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.
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.
The idea of second hand clothes has always been, to many people, a not-so pleasant one, with people only going in to charity shops if necessary. These days, however, charity shops are now beginning to undergo some modern changes and reinvent themselves. Oxfam in particular are really embracing this change. With the environment being in its bad shape, the idea of recycled fashion is becoming more and more popular with some of the bigger high-street fashion stores creating new lines of their own made out of recycled and organic materials.
With the opening of two new ’boutique’ stores last summer that came with plenty of media attention, Oxfam have gone all-out to try to shake off the musty image of charity shopping and create the new image of fashion store, whilst most importantly helping the environment. The new boutique stores were created to be little more than a charity shop- they are shops that provide beautiful, one-off clothes made from recycled materials and the assurance that every item sold will raise money to fight poverty around the world.
The Westbourne Grove boutique in London stocks donated high-end pieces re-crafted from pre-owned garments, so some of the items available can be a little pricey, but in return you get a one-off piece that no one else will ever own. There are seven boutiques altogether across the country (though mainly in London) that have been divided in to five categories- Loved for Longer, Fair Trade, Reinvented Made with Love, and Good Fashion Sense- all the details of which can be found at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/content/secondhandstore/fashion/boutiques/default.html.
The transformation has come courtesy of fashion guru and Oxfam volunteer Jane Shepherdson CEO, whose vision of reinventing recycled fashion has turned around our basic charity shop image with the Oxfam Boutique which brings together specially selected donations, customised by volunteers or restyled by designers to bring us the new idea that charity can be chic.
For the second season at New York Fashion Week, the Green Shows featured a range of global eco designers and brands sending a very clear message that New York can do green with style. The collections featured a range of ecofriendly fabrics including recycled and upcycled, organic and sustainable fabrics.
The Green Shows opened with an extravagant and elaborate couture , inspired collection, by London designer Gary Harvey featuring recycled clothes made into beautiful full skirted outfits.
Another fresh and charming collection was by Samantha Pleet whose organic cotton and wool clothes are made in a wind powered manufacturing facility in New York. Her designs are young and fresh and worn by a number of indie bands. This time her collection featured some very desirable pieces, simple but with a touch of fantasy.
JoAnn Berman’s colourful and eclectic collection was made using recycled and upcycled materials.
There was plenty more in terms of creative and wearable eco fashion at The Green Shows. John Partick Organic showed his collection at the main fashion week and has long been a shining example of Eco fashion in New York. His collection featured elegant and timeless pieces inspired by Lady Di and Joni Mitchell. Classic and nostalgic with some great tailoring.
Timberland and fashion recycling charity TRAID have collaborated on a project to supply customers with a range of bags made from 100% recycled denim, leather and reconditioned Timberland shirts and jackets.
The collaboration involves the design and production by the recycled TRAIDremade fashion label (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) of a collection of limited edition, handmade ‘eco bags’ exclusively for sale in Timberland stores.
According to Timberland, the new initiative is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to socially responsible retailing. Working closely with TRAID, the company already offers in store recycling points in its London stores and under the ‘Change Your Wardrobe, Change Their Lives’ scheme, it also offers customers 20% off new purchases when they recycle clothes they no longer need or want. TRAID then transform these clothes through their charity shops into funds to fight global poverty.
“Timberland is proud to partner TRAID, as both companies have similar goals of producing fashionable and functional products whilst maintaining a strong social conscience and positive community interaction,” said head of Timberland Marketing UK Jo Fisher.
“It’s incredibly exciting to have created this collection of TRAIDremade bags for Timberland,” added head of TRAIDremade Paula Kirkwood. “We’ve reincarnated old jackets, leathers, shirts and denims into must have bags that are fashionable, functional and ethical.”
My first reaction to this picture of of two suited men at New York Fashion Week is to laugh. I found the picture on Lela Luxe and on further reading realised that all is not as it seems. The clear plastic suit made from recycled bottles is not actually a fashion statement but more an elaborate statement to show how a suit made from recycled bottles is not what you would expect. The man on the right is wearing a suit made by Bagir, an Israel-based tailored apparel manufacturer that specializes in high-tech suiting innovations. It is made from ECOGIR™ a fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. The fabric is machine washable and can be tumbled dried so is also eco friendly in that it does not require dry cleaning.
This is another great example of ways that you can help the planet without compromising on style.
