Archive for ethical fashion

What is ethical fashion?

July 1, 2008 · Filed under ethical fashion · Tagged , , , , , ,

Ethical fashion are the latest buzzwords in the undoubted green bandwagon. It’s now hip to show off your green and ethical credentials and the fashion industry is starting to join the party.  Ethical and Green thought it would be useful to give you a quick guide as to what ethical fashion is all about.

So what exactly is ethical fashion? Well it is fashion that takes into account where the materials have come from and how the people who make it are treated. This means that Fairtrade cotton is used and the clothes makers are given a decent wage and treated with the respect they deserve. Organic materials should also be made without the use of toxins that can harm the environment. The synthetic materials nylon and polyester also contribute to global warming because the petrochemicals from which they are made pollute the environment.

Treating workers fairly means giving them a competitive wage, working reasonable hours and having a decent standard of working conditions. Basically the workers should not be exploited. 

However it’s not just the source of the materials from which clothes are made that makes fashion ethical. There is also eco-fashion which is part of ethical fashion whereby clothes should be recycled rather than thrown away. Oxfam is leading the way by refurbishing it’s stores in London and asking students from the London College of Fashion to customise their stocks. 

There has been comment in magazines such as The Sunday Times Style supplement that ethical fashion just isn’t trendy and therefore won’t take off. This site will show you that ethical fashion can be trendy and it times where money is tight second hand clothing could become acceptable.

We’ll show you who the up and coming ethical fashion designers are and how to access their products. This will include clothes, shoes, accessories and anything else we come across so keep stopping by.

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Primark- Unethical Fashion?

June 25, 2008 · Filed under ethical fashion, Fairtrade, socially responsible investing · Tagged , , , , ,

This week in the UK the television show Panorama rightly expose Primark as using child labour to make their cheap clothing.  Clearly this should not be a surprise considering how cheap the clothes are?  Why it should have taken the UK media three years to unveil this in depth is a surprise.  In 2005 Ethical Consumer magazine voted Primark the most unethical fashion store.  The fact that Panorama has only just made a programme about this shows that, finally, ethical fashion is on the radar of the public.

The big question is will this actually stop people from buying clothes from Primark?  At the moment money is tight due to the credit crunch so will people put their morals on hold until they can afford to shop elsewhere?

Stores such as Gap, TopShop and Marks and Spencer have all been highlighting their ethical fashion credentials recently.  Could this programme shaming Primark finally signal a shift in the consciences of the public?  It would be great for the planet and foreign workers if it is.

 

There are a wide range of ethical fashion designers popping up.  We’ll be looking at ethical fashion in more detail.  For now check out Quail, a UK based ethical fashion company, to prove that ethical fashion is fashionable!

The website is www.quailbymail.co.uk

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Quail- Ethical Fashion in the UK

June 16, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint, ethical fashion, Fairtrade, sustainable living · Tagged , , , , , , ,

The Ethical Fashion movement is really taking off and rightly so.  Here in the UK a company called Quail caught my eye. 

Making Clothes in Devon the ethical and green way

Quail By Mail is a clothing label located in Devon which specialises in organic and Fairtrade cotton clothing which has been designed and made in England. Quail believes in British ingenuity and only commissions British fashion graduates.

 

Design elements such as functioning pockets, pleats, generous cuts etc are Quail’s speciality and all clothing lines are produced as limited editions. Interested in producing vintage-inspired practical clothing with genuine ethical integrity, Shauna Chapman, founder of Quail said:

 

“Our aim is to add maximum design value to the organic and Fairtrade cotton fabric. Recently we discovered that larger sizes were needed to include a wider audience so we will begin to introduce sizes up to 20 before the end of Summer 2008.”

 

 

To combat Greenwash, Quail uses the phrase “Product Provenance“ to show customers exactly how their fashion purchase started from the non-GM seed grown organically in India to the recyclable paper and raffia bow packaging used to parcel up orders”. The entire lifestyle of the Quail founders at the live/work studio in Brixham, South Devon is devoted to energy- saving, buying local, organic produce, fairtrade, traditional, reuse, reduce and recycle. Having produced clothing with provenance, which is also ethical, green and British it is Quail’s aim to grow the business sustainably and create artisan, exciting ‘proper’ fashion!

