Today the lovely Mel Wiggins and Vicky from Owl and Accordion are introducing the Ethical Fashion Collective. I’m joining in to encourage myself to think more carefully about where my clothes from and just how ethical they are. I’m often guilty of quickly ordering new dresses for myself (and clothes for the kids) on-line without checking the fairness and eco-friendliness of a company. With just a bit more care, research and more shopping around, I can begin to look for the more ethical choices. Hopefully, if more shoppers vote with their purse, more brands will take notice and improve their workers’ rights and environmental footprint. Shopping for ethical fashion can be fun joyful and guilt free.
Long Lasting
One staple in my wardrobe are my vegan Docs. Perfect for gigs and festivals but also for beach and woodlands walks. I will always love the iconic traditional 1460 Black Dr Marten’s but for now I have the Vegan Cherry Reds. They are not a passing trend, they are an anti fashion statement, never in, never out. They are long lasting and hard wearing. After a particular muddy walk, they need a quick wipe and are as good as new. Over the years I have thrown away so many boots through wear and tear but Docs always get better with age. They’re not cheap but you definitely get more than your money’s worth. You can pick pairs up second hand too.
Doc Martins also strive to be socially responsible.
“At Dr. Martens we believe it is just as important to choose our suppliers for their fair treatment of their employees as for their performance on cost, delivery and quality.”
I was so excited when they brought out a vegan version so I could buy them again.
” Due to recent technical advances it is now possible for the manufacturing process and materials used to be acutely vegan friendly. Dr Martens have symbolised their excitement for the vegan collection by creating a new sock logo. One of our favourites in the vegan collection is the popular 1460 boot in Cherry Red which features air cushioned soles and Felix rub-off none leather uppers.”
I would love a pair of the Black Vegan 1460′s.
Reuse, Recycle
I used to buy a lot of throwaway jewellery. Now I try to make and buy longer lasting pieces. I also “reuse” a lot of broken jewellery. I find so often that the original necklace chain breaks, I used to buy new chains. But now I rethread with a shoelace or yarn and wear again. They last so much longer this way. It’s also easy to change the length and colour of the “chain” for different outfits (or when sharing with the girls).
Fairtrade
My dress is from Nomad Clothing. Nomad’s are all about Fair trade Clothing and Ethical Fashion.
“Since 1989, Nomads has been bringing you fair trade clothing without compromise. This means that factories are meeting with the standards as outlined by our fair trade policy (see below). At Nomads we believe in the policy of ‘trade not aid’ to help maintain a sustainable and profitable living. We also consider the environment by recycling and using GOTS certified organic cotton yarn in many of our designs.
Nomads are a member of the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) and the British Association of Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS). A percentage of Nomads profits are used to support TAMWED, a non-profit charity based in south India.”
“At Nomads we believe in following the key principles of fair trade. Creating beautiful, ethical clothing with respect for both the artisans and the environment is at the core of our brand. When you choose to buy fair trade clothing you are shopping with a conscience, knowing that the people who make your clothes are paid fairly and treated with respect.”
I bought this dress with Autumn in mind, but it suits cooler spring days too. They have lots of gorgeous new dresses in their Spring and Summer range.
They also have a good sale section where you can buy Fairtrade, ethical clothes at a reasonable price. I did have a Nomad’s purple wraparound cardigan which went rather nicely with this dress. Unfortunately, I shrunk it in the wash which is such a waste of good clothing and not ethical at all. Thankfully my eldest daughter has adopted it so it still gets wear but it was a good lesson to me to take more care washing the clothes.
Sorry for the lack of full length photos of the dress. The kids had control of the camera but they just wanted to rock climb! 🙂
Now Summer is on it’s way I’m on the look out for ethical shorts, tees and dresses for the kids. I’ll let you know how I get on next month.
Why not join Mel Wiggins and Vicky from Owl and Accordion on the first Friday of every month as they share their favourite style and thoughts around ethical fashion. It doesn’t have to be a blog post, it can be a tweet, IG or facebook post using the hashtag #ethicalfashioncollective.
