Fashion | News & Views

The Annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo

Wednesday 6th October 2010
Central Hall, Westminster, London, UK

The annual industry marketplace for suppliers of sustainable fabrics, components and manufacture to the fashion industry.

The annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo, now in its second year, brings together international manufacturers, suppliers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards. The event includes a programme of seminars, introducing new products and exemplary supply and production systems.

Invitations to attend and exhibit are extended internationally.

Why visit the Ethical Fashion Source Expo?

The Ethical Fashion Source Expo is designed for representatives of businesses of all sizes, designers, entrepreneurs, and researchers who want to develop and produce fashion collections made to high ethical standards or want to explore new sourcing routes. Save time and money by liaising face to face with exemplary suppliers brought together in one place from all over the world.

Traditionally , sourcing to high ethical standards has been time consuming and resource intensive for fashion designers, retailers and brands. This event aims to cut through the barriers and make it easy for you.

Through linking exemplary suppliers to trade buyers, this event supports sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of people in ethical supply networks and reduces impact on the environment.

SEMINAR PROGRAMME:

A selection of seminars will take place throughout the day.

Last year’s programme included seminars on the following:
Ethical Production: Best practice on the High St
Ethical Supply Systems: The Business Case
Ethical Production in Africa
Supporting Cooperative Suppliers- Changing lives

The 2010 seminar programme will be available on the event website.

>>> For more information on where to stay and transport arrangements please check the website

Equa Sponsers Ethical Fashion Show

Equa are sponsoring a fantastic ethical fashion show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London on Sunday 9th November.

The show is part of the V&A’s Conscious Style day, an event to explore the growing popularity of ethical fashion, with swishing, styling workshops, talks and the fashion show, all taking place in the V&A’s new Sackler Centre for education.

The fashion show will feature high street and one-off pieces by labels such as Noir, Del Forte, People Tree, Stuart & Brown, Amana and Wildlifeworks.

All events are free. No prior booking is required; some events will be ticketed on the day as numbers may be limited. Tickets for the fashion show available from 1pm. For the full programme visit Conscious Style at www.vam.ac.uk/events.

>>> Please read the full article here

>>> Visit Equa’s Online Shop here

>>> For more information on green events click here

Hikers go more environmentally friendly

The leading trade show in the outdoor equipment industry, estimated to be worth €14.1 billion in Europe, opens in Germany where hikers spend 3.7 billion a year on jackets, day packs and boots.

OutDoor, the leading global trade show in the field of outdoor sports, is open to industry professionals July 15-18 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. A prominent theme of this year’s show will be environmental sustainability in the industry.

Approximately 19,300 specialist visitors from 72 countries are expected to attend; exhibitors include outdoor specialists Advansa, Craft, Contigo and Eagle Creek amongst others. A wide range of existing and newly developed products will be on show, and conferences on outdoor sports will also be held both in English and German throughout the duration of the event.
The ‘OutDoor Celebrity of the Year’ award will be presented on the first day of the show, to a celebrity judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the outdoor industry; previous winners include Bartmann and Thomas Lipke, CEOs of travel company Globetrotter.

A study by the German Hiking Association in May 2010, found that 56 percent of the 7,500 respondents, proportionally 39.8 million Germans, rated themselves as active hikers. The nearly 40 million German outdoor enthusiasts are estimated to spend €3.7 billion per year on hiking equipment alone. The study also found that jackets were the most popular purchase amongst German hikers, followed by day packs and hiking boots.

Reuters reported on April 9 that the European outdoor equipment market grew at a rate of 1 percent, to €14.1 billion, outperforming the sports market. Consumer trend specialists Retail Planet claim this growth is due to an increasing percentage of Europe’s aging population pursuing healthier lifestyles, and the recent economic recession forcing people to choose domestic camping and walking holidays over foreign luxury vacations.
OutDoor tickets for industry professionals are available to buy online at www.outdoor-show.com.