In the past fashion journalists have commented that ethical fashion just isn’t cool.  You can see from the pictures that just because it’s ethical clothing it doesn’t mean it’s not fashionable.  I’d certainly wear these clothes as would a number of people who I’ve pointed in Quail’s direction.  They have a really lovely box pleat shirt but I couldn’t get a picture on here.

 

Check out the website at www.quailbymail.co.uk

 

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Sex and the City- Ethical Fashion?

June 3, 2008 · Filed under ethical fashion · Tagged , ,

 

This week’s number one film is Sex and the City Movie. I’ve yet to see it (due to tickets being sold out) but was a massive fan of the series.  What’s Sex and the City got to do with ethical fashion I hear you ask?  Well because of the release of the film there have been a lot of interesting blogs popping up in celebration of the movie.  Most of them feature celebrity gossip and comments about the film but some are focussing on the fashion.  For those of you not familiar with the series fashion is a HUGE part of it.

 

After much debate we have decided that Carrie would win the prize, out of the four girls, for being the most ethically minded shopper.  Why?  The reasons are as follows:

 

  • For Carrie it’s not all about the labels, more about what looks good (in her opinion)
  • She matches expensive shoes with dresses she buys from the flea market
  • She ‘recycles’ pieces and puts them together with other bits
  • She doesn’t throw out her shoes
Whilst we can’t be sure if the character Carrie is really concerned with environmental issues we like to think that she pays attention to ethical issues in the fashion world.  Disagree?  Let us know.
While we are on the subject of Sex and the City, one blog had a fabulous idea for a SATC party that involves swapping clothes.  This is a great idea for a party on it’s own merit.  Apparently everyone brings along an item/items of clothing, you pitch your item and then someone takes it away.  Fab idea- especially if you have trendy friends.  It’s also good for the environment as instead of the clothes being thrown out they are recycled.  You can check out all the details by visiting the site at www.celebrations.com

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Will the credit crunch be the make or break for green issues?

June 2, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint, carbon neutral, CO2 emissions, ethical fashion, organic products, reduce carbon footprint, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

The credit crunch is hitting everyone at the moment.  You can’t escape the fact that food, fuel and bills are more expensive causing most people to tighten their belts.  Traditionally ethical and green products have been more expensive than there counterparts.

Take for example food.  The organic section is always more expensive than the imported fruit and veg.  The same goes for meat.  So with everyone cutting back will sales of organic food be hit?  Here in the UK we have heard suppilers complaining that profits have been down over the last few months.  Does this mean that ultimately consumers are fairweather eco-warriors?  The evidence seems to point that way.

The same is true for ethical fashion.  There is a comment on this blog to show that the ethical fashion industry is being hit by the credit crunch.   Check out the post here. It appears that people are flocking to places like Primark where you can pick up T-shirts for £3.

 

However, could there be a positive side?  In the short term some sectors may take a hit but then this is the same whether you are an ethical and green company or more mainstream.  We could see second hand clothing stores take off.  People may mend their clothes rather than bin them or swap them with friends.  In terms of food will people start to grow their own veg rather than buy from superstores?

In the world of travel will more people take to public transport as it will be so much cheaper than filling the car with petrol.  People are also more likely to take a holiday in their native country as exchange rates are less attractive and flights are more expensive.

Only time will tell what the outcome will be.  Hopefully the credit crunch will lead people to think more about their carbon footprint and how to become carbon neutral, if only in an effort to save the pennies!

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BBC tackles ethical fashion with Thread magazine

April 21, 2008 · Filed under carbon footprint, CO2 emissions, Companies going green, ethical fashion, Fairtrade, reduce carbon footprint · Tagged , , , , , ,

The latest company to jump onto the green bandwagon is the BBC.  The BBC are targeting the niche of ethical fashion.  Recently ethical fashion has become a hot term amongst fashion designers and those who consider themselves to be trendy.

These days it’s not enough to wear the right clothes- the clothes have to be ethical and green.  Stella Macartney has launched an ethical fashion range and the pages of Cosmopolitan and the like are full of ethical fashion tips.

The magazine Thread, launched by the BBC commissioned research that found that 31% of people between 16-30 years old wanted to buy more ethical fashion.  They found that as yet people are unsure where to turn to find what’s hot and what’s not.

