Fair Game

It's that time of year again... with Spring lurking just around the corner comes the threat of short skirts, sleeveless t-shirts and - to be dreaded most - bikini season! After having hibernated for three months, five if you live in Ireland, we wake up and realise our bodies are completely inadequate to be exposed to daylight and the public eye. So we make our yearly resolutions to "get out more", go to the gym, run before work and just "be active".

Now, I don't know about you, but when I go running it does not look like the lovely lady in this picture... There is nothing serene about me running. I'm a graceless, fat-wobbling, huffing and puffing, red-faced, sweaty mess... But alas, if we can't look good while doing sport, at least we can feel good about the clothes we do it in. So here are some of the brands that not only care about selling neon coloured sweatbands and stretchy pants, but also about the people that made them and the world they're made in.

Outdoor and Running

Patagonia

Patagonia produce outdoor and sportswear to dress you on your rock-climbing, off-piste skiing, or fly fishing adventures. From as early on as 1985, they have invested in protecting and rebuilding the world we're destroying. Patagonia are open about the footprint of their goods, support local and international initiatives, such as the World Trout Initiative, and they invest 1% of their sales back into our planet. Over the years, they have invested over $46 million in grassroots environmental groups and are encouraging other businesses to do the same. 

Patagonia also pledged itself to the Common Threads partnership in an attempt to work with its customers to reduce waste and bring about a more sustainable way of living. Watch this beautiful video, to find out more:

Yew

Yew create women's and men's running and active wear out of 100% recycled polyester and organic cotton. The polyester is recycled out of post-consumer waste, meaning the t-shirt you buy was probably at one point a soft drink bottle!

Their prices are very affordable and they do free UK delivery. Unfortunately their range is quite limited and they mainly sell t-shirts, tops and jumpers. 

Nike, Puma & New Balance

Big brands such as Nike, Puma, New Balance and others have since jumped on the eco-bandwagon and are investing in more sustainable business practices. You may have seen this yourself, but some of the Nike gear now has tags on it claiming that 70% of the materials used in this garment are recycled. Both Puma and Nike have launched shoe recycle campaigns; Nike's is called Worn Out. Play On. and Puma's is the Bring Me Back campaign. The idea behind both is the same; you drop your old runners or trainers into the recycle bin provided in their shop, they are sliced up, ground up and the materials re-used to build athletic tracks, football fields and playground surfacing. 

The sports label New Balance has taken steps against the trend to manifacture cheaply in Asian countries and are producing part of their line in the US and the UK. Their Made in UK sports shoe collection is produced in their factory in Flimby, Cumbria, which employs over 210 people. Unfortunately, the collection is limited to men's shoes only so far.

With big labels such as these, I always find it difficult to know how much of it is just paying lip-service to a current trend, but at least the big ones are aware that eco-friendly and ethically made goods is what consumers want. 

Yoga

Asquith London & Gossypium

Among other things, Asquith and Gossypium sell a range of organic and ethically made yoga clothing. These mainly consist of stretchy and very very comfortable looking pants and tops in various colours. Compared to Asquith, Gossypium's range is a bit more limited. Asquith's garments are all manufactured in the family-run factory in Southern Turkey and they guarantee fair wages and treatment of employees. Gossypium work with various fairtrade enterprises and factories in India and England. Both companies use sustainable fabrics, such as organic cotton and bamboo.

Football

We live in a nation of football lovers. Football is truly everywhere. However, the sport, and the balls in particular, have attracted a lot of negative publicity in recent times, when it was revealed that the millions of sports balls we kick about daily are hand-stitched by children in in-human conditions. So here are two alternatives where you can purchase your football and keep a clean conscience: 

Senda Athletics and Fair Corp both produce fairtrade certified sportsballs. While Senda seems to only focus on footballs, Fair Corp also sells volleyballs and rugby balls. 

So this year why not purchase some ethical and sustainable sportswear to help you on your way to fitness and that bikini body? Consider it your first step and you won't have to train for the rest of the week!

