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Daisy Knight’s bohemian pieces of jewellery are hand made in the UK

 

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The guys at Visible Clothing are (as the name suggests) transparent with their clothing production and highlight the people behind the clothes

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Hand crafted purse by artisans at Made’s workshop in Kenya

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Gudrun Sjödén has been creating sustainable and fair clothing since 1976 making it a true Swedish classic! 

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Elegantly stylish tower pendant from Made, handmade in Kenya

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People Tree navy jumper in organic certified Fairtrade cotton – can’t find the trousers but want them too!

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Until spring happens this knit is excellent, and fair – by Komodo

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Organic and fair trainers from Veja – bring on spring!

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Starting as a campaign on fairer electronics in 2010, Fairphone has sold 60,000 ethical phones and Fairphone 2 is now available to order – improving supply chain awareness and conditions

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Another great shoe for spring – rose gold, vegan and handmade – by Beyond Skin

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Major summer want – handmade, hand-dyed and hand-printed in Bali – gorgeous dress by Faithfull the Brand

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There can never be too many stripes, especially if they’re in organic certified Fairtrade cotton – by People Tree

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Throwing in a bit of Fairtrade chocolate for good measure – this salted caramel from Green&Black’s is an actual obsession at the moment

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International Women’s Day

Frances Lappe

 

It’s 8 March. It’s International Women’s Day. And even though women should be celebrated every day for making the world a better place and for doing what they can to limit the damage men are making to the world, let’s take this opportunity to shout about those that are doing particularly good things.

International Women’s Day is also a chance for us all to be proud of other women, and be happy for their successes rather than being jealous or narrow-minded, which unfortunately happens too often.

In the world of sustainability we’ve got two women in charge of sustainability for two of the world’s largest retailers – Joanna Yarrow for IKEA and Anna Gedda for H&M. Worth noting is also that these two companies are two of the most progressive when it comes to sustainability – with initiatives such as IKEA’s commitment to using 100% sustainable cotton and H&M’s ‘Conscious Collection’ – amongst large retailers and even though one can argue the unsustainable aspect of large companies, they’re not going away any time soon so it’s crucial that sustainability is at the forefront of what they do.

Women’s openness to a different, more sustainable way of living is shown through the engagement of female activists / designers / writers and it’s hardly a coincidence that two of the most pro-sustainability large companies in the world have got women in charge of their sustainability efforts.

The quote above is by Frances Moore Lappé, author and environmental activist, and it very much represents the ethos of this blog – the fact that we can make positive choices / changes through everything we do.

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The pace of fashion

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The phrase ‘fast fashion‘ has these days got a range of (negative) connotations – it represents the actual speed of how fashion is produced, marketed and consumed and it is increasingly being used to characterise non-ethical fashion.

Fast fashion is developing alongside technology with labels like Burberry offering customers to pre-order clothes from its live-streamed shows. Recently the label also announced that from September this year, you’ll be able to buy its collections straight after they are shown on the runway, rather than having to wait the standard four months. The result is increased production speed, adding to the sentiment of having to constantly keep up with the latest trends.

The oxymoron would be slow fashion.

And there is an increasing interest for the various kinds of slow fashion. Patagonia has designed sustainable clothing for decades, encouraging you to keep and repair your items. In 2013, the 10-Year Hoodie became the first fashion project on Kickstarter to raise over $1 million and the 30 Year Collection by Tom Cridland is a similar initiative. In these instances designers are taking their time to create something that is meant to last.

The idea of a fashion business that encourages long-term use is probably the most important thing here, with most clothes being produced today being designed to wear out and fall apart. But a lot of us are fed up with clothing that only lasts a few washes so there is definitely a market for thinking differently.

It comes back to the idea of buying things we really like and that we can wear for longer. It’s about asking yourself whether you’re buying a piece of clothing just for a specific occasion or whether you genuinely think you’ll wear it multiple times. Eco-fashion activist Livia Firth has been promoting the social media hashtag #30wears encouraging people to buy things they’ll wear at least 30 times and Flint and Tinder, the guys behind the 10-Year Hoodie say that “not everything should be disposable“.

Ultimately, it’s about finding your style, or styles you like, rather than just chasing after the latest trend.

 

Image: 30 Year Sweatshirt by Tom Cridland

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Model: Sharing

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That our consumption habits are draining our planet on resources isn’t news to anyone but the amount of stuff we buy just doesn’t seem to decrease at all. Looking at fashion specifically we buy 80 billion items of clothing each year across the globe and we’re continuously being told this isn’t sustainable. To do something about it, many are looking towards a more minimalist approach where they try to buy less but we’re also seeing other interesting alternatives to the traditional linear economy of making / using / disposing. Alternatives where resources are kept in use for as long as possible, extracting the value from them, allowing us to reduce waste, helping to reduce the environmental impacts of our consumption.

Clever entrepreneurs are leading the way here, within this circular economy of fashion, showing that there are other ways to do things, but that it doesn’t mean you have to give up your love of having new things to wear.

Lena the fashion library is one example, with a new take on owning fashion – “enjoy the feeling of new but without having to possess everything”. It’s based in Amsterdam and offers high quality collections of vintage, designer and eco labels that you can borrow, or buy if there’s a borrowed item you particularly like.

A similar sharing model is used by Sabina & Friends in Stockholm and American Rent the Runway has been loaning out designer dresses since 2009.

One of the most recent and interesting sharing initiatives is ShareWear, run by VisitSweden and the Swedish Institute, also aiming to inspire a more sustainable way to be fashionable. The idea behind ShareWear is that you borrow items but then share them forward – by taking a photo of the item, uploading it to Instagram and using the hashtag #sharewear – for others to enjoy. Some of Sweden’s leading fashion brands such as Filippa K, House of Dagmar, and Uniforms for the Dedicated are lending their items so there are some great pieces to get your hands on.

Having to sacrifice the latest trends and new exciting things to wear puts most people off reducing their consumption but these initiatives all show that no sacrifice is needed.

 

Image: Sharewear.se

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No waste

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A visit to Amsterdam last week resulted in a great deal of inspiration in terms of social innovation and responsible business. One of the highlights was dinner at Instock restaurant where they create dishes using food that would otherwise go to waste.

Products are collected at supermarkets each morning – picked up by their electric car – and the chefs then create meals out of the ‘harvest of the day’. This can be imperfect fruit and vegetables or one-day-old bread or other products that can’t be sold in store but is still good enough to eat. An excellent concept and the food was great.

With food waste being such a major issue across the world it’s great to see innovative solutions that are sustainable. Instock is also a good example of a stylish restaurant that shows you can be both classy and eco-friendly.

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