Eco Chic - Guest Blog

This is a guest post by Niki Whittle, owner of Niki Whittle Image and Style Consulting Services, Bristol, UK. You can find her on Twitter at @nikiwhittle. The original post appeared on her blog: http://hipshapesandbristolfashion.blogspot.in. To know more about Niki, read our interview with her. She was also recently on our twitter chat party we hosted @beluxedfashion, where she was a panelist and gave style tips and discussed June Fashion: Must Dos Must Haves. Check it out on this link


My recent post about changing our shopping habits focused on encouraging you to make the most of the clothes you already have, to make informed decisions when making new purchases and to spend the maximum you can on one great quality item rather than two or three of lesser quality. I also wrote about how to pull together a capsule collection of clothes, but what I haven't mentioned, is shopping ethically.

One of my readers made a valid point saying that spending more for an item of clothing doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it’s not been produced at minimum cost to be sold for maximum profit, and asked me if I could point her towards some ethical fashion retailers.

Now before I continue, I feel that I need to be open with you; I have to admit that I rarely seek to purchase clothes that are ethical or eco friendly and I don’t really know much about this area. I shop the high-street all the time, both for my clients and myself, as it’s the perfect place to source great items without having to stretch your budget beyond your means. But at the same time, this doesn’t mean that I don’t shop responsibly. I shop responsibly by making sure that I love the items I buy, that they fit well, are versatile, slot seamlessly into my wardrobe and will be worn again and again.

But yes, I know there is more that I can do and I couldn’t ignore your requests for more information, so after some lengthy research I’ve pulled together this post for you. It lists some great online resources where you can find out more about ethical fashion, along with a list of ethical, eco friendly and sustainable fashion retailers that are producing some great collections and my favourite ethical fashion blogs. I’ve even picked out my favourite pieces to prove to you that eco chic really is chic…because let’s be honest, I can’t be the only person guilty of thinking ethical fashion is all hippy and hemp?

Resources (links)
Great tips for how to wear vintage from A Pair and a Spare
Find out the ethical and environmental ratings of our high street retailers here
Great eco magazines:Green my style and eco chic magazine
A fantastic site for inspiration on re-working old outfits and keeping clothing waste out of landfill sites: Redress
Estethica is founded by the British fashion council and showcases ‘the growing movement of cutting edge designers committed to working eco sustainably’

Retailers
Ethica
Angel Jackson
Fashion Conscience
Izzy Lane
People Tree
Style Is
Howies
Lost Property Of London
Beautiful Soul
Yoox
Maiyet
Stewart Brown
Beyond Skin
Fair and True
Aymo (Bristol Based)
Charlie Boots (Bristol based)
Marks and Spencer are launching their ‘Best of British’ collection featuring gorgeous heritage fabrics all manufactured in the UK. It marks the beginning of a 3-year partnership with the British Fashion Council "which will see the retailer working with the BFC to celebrate British fashion, home-grown talent and sustainability". The collection isn't available in store until the end of July but here's a peek of what to look forward to...




. Best of British Cream Cable Knitted Jumper GBP 129.00, Dark Pink Herringbone Skirt GBP 89.00. / 2. Chelsea Boot GBP 185, Black White & Pink Check Wool Cocoon Coat GBP 299.00. / 3. Black Tailored Suit Jacket GBP 199.00, Black Tailored Turn Up Trouser GBP 129.00, Black Brogues GBP 165.00. / 4.Long Ivory Deep V Wool Coat GBP 299.00, Grey Tailored Trouser GBP 129.00.


Fashion blogs

Ethical Fashion Blog


Eco Fabulous


Very Nice Threads


The Good Wardrobe


Oxfam Fashion Blog

And what about my favourite eco pieces? Well, there were so many to choose from, but here are my top picks...









Of course, there are other ways to make responsible style choices such as reworking old designs...






1. www.apairandasparediy.com / 2. www.trashtocouture.com / 3.www.theforgestyle.blogspot.in / 4.www.henryhappened.com


...buying second hand from charity shops or vintage boutiques, hosting swishing parties or even hiring a wow dress for your special occasion. All these things keep clothing waste out of landfill sites but not only that, they also give you something unique to wear – win win!

