Picture Profiles
People Tree
People Tree is one of the largest eco fashion companies and was founded in 1989 by British Fair Trade and environmental activist, Safia Minney. The brand works with 50 Fair Trade groups in 15 developing countries to produce ecological clothing that is certified by the International Fair Trade Association and the Soil Association.
Arabella Preston from People Tree explains what it means to be part Fairtrade,
“A key part of being Fairtrade is having a low environmental impact, we ship 95% of our collections which a big difference from other companies who just wouldn’t because of their lead times.”
People Tree’s lead times is up to one year which is unheard of in the fashion industry so how do they manage it?
“We have to do a lot of pre-planning and we buy the cotton before it’s available so the farmer knows exactly how much to buy and we pay them up to half in advance so they can buy the seeds” says Arabella.
With highstreet retailers now releasing organic and Fairtrade ranges eco fashion seems to be going mainstream so does People Tree think the trend integrate with conventional fashion?
“I think people who are pioneering the movement will continue to stand out as conventional companies can’t become Fairtrade in everything they do. We would love to see eco fashion retailers opening shops on the high street because we want to compete with them.”
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Seraglia
Seraglia is s a couture house in London that designs and produces hand made jewellery and adornments to order and in very limited editions.Jewellery designer of Seraglia Lucy Wills explains the ethics behind the brand,
"what's really important to me is respecting the environment and also producing jewellery that is durable and has a personal significance."
Lucy works with old, reclaimed and unexpected materials which she says can be a difficult process,
"I work with alot of vintage material that is increasingly expensive to source so at the moment I'm looking into manufacturing in an ethical and sustainably way but so far it's been a steep learning curve."
Recycled fashion is becoming increasingly popular with many shoppers buying vintage clothes to expand their lifecycle, I asked Lucy whether the same was true of her jewellery,
"Yes people come to me and ask me to alter a necklace for them or add parts to a broken necklace.It's about creating new heirlooms that will last."
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http://www.glamourkitten.comten.com
Imtaz
Imtaz Khaliq is a bespoke tailor in London and has been in the tailoring business for over 16 years.
Imtaz creates one off quality garments that are desgned to last for years and this she explains is why she runs an ethical fashion business,
"I think all tailoring is ethical because you're making clothes that last and don't go out with the latest fad."
"All the tailoring is done in house so there isn't much travelling involved and there is no sweat shop labour. The fabrics are all bought in the UK aswell so the final product is very green. "
The fabrics are all sourced from her home county of Yorkshire and Imtaz thinks it's important to support the UK garment industry,
"I like to support all the mill shops in Yorkshire as it's a dieing trade."
Imtaz tailoring business is the complete opposite to the the fast fashion trend in the UK so what does Imtaz think about it?
"I don't like the trend at all but I guess people are looking at the price and convenience of fast fashion."
"I've always valued the skills of tailor to be able to make something that lasts.You can't really make a cheap jacket look good, a smart jacket takes many hours to make and is something that can't be duplicated in Primark."
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