Fashion Weeks may come and go but ethical fashion is here to stay. With zero waste alternatives and recycled packaging products on the rise and in demand, we wanted to share our latest alternatives to mainstream fashion that support more sustainable clothing practices.

RENEW

Katharine Hamnett started making politically charged block letter adorned t-shirts in the 80’s as a means to get her point across. As a sustainable fashion crusader, she has lobbied against sweatshops and cotton farming pesticides. Now the label is back. With a gender neutral and utilitarian edge, her ethical fashion collection harnesses organic cotton, recycled polyester and environmental and health conscious dyes assembled at an Italian factory. Down to the finishing touch, even the packaging is made of biodegradable, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. This is the runway we have been waiting for.

REUSE

There is a charity shop inside Selfridges Oxford Street until October 22nd, 2017. Yes, you read that right. Filmmaker and author Miranda July has teamed up with Artangel and four faith-based groups to create an interfaith UK charity shop-within-a-shop on the third floor of London’s largest department store. All items have been selected from goods already donated and are priced at charity shop prices too. With proceeds going directly to the four partnering charities, ‘it’s like a museum that changes minute by minute’ says July who has chosen every aspect you’ll find in this dual installation and store – ‘the hangers and the cash registers and flooring and every single hat and stuffed animal and blouse.’

LOCAL

We highlighted London-based ethical and sustainable fashion retailer The Acey before so naturally we were excited by their own brand manufacturing launch. With an emphasis on transparency, their first collection of four timeless silhouette dresses are made from compostable plant-based fabrics linen and tencel. True to their ethos, the wrap dresses, tunic and button down dress are made in East London to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping from an overseas factory. It also means that wages and working hours are fair and checking in, in person, doesn’t require a hefty plane ticket.

RECYCLED

Wool and the Gang have officially made knitting cool again. They advocate taking back control of fashion production by making your own clothes with traceable materials. Their Billie Jean Yarn, a collaboration with sustainable texture factory The New Denim Project, takes your threads to the zero waste level. Made from upcycled pre-consumer denim waste that has been ground back into fibres, this yarn saves an estimated 20,000 litres of water per kilogram of pre-consumer denim castoffs. It contains no dyes or added chemicals and comes in three shades; we are particularly fond of the blown out Washed Out Denim hue. Another recycling initiative we are particularly excited about tackles food waste. Orange Fiber turns leftovers from Italy’s citrus fruit industry into a sustainable fabric and can be found in the latest Salvatore Ferragamo range of shawls and scarves.

BOTANICAL DYES