Category: Ethical
Flying fur..
It’s a sign of the times when fur both becomes common place and mixed with casual fashion..camo trousers and casual fur jacket: an unexpected marriage made in heaven, worn here by the iconic Jenna Lyons.
But I’m curious: Why the turn fur acceptance turn-around? Is it because faux fur is so good we can’t spot the difference, giving free-reign to choosing the real stuff? Or maybe all these photos are of Jenna in fake. But I don’t think so…
Is it that fur has moved with the political times and is now a tightly controlled industry where cruelty has been banished? Or is there a leniency to vintage fur under the heading ‘eco-friendly’ in a wasteful planet? I just don’t know..
All I do know, is fabulous as Jenna looks, this outfit would’ve caused an outrage even ten years ago…so why not now?
Laters, Kate x
Eye Love This! x
(All pictures from Style Bubble)
Flavia la Rocca is a young, sustainable designer who’s decided to feature the Blogger Susie Bubble as her muse and fashion detail..
She says it a nod to how Susie relates to the fashion world of today.
I say the way it links the articles of clothing together is genius.
Eyes on the world, it’s witty, fun and really rather desirable…
Laters, Kate x
Accessing All Areas..
It’s the last day of school for the kids today before the nostalgia of summer holidays, which has meant the last two weeks have been manic. Sometimes it’s hard to describe that state of continual motion when every minute of the day is converted into action. Even this afternoon: After the presentation of presents to their teachers and almost missing them with cards still to write and hair to do this morning , they’re only at school till 12. Then there’s a joint birthday party on the Common for Charlie, a picnic for Bella – all with their associative jobs – and there’s shopping still to do, the dog to pick up, supper to sort…because tomorrow the kids leave for Greece with their Grandparents – and I haven’t even started packing: If Charlie goes without a couple of stitches in his new swimming trunks his modesty will never survive the first wave. And Bella wants to take one of the tie-dye tops we made – but the arms need shortening..and it was a late mum’s night out last night…..and where are their passports – and are they up to date??
At least I’ve ordered some holiday towels for all of us…we join them in Greece in a week so they’ve still got time to arrive. We’ll then stay for a few days with my parents, before heading off to the island of Lefkas for what I thought was a Greek Glamping experience…i.e. A little wooden house with air-con for the husband….except there seems a little confusion over what exactly we’ve booked. Hey ho, time will tell..
Made the old fashioned way, these cotton towels are hand loomed in Turkey (Don’t tell the Greeks) and are meant to be compact, dry quickly, absorbent and just generally awesome and cool. It helps they’re supplied by a local Company, Sorbet based in SW London..
At least I might have got one thing right..even if my priorities are a bit questionable….!
Laters, Kate x
Simply Made x
Made was born from a desire to create beautiful products using traditional time-honoured skills and fashion led design: Made believe that people really matter, that if you look after the employees it translates through into what they make. It’s a meeting of beautiful thinking and beautiful doing where object and intention come together to create something truly special and unique whilst embracing cultures, personalities and genuine gorgeousness..
They are also dedicated to using the most environmentally friendly products possible: Their signature style comes from an extensive use of reclaimed brass which has a warmth and a softness unlike any other metal. 
But what makes them standout is the balance between tradition/friend of the earth and cutting edge fashion: Their sharp design skills come from a willingness to collaborate with some of the best the fashion and design world has to offer – Edun, Lois Vuitton, Whistles, Asos, TopShop to name just a few, all adding to a sense of continual growth and exploration of ideas. 
I particularly love these pieces by Imogen Belfield, already touted by Vogue as an up and coming designer, her designs have a sense of presence and tactileness that make them exceptionally appealing: They’re a little bit of sunshine… 
Mi piace..
Time to stand outside the circle.
Laters, Kate x
The Fableists x
(Bella wearing Baseball shirt £20)
The driving force behind The Fableist’s children’s label has nothing to do with fashion, it has nothing to do with faddy designs or even seasonal clothes. The name comes from the amalgamation of two words – ‘fables’ – for the telling of stories and most importantly, where each piece of clothing comes from, and ‘activist’ – what it’s going to take to change this industry around. The simple focus of the brand is the wish to do the best for our children and that this should never involve child labour or harmful chemicals.
(Charlie wearing Recycle tee £16)
But that doesn’t mean the fashion doesn’t exist..
Look through the Collection and you’ll find their Chore coat..utilitarian to a seam – can be worn by either boys or girls..timeless, versatile and a wardrobe staple winter or summer.
