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Ethical fashion brand Onagono is introducing a new collection called Shining, designed by Tomomi Kojo Robertson, which will be unleashed in September. This simple, high quality and incredibly stylish jersey wear collection reveres the planet, having been constructed from 100% organic fair trade cotton and featuring nature inspired printed artworks by Phoebe Eason, Rohan Daniel, Rupert Smyth and Richard Ardagh. Garments from this new collection will not break the bank with t-shirts starting from £23 a piece. 
Onagono was born out of Tomomi’s desire to fight against the unfair cotton trade, by providing an ethical alternative. Recognising that her background in mainstream fashion and interest in creative cultures and the environment were at odds, Tomomi developed an ethical label that makes the most of organic (certified by SKAL) fair trade cotton. Onagono will be showcasing a full Spring/Summer 2008 women’s wear collection at the September Pret-a-Porter exhibition in Paris.
Stockists of Onagono have included Topshop, Behave and Family Tree in London, Beams and Ma in Japan, The Rise and Fall in New York and 90sqm in Amsterdam. For more information check out the Onagono website which will have an online store up and running shortly.
Ethical clothing retailer Adili have a summer sale on with up to 50% off some of their stock. I have suggested some great buys below. Bag some bargains soon whilst stocks last!1) Kuyichi Jersey Cross Back Dress, fairly traded, £55, now £38. 2) Kuyichi Casual Summer Jean, fairly traded, £85, now £60. 3) Del Forte Denim Short, organic cotton, £85, now £55. 4) Alchem1st Sweetheart Top, ethically traded, fine jersey cotton, £70, now £45.5) Kuyichi Harpoon Print Top, fairly traded, 50% cotton, 50% polyester, £40, now £28. 
Today I have put together an ethical outfit for you that is a combination of organic high street and ethical brand items. It’s great to see the high street producing more ethical collections, in line with consumer demand. However, we have to be aware that they don’t always practice the ethics they preach. Many high street retailers are making efforts at improving their ethical policies but there is still a long way to go.
The high street brands I have sourced products from for the outfit below are Laura Ashley and Monsoon. Laura Ashley is a relative latecomer to the ethical fashion market, but they do have quite a few pieces, including the Archive Collection of vintage, organic retro, seventies garments. The organic cotton used in Laura Ashley’s small organic range is sourced from cotton farmers in Turkey who receive 1/3 more for their crop, plus their mills are organically certified. Laura Ashley could also do with paying a living wage.
Monsoon traditionally focused on clothes of ethnic origin and in 1994 established the Monsoon Trust, which aims to improve the lives of children, young people and women in South Asia, via projects that concentrate on education, health and activities to foster more income. Monsoon is also a founder member of The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an alliance of companies non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade union organisations, established to improve corporate codes of practice covering supply chain working conditions.
Monsoon could do better by increasing their organic and Fairtrade products and making more solid environmental commitments, but they do have higher standards than many other retailers. In reality all high street retailers need to be making more concerted efforts to improve their track record for producer working conditions and increasing their organic and fairly traded ranges.
The other items below are from Fifi Bijoux who produce jewellery using ethically mind gold, Novacas (sold at Moo Shoes) who produce vegan, cruelty-free footwear and Bourgeois Boheme who sell vegan, cruelty-free bags and footwear.
1) Fifi Bijoux, Starfish Pendant, made from ethically mined gold, £130 – Adili.com.
2) Novacas, Angel Beige Shoe, $95 – Mooshoes.com.
3) Valencia Small Beige Tote Bag, £19 – Bboheme.com.
4) Jersey Grandad Top, made from 100% organic cotton, £7 – Lauraashley.com.
5) Abigail Organic Regular Length Jeans, made from an organic cotton mix, £45 – Monsoon.co.uk.
If you are searching for ethical fashion to get excited about, look no further than Canadian based Thieves, by eco designer Sonja den Elzen, who effortlessly evokes cutting edge style and sophistication using a range of sustainable fabrics, including: organic cotton, organic bamboo, linen, organic soy cotton and lyocell. Sonja is as passionate about the environment as she is about producing meticulously designed clothing. Her love of fashion began at a very young age and eventually led her to create an urban street wear line, Jystijls, that was available in various boutiques worldwide from 1996 - 2002. Thieves arose out of Sonja's desire to combine her fashion designing with environmentally friendly principles and practises. Thieves spring 2007 collection is stylish, thoughtful and earthy, using putty shades that evoke the imagery of nature. The fall 2007 collection literally takes us back to black, with a simple and refined collection that borrows Japanese detailing. 
