A saint once said

There's a couplet by the revered Indian poet-saint Kabir (incidentally, connected to the clothing trade in a way -- he was a weaver) that teaches us that it is not a person that conquers a situation, it is time. Same person, different time and the results can be unexpectedly altered ('purush bali nahin hot hai, samay hote balwaan; bheelan maari gopika, vahi Arjun vahi baarnd').

And so it is with ethical fashion. Casting my mind back to 2007-8 I can recall the quizzical looks I got at dinner parties when the subject was mentioned (by me only, of course). I was once even asked by a fellow school mother how my business in 'ethnical' fashion was going. Business minded types looked askance almost immediately when they heard I was starting an online business selling ethical or eco fashion.....many simply looked past my ear, scanning the room for a less ditzy conversation partner.

And here we are now -- same subject, different time -- and the response has changed noticeably. Eco fashion is a well recognised topic, feted far and wide. Vogue sponsors a Green Style Blog and Livia Firth's Green Carpet Challenge begets nods of recognition rather than head shakes of puzzlement. Ethical fashion makes its presence known at (no less than) the dinner in honour of Barack and Michelle Obama's London visit and, the launch party for (the inimitable) Lucy Siegles' new book 'To Die For' has a glitterati guest list to be reckoned with, including Sheherazade Goldsmith, Alice Temperley and Laura Bailey. Esthetica, London Fashion Week's collection of ethical fashion labels superbly curated by Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci, has always been a fantastic microcosm of the 'space' but rather than shouting to be heard, it is now honoured by Global Cool, as it celebrates its 5th birthday (the most picturesque note about which you can read here, courtesy ecouterre.). As if all that is not enough, at last count I rated about 40+ blogs, centrally connected to ethical fashion, as worthy.

Now thats what I call being known and being heard, loud and clear. Fashion's intellectually superior, cool-because-I-got-the-brains-AND-the-looks sister, has arrived to stay. Over the next little while, this blog will sat-nav its readers across the changed landscape of the relationship between these siblings.....

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

SUMMER RAYNE OAKES' STYLE, NATURALLY IS OUT!

Some people might be a little put off by yet another 'green style bible' after the slew we was in 2008 but, to them I say, save the cynicism for the next book...this one - Style, Naturally, by Summer Rayne Oakes you have to get your hands on. Why? Well lets look at the facts:

Fact 1: Summer Rayne Oakes (or SRO as she is sometimes called) is truly stylish. Just watch some of her myriad youtube videos...she appears in all garbs, but always looking individual and chic/cool/fashionable/all of the above. This is someone who's views on fashion and style you want to hear.

Fact 2: she has modelled quite a bit but her interest in ethical/eco style and fashion isn't shaped primarily by this sort of involvement in the field. Rather she has done some more in-depth study of the environment (she has an entomolgy and environmental science undergrad degree from Cornell). So she understands the science of being eco rather better than if she just looked pretty in 'trendy' green fashion. The latter, while commendable (at least more than just looking pretty in any old, mainstream, not-very -good-for-anyone-at-all, fashion), isn't grounds for buying a whole book by that pretty person. At least not to me.

Fact 3: As anyone who knows her knows very well, she has her fingers in most if not all the ethical fashion and design pies around....especially in North America, where so many of the most prominent, promising and solvent eco-labels originated. This is a woman that knows much about the business of ethical style. A she says in the promo video above, it is essential to discuss the 'cost' of being a green fashionista...and she suggests it actually can save you money.



To these quite compelling facts I'd add that she has a natural, humorous writing voice and her 'take' on being ethically aware in personal style is not one of judging but rather of showing a genuinely better way. Any book that she has penned is likely to be a fun read.

None of this is to say that I haven't had moments of feeling she was a bit OTT with her self-marketing...but then, thats American gusto for you, I guess (Oprah anyone?). And also I guess she is entitled to be as ambitious and the next media-exposed person (Oprah anyone), so perhaps its par for the course. Be that all as it may, it needn't affect our judgement on her ability and place in the eco-fashion/design/style world, to write an informative book.

So all that to say I'm off to buy the book on Amazon. The sneak preview shows plenty of interesting ideas from some fabulous designers - we love the fact the Doie features prominently with the collections at DeviDoll.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of the book....and expecting ourselves to find a true blend of fashion and eco cred!

IF YOU GET IT RIGHT, THEY'LL WRITE...

These are hard times for the biggest names in high street retail. Imagine what they are for a online, ethical designer fashion start up. Yikes!! - as Shaggy from Scooby Doo would say. Don't dwell on the image though - you may not survive it.

