Rapanui

Rapanui is an ethical, eco-friendly clothing company based in the Isle of Wight, UK. The company was set up by brothers Mark and Rob Drake-Knight early in 2008. They are now aged 23 and 25, and the company is about making eco-fashion cool for young people. Check out their website, www.rapanuiclothing.com.

They make men and women’s clothing from eco-friendly materials like bamboo (eg the women’s panda t-shirt pictured above), organic cotton, hemp, and modal in a wind-powered Fair Wear Foundation accredited factory. They also have a cool thing called Traceability – for each piece of clothing, you can see the journey the piece of clothing has taken, beginning from where the fabric was grown.

The range is pretty cool; it consists of t-shirts, polo shirts, long-sleeved tops, jumpers, hoodies, jeans, boxer shorts, socks, vests, leggings, and pashminas. Prices range from GBP£9.95 - £69.95. And yes, they do deliver to New Zealand.

It’s great that there is a company that is making ethical, eco-friendly clothing for young people.

Starfish

Starfish is a New Zealand designer women’s fashion label, founded by Wellingtonian Laurie Foon in 1993. All Starfish clothes are made in New Zealand, often using sustainable fabrics such as merino, tencel (made from the natural cellulose that is found in wood pulp), recycled fibres, silk, hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. Where they can, they also use recycled buttons and buckles. They use paper bags with vegetable-based dye and chlorine-free tissue, and they recycle all card, plastic, and paper products, as well as asking customers to return clothes hangers and garment bags. Starfish works to reduce their carbon emissions by using an energy-efficient power supplier.

In 2007, Starfish became the first fashion label to win a New Zealand Sustainable Business award, winning the Emerging Sustainable Business Leaders (SME) category. Starfish constantly looks for new opportunities to source sustainable services and products like fabrics, textile treatments, consumables, and printing.

Starfish stores are located in Wellington and Christchurch (see www.starfish.co.nz for stockists). As well as the Starfish label, the stores also stock clothes and accessories by several other ethical, sustainable brands. The website The Thread Loop, www.thethreadloop.com, sells a range of Starfish clothing.

Other types of shoes

Eco-friendly, ethically made sneakers were a lot easier to find than I thought, but what about other types of shoes? When it comes to casual shoes, there is a quite a variety. American brand Keen Footwear has a range of ethically made, eco-friendly shoes. They use materials such as canvas, recycled polyurethane, reclaimed rice paper, recycled aluminium, rubber, latex, and leather. See www.keenfootwear.co.nz for stockists. I like the look of the Harvest Mary Jane shoe, pictured above.

Po-Zu, meaning ‘pause’ in Japanese, is a brand which makes a variety of shoes for men and women. They are ethically made in Portugal, using natural materials such as organic hemp, vegetable tanned leather, wooden buttons, cork, coconut husk, natural latex, vegetable tanned suede, and wool. They also make an edible shoe polish, although I’m not sure that’s available in New Zealand. A few styles of Po-Zu shoes can be bought from www.idiomboutique.co.nz and www.conch.co.nz. Prices start at $200.

El Naturalista is another eco-friendly, ethical brand that makes shoes. The Spanish company has a list of ten commandments which embodies their ethics, regarding human rights and respect for the environment. Check out www.elnaturalista.com for stockists. The website is Spanish, but there is an option to view it in English.

Ethically made, eco-friendly formal/corporate leather shoes are more difficult to find, but I came across Pikolinos, another Spanish company. They make sure all their employees are treated fairly, and the majority of shoes are made from vegetable-tanned leather, using water-based dyes, and solvent-free glues. Bank Shoes stores stock a couple of styles of Pikolinos shoes, for $269. Check out the Pikolinos website at www.pikolinos.com. Unless you speak Spanish, you’ll need to use Google Translate to turn it into English.

Sneakers

I don’t really wear sneakers a lot, but they’re essential for wearing to the gym and to my hip-hop dance classes. It came time for me to replace my falling-apart sneakers, and I decided to find an ethically made, eco friendly pair.

Fair Trade sneakers are not as difficult to find as I’d thought they would be. Starfish stores (in Wellington and Christchurch) sell sneakers made by French Fair Trade brand Veja. The shoes are made in Brazil from organic cotton, wild latex, and vegetable-tanned leather (not all styles are made from leather). They are available in a variety of styles, from about $200 I think. I got a pair of the 'Taua' style half price at $99, and I really like them.

Australian brand Etiko sells Fair Trade vegan sneakers which are made in Pakistan. The soles are made with sustainable latex which comes from Sri Lanka, and the canvas and laces are made from certified organic cotton. The dyes are free from PCP and AZO, and the shoe boxes are made from post-consumer recycled waste. Three different styles of Etiko sneakers can be bought from SAFE’s Cruelty Free Shop in Auckland, or at their online store, www.choosecrueltyfree.org.nz. The prices start at $99. Etiko also sells Alparagatas (outdoor slippers) at their online store, www.etiko.com.au. They cost AUD$65, and are made in Argentina.

The USA brand Simple Shoes sells Fair Trade and eco-friendly shoes, made from materials such as jute, hemp, certified organic cotton, recycled plastic bottles, silk, eco-certified leather, and recycled car tires. Prices start at $169.95. They make a number of different styles of shoes, including sneakers and sandels. Check out www.simpleshoes.com for stockists. Even though I don’t wear sneakers a lot, these shoes are sooo cute that I’m strongly tempted to get a pair...