As thick as thieves, Sonja den Elzen and Dana Takeda established an online boutique for men and women in May 2007, called League of Lovers and Thieves, which sells the Thieves range and Dana's League of Lovers organic intimate wear and re-worked vintage pieces. Both women believe in using environmentally sound processes and materials, with the intention of, "taking the fashion world by storm and turning everything green one dress, one shirt, one jacket and one pair of pants at a time." With their beautifully created pieces, the outlook looks very promising.
What do they do? Adili is an online ethical store selling a range of Fair Trade, fairly traded, recycled, organic and other ethical womenswear, menswear, accessories, footwear, babies and children's clothing, household items, skincare and gifts, produced by a range of ethical labels.
What are they about?
Adili is the Swahili word for 'ethical and just,' which is what Adili stand for, believing that fashionable clothing can be made without causing unnecessary harm to people or the planet. Adili showcases the pioneering brands who have demonstrated that trade can be conducted in a fairer manner, without exploiting people along the supply chain. With this in mind, Adili has created a framework for each brand to be evaluated against, before they can be adopted as a supplier. Each supplier must demonstrate against a set criteria how they are ensuring the ethical and just nature of their production processes.
Who is behind Adili?
Adam Smith is the CEO of Adili, with 14 years experience in the retail sector. He has undertaken various roles throughout his career, including Director of Operations for sit-up Ltd and eCommerce Development Director at Dixons. Adam has experience of setting up supply chains from the Far East and Indian sub-continent and a personal empathy with the values of Adili.com.
Quentin Griffiths is the Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of ASOS. His background is in marketing.
Christopher Powles in a Non-Executive Director, who combines his experience of financing small unquoted companies with a long standing interest in the environment and developing world. Christopher was born in Africa and has been involved in conservation and ethical projects for a number of years.
Claire Lissaman is a consultant on ethical and fair trade, having formerly been the UK director for RUGMARK, a certification, labelling and development initiative working to end exploited child labour in South Asia's rug industry.
What criteria do Adili use to ensure that items are ethical?
Adili has a set definition of fair trade, which includes, "a trading partnership based on trasparency, dialogue and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade," amongst other things. Some brands carry a certification label such as those issued by IFAT (International Fair Trade Association) and the Fairtrade Foundation. Adili uses the word fairly traded to denote brands that are working within their set definition, but do not yet have formal certification.
Adili recognises organic certifiers who are members of The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), including: The Soil Association, Skal, IMO and AGRECO. Adili uses the term organic to denote products that are crafted from organic fibres but are not currently certified.
Adili also sells locally sourced products (which supports local businesses, promotes traditional skills and helps to combat carbon emissions from shipping clothes all other the world) and sells products that use alternative and recycled fibres (which prevents wastage, as millions of textiles are binned each year and avoids the reliance on cotton, a crop which accounts for billions of dollars worth of pesticide use every year and consumes vast amounts of precious water).
For further information on Adili's ethical framework, check out Adili.com.
Hot picks?
I thought you'd never ask, the Ciel Sophia Dress, for £185, made from certified organic cotton, the fairly traded Kuyichi Harpoon Print Top, for £40, made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester, the fairly traded Kuyichi White Denim Jeans, for £78, the Fifi Bijoux Ardent Pendant, for £205, made from ethically mined gold and gemstones, without the use of cyanide, arsenic or mercury and all the Spiezia beauty products, because I think Spiezia are fantastic! 
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]
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. 
Profile of Linda Loudermilk
Inspired and awed by nature designer Linda Loudermilk creates stylish, elegant and beautifully tailored items, with sustainable fabrics that any self-respecting fashionista would give her right arm to be seen in. You can forget tree hugger hippy hemp. Bamboo pointelles and soya blends go into producing refined clothes that revere nature and bring Linda’s luxury eco line to the forefront. Luscious fabrics are cleverly crafted out of organic cotton, recycled plastic, reclaimed antique lace, sea cell® (seaweed based), soy, sasawashi (a Japanese anti-bacterial leaf) and other sustainable ingredients.
Linda Loudermilk studied Shakespeare and costume design at Oxford University before practising as a sculptor. Opposed to living a hermit like artist existence Linda embarked upon a course at the Colorado Art Institute in Denver and aired her skills in Paris with a couture collection. After returning to US shores Linda launched a range of organic T-shirts, leading her to realise the true potential of sustainable fabrics and to develop her contemporary ‘eco-fashions’.
Some of Hollywood’s best-dressed including Debra Messing, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda and Farah Fawcett are snapping up Linda’s fashion lines without substituting style for substance.
Linda’s avante-garde flagship store will be located on the LA strip, habitat of Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu, only this store will be ‘green’ down to it’s very foundations.