>>> Please read the full article here

Marie-Claire Top Ten Eco Fashion Brands

Top fashion magazine Marie Claire have scoured the fashion world for the best in eco-fashion lines.

KUYICHI
Eco-fashion brand Kuyichi has adopted the mantra of ’style conscious’, on which it expands, ‘We create style. We are conscious of how we create it.’ This innovative denim brand was founded in 2001 and created the first all-organic and Fairtrade jeans to hit the market. Since then their range has expanded, keeping the ethical principles intact alongside contemporary cuts and design.

PEOPLE TREE
The self-named ‘Fairtrade fashion pioneer,’ People Tree is one of the original ethical fashion labels and can boast impeccable eco-credentials. Covering all areas of the spectrum, the company aims to use only organic and Fairtrade cotton, uses strictly natural dyes, sources locally where possible and chooses recycled products over synthetics. Plus, their Fairtrade endeavours span 20 developing countries. If that’s not enough, then the fact that they create beautiful clothing is just an added bonus. Check out designer collaborations from Thakoon and Bora Aksu amongst the delectable range.

STELLA MCCARTNEY
One of the true pioneers of eco-chic, Stella McCartney proves that fashion can be fair, without sacrificing style. She has long been an advocate of alternatives to animal products, with all her accessories being strictly cruelty free. The eco philosophy doesn’t stop there, with McCartney launching an organic capsule collection this year.

KATHARINE E HAMNETT
Katharine Hamnett is a true ethical clothing innovator, and a tireless campaigner for the use of organic cotton. After visiting Mali with Oxfam in 2003, the designer saw first hand the devastating effects of the conventional cotton industry, and immediately vowed to help drive the demand for the organic alternative. Her iconic slogan tees are the produced to the highest environmentally friendly standards and are the height of eco-chic.

HOWIES
For Howies, taking an ethical philosophy isn’t just about using organic cotton (although they do this as well!); it’s about making products that will last. This is why the brand’s selection of organic basics are some of the best out there, and are a good place to start if you want to make your wardrobe more eco-friendly.

EDUN
Founded by Bono and wife Ali Hewson in spring 2005, EDUN is far from being a celebrity fashion label. Created to encourage Fairtrade practise, the label fosters sustainable employment schemes in developing countries around the world. The fact that the clothes are some of the most stylish in the eco-market is merely a bonus.

CIEL
When Sarah Ratty established eco-fashion label Ciel she wanted to create clothing that would offer an ethical and environmental choice to fashion conscious women. She certainly succeeded, and her covetable collection garners as much attention for its beautiful cuts and colours as it does its’ impeccable eco credentials.

BEYOND SKIN
Proving an ideal example of how far the ethical fashion industry has come in the past few years, Beyond Skin’s designs are as stylish as they are ethically sound. Handmade in a family run factory in England, the company has a cruelty free philosophy, in terms of not only animals, but humans and the environment as well.

ANNIE GREENABELLE
Available at Equa, one of our favourite eco-boutiques, Annie Greenabelle is one of those labels that instantly debunk notions that ethical fashion can’t be both green and stylish. Combining organically grown and recycled fabrics, her party dresses are a must for green goddesses.

AMANA
Amana was one of our favourite discoveries at last season’s London Fashion Week Estethica exhibition, an area dedicated to the best eco-clothing labels out there. Marrying beautiful design with ethical production, the entire collection is created by a fair trade co-operative of women artisans in Morocco. On top of this, organic silks and cottons alongside hemp mix fabrics ensure that the collection has minimal negative environmental impact.

>>> For more information on each of these designers and to see Marie Claire’s top tens click here

Eco-Fashion – a contradiction in terms?

