Summer-fy Your Wardobe!

With such a sunny Easter Bank Holiday and following week, everyone feels like they have had a much-needed sun injection, so quite simply there's no better time to start thinking about putting together your summer wardrobe.

With corals and pastels, tribal prints, folk embroidery, distressed denim and safari tones all topping the fashion charts, here's my top 5 ethical fashion summer dresses to get you prepared for summer.


Folklore Dress, £58, People Tree


Embroidered Tunic, £55, Gudrun Sjoden


Kuyichi Denim Shirt, £85, ASOS


ASOS Africa Dress, £45, ASOS


Komodo Lola Dress, £60, Ascension

Go on, Do It Yourself...

Sustainable fashion doesn't just have to be rooted in the realms of 'organic' and 'fair trade', it's can be extracted from your own inner-creativity.


Whilst idly playing around on Facebook and Twitter, I came across an inspirational magazine called 'Cloth' which specialises in helping you to create and up-date your existing wardrobe. Instead of encouraging you to go to the nearest high street stores, they help you to re-create high street and vintage looks in a few easy steps.

Their website offers you a range of projects, techniques and workshop information to get you started, but it's their quarterly magazine that really offers exciting new ways to update your wardrobe (and your home) without feeling guilty! The best part of creating your own style is that, when a friend asks you where you brought those funky shoes from, or that pretty lace headband, you can simply say with a smile on your face, 'I made it myself'...



So, get yourself a copy of Cloth and head to your nearest craft shop/charity shop/craft fair and get creative... all in the name of fashion, of course!

Pure Cutting Edge

Time to introduce you another amazing eco-design brand that I've just stumbled upon!

Pure Design specialise in eco fashion and accessories, offering cutting edge designs that show how seemless contemporary design can merge with sustainability. Offering eco fashion accessories and jewellery, as well as gift ideas, home accessories and decorative art, Pure Design works with award winning artists and designers who specilialise in green materials and production methods to bring you high quality and ethical design products.

Take a gander below at a few of the great designs they offer before you decide they're definitely worth checking out...


Cork iPouch £11


Diskette Bracelet £55


Eyes to the Front Belt £45


Daisy Chain Jewellery £4/link


Peachy Pink Kimono Brooch £12

Interested? The make sure you SUBSCRIBE to get 10% off, as well as 20% during your birthday month.

They've got it made...

By far my favourite discovery since embarking on this blogging malarkey, designer jewellery makers made really do epitomise what fair trade fashion is, and should be, about.

Their slogan, 'made by the people for the people' sums them up; they train local artisans in Africa to create stunning, contemporary yet artistic pieces of jewellery for fashion-fans.

This conscienscious fashion brand thus builds bridges between sustainability and fashion, a gap which is starting to close thanks to this amazing brand, and others such as People Tree, Howies etc.

But made is more than just your ordinary fair trade brand; they also have designer and celebrity collections from the likes of Alexa Chung and Pixie Geldof. And with materials including recycled brass, aluminium, glass beads, bottle tops and even rubber, they definitely rival the high street when it comes to originality.

There are so many amazing fair trade jewellery pieces to choose from that you really have to check them out to really know what they're all about, but here is a small selection of my top made pieces:


Necklace Vicki Sarge £70


Peaches Daisy Bangle £18


Skull Earrings £12


Paper Chain Choker £40


Alexa Chung Necklace £35

As you can see, their prices as well as designs are also pretty dam reasonable, definitely rivalling the likes of TOPSHOP and French Connection. You'd be a fool not to check made out!

Running out of closet space?

No fear because Howies have heard your cries and created this Swap Around jumper.

This organic cotton, reversable jumper is available in two colour ways, with one side plain, the other striped.


Whether you decide to fill the extra, un-used space with another jumper; well, that's up to you...

ASOS Goes to Africa

The world of fashion still has a long way to go when it comes to producing sustainable collections, but it's great to see big names like ASOS are making eco-fashion much more consumer-friendly.

ASOS Africa is inspired by the vibrant colours and bold prints of this incredible continent, and this collection not only supports African trade, but many of the pieces are made from organic cotton.



Shift Dress £50
T-Shirt Dress £55
Playsuit £50



Tie Waist Shorts £40
Jumpsuit £75
Maxi Dress £60
Harem Pants £50

Natty Nan!

Vintage, retro, natty...

Fashion has gone full-cirle, and we're back to the 50s. So, if you don't quite fancy raiding your nan's or mum's wardrobes, then check out this little number from People Tree.

This Daphne Check Skirt for £35 from PT is neither new or revolutionary, but it is adorable! Elasticated waist...check. Knee length...check. Check...check!



Worn high waisted, this fair trade skirt would create the perfect summer look worn with a simple white tank (check out this Ivy Vest Top £12) and flat tan sandals.

Not to everyone's taste, but I love it!

Happy Fairtrade Fortnight!

From 22nd February-7th March it's Fairtrade Fortnight, and so what better time to find out what being Fairtrade really means? Swat up on the Fairtrade Foundation website.