Do you know any other ethical or sustainable sports labels? Let me know!

Esthetica @ London Fashion Week

With London Fashion Week just over, let's have a taste of what is going on in the high-end fashion world regarding fairtrade and sustainable fashion. Founded by the British Fashion Council, Esthetica has been promoting eco-friendly, sustainable and ethical fashion at London Fashion week for six years now. This year 14 cutting-edge designers have been showing their work at Esthetica. All designers wanting to show at esthetica must adhere to at least one of the three Esthetica principles of fairtrade, ethical practices and using organic or recycled materials.

Image by Goodone

Goodone are one of the labels that has shown their work at the Esthetica fashion fair at London Fashion week this year. The lable produces easy, wear-able pieces "with a humorous twist," and specialises in up-cycling. The label combines new British and sustainable fabrics with reclaimed textiles. In their 2013 Autumn/Winter collection for instance they re-imagined traditional Aran knitted jumpers, which you can have a look at here.

Designer Liora Lasselle was the winner of this years Esthetica/Veolia Resource competition. Veolia is the UK's leading recycle and waste management company. You may know the name from having seen it on public transport or high-vis jackets. The aim of the competition is to find a fashion student to develop creative and sustainable solutions in fashion. The gorgeous video below shows the Liora Lasselle Wig and Triangle collection designed re-using high-end textile waste such as vintage lace and upcycling old high-vis jackets from Veolia.

The North Circular is another of the design labels that showed at Esthetica this year. The North Circular creates beautiful and modern knitwear and it's all hand-made in the UK, from the sheep to the knitting. Using the wool of Wensleydale Longwool sheep, their pieces are knitted by lovely mums and grannies from around the UK, such as Gran Eileen. The label is so personal, it will even tell you who knitted your garment. Find out more about them by watching the video below.

image by the North Circular

Another favourite of mine is Beautiful Soul. I especially love their feminine and elegant dresses in gorgeous bold prints. Beautiful Soul uses luxurious, high-quality British-made and sustainable fabrics in their collections. Watch the video to see just how lovely the results are:

Did you visit or follow London Fashion Week? What was your favourite moment/ designer/ piece?

A Trip to Zurich

I'm back from a little trip to my snowy home country Switzerland... and aside from a lot of eating, drinking and catching up with friends I explored beautiful Zurich in search of fairtrade, Swiss-made and sustainable fashion and accessories. If you ever visit Zurich, here are four shops you must see!

 Ankerstrasse 14, Zurich, www.luxplus.ch

Situated just off the buzzing Langstrasse, one of the many cultural hubs of Zurich, is the hip Boutique Luxplus, where shoppers can buy high-end vintage garments and accessories, as well as unique pieces from Zurich Designers. Upon entering the shop, I'm immediately struck by the elegant and sophisticated feel of the place. Here, every item seems carefully selected to fit in with the overall design aesthetic; which makes for such an assortment of incredibly beautiful things that I am tempted to buy them all. Unfortunately the prices, although still affordable, are on the rather high end of the scale.

Bottom: my friend is having a look through the cute Luxconcept dresses

Under their own brand Luxconcept, Luxplus sell a range of cute dresses that are made in direct cooperation with a seamstress in Bangkok. The pieces are not fairtrade, but at least there is no middle man and the consumer knows where the goods are made.

The shop also sells a range of luxury fairtrade accessories by La Nomada. Pascale Krippendorf, the face behind the brand, explains to me that she sources her products from various faitrade cooperatives and enterprises all over Asia. I personally fell in love with this hand-died mustard yellow to golden brown scarf!

Marktgasse 10, Zurich, www.changemaker.ch.

Okay, Change Maker was possibly my favourite out of the four. This shop is so gorgeous, I would love to move in and live there till the end of my days. But not only is the space bright, airy and beautiful, but the products sold here are also just wonderful. As is clear from its name, this shop does things differently. Change Maker specialises in ethically-made, sustainable and eco-friendly home-wares and accessories. To make the shopping experience even easier and more transparent, change maker has devised seven little icons that inform the customer about the product. There is a little hand that signifies hand-made products, a light bulb indicating energy efficiency and a plant lets the customer know that the item is made out of organic materials.

