Everlane Goes Global…for one week

So just last week, I went to Everlane.com while browsing for Christmas presents for my boyfriend and was bummed to find out that they didn’t ship to Australia. Boo. Australia never has anything cool. Rage. Etc. But then I get an email today  – Everlane has $15 international shipping to Australia for 1 week only. Hooray!

I assume this is Everlane dipping their toes into international waters to see whether it’s worth the investment and risk that comes with a global e-commerce business. So WE NEED TO GET BUYING and let them know that it will work! Australians are desperate for stylish, quality, affordable and transparent fashion alternatives.

Backing up a bit – the low down on San Fran-based Everlane…

Vogue Online Shopping Night – An Ethical Approach

Vogue Online Shopping Night (which is today! 28th October) makes my brain go a bit haywire.  So many brands, so many beautiful brands, with large store-wide discounts that I can shop from the comfort of my couch. Each year more retailers join, with more products to buy, at even greater discounts.

But these wide-scale discount events (think also Click Frenzy or Cyber Monday) have huge potential for wasteful, unconscious buying. How many times have you bought something and said “I’m not sure I even like it, but it was on sale.” This “I only bought it because it’s cheap” mentality drives the consumption of fast fashion and contributes to the disposability of fashion.

BUT I don’t want to be a total Debbie Downer. Shopping can be great. Shopping and getting a bargain can be great. But like any consumption in the 21^st century, it’s up to us as shoppers to be informed and make the right decisions. We can’t leave it up to corporations to do what’s right for the planet or for workers, we must educate ourselves and (even though I find this saying lame) “vote with our wallets”.

So with that said, here is how I would go about shopping at VOSN tonight.

REVIEW: KITX Collection No. 3 – Australian Eco Luxury on the Rise

I have enjoyed watching Kit Willow Podgornik’s triumphant return to Australian fashion. It’s been 2 years since she was unceremoniously dumped from her namesake label, Willow, which was bought out by The Apparel Group (owners of Australian high-street retailers  Saba, Sportscraft and JAG) in 2011. But now she’s back with a new label, KITX, and a new focus – a slow fashion business that is mindful of its impact (environmentally, socially and economically) on the world.

As she said to Wallpaper mag:

“KitX is the direction I wanted to take Willow in; to create beautiful clothes that have a deeper meaning,’ said Podgornik, who spent much of that break reseraching fashion’s environmental accountability. ‘I never realised the effect that the materials used in fashion have on the planet – even just the packaging,’ she continues. ‘It made my blood boil. I realised that fashion industry is the second biggest polluting industry in the world; many cotton farmers don’t live past the age of 45 because they die of cancers caused by all the chemicals they’re exposed to, which in turn pollute water supplies for villages. I had space to look around and think about what to do next, what women want and need, and it was so clear to me that the way forward was a brand with no negative effects on the planet or its people, right down to having happy salespeople.”

Despite the slow fashion mantra, success is coming quickly – she is stocking at many boutiques and department stores including David Jones, is about to launch her third collection with a lookbook shot in Paris and has just opened a flagship store in Paddington, around the corner from the Willow boutique. How’s that for a comeback?

The H&M Problem

H&M have received considerable praise in the media this week about their sustainability efforts, but is this real progress or are they just pulling the (100% certified, responsibly-sourced) wool over our eyes?

With the release of their ‘2014 Conscious Action Sustainability Report’, the launch of their latest Conscious Collection, and being recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies by independent body Ethisphere, fast fashion retailer H&M is once again being lauded as a leader in sustainable fashion.

Yet with a planned 400 new stores opening in 2015 (to add to their existing 3500 stores worldwide), their aggressive sales growth leads to an equally aggressive increase in manufacturing, which means more natural resources used, more strain on factories and their workers, and more apparel ending up as landfill. It begs the question: can a business built on the unsustainable model of fast fashion ever really be sustainable?

A screenshot from H&M’s sustainability report

Black Milk, ‘Sharkies’ and the Rise of a Fashion Fandom

This is a piece I wrote at the end of last year about Black Milk Clothing for Business of Fashion. Not exactly ethical fashion, but I thought I would share anyway.

Fandoms are communities that take root and grow around cultish aspects of pop culture. Think Potterheads (fans of Harry Potter), Trekkies (Star Trek followers), Bronies (male fans of My Little Pony) and Beliebers (Justin Bieber fangirls). But aside from cosplay and the occasional fandom-related t-shirt, these communities rarely intersect with the fashion industry. Until now. They call themselves ‘Sharkies’ and they worship at the altar of Black Milk, an Australian fashion brand specialising in shiny printed lycra.

Sass & Bide. Made in Africa.

For their latest collab with the ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton have released a 3 piece accessory collection. The graphic, beaded bags are mega cute and verrrry Sass & Bide (the phrase “that’s so Sass & Bide” is uttered at least twice a day in my office). The clutch is a particular favourite and would look mighty nice all wrapped up under my x-mas tree, me thinks.