Posh Swaps Blog

Ethical fashion is one of those terms that seems to be bandied about all over the place but there doesn’t really seem to be any clear definition of what it is. The easiest way to discover it and see what you like and don’t like about it is to check out some of the amazing brands out there. Check out Style Eyes Ethical Fashion Blog for some great examples of ethical fashion.

I guess the reason the term ‘ethical fashion’ is so difficult to define is that ethics are very different for different people. For some ethical fashion is about environmental sustainability and preserving the environment for future generations, for others it is about ensuring that people working in the fashion industry are treated fairly and with respect and trying to use fashion it to alleviate poverty. It can also include treating animals with respect or vegan fashion that does not inlcude any animal products at all. Finally some also consider buying locally produced fashion the best option in terms of ethics as it cuts down on transportation , is easier to ensure fair treatment of workers and it supports the local economy.

Most people will look for a combination of the above when shopping ethically for clothing. Anything that encourages less consumption, better treatment people, animals and the environment, more sustainability and recycling, even in a small way, has to be a positive choice.

The variety and choice or ethical clothing is increasing all of the time and you know longer have to resign to looking boring, frumpy or hippyish if you want to dress ethically. Here are just a few ways that you can make your fashion more ethical.

Sustainable fashion

Generally sustainable fashion starts with the use of some sort of  sustainable material. This can include organic cotton, hemp, bamboo or Tencel, all of which are considered more sustainable choices than conventional cotton which is grown using lots of pesticides. There are also know innovative fabrics which use reclaimed materials including plastic bottles to make clothes. Recycling or upcycling is definitely on the  up in fashion. The process of making something new from something old, be it a vintage or second hand piece or factory offcuts, seems to stimulate some amazing creativity.

Fairtrade Fashion

Fairtrade is used to describe products that have been fairly traded with farmers in developing countries. There are now a growing number of fashion companies pioneering and developing their own Fairtrade programmes which not only make use of Fairtrade cotton but also local and traditional, artisan skills such as weaving, embroidery and beading. These schemes allow workers and communities to benefit from the profits made by the clothing. There are also a number of certifications that can be held by the factories which ensure fair treatment of workers.

Vintage and second hand fashion

One of the most sustainable ways of shopping has to be shopping for vintage and second hand clothing which has virtually no carbon footprint. There is a growing movement of people who buy there clothes in this way and look amazingly stylish on it.

When deciding which ethical fashion to buy, greenwashing can be a problem. There are many companies who call themselves ethical but with little in the way of ethical credentials. The easiest way to ensure that you are shopping ethically is to look for companies who have strong ethics and practice sustainability in everything that they do.

Some ethical fashion brands also support charities by donating a percentage of their profits or turnover each month.

Image - organic cotton dress by Jackpot on Fashion Conscience.

Style Eyes Fashion Blog is the latest in a number of designers, celebrities and fashion bloggers to switch their focus to green and ethical fashion. The blog has also changed its name to Style Eyes Ethical Fashion Blog can now be found at www.ethicalfashionblog.com.
Ceri Heathcote, founder of Style Eyes Ethical Fashion Blog, made the change after realising that there was more to looking stylish than constantly buying cheap bad quality fast fashion. She discovered that it is possible to combine a love of fashion with charity shop, second hand, vintage and ethical clothing. She has also joined the army of fashionistas who are getting creative to refashion and upcycle old clothes for a unique and sustainable alternative to shopping on the high street and sharing their creations through online social networks.
Ceri says “How could I enjoy wearing and writing about clothes that had been made at the expense of both people and the planet? Blogging about second hand and ethical fashion is the perfect way to indulge my love of clothes without any guilt and hopefully inspire others to get involved too.”

Future plans for the Style Eyes Ethical Fashion Blog include a monthly new letter with ethical fashion news, tips and offers, plus affordable ethical fashion and vintage clothing guides.

For further information
www.ethicalfashionblog.com
Email: ceri@heathcotecommunications.co.uk

Festival fashion is all about individuality and doing your own thing and vintage clothes are a great way to do this. Of course if the weather looks ot be wet, you might change your mind about wearing one of your favourite vintage pieces for fear of ruining it but a piece of second hand clothing might just fit the bill.

For style inspiration remember to check out the streetstyle blogs and pictures of the US Coachella festival. If you can’t find just the right thing you could always have a go at customising something. Look for practical clothes that look great and will help to protect you from the elements be it sunshine, rain or the cold weather.

Here are just a few ideas of vintage and secondhand clothes that would make great festival fashion

Denim mini skirts or cut off shorts are a great choice for festivals. If the weather gets cold you can always layer them over a pair of leggings.

A colourful printed top is a great for a festival as it will not show dirt or creases as much as its plain counterpart.

