Fashion
Weekend Sustenance
For many years, sustainable fashion meant at best overpriced organic cotton, at worst, hand-knitted hemp and out-of-touch design. It was also the concern of a minority while many of us stuck our heads in the sand and continued to fuel the fast fashion industry. Thankfully times have changed; not only has our general consciousness shifted to ask the question ‘who made this and under what circumstances’, but sustainably-produced fashion is better than ever.
Today it’s about producing great, on-point pieces we actually want to wear – the fact they’re also made in an ethical, environmentally-friendly way is an added bonus. London-based e-tailer rêve en vert is all about this. While sustainability is at the core of its ethos, first and foremost it’s about cool designers to buy into for the aesthetic (with an added guilt-free-do-good pat on the back thrown in). I recently met the team to talk through some of the latest launches and new brands hitting the online store. Jewellery designer Pamela Love is one of their latest acquisitions, a great example of a designer we all know and love who also boasts an honest, sustainable production line. They also have the likes of Blake LDN (one of my faves) and Christopher Raeburn dropping for AW 14. And you know I love a stripe so this Edith A Miller thermal-esque top was a no-brainer….
Don’t get me wrong, I still love a bit of Zara and H&M (although I will say H&M is one of the better ones on the high street in terms of transparency), but I don’t believe in throwaway fashion and really try to make my high street purchases go the distance. The thing is, we’ve all come to be quite demanding and expect very, very cheap fashion week after week as the trends change. Realistically though, there is often an unseen human cost to the super-cheap clothes we’re hungrily consuming month after month. Spending a little bit more, less often can mean better quality, longer-lasting items you cherish rather than chuck away for a newer model. Ultimately, being a bit more shop savvy and paying attention to where and how items are made means fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth and those in it. Literally.
Striped Top | Edith A. Miller via rêve en vert
Jeans | Acne
Leather Jacket | H&M (similar here)
Slides | Isabel Marant
Bag | Zara (similar here and here)
Snake bracelet & claw ring | Pamela Love via rêve en vert
Watch | Larsson & Jennings