Ethical fashion and beauty: focusing on the promise by disposing of the threat

 

It is therefore refreshing, that the British Fashion industry have finally started to celebrate their strengths and influences within the World and focus on what is important: sustainability, reliability and morality.

Through fair trade and ethical practises, the potential to create change is huge; whether it is by accepting global responsibility and fighting, encouraging sustainability or recognising the value and needs of individual communities.

At the very least, it creates an ethical community within a famously narcissistic industry. An industry, which during a time of economic and social insecurity, is beginning to question previous moralities and experiment with the past through ideas such as up-cycling, in order to create a new modern, worthy identity, that future generations can be proud of.

British clothing and textiles produce approximately 3.1 million tonnes of carbon Dioxide, and 10 million tonnes of waste every year, with 1.5 million tonnes of unwanted clothing and textiles ending in a landfill.

Therefore, when the fifth consecutive Esthetica exhibition was held at London Fashion Week this year, it was celebrated as a milestone for British fashion.

The exhibition itself focused this year on nineteen designers who have made an outstanding effort to make sustainable garments and accessories in their new spring/summer 2012 collection.  Esthetica itself was founded by the British Fashion Council and is sponsored by Monsoon, it supports fair trade, ethical practices and the use of organic and recycled material. All of the designers that participate apply at least one of these ideas to their designs.

Monsoons collection L.O.V.E comprised of organic shapes and materials, which links contemporary fashion with traditional hand crafts and printing techniques from India.

The pieces ranged from beautifully handcrafted embellishments and beading, to hand painted and dip-dyed statement prints. The shoes were even sporting organic vegetable dyes.

Another label, Lost Property of London, headed by designer Katy Bell, consisted of quirky totes, holdalls and clutches, made by used fair-trade coffee bean bags and off cuts of leather.

Bell graduated from central saint Martins in 2006 and a year and a half ago set up her own label, since then has been described by Liberty as one of their British designers, and is currently selling her designs in eleven stockists worldwide (including Liberties itself).

Shown, is a picture of two of her bags, complete with vegitan leather, coffee bean bags and feathers.

A new brand to this season’s Esthetica is Rajkumar Dyeing and Printing works, which focuses on being carbon neutral, and using sustainable fabrics, such as rubber and organic cotton, to create rainwear.

Rajkumar cleverly turns the rubber into different weighted rainwear; varying from thin rubber Macs to heavy-duty trench coats. Other rainwear includes coats, hats and shirts; that were also all made to ethical fair-trade standards.

Shown is an example of one of the multi-coloured raincoats that also made the cover of the bi-annual Esthetica review.

The rubber is made from latex that is grown in the rubber tree, and once it is formed, the tree can be ‘tapped’ every year, creating an extremely valuable, sustainable material.

Over 80% of the global textiles market consists of just cotton and polyester. In order to help sustain local businesses and the environment, a wider variety of fabrics must be used.

Neither cotton nor wool have a high dependency on oil, therefore they do not waste as much energy or water and can be sustained a lot easier.

Another designer in the exhibition was Ada Zanditon, whose seahorse inspired collection; experiments with up-cycling, digi print and knit to translate the organic feel of the brand into clothing, whilst reflecting a zero waste initiative.

The organic shapes combined with a cool colour pallet, created effortless one-off pieces, that when teamed with their handcrafted jewellery made from old children’s toys, a sense of nostalgia is created, and it is of no wonder that ASOS has taken an interest.

Up cycling is when old clothes or off cuts, of usually high-end quality materials, are used to make new individual garments, therefore embracing the idea of fast-fashion and consumerism, rather than trying to prevent it.

Another company that prides themselves on the use of up cycling is, Goodone, by establishing individuality through garments that can’t be replicated and presenting sustainable values at the forefront of fashion design.

Known for bold colour blocked styles, Goodone combine British and sustainable fabrics to create style whilst consciously thinking about the impact of their fashion on the environment.

Consumerism and materialism have been an increasingly large threat on both the environment and the economy in recent years; not only by creating an excessively large production of waste but also by allowing carelessly made fast throwaway fashion to become the norm.

The exhibition makes you think about change, by creating a new type of consumerism; ethical consumerism. Where being ethical is not just a statement, but also a way of life, where caring, conserving and natural integrity are encouraged rather than discouraged, where attitudes and values are being contested within fashion and emphasis is being placed on self worth rather than self-absorption.

Since the economic slump, buying clothes, has almost become an investment, where people will pay more money, if it is worth it.

Durability, reliability and efficiency are often things that must be considered when buying an item of clothing or a pair of shoes, and although it might seem tedious, it also means that consumers are becoming more aware of what they are buying; a positive representation of negative times, if you like.

Furthermore, 15-20 years ago eco-fashion looked unstylish, Esthetica is about changing those beliefs and showing people that just because a garment is environmentally friendly doesn’t mean it’s unfashionable.

Not only is the market for ethical fashion increasing; the market for ethical beauty is too, and skincare and make up brands are investing in environmental initiatives as well as rethinking their formulas, by sourcing ingredients via community trade programmes.

An example of this is Ali Hewsons ethical skincare range Nude, set up in 2007. It still to this day has won the highest ever accolade in the ‘anti-ageing Beauty Bible’ for its replenishing night oil, and the BodyShop who have fair trade partnerships in Continents all over the world; including Africa, South America and India.

Furthermore, the ethical fashion and accessory non-profit organisation FEED co-founded by Lauren Bush which contains a built in donation to the UN’s food programme, selling over half a million items, which in meal terms, provided 60 million meals to hungry mouths all over the world, has collaborated with Clarins with the goal to feed a million children over the course of two years.

With the number of companies that show support for ethical well-being beginning to increase, it seems that the development of sustainable forms of consumption are looking better than ever.

Although it does appear beauty will inevitably be in the eye of the beholder, it must be decided whether that beauty is just skin deep.

 

Words by Heather Sheppard