Not dissimilar from #greenbeauty, ‘ethical’ fashion comes in many guises. From organic, sustainable, local, fair-trade and from high-street to high-end. There is an entire array of conscious fashion brands and shopping platforms to suit any budget, style and ethical philosophy. As London Fashion Week is upon us, we thought now would be the perfect time to celebrate our favourite brands and boutiques pioneering the ethical fashion movement…
Organic: Leading the Fair Trade and environmentally sustainable fashion sector for over 20 years, People Tree collaborates with Fair Trade artisans and farmers in developing countries to produce their seasonal collective. An alternative to fast fashion, People Tree prides itself on its ‘Slow Fashion’ philosophy that is against exploitation, child labour, sweat shops, slum cities and pollution. With all products hand-crafted in organic cotton and sustainable materials, each season People Tree teams up with a leading designer to produce a collection in line with their ethical standards. Check out this season’s 1960’s inspired collaboration with womenswear designer Zhandra Rhodes. www.peopletree.co.uk
Fashion for Change: Incepted after a stint working in Atulya Delhi where founders Natasha Isaacs and Lavinia Brennan witnessed the effects of human trafficking and the sex trade, the pair returned to the UK with a mission to raise awareness surrounding this issue. Launching Beulah in 2011 as a platform to help provide a sustainable livelihood for those who have escaped sex trafficking. For each garment purchased a donation goes directly into the Beulah Trust which pays for women to find work free from abuse. We love the tote bags made by Freeset, a charity in Kolkata, India, dedicated to helping those women in high-risk situations to receive a steady income and an opportunity to live a self-sufficient life. www.beulahlondon.com
Sustainable Style: With social and environmental wellbeing at the core of this company philosophy, rêve en vert is an online fashion boutique that favours conscious curation and sustainability over fast fashion. The brainchild of Cora Hilts and Natasha Tucker, rêve en vert stemmed from the pairs desire to better the world through their shared passion of fashion and lifestyle. Featuring a great edit of sustainable fashion available in the UK, rêve en vert has been created with both the young activist and the girl who reads Vogue in mind. www.revenvert.com
Local Manufacturing: Designed with longevity and unsurpassed quality at the core of each pair of jeans handmade in their Cardigan workspace, Hiut Denim is a pioneer in the ‘local’ fashion sector. The home to a flourishing denim industry of decades past, it took 30 years and a team of dedicated craftsman to bring manufacturing back to Cardigan, providing employment for the local craftsman who come from long lines of jean makers. Combining quality, longevity, organic denim and good design, the story of the small-town artisans who lovingly produce each pair of jeans is as unique as the brand itself. We love the ‘History Tag’ component of their website which encourages you to upload your adventures; what you did, who you did it with and where you went in your Hiut Denim jeans to add another level of meaning, memories and lasting credibility to a garment which has been designed and manufactured to last your lifetime and hopefully be treasured by the next generation. www.hiutdenim.co.uk
Price Transparency: Dedicated to providing a unique platform that communicates the supply chain of its products and pricing in a straight-forward way, Honest By was created by award-winning designer and art director Bruno Pieters. An idea that stemmed from a stint in India where Pieters developed an interest of the relationship between the native people and what they wore; garments that were often grown, woven and sewn from sources they could identify around them. Pieters began thinking about the possibility of utilising this transparency as an international designer. From yarn and button origin to fabric and manufacturing, all clothes featured on the Honest By platform takes the consumers ethical values into consideration with the options to select garments based on consumer principles and wellbeing. We love the search option for ‘skin-friendly’ garments. www.honestby.com
Mindful Design: One of the industry’s most trusted resources for divulging emerging fashion talent, Not Just A Label is a platform designed to support sustainable, local and artisanal fashion initiatives. Featuring a section purely dedicated to revealing the best in ethical design talent, our favourites include Anna Miladia who has developed a sustainable zero-waste knitwear collection made from biodegradable recyclable materials and Bo & Aropax whose latest collection is an exploration of the dichotomies of gender equality between progressive Sweden and traditional India. www.notjustalabel.com
Others we think are worth a look include:
- 69b Broadway Market: A sustainable womenswear boutique in the heart of Broadway Market www.sixtynineb.com
- Yarn Light Collective: Embracing fashion and wellness, Yarn Light Collective features a range of knitted pieces, which act as a natural shield from electromagnetic pollution and provide a source of energy designed to reduce stress levels and create balance. www.yarnlightcollective.com
- Centre for Sustainable Fashion: A Research Centre of the University of the Arts London with a commitment to using fashion to drive change, build a sustainable future and improve the way we live. www.sustainable-fashion.com
- Local Wisdom: An initiative originated at London College of Fashion that aims to challenge the dependency of the fashion industry through sustained attention to tending and using garments and not just creating them. www.localwisdom.info/about
Image Credit: Honest By
CHECK OUT OUR FAVOURITE #ORGANIC HOMEWARES HERE