An Interview with LindaWhen and why did you become passionate about nature and eco-sustainability?
"I had an experience with a disease in my life that wasn’t going away and it was an experience with my connection with nature that gave me inspiration to heal this disease. It was on a very personal basis. That was before I was even designing and really when that happened I just realised that that connection was what was going to heal me. As time went on I realised how much that connection gave me strength and it was key to my survival. It’s key now, it is my spiritual world, it’s where I get information from. It’s where I find clarity, freedom and the truth, all of what I would want out of being a physical and a spiritual being.
Nature has turned out to be a catalyst for everything that I do. It’s my goal to take this passion and turn it into something that is good commercially, that is strong business that also feeds our ego so we look good walking down the street. God gave us an ego so why not use it for the good, strut it, feel proud of ourselves and trust that we are making the right decisions for ourselves and the world that we are in."
How do you manage to sustain green fashion without compromising on style?
"When I first started out I was designing in Paris on a couture level. I did a show at the Trocadero in Paris and it was stunning. I should have been on top of the world but I went back to my hotel room and cried. I thought, "why am I not happy?" It’s because what I was doing wasn’t feeding my soul. I packed up everything and came back to the states where I knew I had core support and networking. At the beginning I started out with organic cotton T-shirts as that is all there was.
You can make organic cotton luxury, but there are also luxury fabrics that have not hit the market place because there hasn’t been a designer that was able to do that. They have been scared to take a risk on say a corn fabric or even bamboo. The more I talked about these ideas the more I convinced producers to create fabrics that they hadn't wanted to create before because it was too expensive and they didn’t have anyone to take it to the marketplace. I said, "I’ll do it, lets put it out there, lets tell the story." My passion is about using a fabric and telling the story of the fabric and how it’s made, so that people will understand the value."
What are your favourite eco-fabrics?
"My favourite one each season is the new one. Right now we are doing a lot of experimenting with Ingeo [made from non GM corn] . It’s a lot of fun to see what a fabric can do. Once a manufacturer is making enough leads for me to take the message out to the public then we order these in and start our experimenting. Bamboo is a staple favourite fabric because it can feel like silk."
What are your favourite fashion pieces from your own collections and why?
"I love the more costume pieces that’s what comes out of me naturally. I can do that with my eyes closed. Each season it’s something different, the wildest costume piece I create. The pragmatist in me loves the Caterpillar pants which have no pockets, they are just made out of Bamboo jersey. You can wear it for days, you can wear it in a business meeting or for just sitting in the grass. It is that versatile. I also love the Slick Head top.
My passion is to tell the story. Sasawashi is from the remote hills of Japan it was first used to roll sushi and it’s anti-bacterial. Then they used it in the Suji screens. I took a chance on the fabric, which you can do if you are willing to tell the story behind it and represent the people who have worked so hard to create a fabric that respects the planet."
Do you have any other favourite designers? If so who are they and why?
"Alexander McQueen. Whenever I am looking around to pick out a favourite piece of the season, nine times out of ten it is one of his. The fluidity of his lines and expression of the human experience through his garments is really good."
What charities are you passionate about?
"The Children’s Health and Environmental Coalition (CHEC). It was started by James and Nancy Chuda who lost their young child to cancer. They were convinced that it was from environmental toxins. The charity is about 15 years old and we have been doing a lot with them."
What is your favourite holiday location and why?
"It’s not a city but wherever I am I love to lay down under the Christmas tree and midnight and look up at the lights in the silence. I am really able to absorb the holiday spirit."
Who is your favourite musician / group?
"I like a variety of music. I love native American music and sounds. I also love Outkast, anything off, silly and raw. I was a rocker for a long time. The glory of the angry side of us remains with you."
What is your favourite film?
"Pirates of the Caribbean right now because I love Johnny Depp. He almost died here on sunset. His expressions, how he translates his character and expressions of life is fantastic."
Who is your favourite author?
"Neale Donald Walsch and Ellen DeGenevres, I love her simple silly books. It’s that balance between intensity and simplicity."
Who inspires you the most?
"Street people."
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
"This mission. Changing the world one sexy little number at a time, building a fresh new environmental platform."
What is your favourite aspect of nature?
"The oddest ones, a knot in a tree or a drip down the wall, the energy of the oddities of nature invigorate me."
Which of these terms best describes you and why: humanist / realist / spiritual being?
"All of them. I have lived through the intensity of all three and after the intensity is the calm and I am able to be in all of those with a beautiful calm that I am very fortunate to have. What a gift that is."
If you could have anything in the world your heart desired what would you choose?
"Right now I am really passionate about this platform. I feel like it will change the way that people choose products if they understand that there is an environmental platform for luxury goods."
