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Underground > Art, Fashion & Design >

Eco-clothing

Tryphena Absent

19:23 / 15.09.05

I've been trawling around the Internet trying to find ecological clothing companies based in Britain that don't make you look like a hippy. I'm sure it doesn't surprise you to find that these are the kinds of clothes I found:

ecoclothing.co.uk- not too bad but not cut well and not work orientated. They do men's shirts but nothing of that kind for women.

Natural Collection. Again the cut of the clothes isn't great and alot of the material looks pretty chunky. Definitely a definitive style that screams flaky.

Clothworks looks a little more promising and I'm going to order their catalogue to take a look at the range.

I was wondering if anyone here buys eco-clothing, if anyone's specifically interested in it, if you're annoyed by the prices or style of what's available?

19:43 / 15.09.05

There's Edun, which Bono has something to do with. The styles look OK, but then you have to wear clothes that Bono has something do to with.

Tryphena Absent

19:53 / 15.09.05

Possibly extortionate... I'll be sure to check them out and report back from the wilds of Selfridges.

20:01 / 15.09.05

It's even harder finding eco-friendly clothing if you're looking for men's clothes - the options seem to be limited to t-shirts and drawstring pants almost exclusively.

I've found some interesting things through the Treehugger.com clothing section. Lots of links to sustainable-crop/recycled clothes.

08:21 / 16.09.05

Well, first of all, the high street varies in its right-on-ness - this article compares different shops and their buying policies.
This one lists a bunch of different suppliers - though it IS from 2002, so probably some have gone/ changed.
There are a whole bunch of ethical buys guides on that site, btw.
The best clothing range I've seen is People Tree. The clothes are still leaning a wee bit towards the hippy side, but they're much more stylish than most - and they seem to be well made.

09:02 / 16.09.05

I think it's difficult to determine whether a lot of what could be termed "eco-clothing" actually is! And is "eco-clothing" necessarily "ethical clothing"? For instance, there are a whole load of organic cotton people selling t-shirts and pyjamas on the internet who make no mention of whether their Asian machine opertors get paid a decent wage. Likewise, loads of websites selling clothes made of jute or hemp who don't mention crop spraying methods.

I did a reasonably big search for eco/ethical clothing a few months back as I'd like to wear more ethical clothing and feel that this issue is something the general public does its best to ignore for the sake of a £2 Tesco T-shirt bargain. I've got several links at home which I'll post (if really relevant) when I get home this afternoon, but by and large, the market isn't aimed at people like me, that is, male. Aside from several "ironic T-shirt" printers who say they use "ethical cotton" I think, (as Ariadne suggests) People Tree are the best and certainly the most well known. There is also Howies whose stuff I've ocassionally seen in shops. But I'm not generally keen on clothes over the internet due to the hassle of sending them back if they don't fit....

09:33 / 16.09.05

I reckon best by far if you don't want to join the tie-dyed elasticated waist brigade are howies. They produce environmentally minded, ethically produced skate/outdoorsey-type gear. Quality, well designed etc. , jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets etc. men's and women's and they are currently having a sale!!!. Great site, and they have massive library of eco-conscious/anti-consumer etc. literature that they lend customers for free......

Also worth trying are gossypium, but they seem to have scaled down their range a bit, to focus more on yoga/sports wear etc. But would still recommend

Also doing fairtrade men's and women's T-Shirts, modern designs, and currently having end of summer sale are ralper

There's also marlo, who seem to specialise in a more classic (aka expensive) range - understated, calm clothing - pricey but gorgeous!! (they have excellent hemp range too).

Also worth remembering charity shops, as in many ways 2nd hand is most environmental/fair trade way to shop.....though easier for women then men (more of a culture of high turnover mass consumption in women's fashion I think). Let us know if you turn up any more good sites/shops.....

11:25 / 16.09.05

AntiApathy has done a couple of things relating to eco-friendly clothing - a range of trainers (made from ex-army clothing I think, among other things) and a guide to shops etc. in London. You can get their ReFashion booklet at Junky on Brick Lane (a shop full of lovely stuff made from second-hand clothes, but jolly expensive) - I think it's a quid. I'll pick one up for you this w/e if you like...

15:08 / 16.09.05

Those clothes in Junky are rather special though ain't they? "Eco" in a way as they're old clothes refashioned in spanky new designs.

