I’m often asked where exactly I find ethical and sustainable brands and, more often than not, the answer is Instagram. There’s no secret sustainability society, just a little determination to find and champion as many like-minded brands as possible and a lot of scrolling. So, that said, welcome to your first monthly Instagram round-up. Let’s get started…
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Riyka were one of the first sustainable brands I discovered. Their signature, sports-infused style transcends trends. Rather than bending to the stylistic whims of each season, they develop and evolve their own aesthetic, bestowing each piece with timeless appeal that can’t be dated by this season’s sleeve or that season’s colour.
The brand have released their AW17 piece by piece and their Cindy jumper is sitting high in my wishlist. Crafted from a mixture of reclaimed and organic cotton, the drop shoulders, cropped length and drawstring hem work together to renew the 1980s sportswear overtones with a fresh perspective.
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If only it would stop raining, I think I’d live in Starch Slides. The Brooklyn-based footwear label repurpose unwanted shirts into minimal, pointed slides which elevate outfits and eliminate textile waste. Given their material of choice, each style is the definition of limited edition. Each shirt becomes one small, two medium and one large pair of slides.
As if that wasn’t appealing enough, they line their shoes with only vegan leather and the sole is made from eco-friendly materials.
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I featured Wyatt & Jack earlier in the month; excited by their vibrant palette, innovative thinking and planet-friendly outlook. As I said in the post: “Through their bags, crafted from upcycled beach chair canvas and the PVC of retired bouncy castles, the brand weave stories of sun-drenched days at the seaside and birthday parties that you never wanted to leave.”
I’d already fallen for every style they have available but since writing that post, they’ve updated their stock with everything from tutti frutti toned holdalls and cactus-adorned pouches to this adorable triangle wristlet.
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If you feel that something is missing from your life, might I suggest that it might be one of Eliza Eliza’s V Collection purses and clutches? Made from organic hemp and lined in the most spectacular vulva print fabric I’ve ever seen, they’re a collaboration with The Eve Appeal, ‘the only UK charity raising awareness for and funding research into the five gynecological cancers’. £5 for every purse and £7 for every clutch will go directly to The Eve Appeal.
The collection is currently sold out – unsurprisingly – but the amazing woman behind the brand is working hard to sew new stock, so keep your eye on the website.
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Of course, not every ethical brand is a small independent one. Mara Hoffman is a big name in fashion and yet operates from a place of sustainability. Not founded upon those principals but having adopted them wholly in recent years, the label is open about the fact that there are always improvements to be made and is focused on reducing fabric waste, using innovative, recycled and natural materials, protecting endangered forests and upholding high employment standards.
In terms of aesthetics, prints are bold, silhouettes are contemporary and textures are playful. SS18 is truly an embodiment of these elements with full sleeves, chunky embroidery and paintbrush prints.
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1 comment
Sustainable fashion really inspires creativity and thinking outside the fashion box. Those slides made of shirts!, who would have thought. Love.