Some of the beautiful products to be found at Change Maker; Top left: the fun felt stones and pebbles by Ronel Jordaan

wallets by Karlen Swiss

One of the highlights at Change Maker were definitely the ingenious felt pebbles and stones (image: top left) by Ronel Jordaan. They look so real, it was a surprise to find out they're actually soft pillows and cushions! The label Ronel Jordaan gives unemployed women in Johannesburg the opportunity to learn a trade from scratch and offers them employment in the company.

Change Maker also promotes Swiss designers and locally made products. These wallets, purses and bags made out of old Swiss army blankets are a classic. Designed by label Karlen Swiss, the accessories are hand-made in a quaint village in the Swiss mountains.

Change Maker has been highly successful and has opened shops in seven Swiss cities, including the capital Bern, Luzern and Winterthur. You can also buy their products online on their website.

Ankerstrasse 14, www.sausbraus.ch.

Top: Fairtrade trolley bags; Bottom: Made in Switzeland,
a skirt from Let's Rock.

Also situated on Ankerstrasse, Saus & Braus offers young and up-and-coming designers a retail space in the heart of Zurich. The shop offers a wide variety of clothes, accessories and jewellery.

Some of their pieces, such as this modern take on the granny trolley bag, are fairtrade.

Under their house label Let's Rock, Saus & Braus sells quirky and colourful dresses and skirts that can be produced and changed to the customers' wishes. You can even chose the fabric you want, or bring your own! Let's Rock garments are made in the shop's studio in Zurich.

And finally one for the men! In Saus & Braus you can also buy the cool Swiss label Tarzan that sells hip and affordable hoodies, jackets and t-shirts for guys. Almost all of the ethically conscious label's collections are made from organic certified cotton.

This was also the perfect excuse to get the husband to pose for my blog! He is wearing a Tarzan shirt with hand shadow animals.

Preyergasse 6, Zurich, www.fizzen.ch.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012, Fizzen has been around for a while. The company started out as a dingy second-hand shop in Bern and has evolved into a versatile boutique selling vintage & second-hand, as well as recycled and new clothing in Basel, Bern, Luzern and Zurich. Despite a revamp to make the shop look brighter, it's kept its treasure trove feel and is by far the most affordable out of all the shops. Fizzen is a paradise for hipsters, students and retro-maniacs alike.

The branch in Zurich is split into three sections; new clothes by small independent labels, reworked vintage & second-hand products on the ground floor and a 'pure' vintage section in the basement. The vintage section offers the usual leather bags, jeans jackets, fair isle jumpers and 80s stretch-pants.

Top: The Vintage Section, Bottom: Reworked dresses by Fizzen

The reworked garments are produced by Fizzen either in Bangkok by their label Ark or in the Fizzen workshop in Switzerland. Vintage garments are given more modern shapes, old leather jackets are reworked into laptop or ipod cases and every product is unique. I was tempted by that little rose petal dress (picture: bottom right). The reworked products also promise that no sweatshop labor was involved in their making (yay!).

There is, of course, much more to Zurich than just shopping, so make sure that you hit some sights, drink excellent Swiss coffee and taste the best chocolate in the world between checking out the shops! To make shop-hopping even easier for you, I've created a little map.

Have you ever been to Zurich? What were your favourite places? Wanna share any other vintage or fairtrade treasures you discovered when travelling?

Scouting the Highstreet: Monsoon

We are back with another Scouting the Highstreet, the series where I go in search for fairtrade, ethically made and sustainable clothes in our Highstreet shops. This week we are investigating Monsoon, the emporium of flowy garments and hippie-chic, and it isn't looking bad, not bad at all. 