Fact is times like this are the context in which all those self-help books come in handy. Time to find your reserves of tenacity, self-belief and most of all, tap into your almost pathalogical sense of optimism (a phrase from my one and only meeting with the late Anita Roddick. She told me it was required of any entrepreneur. I memorised it).

I'll admit that nothing does the trick quite like self-motivated, organic (how could I not use the term) energy but I cannot agree that this is enough. A necessary ingredient to keeping your head above water are peer reviews. They keep the space fertile and make what you do seem worthy.

And lately, BTGOG (my secret term which I cannot unfurl, sorry), DeviDoll and our efforts to define and propogate the notion of ethical fashion as essential, fashionable and the the only way forward, have received plenty of attention. Editorial, no pay for play, pure opinion from those who know about luxury, fashion, green issues and have something to say.

So a very big thank you to

greenmystyle.com -- a truly 'daily' read. Lots out there says it is such but you wouldn't really go there everyday. This you would -- for a start for the 'daily e-bay' finds that make reused/vintage/recycled a J-O-Y. Sift for the best green style.


Spire.com -- join up, ask (literally) any question you need answered about luxury, quality travel, lifestyle, shopping, eating and more, and I guarantee you will benefit from the responses you get. A discreet meeting of like minds happens at Spire and experiences of how, what, where are shared (but not your whole life, phew!). The site does what it says on the package: Quality lifestyle. Savvy perspective.



ecofashionworld.com -- for these folks, its all about helping you arm yourself with knowledge about ethics in that most universal of medium, fashion. Very global, very much about things close to style as well as those that impact it from far off (China Issue, Sept 2008).



theginlady.com -- 'under the influence of Green, Independant and Natural lifestyle brands'. Pretty much sums it up really...read here about all kinds of brands, events, happenings, and more -- all from the land of ethical. Sweet.


Check these for more than their take on DeviDoll. As Spire's Suzanne says - 'Sharing the best, so you can leave the rest'.

GREEN SHOPPING MATTERS

A recent article in a national daily suggests that the only 'true' way to be eco is to consume less (fly less, buy less and so on). Substituting our usual choices with greener ones is essentially a hoax and won't make any difference to the planet. Even worse, the article continues, green consumption is now a cover for over-consumption but with holier-than-thou/do-gooder delusion mixed in. By adding references to celebrities (including some generally loathed ones) that 'talk' green but continue (even some of the time) to lead rich-person lifestyles (private planes, multiple houses...you know the list) the article manages to roundly dismiss the value of green(er) consumption. Ain't no such thing - don't try and buy a dress produced under fair trade guidelines...doesn't matter. Just try and do without the dress.

So what do we have here? A good point very badly presented on a bed of misleading information....thanks but no thanks.

Yes, we really do need to consume less if we want to help the planet. Realistically though this is a meta-change that requires effort and societal change at many levels. As regular individuals it is often not just about our choice when it comes to consumption - we have schools to get to (on time), old parents to visit (in another country), growing kids to clothe (and re-clothe every few months) and so on. We must try to cut down and can only do what we can. Since green-celebrity loving/loathing is so big with the press, let me back up my views with Leonardo's “I’ve heard the stuff about artists flying everywhere, but we are also citizens. I do what I can for the sake of our planet but nobody is perfect. If I can influence anyone in any kind of way and get them to listen to these issues using my position, then that can only be a good thing.”

Now, is there really no point in making other choices that have to do WITH consumption, rather than its absence, if we want to make a difference. OF COURSE THERE IS! Believe it or not, hybrid cars do help, less plastic does help, buying from responsible producers does make a difference, how we dress ourselves can impact lives. Our power as consumers is very real. Its an imperfect solution, yes, but in an imperfect world, so lets just get down to it. There is no 100% eco solution but that should not stop us from choosing those from 1%-99%. Just get real about what's going on and get on with it.

Celebrities and 'glamorous' types attach themselves to any and everything but does that make those things intrinsically just about callow celebrity and status and devoid of any real worth? Only if you can't see beyond the celeb. We should be more concerned with whether we are teaching our children to turn lights off when they leave a room and doing something (anything) to support the working conditions of millions of women around the world (whose creations we so blithely don), than about whether XYZ CELEB's eco-credentials really mean something. Who cares? Even if you do care, feel free to rant about XYZ's personal ethics and NOT about the value of being green. In this case, go ahead, shoot the messenger because there is nothing wrong with the message.

Being a conscientious (including eco) consumer isn't an oxymoron and it isn't very confusing. And it's good for the planet. What are you waiting for?