(Bella wearing Charlie’s Breton tee! £20)
Or their Smock Dress? A tom-boys delight..a dress that isn’t girly based on a vintage dress found in a Parisienne flea market. How perfect?
(Charlie wearing Brain tee £16)
Every element has been thought of and thought through, from the biodegradable PVC packaging to passports and labels made from re-cycled paper and rhino poo. Certainly had my scamps laughing!
At the heart of so much fashion today is a grotty portrait of a dusty, broken world where profit comes before anything else.
What a joy then to discover a Company that is prepared to buck the trend.
The Fableists are chicken soup for children clothes – rich, deep and soulful. They recognise that our future is the little people..and their future needs a planet.
Cool clothes and a good heart?
It’s a rare combination that deserves our support.
Laters, Kate x
A Day in The Life..
6.30 am alarm goes off. Children have been up for sometime like very large dancing elephant mice. Manage to put the inevitable off, listening to Radio 4 till 7.00, but I know it’s a busy day. Shower. Dress. Need to get a post up – thankfully written the day before – I’m out all morning. Re-check notes, address, battery in camera, put a wash in the machine, find oyster card, mediate a fight, oversee teeth cleaning, hair brushing, shoes on, school bags, ready to go…
8.00 Head out the door on the school run..there’s a fight over who shuts the door. I suggest that if I shut the door first they might not be able to get out..Charlie not happy with this logic.
8.50 Head to the train station. Notice my Vans have two nice holes in them. Damn Vans.
10.00 Meeting in Clerkenwell (Great part of London – history oozing from every corner) with the inspirational Matt Cooper, the driving force behind The Fableists – a seriously cool children’s clothing label, built to last and save the planet. What’s not to love? – but more in a future post.
11.00 Checking out the clothes and loving the fact I can buy stuff for Bella..and hand it on to Charlie.
11.30 Grab a quick coffee and phone a friend who’s recovering from an op. Do a quick email catch up. It’s a beautiful day in London. Head back on the tube via a supermarket shop for supper.
Makes me laugh.
1.00 Home. Realise I should’ve grabbed something for lunch as well. Have to make do with a hot cross bun, some cheese and blueberries..but at least the hot cross bun was made by my fair hands at Creative Coffee yesterday. Run round the house and do a quick tidy up.
1.30 Start to write. Always have to put pen to paper once a day otherwise it feels wrong. Set alarms on my phone so I don’t lose track of precious time. Check the blog but no time to reply to comments. Slack.
3.00 Head off to collect the kids from school. Remember to take snacks otherwise I’ll have my arm eaten off. In the whole scheme of things this is only a little patch of green, but it’s one of my great joys walking through it every day.
4.00 Homework. A relatively quick affair today as I’ve promised them we’ll make use of the gorgeous weather (could be snowing next week knowing the UK) and head out to the Common again. We may live in a City, but we make use of what we have.
They insist on wearing their new t-shirts from The Fableists.
5.00 Picnic tea with hot chocolate. A must. It’s our second picnic of the week..a record this year. ANY year..in fact it’s the first year Charlie hasn’t been too knackered by this time of the day, after school, to do things like this. It’s always a balance with kids..doing things..over doing things and then taking the kick-back…
6.00 – 8.00 No time for photos. Just manic. Getting baths done. Hair. Teeth. Stories read. Trying to get ready to go out at the same time. Attempting to stop blood being spilt. Trying to catch up on the Blog. Trying to get everything together – uniforms laid out, bags packed by the door as I don’t want to do it at midnight. Sort the washing in the machine. Husband back at 8.00. I’m already late..run!
8.00 pm – Mums night out at a local Kareoke bar. Always good for a laugh! A fun night setting the world to rights with some great gals.
Get home close to midnight. Up at 3.30 am to give Bella some medicine to stop the Chinese water torture coughing.
Alarm goes off at 6.30 am…and because I was out morning and evening, there’s no post written…it’s also Book Club tonight..and we’re out to dinner tomorrow…honest to God, there’s no rest for the wicked…just crack on…and no run managed yesterday..must remedy that today…and do an internet food shop..and Bella’s gym today and I have hundreds of emails..and…and…write a list and set alarms on phone…and start..
Laters, Kate x
Fascinating Faustine x
Tucked away in the wilds of East London is a Studio with a difference. It’s where Faustine Steinmetz works her magic spinning, dying and weaving her own fabrics, up-cycling old textiles and turning the ordinary into the curiously exotic.
Her work isn’t about re-defining the silhouette into dramatic statements, instead she wants her clothes to have a grounded reference point. Each piece is chosen from the iconic element of our wardrobes – the pieces you reach for without thinking. It’s then the re-construction that gets taken to a whole new level.