The concept of eco-fashion can be confusing. In such a fast-paced transient world how can you possibly remain eco-conscious? To be on-trend yet aware of your carbon footprint, the pit-falls of consumerism are seemingly overwhelming. And I’m not talking about high-end couture fashion. These days designers are creating astonishing masterpieces out of everything from recycled bottles to car tyres. No, I mean everyday wear. I mean that little dress from People Tree you can’t bear to be without, I mean those Love Eco earrings that would go perfectly with your Green People top, I mean that cute Ascension lingerie that would put a spring in your step.

It is all a matter of planning. A matter of intelligent decision making and questioning your purchases. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself to a new dress or buying a new bikini for your holiday but there is a fine line between being a conscious shopper and an impulse purchaser.

For one, ask yourself ‘will I really wear this?’ and by ‘wear’ I don’t mean simply on one night out, to one dinner party or one interview. I mean will it make a useful addition to your wardrobe. If the answer is no then step away from the clothes rack. As you remove yourself from the vicinity of the item your heart rate will slow, your mind will stop believing that top will make you look like Kate Moss and you will realise how un-important that item of clothing is to your life.

However, if you genuinely believe this garment will become a staple, that it is a classic or something you will make the most of then go ahead. Make sure it fits well and is well made (buy sustainable wherever you can) and don’t feel guilty about it. Buy it if you are going to enjoy it.

Being eco-friendly is not about feeling guilty for every purchase you make. It is impossible (or at least no fun!) to live in an entirely frugal manner. Cutting out all palm oil, only wearing clothes from charity shops and cycling everywhere (even in the rain) is admirable but for many it is not an option. Surely it is just as important to inspire one million people to buy little but quality, to make well-informed decisions and support eco-fashion lines as it is to praise the brave few who live in a zero-carbon manner?

Eco-friendly fashion is not a contradiction in terms. If anything, being conscious of your decisions as a consumer allows you to make informed purchases that are more likely to last the seasons and transcend fair-weather trends to remain chic and classic. Fashion is a multi-million pound industry and it’s safe to say it’s not going anywhere. So why not support well-made sustainable clothing lines that will last the ages? You don’t have to dress in recycled potato sacks to be eco you know.

>>> For more information on eco-shopping and eco-living click here

>>> For more information on Carbon Footprint click here

>>> For Top Ten advice on eco shopping click here

>>> For more information on eco-shopping click here

London drives sustainable fashion

A number of leading brands and sustainable clothing organisations including Levis Strauss and the Ethical Fashion Forum have signed up to the UK-government-backed Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP).

Speaking at the sustainable clothing conference at London Fashion Week, Environment Minister Dan Norris announced a number of new signatories to SCAP who would be joining the 40 companies such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury‚Äôs and Oxfam that have already in pledged to improve the environmental and ethical aspects of their supply chains. New signatories this year include: British Retail Consortium, Ethical Fashion Forum, Forum for the Future, Levis Strauss, MADE-BY, Cotton Made in Africa, RSPCA, Society of Dyers and Colourists.

I’m delighted to be here amongst the industry front runners on sustainable clothing, Norris said. Because of your participation, the Action Plan and wider Clothing Roadmap initiative is progressing as planned and we are as committed as ever to working with the sector on improving the environmental and ethical footprint of fashion.
SCAP covers a broad range of commitments to make fashion more sustainable throughout its whole lifecycle, from design, to raw material selection, to production, through to retail and disposal.

Initiatives so far have seen Asda, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury are focus on green factories, reducing the impacts of clothing packaging, increasing their ranges of Fair Trade and Organic, increasing take back and recovery of unwanted clothing, supply chain traceability and increasing consumer messaging on low impact clothing washing practices.

In addition, the UK Department for International Development ( DFID ), as a Sustainable Clothing Roadmap stakeholder, has launched The Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector ( RAGS ) initiative to help clothing manufacturers improve working conditions for their producers in developing countries.

The RAGS fund will make £3.5 million available over three years for bids from organisations who want to make the clothing business more ethical and contribute more strongly to development in poor countries.

Read the full article at ecotextile.com

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