Glove Love is an initiative by Green Thing, where they take lonely single gloves that have lost their original partners, wash them and then pair them with brand new glove lovers. You can either donate single gloves, or buy a matched pair for a fiver. This shirt film/ commercial featuring the voie of Emma Thompson was filmed by Michael Wright and Mustard. A really fun way to recycle and cut down on waste, we love it. Alternatively, you could swap your old gloves on Posh-swaps.com.
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Sam Ubhi is launching its recycled leather bag range for SS10. The eco-chic range of recycled leather bags will be on show at Pure in August. Since its interception twenty-one years ago, Sam Ubhi, the accessories label, has utilised eco friendly materials such as African horn and bone, bi-products from the world’s food industry. Now they are using yet another animal product but as the leather will be recycled, it will be helping to reduce the problem of waste and landfill.
The brand is already known for it’s use of recycled materials. Their bags made from scraps are both functional and stunning pieces which are made to last. Sam Ubhi is also showcasing a new horn and bone jewellery collection from Indonesia. The natural materials will be recycled and moulded into chunky cuffs, low hanging necklaces and chain link earrings all combined with sterling silver featuring a Sam Ubhi twist.
The Sam Ubhi brand has maintained an eco friendly ethos from the outset with all jewellery being handmade in the UK, and this year’s focus has been on moving all production to the UK.
Eco fashion is quite a general term that is bandied about quite a lot lately. As with any green or eco product their are different levels of environmental credentials and different ways that fashion and clothing can be Eco friendly. Basically Eco fashion is anything that lessens the environmental impact of clothing and fashion in some way and is more sustainable than conventional clothing. It is up to the individual buying to decide exactly how Eco friendly each piece of clothing labelled as Eco fashion is.
Organic Clothing
This is clothing made from natural fibres that are grown without the use of pesticides. Conventional cotton is grown using a lot of chemical pesticides which are damaging to the ecosystem and pose health hazards to humans. Organic cotton offers a much more sustainable option but there are also a whole host of other organic fibres including bamboo, hemp and soy which may be even more sustainable than organic cotton. There are a variety of different certifications and standards which are applied to organic fabrics, it is always worth checking that your organic clothing is certified by the relevant body. There are more details about organic clothing and certifications on Adili.
Natural Clothing
Natural clothing is made using natural fibres such as wool, silk, cotton or linen. It is better alternative to synthetic fibres which are difficult to dispose after their useful life, use petro chemicals which are a limited natural resource and have a relative large carbon footprint due to the energy used to manufacture them. Natural clothing is not necessarily sustainable, for example cotton is grown using large amounts of pestcides.
Recycled Fibres
Clothing can be made from fibres that are manufactured using recycled materials. This can include anything from rags to plastic bottles. This is a great way to reuse materials that have passed their useful life in their current form and prevent them ending up in landfill. There is also less energy used with producing synthetic fibres in this way than starting from scratch.
Recycled materials or clothes
Second hand, vintage and reworked or recycled clothing can be included in this category. It is probably the most Eco friendly type of Eco fashion as the materials do not have to be manufactured and so it is carbon neutral (or almost). It does not cause pollution as no or minimal manufacture is required and it helps to reduce waste and landfill. A really sustainable form of Eco fashion. Even better, it is usually cheaper to buy than conventional clothing, where most other forms of eco fashion are more expensive.
There are some other labels such as fairtrade and ethical clothing that are often associated with Eco fashion. Whilst these clothes often have more eco credentials than conventional clothing, they are not necessarily Eco fashion.
We are so excited there are yet more exciting activities in the refashioning, DIY, customising and restyling of vintage and second hand clothes. It is such a great way to recycle old clothes into something really new, unique and exciting. A pass time that is becoming really popular lately.
Oxfam has lauched a DIY competition with a prize of a custom garment designed by Mrs Jones and their winning garment will be featured on the online pages. Mrs Jones is the designer that Oxfam has recently brought on board to design the Oxfam DIY collection, a limited edition of 30 pieces, created using second hand clothes. Previously, Fee Doran AKA Mrs Jones has worked with some of biggest names in the industry and celebrities including Kylie and Goldfrapp.
You can enter the competition by submitting photographs of your creation to Flickr or by emailing them. Full details of the competition are on the Oxfam website. There is also a gallery of entries, great for inspiration.
Don’t forget, you can also sell your recycled, refashioned and restyled creations on www.posh-swaps.com.
Another great idea is to buy clothes cheap online, for wholesale clothing prices. After you wear them a bit, then refurbish them, to save even more money!
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.
