Go mad for monochrome

I should be thinking about the autumn/winter season right now, but I am still hanging onto the hope of a summer arising out of the dreary gloom. Monochrome was a key spring/summer trend and the colour black is filtering through to the autumn/winter season (albeit minus the white!). So, just enough time to grab a few black and white ethical fashion pieces that will see you through the rest of summer. Enjoy your hols!

1) TUK Houndstooth Flat, $36 - Moo Shoes.
2) Vintage Zebra Dress, 450 kr - Mint & Vintage.
3) Edun Damas Organic Tee, $60, 100% organic, Fair Trade and sweatshop free cotton - Equita.
4) Ecoganik French Terry Bermuda, $75, 100% organic cotton - Couture Candy.
5) Black and White Bag, £9.95, fairly traded from India - Natural Collection.
6) BKMHattitude Not So Plain Jane, $25, linen - Etsy.

Ecoganik bring contemporary chic to ethical fashion

Eco-fashion is constantly evolving and it would seem that it is finally on the cusp of something phenomenal that will hopefully move ethical fashion from the periphery to the mainstream in the longterm. Ecoganik has been plugging away for ten years in the contemporary organic fashion movement, attempting to make headway. With a new creative director, Genevieve Cruz on board and a re-modelled marketing campaign, Ecoganik are gracing the pages of prestigious publications such as In Style, WWD, Lucky Magazine, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and the New York Times.

Ecoganik are experts at catering for the eco-conscious consumer and Genevieve Cruz is now looking towards fashionistas who are keen to be more earth conscius, without compromising their sense of style. Each piece designed by Cruz is wearable, comfortable and relatively inexpensive, ranging from $63 for a tank to $250 for a dress.

I am hoping that ethical fashion is going to become ever more innovative and a social norm. With labels like Ecoganik injecting effortless style into earth conscious attire, the dream seems ever more possible by the hour.

Ecoganik: Fashion with a conscience

Ethical fashion is picking up pace and more of us are realising the impact of the mainstream fashion industry on our increasingly fragile environment. Billions of dollars worth of pesticides are sprayed on cotton crops every year, polluting the environment and harming producers all over the world. Forty million garment and textile workers worldwide are subject to poor working conditions, low pay, forced overtime, unsafe working environments, to name but few of the problems these individuals face.

The ethical fashion industry is demonstrating to us that it is more than capable of producing stylish garments with a conscience. One of the brands that are embracing this vision is the California based Ecoganik, providing “a fusion of fashion and eco consciousness.”

Ecoganik is a member of the Organic Trade Association, the OTA Fiber Council Committee and Co-op America Business Network and they only use certified organic and eco-friendly materials in their clothing and accessories, free from harmful pesticides and chemicals. To colour their garments they use low impact dyes, free of metal and mordant substances.

Ecoganik make the most of alternative fibres such as eco fiber – a recycled cotton fabric, tencel – a 100% biodegradable silky fabric made of the cellulose extracted from trees, using a non-toxic process and hemp – a crop that is naturally antibacterial and resistant to insects and pests (thus it can be grown without the use of pesticides).

Ecoganik’s ranges are affordable and incredibly attractive. Here are a few of my favourite pieces. You can find all these pieces online at Couture Candy.

1) Bamboo Dress with Lace in Sky, $129 – 92% bamboo, 7% spandex.
2) Long Stripe Dress in Blue and White, $150 – 62% polyester, 19% cotton, 19% modal.
3) Organic Tissue Earth Tank in Chamomile, $63 – 100% organic cotton.
4) French Terry Short in Tulip, $85 – 100% organic cotton.
5) Jersey Elastic Waist Mala Pant in Eggplant, $105 – 100% organic cotton.

[via Hippyshopper]

Summer sales: Pick up some bargains

Summer means sales and not just for mainstream fashion, but for ethical fashion too! A study carried out by Doorone.co.uk, of 1,152 UK adults, aged 16+, discovered that 67% of those questioned felt that ethical products are too expensive. So, now's your chance to make the most of the sales and grab some great ethical fashion buys. You don't have to go mad, but by slowly building up an ethical collection a bit at a time, you will eventually find that you have a whole wardrobe full of ethical garments. There is no need to throw your old wardrobe out (that will cause more waste), instead give anything you don't want to a charity organisation like Oxfam or the British Heart Foundation, exchange some items on Uk.freecycle.org or take them to a recycling bank. Check out Recyclenow.com for your one in your locality.

Back to the sales, here are just a selection of the bargains you can find out there.

1) Ecoganik Kimono Tissue Top, cut from $68 to $47.60 - 100% organic cotton, BTC Elements.
2) Ecoganik Laurel Long Tie Side Thermal, cut from $62 to $37.20 - 100% organic cotton, BTC Elements.
3) Edun Crochet Tank, cut from $154 to $92 - 100% organic cotton, Coco's Shoppe.
4) Stewart + Brown Organic Cotton Cinch Skirt, cut from $80 to $48 - 100% organic cotton, Coco's Shoppe.
5) Kuyichi It's All About Me T, cut from £35 to £23 - fairly traded, Adili.
6) Beyond Skin Suzy Pointed Toe Stiletto Court Shoes, cut from £165 to £94 - black faux leather, The Natural Store.

Summer nights - ethical dresses for the evening

Finding an ethical dress to wear for a night out might seem a bit more challenging than finding daywear, but here to the rescue, as ever, I have managed to source a selection of beautiful ethical dresses that can be worn in the daytime or the evening. Three of them are made from 100% organic cotton, which is fantastic, because the growing of regular cotton uses 25% of all insecticides and almost $3 billion worth of pesticides every single year. Between 1 million and 5 million pesticide poisonings take place every year, leading to 20,000 reported deaths among agricultural workers (Environmental Justice Foundation). Pesticides also contaminate rivers around the world. Organic cotton uses natural pesticides (such as a mixture of chilli, garlic and soap), is handpicked and often rain fed, which is a much more environmentally friendly option.

The other three dresses use alternative fabrics, preventing the reliance on cotton, which uses up precious water resources - six pints of water are required to produce one cotton bud. Global cotton consumption has been estimated to be responsible for 2.6 per cent of the world's water use (EJF). Bamboo (used in the Ecoganik dress) is a fast growing grass that is organically grown. It is also antibacterial and antifungal. The Debbi Little Parachute dress is made from recycled parachutes, so prevents wastage and the Enamore dress incorporates innovative fabrics such as hemp and tencel.

Now all you have to do is choose which ones to go for!

1) Katherine Hamnett Cynthia Dress, 100% organic cotton, £239.99, Katherine Hamnett.
2) Camilla Norrback Moa Dress, creme, 100% organic cotton, 1275 kr, Mint and Vintage.
3) Ecoganik Bamboo Amy Kimono Dress in Paradise, 95% bamboo, 5% spandex, Couture Candy.
4) Debbi Little Parachute Dress, made from 1950s parachutes, £240, Equa Clothing.
5) Ciel Sophia Dress, 100% organic cotton, £162, My Wardrobe.
6) Enamore Eva Dress in black with vintage detail, 55% hemp, 45% tencel and vintage, £150, Enamore.