So you see there are endless ways to make a difference. So what will you do?

Swapping is the new shopping! (Contest now Closed)

We all love to shop but at times, our wallet doesn't love it so much. You may want to pick up that gorgeous dress or those killer heels despite the astronomical price but how often will you really wear those things? Thrice, maybe four times? After which that once loved piece of clothing will probably sit at the back of your closet gathering dust. 

Well, there is a solution to this - swapping. We all know about renting but what about swapping? How does that work? Let us break it down for you.

Websites like Threadflip allow you to put up clothing and accessories that you no longer use and exchange them for something new - something that someone else no longer uses! 

Another website that offers a similar service is Swapstyle.

So how does it work? 

All you have to do is take photos of the items you want to swap and put them up on the website - people can then browse through your collection of unwanted items and if they see something they like, you can swap that item with them for something new from their closet!

Here is where we come in - Swapzaar is going to give Indian customers a chance to do the same thing. This website will be the first of it's kind in India - the concept is the same, the only difference is that this is made especially for you guys so you don't have to go through the hassel of international shipping (and the costs that come with it!).

We are going to be launching our website soon so keep an eye out for us and get ready to swap till you drop! 

In the meanwhile, we have a really exciting contest for you to take part in - all you have to do is leave comment telling us what you think about this idea and you could win amazing gifts from Zara, Mango, Accessorize, and other cool store. You can either leave a comment here or visit our facebook page and leave us comment there - don't forget to like us while you're at it. 

x

About Beluxed Fashion

Conceptualised by 3 batch-mates in 2011, Beluxed Fashion is an online luxury fashion rental service that aims to bring an extended wardrobe to its members through leased access to the world’s most iconic luxury fashion brands.

Beluxed believes that luxury is not about ownership and flaunting expensive labels but about refinement and appreciating perfection in design and quality. Therefore, our philosophy is inclusive luxury for the practical fashionista.

Coming soon to India, Beluxed Fashion services will be available on a pan India basis through online subscription.

To stay updated and enter exciting contests please join our community on facebook/beluxedfashion

How Much is Enough?

Recently in the Bangalore Times there was a small article with statistics on women and their shopping mania (nothing new!). According to this piece, the average woman buys 3,109 items over the years including  271 pairs of shoes (I may have crossed that number in just 36 years!), 185 dresses and 145 bags. Wow! Yet, and this is what amazes me, most women struggle to find something to wear for a night out. Hmmm... the obvious answer to this, though I would never claim to really ‘know what women want’, is that even if one may buy what they desire there will always be limitations to the number of items that can be owned that are currently in vogue and suitable for the occasion at hand - isn’t that right girls?

Then there is the aspect of money - which is never enough for the things you want to have in your wardrobe. The article even reveals statistics on how 14% women hide purchases from their partners and one in ten end up buying atleast one item of clothing a week during their lunch break to wear after work (I’ve done that) What there isn’t any statistics on is what women do with the stuff they buy - where do they hoard these exquisite items of fashion?

In the same article there was a quote “Many feel the pressure to keep up with ever-changing trends and this means they’re always buying something new” - hey what ‘pressure’ - I want to keep up with trends... being in vogue is something I personally enjoy. It makes me feel good and positive and confident. I’ve earned it! I deserve it!

Agreed that I want to do this with a little less strain on my pocket and more importantly I don’t want to collect stuff and find storage space for things that I can no longer use... What’s the solution for such a dilemma - one is to be able to rent luxury items when needed and the other to swap my stuff for other fashionable things... that would be great No? an infinite collection to choose from...

About Beluxed Fashion

Conceptualised by 3 batch-mates in 2011, Beluxed Fashion is an online luxury fashion rental service that aims to bring an extended wardrobe to its members through leased access to the world’s most iconic luxury fashion brands.

Beluxed believes that luxury is not about ownership and flaunting expensive labels but about refinement and appreciating perfection in design and quality. Therefore, our philosophy is inclusive luxury for the practical fashionista.

Coming soon to India, Beluxed Fashion services will be available on a pan India basis through online subscription.

To stay updated and enter exciting contests please join our community on facebook/beluxedfashion