Posh Swaps Blog

My name is Laricea Ioana Roman and I am a student at Kingston University, London. I am doing a Master in Marketing, Advertising and Communications and at the moment I am writing my Dissertation. My topic is related to ethical clothing, more specifically, I am investigating how personal values influence customers’ decision to buy ethical clothing. In order to come up with some answers for my topic, I need some opinions from people who actually bought ethical clothes. Thus, I am kindly ask you to complete my survey, which will take you no more than 10 minutes and It could give you the chance to win £30 vouchers at The Body Shop and three eco-fashion books.

You can complete the survey here

Back in February, we posted about the launch of the Government’s sustainable clothing action plan during London Fashion Week and how Posh-swaps.com is supporting the action plan by promoting and enabling the reuse and recycling of clothes through swapping, buying and selling second hand clothes.

Shared Talent India, one of London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s (CSF) key projects of 2009 funded by Defra and supported by the Indian Government, was showcased on the Monsoon stand at Estethica at London Fashion Week. The project is one of a series of actions being implemented by the clothing and fashion sector under the Defra-led Sustainable Clothing Action Plan and Roadmap process to improve the environmental and ethical performance of clothing.

Born out of a collaboration between UK and Indian designers and London College of Fashion (LCF), Pearl Academy India and AMFI Amsterdam Fashion Institute students, the project has explored and promoted the design applications of a range of sustainable Indian textiles. Earlier this summer the group took part in a ten day workshop in Delhi to produce concepts to showcase Indian sustainable textiles and share their skills and designers and makers. After being showcased at London Fashion Week the collection will go to Indian Fashion Week in October 2009.

The award winning Shared Talent project model, developed to find transformative solutions through collaboration, has already been successfully applied to communities in Ghana and South Africa. Shared Talent India kicked off early in 2009 with a call out by the CSF for applications from UK-based designers and liaised with Pearl Academy to recruit India-based designers* to take part in the project. The designers along with selected AMFI and LCF students travelled to India to engage in a programme of activity including workshops and active design collaboration to produce concepts to showcase the sustainable textiles.

Accompanying the group were members of the Monsoon team; Head of Design, Kim Elliott commented, “This is an exciting collaboration between fashion students and designers in the UK and India which reflects our heritage and we are proud to be involved with it. The students brief for this project will showcase some quite directional design work demonstrating the fashion potential of sustainable textiles, the outcome of which will be displayed on the Monsoon stand at London Fashion Week in September.”

further information can be found on http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2009/090918b.htm

It has just come to my attention that my favourite ethical superstore Adili is now called Ascension. It must have happened on the quiet and in the dark of night as I have only just realised. I thought it was worth a mention in case anyone else hadn’t even noticed.

Adili (now ascension) have since their fairly recent launch, quickly made a name for themselves as a one stop shop for ethical clothing from underwear to shoes and accessories. If green is the new black, then Ascension is the new Harvey Nics. They stock a variety of well known brands including People Tree, Patagonia and Tatty Bumpkin as well as their own designer led label. They are supporting and nurturing some of the best young design talent to move ethical clothing onto the next level. Ascension is also working on a number of projects in countries like Rwanda, Columbia and Nepal to help improve peoples lives by developing skills and providing sustainable employment.

The clothes on the website are sorted by ethic to give shoppers the chance to find exactly what they are looking for, with categories including organic, fairtrade, recycled and alternative fibres and 1% for the planet. The Ascension T shirts are also the first fashion item to hold the new carbon reduction label. If you are looking for some guilt free shopping and sustainable style Ascension is the place to go (as well as Posh-swaps.com of course). At the moment, they have a great warehouse clearance with up to 80% off.

picture - 100% organic cotton lengthen T shirt

It’s great to see so many of the nominees for the Innovation awards using recycled materials this year. The competition was lauched by the Ethical Fashion Forum this year to support new fashion designers whose work exhibits both outstanding design and sustainability. The winners will have the opportunity to show at Estheica at London Fashion Week in September and will get support from an expert consultancy team.

The sustainable fashion using recycled materials, include:

• MIA - combining second hand clothes purchased from local markets in Malawi with traditional Malawian textiles to create contemporary womenswear.
• Dandi Maestre - handmade jewellery and accessories made from natural and recycled materials including reclaimed wood.
• Henrietta Ludgate - based in a crofting village in the highlands of Scotland and using surplus fabrics from mills including fleece and tweed.
• Hetty Rose - Handmade shoes using mainly reclaimed, recycled and vintage materials with very little waste including Japanese Kimono fabrics and recycled leather.
• Lu Flux - clothing made using upcyled vintage material.

picture - Lux Flux

Si:Su is a label that design beautiful and ecological clothing and was founded by three graduates of Swansea Metroplitan University, Hanneke Van Ryswyk, Rachel Bryan and Helen Stew. The collections include casual for everyday wear and romantic pieces for special ocassions. All of the clothing is 100% recycled even the buttons and thread. Each item is completely unique and made from luxurious fabrics such as satins, silks and cottons with vintage ribbons and lace.

They also only use vegetable dyes and source all of their fabrics within the UK, especially in South Wales. All of the production is based in South Wales. The clothes are both nostalgic and contemporary with a handcrafted detail.

Yet another very good reason to go green. si:su can be found at Green Trading.

All photographs (c) Photographer Eric Guillemain for EJF

EJF (Environmental Justics Foundation) have launched a range of T shirts designed by Giles Deacon, Allegra Hicks, Zandra Rhodes and John Rocha to help to stop the forced child labour and environmental  caused by cotton production .  The T Shirts are made of organic and fairtrade cotton and printed with organic certified inks.

For the launch of the T shirt range top celebrities including Ugly Betty star Ashley Jensen, Brit supermodel Lily Cole, singers Joss Stone and Sophie Ellis-Bextor  and 23 models from 14 different nations joined in with a photo shoot to model the T shirts.

All money raised by EJF from the sale of the T shirts will be used to support the charities valauble work. The EJF raises awareness of the continued use of forced child labour and the ecological devastation associated with cotton production. This is particularly an issue in Uzbekistan, the worlds 3rd largest exporter of cotton where children are forced to work fo little or nothing in conditions near slavery for the state run cotton industry.

Juliette Williams Programme Director EJF, says “Even in tough economic times, our buying power can be a force for good. Choosing organic and fairly traded cotton actively supports communities in some of the world’s poorest nations, where fair and equitable trade to the west can literally mean the difference between life and death. With public support, companies have been inspired to look at the way the cotton they buy and sell is produced, and high street names are saying ‘no’ to cotton from Uzbekistan until child labour and environmental abuses are eradicated. Together we can change our world”.

Shoppers can support EJF’s work by buying a t-shirt or giving a donation to the charity through its website - www.ejfoundation.org - helping them train tomorrow’s human rights and environmental defenders, and raise international awareness of abuses and, crucially, the solutions to them.