With seventies styles being so popular this year, the maxi dress is a great choice for the summer’s festivals.

Posh-Swaps.com have announced that we are celebrating our first birthday at the end of April 2010! Our website, which is fast becoming a popular place to swap, buy and sell clothes, will celebrate the occasion with a fantastic prize-draw for anyone that registers and lists clothes to swap during the month of May 2010, with prizes to be won including £100 of shoe vouchers! The website was launched almost a year ago for people to do clothes swapping for free.

There are other clothes swapping websites which have introduced fees everytime someone swaps, buys or sells, but we have no plans to do so ourselves. The aim of the free service is to encourage everyone to swap clothes without the need to throw them away, and so recycling them to do our bit for the environment.

This first year has certainly been a busy one for us at Posh-Swaps, with plenty of successful online swaps and two swapping parties (known as swishing) held in Chiswick and in Bath. Clothes swapping is becoming increasingly popular lately, as it is a great way to refresh your wardrobe- gaining new clothes and discarding others which you never wear, and thanks to Posh-Swaps, all for FREE! You also get a great sense of having done a really good thing for the environment, by reducing what goes to the landfill sites and reducing the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of new clothes.

Our website constantly keeps you up to date with the latest fashion and eco-fashion news with plenty of different blog posts published each week, plus a fantastic newsletter that gets sent out every fortnight to let ypu know of the latest items available for swapping.

Picture taken from www.ask.com

A new online boutique company called Sequel London has arrived on our scenes- one of the latest boutiques to launch that are eco-friendly. Sequel London offers a range of leather handbags, which have been made from recycled leather jackets, discarded silk ties and curtains that are no longer wanted. The company has been created by cousins Claire Baigent and Laura Queening, both of whom want to reduce waste and to encourage sustainability in fashion by choosing unwanted clothes and accessories from Oxfam’s Wastesaver Warehouses, and using the materials to create their stunning new range.

The collection features bags made from leather including leather buttons, a removable silk tie decoration to add colour and style to the bags, and recycled curtains which are cut so to provide the lining of the bag. The ties on each bag will vary by design and will depend on the amount donated to Oxfam, so no two pieces will be the same. All of the Sequel London products are made in London itself, and the company is aiming to use recycled materials wherever possible- from the leather and the curtains, to the packaging and the stationary which will be made from recycled paper. All of the products have been designed by co-owner Laura Queening, who graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2007. “We decided to launch Sequel London as a way of encouraging sustainability in fashion by using those cast-offs that most of us have in the backs of our wardrobes, to produce classic, beautiful pieces that can be worn with pride time and again,” comments Laura. “We only choose the best quality material, even if the clothing itself has passed its fashion sell-by date.” Claire Baigent graduated from Newcastle University in 2006, and holds a CIPR Advanced Certificate in Public Relations.

The Spring/Summer collection, which is only available to buy online at sequellondon.co.uk, consists of six designs which are priced from £39 to £79, and offer beautiful and durable designs to last a life-time at high street prices.

Pictures and Quotes from www.sequellondon.co.uk

The famous fashion sport’s brand O’Neill has announced the launch of their new collection called ECO’Neill- a collection that is made entirely out of eco-friendly and sustainable materials in a new attempt at ‘doing their bit’ for the environment, and so reduce O’Neill’s carbon footprint. As O’Neill is one of the world’s leading companies when it comes to surfing products, the launch (which will be released next Spring), comes to us as extremely good news as they are seen to many as role models for other surfing and sporting brands.

The collection includes board shorts with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles, basic t-shirts, tanks and beanies made entirely from 100 percent organic cotton, and novelty t-shirts and tanks made from 100 percent organic cotton slub jersey. Advertising the new eco-collection is reggae artist and waterman Mishka, who completely supports the launch. He will promote his latest album release ‘Talk About’ to coincide with the launch, and will be giving his fans a preview of the collection during his album tour which started at the beginning of April. As the newest member of the O’Neill family, he will also be contributing to the designs and creative side of further ECO’Neill styles. Also in the coming months ahead, Mishka will then be featuring in advertising for the brand, social media and mobile marketing to show his support for the coming launch. O’Neill is among many different companies- designer and high street- to launch a new eco-friendly range.

Having been around since 1952 when the world’s first neoprene wetsuit was introduced by surfer Jack O’Neill, O’Neill’s are extremely pleased to be able to create such a range made from recycled and organic materials and yet still maintain their surfing image around the world and continuing to deliver to their customers exactly what they need in terms of style, flexibility, and now the knowledge that what they’re wearing is reasonably sourced.