Before you head off, though, thought you'd want to have a quick look at these latest New Arrivals from the world of sustainable fashion:



Fairtrade Pocket Tunic, £18 from TOPSHOP
Jackpot Jenna Scarf, £30 from Ascension
Sutton Strip Top, £25 from Emma Watson for People Tree

I know it may not seem like it, but Spring is on the horizon, so what better way to get rid of those winter blues than by injecting a bit of colour into your wardrobe. Luckily, just like the high street, environmentally friendly retailers are offering some great keys pieces this coming season, including lots of peaches, stripes and cutesy floral prints.

That's all for now, folks!

Thought you'd like to check out...

... some of these ethical fashion designers and retailers:
(click on retailer name to go direct to their website homepage)

Komodo

Why: Eco-friendly and natural materials and dyes, as well as supporting developing countries through ethical business.



Top buy: Cinamon Jacket, Was £71.52 Now £42.91

Kazuri

Why: Handmade ceramic jewellery from Kenya, supporting local Kenyan women with ethical pay and working conditions.



Top buy: Candy Necklace, £34.95

Beyond Skin

Why: Handmade, ethical vegan shoes inspired by catwalk and high street trends.



Top Buy: Gloria Shoes, Were £120 Now £60

Leju

Why: A 100% sustainable substitute for ivory made from a South American seed called Vegetable Ivory is mixed with silver and gem stones to create stunning jewellery pieces.



Top Buy: Morra Earings, £35

Lowie

Why: Handmade and handknitted fashion accessories made from organic cotton, eco-friendly leathers and low-carbon fabrics, all embellished to a high standard.



Top buy: Merino Roses Legwarmers, £38

Nancy Dee

Why: Directional and on-trend clothing made from high quality natural, organic or sustainable jersey fabrics and manufactured according to strict Fairtrade standards.



Top buy: Veronica Dress, £78

Keep an eye for even more great ethical fashion brands that I'll be bringing you over the next few weeks!

Eco-Jeans Special

I don't know about you, but I simply couldn't live without my jeans. Skinny, bootleg, boyfriend or other, jeans are simply THE staple piece of mine and any girl's wardrobe.

Along with the rest of the world of eco-fashion, Fair Trade, organic or sustainable jeans are usually associated with unflattering and itchy designs, but that simply isn't the case.

So, if you want to find that perfect pair of eco-jeans, then hopefully the few selected products below will show you that you can find quality and stylish jeans from the world of eco-fashion:

Skinny



From left to right:
Monkee Jeans from Tescos, Were £50 Now £25
Kuyichi Jeans from Purity, Were £109 Now £54.50
Ascension Jeans from Ascension, £59

Bootleg



From left to right:
Nudies Jeans from MyWardrobe, £89
Eve Jeans from EDUN, 85euros
Ted Baker Jeans from John Lewis, £89

Boyfriend



From left to right:
Kuyichi Jeans from Ascension, £110
Wrangler Jeans from ASOS, Were £75 Now £36
Fella Jeans from Howies, £75

And finally...

Head over to Ascension where you can currently get £30 off all new season jeans for one week only.

Sustainable Spring Style

Whilst flipping through the latest glossy mags, it's hard not to be confronted by the latest 'must-have' Spring trends. Alas, very rarely will you be given a choice of on-trend products from eco-fashion retailers...

Which ever trend you fancy getting your hands on this Spring, there are plenty of retailers that sell organic, Fair Trade and sustainably sourced Spring must-haves, and to make it easier I have put together a few photos and links to give you an idea of just-how fashion aware these eco-retailers really are...

Romantic Blushes


Top: Miksa, Bochica Was £37, Now £20
Dress: By Johann, Urban Outfitters £48
Dress: Braintree, People Tree £29


Parisian


Skirt: bibico, Ascension £30
Reversable Vest: Howies £45
Dress: Emma Watson, People Tree £35

City Monochrome


Dress: Annie Greenabelle, TOPSHOP Was £54, Now £30
T-Shirt: Bora Aksu, People Tree Was £32, Now £13
Dress: Edun 120euros

Fantasy Florals


Dress: By Johann, Urban Outfitters £45
Necklace: Frank & Faith, Was £20, Now £18
Dress: Annie Greenabelle £61

EcoChic Fashion Show, Geneva

Whilst everyone is buzzing about London Fashion Week which commences next week, it's easy to over look the EcoChic Fashion Show and Exhibition which has just taken place in Geneva.

Supporting the best established and up-and-coming eco fashion designers, EcoChic showcases Eco-Couture and Ready-To-Wear designs proving that sustainable fashion doesn't mean compromising on design or quality.

There were two Ready-To-Wear designers I was particularly interested in seeing; U2 Bono's EDUN range, and Annie Greenabelle. As expected, EDUN's collection was Rock inspired (think of high street All Saints and you get the idea), which mixes rich plums with neutral blacks, greys and creams. EDUN has a website where you can buy t-shirts, dresses, tops, jeans and knitwear, so make sure you check out www.edunonline.com.

Annie Greenabelle is one of my favourite eco-designers (check out TOPSHOP and Ascension as well as her own site, www.anniegreenabelle.com) as she doesn't shy away from other catwalk trends. Right now her collection is made up of monochrome, checks and stripes (hot hot HOT), all at prices that won't make you run a mile...always good!

Below is my pick of the best designs from EcoChic Fashion Show and Exhibition, but you can head over to www.ecochicfashions.com/geneva.html for more photos and info.


Above: EDUN


Above: Annie Greenabelle


Above: Lalesso