17:13 / 16.09.05

And is "eco-clothing" necessarily "ethical clothing"?

I think this is an interesting question, and also the idea that secondhand is the most eco way to shop. I like the use of the word "ethical" --what is the healthiest way to shop for a person on this planet? What are the consequences of secondhand shopping?

17:24 / 16.09.05

Also, that Anti-Apathy site is great...

09:49 / 17.09.05

what is the healthiest way to shop for a person on this planet?

yes, all good questions. My personal policy is to aspire to buy everything that I possible can second hand - clothes, household bits and bobs, books, cds, shoes. I'm also a big fan of freecycle, as both giver and receiver. The ethos behind second hand buying is that its recyling and all proceeds go to furthering good works/causes (I don't buy from all charities for personal/ethical reasons, i.e. I won't give to some medical organisations where money goes to animal experiments). If I do find myself needing something new that's just not turning up second hand, then I exhaust all fairtrade routes first, before moving on to ebay, and finally reluctantly going down the high street - but this really doesn't happen very often. And when it comes to big purchases such as white/black goods, mortgages etc. Ethical Consumer's an excellent resource. My main point of reference in all this is the fact that I live in such an extraordinarily affluent society (UK) with such an obsession for the new. Charity shops are bursting with brand new, never worn/used items such as women's clothes from all the big high street retailers. When it comes to books the constant 3 for 2 offers from the big book sellers mean that most popular titles turn up, nay, deluge up, within a few months. In fact, that applies to all trends - last year I was admiring all the girlie patterned wellies in the shops, and knew if I just held on they'd turn up 2nd hand, and lo and behold, started noticing them in charity shops this summer. Anyhow, the main point I'm rambling towards is that for me 2nd hand is the most ethical and environmental way to shop, and that for as long as the majority are bulldozing their way down the highstreet, then its easy for others to be mopping up behind them...

16:03 / 19.09.05

Hi Nina - I think this is more ethical (fair trade) than ecological, but there is a positive ecological factor - I don't think they use bleach etc. They're likely to be more ecological than GAP, anyway.

http://www.peopletree.co.uk

It's quite boho-stylee but there are some really nice clothes in there and they tend to be quite fashionable.

16:06 / 19.09.05

...and they totally are eco! (sorry, I forgot to format the link properly). I've not used the website before, only the catalogue, which came in the post with NI.

Tryphena Absent

09:54 / 20.09.05

Well I've ordered a couple of catalogues and I'm waiting for them now.

15:42 / 20.09.05

I was going to mention the Worn Again trainers, but I see that they're a part of Anti-Apathy. I like the look of them, though.

14:37 / 21.09.05

I just noticed an "organic and ethical" (or possibly "ecological") boutique in Camden Passage, in Angel. No doubt verrrry pricey, but then, it seems as though, if you want to be ethical and ecological when it comes to buying clothes, then you also have to be affluent.

I mean, if you're on a low income, then choosing between a t-shirt that costs £20 and is ethically made, or a sweatshop t-shirt that costs £2, you'll probably choose the latter if you want to feed your kids as well.

I really like the Worn Again trainers, both how they look, and the idea behind them, but I resent paying £60 for any pair of trainers. I understand that they are a small company, and probably manufactured by a small team rather than a sweatshop factory and all that, but I still don't want to pay £60 for any shoes, really, unless they're really well made, which they rarely are. I know some people don't mind about paying that kind of money, so hopefully they will be the ones who buy them, but for those who don't have huge amounts of money to spend on clothes, what option do they have? Aside from charity shops and second-hand, when you can't always find what youb want or need....

07:26 / 22.09.05

Anna - I totally agree, the problem with so much eco/ethical stuff is the price tag hanging off it. I've always been impressed with People Tree on the price front, but you're right, its certainly not H&M. One way I try to get round it in my head is to think quality not quantity, but then that only gets you so far. In practical terms I find TK Max a good compromise for me, as they're sort of selling on cheap stuff that hasn't sold for whatever reason first time round, which is (I think) a reasonable environmental ethic. Doesn't change the fact that most of their stock is sweat-shop produced, hence its a bit of a last resort. Good for shoes though, as tend to be good quality and much cheaper......blimey, sounds like I'm on their books......