Picture taken from www.fashionunited.co.uk

A beautiful new collection has appeared on racks and shelves in H&M shops- The Garden Collection, named for its floral patterns and use of organic and sustainable materials. The collection has arrived just in time for Spring to show off our romantic, exotic and glamorous side with plenty of floral patterns which includes big, bold prints, sunny landscapes, vibrant green gardens, and the cool 70’s hippy flower print look. The collection is made entirely out of organic and sustainable materials such as organic linen, organic cotton, tencel, and recycled polyester. The organic cotton and organic linen for this collection has been grown without the use of hazardous chemicals, the recycled polyester tops and dresses are made from PET- bottles and textile waste, whilst the tencel provides you with a silky, renewable material that has been produced with minimal environmental impact, so that when you buy these clothes you are helping to do your bit for environment!

The sumptuous designs mixed with sustainable materials helps to create a sensuous sophistication, whilst the vivacious patterns spread the radiant richness of the season. The stunning floral and bright women’s fashion trends will offer a modern yet sustainable look to everyone, no matter what their own style or taste is as the collection also includes pretty neutrals as well as the bright and the bold. You can combine a vibrant floral top with neutral cropped trousers or linen shorts, or wear a feminine chiffon dress with plenty of floral print combined with a beige anorak which are all available in the collection. These fantastic floral prints will really add some sparkle to your wardrobe, helping you to update and totally rejuvenate your own collection.

Clogs are right on trend at the moment (well if Alexa is wearing them they must be). Chanel do a great pair but as most of us just can’t afford Chanel and some of us prefer to take a much more eco friendly and comfy path, these eco clogs are the perfect choice.

The Eco friendly clogs are biodegradable with 50% of the sole being made of biodegradable materials. Quite simply they are shoes that rot (eventually- not while you are wearing them). The plus side being that you can’t feel just a little less guilty about buying into the latest fashion and be sure that these shoes will be well worn as they are just so very comfy.

We can’t say this for sure but we are betting that many those high heel cloggs are not all that easy to walk in and end up in the bin by the end of this season! These babies will be with you for years until the leather and rubber that they are made of finally return to where they began as part of nature.

These Eco clogs are made by El Naturalista, whose eco friendly designs are brought to you with the greatest respect for the environment.They can be bought from Spartoo an online shoe retailer of women shoes that Posh Swaps has recently partnered with in order to bring you details of some of the most desirable eco shoes.

Tesco have just recently announced the launch of their new clothing collection, which is made out of recycled and discontinued materials. The collection ‘From Somewhere’ for Florence and Fred consists of just six pieces and is made purely from left-over materials that would have otherwise been thrown away.

Tesco got the inspiration to produce recycled clothing as part of their commitment to help the environment after a visit to From Somewhere’s collection at Estethica as part of the London Fashion Week back in February this year. The decision to launch a recycled clothing collection has had mixed responses as this is just a small step for Tesco to associate themselves with a commitment to recycling and helping the environment whilst yet remaining a company not normally known for their ‘light carbon footprint’- and because of this, why would one of the UK’s most respected ethical fashion labels want to be associated with Tesco? From Somewhere and Estethica designer Orsola de Castro has said that she believes that ‘upcycling’ fabrics should be made more accessible, and that the larger retailers should be encouraged to take responsibility for their waste. ”I have always believed in infiltration,” she states. ”We put Estethica right at the centre of London Fashion Week.”

The clothes, being produced in a ‘green’ factory in Sri Lanka, has still received negative views from the customers, with some believing that this is not a ‘go green’ production as the recycled materials are being flown to Sri Lanka and back again. The factory, however, is the first one of its kind in the world to be awarded a gold rating for Environmental Responsibility.

The collection is as you would expect from ‘From Somewhere’- they have kept to their original style with dresses made to flatter the shape, using bright, bold colours. The collection is available exclusively at www.tesco.com/clothing.                                                   

Picture taken from www.guardian.co.uk

Today we have some great examples of second hand style and how you can make great outfits with thrifted or secondhand clothes. The photographs were sent to us by Cynthia, who has a website and Etsy shop selling beautiful re-purposed clothing, purses, hats and lovely accessories.

This piece is adorable, it has a lot of vintage stuff on it. The fringe is actually off of an old drama curtain. It hangs beautifully around this lace and satin ruffle. She added a few bobbles with the vintage earring broach it is removable for dry cleaning. Every thing in this piece is up-cycled for new use.

vintage slip remade, skirt goodwill, boots thrifted‏

This is a really darling coat. It just glitters with thoughts of the holiday season. Small multi-color sequins have been sewn on the coat for the festive feel. Great for over your special party dress. Looks super with jeans as well.

Today we have some great examples of second hand style and how you can make great outfits with thrifted or secondhand clothes. The photographs were sent by Cynthia, who has a website and Etsy shop selling beautiful re-purposed clothing, purses, hats and lovely accessories.