Choices are made – like the denim will be made from mohair – and from that point, everything is handmade and hand dyed, right down to familiar red tabs and labels which are hand woven on looms in the studio.
These jeans were tapestried by hand to create the illusion of aged denim using hundreds and thousands of tiny stitches. The process took ten people 3 months to complete.
The idea behind this jacket was to create something that looked as if it had spent years floating in the sea.
(All pictures by Sanna Helena Berger)
Her concept is as far away from fast fashion as you can get, but it also challenges the thought processes of luxury brands. Many of the pieces she chooses as her inspiration, like the 501 levi jeans, were originally designed for labourers – made out of necessity rather than for beauty for the ordinary person on the street. But for Faustine luxury is not a glittering ball gown made from rare pleated silks and worn once, ‘luxury’ means somebody spending the time and talent to create something unique using pride and passion to create with integrity and heart.
Laters, Kate x
The Wear-Anywhere-Coat x
Taste is shaped by an assortment of interconnected influences one of which has to be nostalgia and that warm, inner glow of special memories. Which was the burning catalyst that drove Alexander Stutterheim to design his first rain coat: He wanted to capture the essence of his Grandfather, an incredible man who not only managed a big theatre in Stockholm and wrote poetry in his spare time, but who would go to sea, defying the worst weather conditions mother nature could throw at him to catch fish (or life, as he said). When Alexander found one of his Grandfather’s old fishing coats in a out-building he was compelled to resurrect it as a personal homage to his memory.
Rainwear as an individual concept has long been swallowed up by giants of sportswear with most of the production now based at big factories far away. But that’s not what Alexander wanted, instead he took his prototype to the last standing textile factory in Sweden in the small town of Boras to Johan Kall, the manager and his seamstresses for their skill, craftsmanship and individual attention to detail.
The coats are a fabulous design – discreet, classic timeless cuts, the seams are all taped and sealed and each coat is signed and numbered by the seamstress who made it as a mark of honour and integrity.
They are coats to wear in the country, in stormy weather, at sea..or even in the City. And still be well dressed. Coats that are made to live and last a lifetime.
The hardest decision is choosing what colour..
It’s the husbands birthday coming up and I think it could be the perfect present: Made to stand both the test of time and weather all storms with passion, authenticity and love. Sometimes it’s not just about what you want to wear but also who you want to be.
And sometimes something comes along that ticks all the boxes. Just like him really.
Laters, Kate x
Edun Mark 2 x
The most attractive thing is always talent.
Danielle Sherman Creative Director of Edun is, season by season creating and expanding the visual language of this ethical label.
Building it block by block – the inspiration Africa, the journey a clear path: Her palette is clean, simple and continuous which means that like the materials she uses, pieces can be woven together.
Take her SS14 Collection..everything can be seamlessly added as an extra, rich layer – more shapes to play with. More weather changes to adapt to. It’s clever, it’s thoughtful. It’s sustainable in your wardrobe.
She answers ‘Who am I?’ before ‘What shall I buy?
And 85% of the this Season was made in Africa.
Unlike Karl, Danielle gets the sneaker aesthetic to perfection.
Simple but with intelligent, creative twists – a juxtaposition here, the unexpected there. She’s not trendy..she’s effortless.
Laters, Kate x
Another Walker..
Koppola – Maasai beader.
This season Karen Walker, Goddess of eyewear, is using her product advertising platform to highlight her work with the United Nations’ International Trade Centres Ethical Fashion Initiative whose task it is to promote sustainable business over aid dependency.
Velma – Assistant.
Each pair of her new sunglasses will come with a screen-printed pouch made by Kenyan Artisans, with a further option of buying more embellished, more expensive pouches as well.
Winnifred – Supervisor.
In a clever, human move that perfectly illustrates the interwoven connections within the project and Karen Walker’s thinking, the workers and makers have also become the models and the faces of the glasses.
Beatrice – Craftsperson.
She says: ‘The Campaign captures our innate optimism, our love of maximum-impact in the images themselves and also directs attention to Kenya in a positive way. The images help to bring visibility to how fashion can be a vital vehicle out of poverty.’
Rason – Maasai Beader.
Florence – Artist.
Anton – Metal Caster.
All photos by Derek Henderson
The workers are no longer the forgotten force but have personally created the Work of Art this Campaign is by owning the visual story and underlining the simple fact that beauty is around all of us in our every day.
Effective, clever..and stunning.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 