Fashion

Consumers should be wary of brands who offer 'conscious' or organic collections alongside fast fashion. Simply using organic cotton does not make clothing sustainable. Ultimately, if you look at a brand's website and there is no sustainability policy and no transparency on how and where the clothes were made then it should be a red flag. Brands who truly strive to become more sustainable will be clear on what steps they're taking, where there is room for improvement and what their target it to reach these goals. Looking for organic or recycled materials is a good start. Then check out where the clothes are made and whether there is mention of fair working practices and a living wage. Are the clothes recyclable at the end of their life (if they contain materials like elastane then they probably aren't)? Is the company taking steps to make their clothes last longer and be repaired easily? At Smallkind, we stock Frugi clothes for kids as we're confident that all these issues are taken into consideration and Frugi are doing a great job of working towards becoming as sustainable as possible.

Sustainable fashion is about slowing down the process, looking at all the elements that go into making a garment, and considering the environmental and social impact of the end product. When you think about any item of clothing, it has an environmental impact at every stage of its life – from the field it’s grown in, the pesticides used to protect the crops, or the production of man-made plastic fibres from crude oil. Then there’s the energy used to create the garment, transportation carbon footprint to get it to you, how many times you’ll wear it and its after life. From a social impact perspective, it’s about ensuring the company have ethical processes, invest in their staff and pay a fair wage. Two really simple things you can do when looking out for sustainable brands: Look at the label. There are many ethical certification schemes that can help you to choose the right dress, some of the most well-known include: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) and the FAIRTRADE Cotton Program mark. Avoid synthetic fabrics, fur and leather. In addition, despite the sustainable claims, viscose clothing, (aka rayon or bamboo) has a very polluting manufacturing process. Instead look for cleaner viscose fabrics, labelled as lyocell (Tencel or Monocel). In general, fabrics that have the lowest negative environmental impact are recycled or organic. Next you have lyocell, linen and hemp, followed by Modal, acrylic and polyester, and then the worst offending conventional cotton, non-lyocell viscose, rayon, elastane, nylon and wool. There are many reasons why sustainability is important. Our planet is struggling to cope. The textile industry contributes to 300,000 tonnes of clothing ending up in landfill, some of these clothes are made of plastic which seems to be seeping into our food chain through washing our clothes made of polyester or throwing away clothes that are made from man-made fabrics. We all need to take responsibility, and one way we can reduce the harmful effects of the textile industry is to say no to fast fashion, and instead choose brands that are using kinder fabrics, like organic cotton and peace silk. We need to buy less, wear what we own more and really consider alternative to always buying new.

Did you know that not all fine jewellery is vegan? If buying vegan is important to you for ethical and environmental reasons, then here are a few tips to make sure what you buy aligns with your values: * If the jeweller’s website doesn’t specifically say the products are vegan, they’re probably not. This is because of the tools, processes and materials used in fine jewellery making traditionally include rawhide, leather, wool and animal fats / waxes. Look out for membership of vegan organisations like the Vegan Traders Union to reassure you. * Some gemstones are not vegan. Shell, coral and pearl are all derived from sea animals, and amber can sometimes contain petrified insects (think Jurassic Park!) which wouldn’t be vegan either. In terms of environmental impact, look out for pieces that will stand the test of time. Any piece of jewellery that is “plated”, “filled” or “vermeil” means that it is not made out of solid metal. A base metal (usually brass) is covered in a very thin layer, usually a fraction of the thickness of hair on your head, of precious metal like silver or gold. This will wear off over time, and will result in having to get the piece re-plated multiple times over the course of its use, which has an environmental impact. Look out for officially recognised hallmarks like those used by UK Assay Offices, for reassurance. Marks stating 925 (sterling silver), 375 (9ct gold), and 750 (18ct gold) are ones to look out for, always accompanied by at least three other marks to signify where, when and by whom the piece was assayed. This gives you reassurance that the piece is fully what it says it is! But beware of simple 925 etc stamps that aren’t accompanied by other official marks - they could be any material! And beware of “lab grown diamonds”. They’re automatically described as ethical because they’re not mined. But the processes used in the creation of lab grown diamonds are intense, with a large carbon footprint. More research needs to be done in the field so that customers can understand the risks and benefits to make their own minds up. Personally, I would avoid diamonds altogether - there are far more beautiful and more ethical gemstones out there! Lilac Tree creates ethical and sustainable everyday luxury jewellery, inspired by founder Leila Arakji’s passionate connection to nature and its ever-changing forms. She explains: “My designs always start with the stone - each one is selected with delicate precision and is thoughtfully incorporated into precious metal to create contemporary heirlooms that I hope people will be proud to wear.”