Inspired by the traditional craft and colourful block-printed fabrics he saw on his travels through India, Peter Simon launched Monsoon and struck a chord with shoppers. There was nothing similar available in Britain at the time, Simon informs the Sunday Times. The first Monsoon shop opened as a small boutique in London in 1973. It and its sister store Accessorize are now a global chain to be found in almost every city with 400 stores in the UK and more than 600 world-wide. The model in the very first Monsoon campaign was none other than Jane Seymour, Bond actress and Simon's girlfriend at the time.

Jane Seymour modelling for Monsoon in the 1970s, Sunday Times

Monsoon has started taking steps towards more ethical fashion very early on. In 1994 the company launched the Monsoon Accessorize Trust, which helps disadvantaged communities in Asia by providing education, health services and income generating projects. Watch the video here if you want to find out more!

Monsoon was also one of the founding members of the Ethical Trading Initiative, signing the coalition in 1999. The ETI is an alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations who work together to improve the conditions of the poor and vulnerable across the globe. In 2010, Monsoon was awarded 'Leader' status by the ETI.
The company also funds the Esthetica ethical fashion section at London Fashion Week.


Monsoon is certainly proud of its ethical stance. In 2011 it launched the LOVE collection, an acronym that stands for the company motto: Living Our Values and Ethics since 1973.
Simon believes in trade rather than aid as a means to decrease poverty; by providing trade in small consistent and fair forms, women can be enabled to have steady incomes and plan for the future.

"Fashion can be beautiful and desirable and still be sustainable. Everyone has a conscience and consumers will appreciate knowing what their clothes stand for."

Shailina Parti, design director at Monsoon

Monsoon still uses a lot of natural fabrics along-side polyester and other synthetics, but to compete in the Highstreet, the company does not invest fully in organic fabrics. Although Monsoon is not strictly speaking fairtrade and  mainline garments are still mass-produced, the company has launched a fairtrade and sustainable range. The Boutique Range was developed with SEWA, a women's support group and trade union for home workers in India, and provides customers with colourful hand-crafted gifts and home wares. Most of the Boutique producers are members of the World Fairtrade Organisation and the Boutique range aims to be more sustainable by up-cycling and re-using fabric cut-offs.

You can find a Monsoon in Belfast in the cool out-door Victoria Square Shopping Centre and in Dublin on red-brick Grafton Street.

Old Made New at ReFound Belfast

This week we step inside the curious universe of ReFound Belfast, a world filled with the long-forgotten remnants of lives past. Here the worn-out, the replaced, the once much loved but now neglected pieces of our lives find a new home and gain new life. At ReFound the discarded is precious and the out-dated holds potential. Daily, ugly furniture ducklings are turned into beautiful swans of interior design. And this is what it looks like, tadaaah:

#187 by artist Christine Trueman

It all started when Jill O'Neill, founder and driving force behind ReFound, returned to Belfast in 2007. Having lived and worked in places as diverse and exciting as Glasgow, New York and San Francisco, O'Neill had become fascinated by the "art of living" that she experienced abroad, the scavenging for unique pieces, the designing of your home to create something unique. Returned to Northern Ireland, O'Neill wanted to employ the same ethos of moving in and starting afresh to her new home here, but was at a loss as to where to look for the pieces. And so the idea of ReFound slowly took shape. 

Attracted by the journey of ordinary objects, I was inspired to create a space where these objects gained new life as part of the next stage of their journey. 

Jill O'Neill 

Left: Dresser by Lulabelle's House. Right: Table & Stool by Anushiya Sunda

ReFound works with local artists and designers recycling used furniture to create chic, one-of-a-kind pieces pieces which are then sold on the ReFound website, as well as in the ReFound House, their permanent retail venue in Belfast. With considerable experience in publishing and marketing, O'Neill takes care of the business side of things, while the artists are free to create - it's win-win. Although, O'Neill confesses that it can be hard to get the business-art balance right. There's always the question: how commercial should you be? "But then again" she muses, "it's about providing alternative avenues for the artists to make money." Something that is crucial in the current economic climate, when not many people are investing in art.