This puts pressure on fashion retailers to provide information about how their clothes have been produced and where the materials come from.  At the top of the list of what people are most concerned about was the working conditions of the people making the clothes.  This was followed by organic labelling, the use of chemicals, how to recycle the clothes and the energy used in producing them.  

Soon then we could see how large an items carbon footprint is!  Will this put companies off having their clothes made on the other side of the world?  Only time will tell….

We’ll bring you more about ethical fashion telling you where are the best places to buy clothes and more about how they are produced.  We’ll look at the best and worst retailers of ethical fashion and see if it’s affordable.

Good luck to the BBC and Thread.  We hope that they’ll be able to bring more people to ethical fashion and wider ethical issues.

Whilst writing these posts it seems that we are going full circle.  Hundreds of years ago each country was responsible for growing it’s own food and making its own products, be these clothes or toys.  These days most things we use seem to be made in a foreign country.  If we do go full circle and only use the resources on our small island this will have an effect on the economy.  As yet we don’t know if this is good or bad but it will help the environment.

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A Green Marks and Spencer

October 14, 2007 · Filed under Carbon Dioxide emissions, CO2 emissions, Companies going green, ethical fashion, Fairtrade, green money, socially responsible investing · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 A while ago I reported how Vodafone had put in place an ethical policy and now it’s time to take a look at Marks and Spencer.   The company has both a green policy for its money products, such as insurance and also its clothing range.  Alongside this the company is committed to becoming greener and more carbon neutral.

Firstly lets take a look at Marks and Spencer’s clothing range.  As we reported in the Fairtrade section cotton was next on the list to add to Fairtrade products.  M&S are now stocking Fairtrade cotton products such as T-shirts and shirts.  They are also stocking recycled and organic clothing.  Hats off to them for having such a range of environmentally friendly and ethical products!

Large Recycling Bin

 

 

 

 

 

 Aside from the clothing range they are also stocking a range of home products to make recycling easier for us.  Products include such items as split compartment bins to make recycling easier and compost bins.  They are also using recycled materials for some of their products such as a bin made out of recycled newspapers!  What’s more the products are affordable so people won’t be put off by the price tag which can happen with ethical and green products.

Next to the companies green policy.  At M&S they are calling it ‘Plan A.‘  To quote from their website it is aimed at ‘working with customers and suppliers to make our UK and Republic of Ireland operations carbon neutral, send no waste to landfill, extend our sustainable sourcing and help people to lead healthier lifestyles –

 

without passing on the extra cost to customers.’  Excellent news!  A leading UK high street store with a clear ethical and environmental policy!! 

Plan A is a five year, 100 point plan and it hopes to involve the customer at all levels.  Basically the plan looks at five areas, climate change, raw materials, healthy eating, waste and being a Fair Partner.    Under climate change M&S will try to cut CO2 emissions and become carbon neutral.  Raw materials looks at using materials from sustainable sources whilst healthy living is about giving people the opportunity to eat well.  Under waste the company is aiming not to send waste to landfill sites and ensure that its customers do not need to throw away their products.  Finally, being a Fair Partner aims at trading fairly and improving the lives of people in the local community and along the supply chain.

 

So how are M&S doing?  Earlier this month they opened an ‘eco-store’ in Bournmouth.  As they describe it :

‘The remodelled store boasts a host of eco features. It is being powered with green renewable electricity, uses energy efficient lighting and has a ‘green’ roof. As a result of these features the store now uses up to 25 per cent less energy than before the refurbishment and emits up to 95% less carbon dioxide than a similar-sized M&S store. ‘

M&S have also changed to using renewable energy in all its stores.  As they report ‘

M&S has secured 100 gWh of renewable electricity from NPower. This will be used to supply all 200 of our Simply Food stores in England and Wales, head offices Waterside House and Stockley Park, as well as our Bournemouth ‘green’

 

store. This will reduce our carbon emissions by 24,000 tonnes a year. We have also secured 75gWh of renewable energy to power all of our Scottish stores.’

The list goes on about the steps the company are taking.  If you want to learn more go to the Greener Living section of their website by visiting Marks and Spencer online. Click here.

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