Posh Swaps Blog

If you have made the decision to live a more sustainable lifestyle and to only buy products that are considered ethical then new fashion is likely to be something that will have though about. There is plenty of evidence of practices in the fashion industry that are damaging to both the environment and people involved but what is ethical fashion and what do we need to consider when shopping for ethical fashion?

Ethical and sustainable fashion is a term that can be used to describe any clothing that is produced and distributed in a way that is more ethical than conventional clothing. This can include any or all of the following:- organic or sustainable fabrics, made in an ethical factory, Fairtrade, a proportion of the companies profits donated to charity, made by co operatives, made from recycled materials. As the term ‘ethical fashion’ encompasses so many different aspects, it can sometimes be difficult to work out exactly what is ethical.

1.       Environmental Impact

If you want to minimise the impact that your clothing has on the environment, you can do so buy buying second hand or clothes made from organic or sustainable fibres. The cultivation of conventional cotton uses a large amount of pesticides which are both damaging to the environment and can contaminate water supplies. The growth of cotton using pesticides is also not sustainable and farmers become trapped in a cycle of using more and more pesticides to combat the resistance that the pests develop. Other environmental considerations when buying clothes are the carbon footprint or amount of CO2 emissions associated with their production and whether they are made from natural fibres and so biodegradable after their natural life. You could also look for ethical shoes as the process of tanning leather is also damaging to the environment.

2.       A Fair Deal For Everyone

Buying ethical fashion is partly about ensuring that everyone in the supply chain gets fair remuneration. This is particularly important for the growers of cotton and the most well known and established scheme for ensuring this is Fairtrade. There are also a number of other schemes and co operatives that ensure that those involved in the manufacture of clothing get a fair deal.

Buying quality clothes to last is not only the most sustainable way to shop but also allows you to pay a reasonable price for  a piece of clothing which can then be passed on to those in the supply chain.

3.       Manufacture

The factories that clothing is manufactured in are often dirty, dangerous and uncomfortable for workers. Some employ child labour, some treat their staff very badly not allowing them basic human rights and some pay less than a living wage. In particular leather tanning uses some very toxic chemicals that can be damaging to the workers as can the glue used to make shoes. Often ethical shies are made using vegetable tanned leather or other natural materials. Some companies provide information on the standards in the factories where their clothes are produced so that you can be sure that staff are treated ethically.

4.       Overall ethical policies of a company

Whilst some companies may sell clothing that is ethical in one way or another, for some people this is not enough. It is worth considering whether you want to buy ethical fashion from a company, which makes the majority of its money selling non ethical goods.  Many companies will have strict ethical policies covering all areas of their business and may even include donating a proportion of their turnover to charity.

5.       Watch out for green washing

Green washing is the term used to describe unsubstantiated claims about eco or ethical credentials of their products, by companies for the purpose of marketing. The only way to avoid green wash is to look for further information. Some time the labels or packaging on ethical shoes or clothing will give further information. If not the website is a good place to look. Look for standards and certifications which prove their claims and the companies overall ethical policy.

When shopping for ethical fashion, you need to decide what is important to you. The type of ethical shoes or clothing that you buy will very much depend on what you are looking to achieve. By buying Fairtrade, you can ensure that your purchase in benefiting people in another country, by buying clothes manufactured locally, you are helping the local economy and it is easier to check that staff in the factories are treated well. Which ever type of ethical clothing, you choose to buy; any small steps that you can take will have some benefit.

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.