Above: table by Anastasija Andrejeva. Below: Telephone Table by Katie Brown Textiles

The permanent home of ReFound, the ReFound House, however, is much more than just a shop. It's a hub for 'sustainable creativity' and doubles as a studio, exhibition space and venue. Apart from furniture you'll also get beautiful home accessories at ReFound, such as these crafty birds by Hey! Homewrecker... 

Or this cute plate-art by refound designer Rachel Dickson.

For 2013 ReFound has many exciting plans, such a working to achieve a more cohesive look via a smaller artist collective and increasing the access to their space by hosting a number of creative events and collaborations. So lots of exciting stuff to look out for! ReFound also want to move further into the territory of online sales, which is great news for everyone living abroad! Lastly, ReFound will focus on the 'Repurposing' of objects as well as simply restyling them. This means that at ReFound you will soon be able to buy shelves made out of chairs, tables made out of wardrobes and benches made out of toilet seats (okay, maybe not that one).

Top Left: Tabletop animals by DavidCreative, bottom left: variety of cushionss by Larissa Watson, Goddess & Swift, Cassie Blinkey Olive Art & TeddyBaby. On the right: the Refound Suitcase shelf

The ReFound building is open every Thursday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5.30pm, but you can go look at their gorgeous furniture online on their website 24/7.

Alright, shall we look at another Before-After? Okay? Okay!

#197 by Mandie Lowry

Sneak Peak at my Wardrobe

Hello my dear blog readers. I hope you enjoyed last week's post by my lovely sister. If you've missed it,  make sure to go and check it out. It's well worth a read.
I've been going on my own challenge to only buy fairtrade, second-hand or vintage clothing for a almost four months now and so far I've been doing pretty well! I have to confess, I've had one slip-up. I accidentally bought a band t-shirt at a gig! I have no idea where and how it was made, but as my husband pointed out, by buying it I did support a very good native indie band. That made me feel better. (They're called the Staves and they're amazing - in case you're interested.)

So this week I'm granting you all a little sneak peak at my wardrobe, showing off some of my favourite vintage, second-hand and fairtrade pieces that I gathered over the years and especially within the last four months.

Let's start out with these two... on the left we have a very cool Jack Wills tartan blazer that I snatched up a few weeks ago in Rusty Zip, a cool local vintage & second-hand place. And I paid all of £15 for it. Ka-ching! The sparkly 80's top I bought a while ago in a vintage shop in Temple Bar, Dublin. I love the black & gold diamond shaped sequin patches and it has become my go-to piece for any night out.

The blue hand-bag below is also vintage, although I don't remember what year its from. I got it on a trip to Edinburgh last year. The shop is called Armstrongs and I think there's a few dotted over the city. If you're ever in Edinburgh, you have to go and visit this shop. My girlfriends and I were in there for ages!

The coral dress is from Peopletree (I know I keep going on about them). The pattern on it are actually small dragonflies. I got it in a sale and only payed about a tenner for it I think. So you can get fairtrade clothes on the cheap!

The little blouse is originally from Monsoon. I found it in the Oxfam on Stephen's Green, Dublin. This shop didn't use to sell clothes, but now has an excellent selection of second-hand pieces.
And then there is the floral dress, ah the dress! It's 70's and I bought it ages ago at a Vintage fair at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire. I love it - the husband hates it! You know, the usual... anyways I don't wear it enough and have just decided I'll wear it lots this year. The vintage fairs in Royal Marine are also well worth a visit. Watch out for them, they seem to happen every now and again. I'm sure, once a new one is announced you can find out about it here.

Last but certainly not least, especially in the current 0°C weather, comes my wonderful green Hippie Coat. Its real leather, cozy warm and has a huge hood to protect me from the wind and rain. It's also from the 70's and I got it on the same trip to Edinburgh in Armstrongs. Seriously - you have to go to that shop!

But enough of me. I want to hear from you! I'm launching a blog event called My Favourite Piece and I need your help. Send in a picture of you and your favourite piece and I'll feature it on the blog. Whether it's vintage, second-hand, fairtrade, recycled or home stitched does not matter - as long as its sustainable and ethical and you absolutely love it! Include a little bit about yourself too and why this item of clothing means so much to you.  Maybe someone special bought it for you as a gift? Maybe it makes you feel gorgeous? Maybe Ryan Gosling slept in it for a night? Whatever it is, let us know!
Email all contributions to fair.enough.the.blog@gmail.com

I'll include as many of your stories and pictures as possible on the blog at the beginning of February.
Thanks,
Sarah

The Girl who did not shop

Today my little sister, the beautiful Andrea, is sharing her story on my blog. Find out more about the unusual choice she's made and be inspired by her commitment and endurance.

Hi there! The first week in 2013 is already coming to an end, and I hope you're all still successfully holding on to your New Years' resolutions. This year I did not add any resolutions to my list, because a while ago I made a decision which is pretty much using up all the willpower I was blessed with, and that's not all that much to start with. Exactly six months ago this little shopaholic decided to take a break and live without shopping for an entire year. So no buying clothes, shoes or purses... and unbelievably enough I am still going strong. I have made it through some crazy shopping-withdrawals and honestly, I just feel free.

“You’re not buying any clothes for an entire year? But… why?” That’s usually the reaction I get when I explain my lack of interest in a shopping trip or why I keep wearing my dad’s old jumpers. Well I guess it’s time I explained myself. Last June I packed my backpack with mosquito spray, malaria tablets and a few of my oldest clothes and headed to Mozambique, Africa, to help out in an orphanage for two months.

I was intrigued and fascinated by the sheer beauty of the colourful, vibrant country, the people and the culture. However, I was also struck by the stark poverty. The stories of the kids in the orphanage broke my heart. Being surrounded by people living in garbage dumps and children, dressed in rags, playing in the dirt, compliments on my “pretty clothes” filled me with shame. I felt awkward thinking about my two closets full of nice, new and rather unnecessary clothes at home. 

So after returning home in August, I promised myself not to go shopping for an entire year, and that all the money I saved that way would go to Africa to support the orphanage. I realised that I don’t need a new pair of shoes to make me happy. I have more than I could ever need.

The start was kind of exhilarating, I felt purposeful and optimistic. It was in the second month that things started to get tougher. One of my good friends was getting married and I naively agreed to a full blown shopping-spree with my girlfriends to assist them in buying dresses. Spending an entire day stuck in little boutiques and shops, surrounded by fabulous dresses, skirts, high heels with a wallet that was for once not entirely empty was no piece of cake! A trip to Stockholm with my friends (where everyone somehow seems to be wearing clothes straight out of a fashion show) didn’t make things easier either, but I've made it this far and it’s actually getting easier over time! I find myself with so much more free time and a clear head. Whenever I do get the urge to run into a shop I tell myself that I have been blessed with so much, and I do not need to define myself through my clothes. I have also gotten much more creative in choosing my outfits, reusing my dad’s old jumpers, flannel shirts, and everything else I can find in our attic (good thing retro is in, huh?).

I am truly glad I decided to fast from shopping this year, and crazily enough I’m enjoying myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still love clothes, and I don’t think shopping is a bad thing, but it should not define you or dominate your life. We live in a consumer culture, which constantly screams at us that we need more, when we already have so much. Meanwhile a vast majority of the world still lives in poverty. As a girl, and a Christian, I found it freeing to step out of the consumer machine and put my life back in perspective.

Funnily enough, the friends who were most surprised by my decision have now decided to join me, and so far three of my closest friends are fasting from clothes with me. We are having a great time supporting each other and sharing our hilarious no-shopping struggles! So to all of you either sick of going clothes-shopping or intrigued by the idea of making a difference in this world: JOIN ME!!! I promise it’s worth it! 

love,

Andrea

Have you made any similar New Years resolutions? Do you want to change the world for the better? Share your thoughts and stories with us!