Formal spring outfit

Ok, so spring is almost over...let this cute outfit take you into the warmer weather!

Kowtow Fair Trade organic cotton charcoal Whether dress $145 from www.kowtow.co.nz

Hug Fair Trade organic cotton black drape front cardigan $60 from

www.micahclothing.co.nz

Terra Plana black vegetable-tanned leather Ginger shoes $235 (ethically made in China), from Starfish stores (Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, see www.starfish.co.nz for addresses)

Nancybird Australian made vegetable-tanned leather smoke festival bag $237 from www.atamira.co.nz

Pele Accessories sea shell pendant necklace, handmade in Samoa $37 from www.pelebags.com

Trade Aid Fair Trade silver disk earring with wooden bead $14.95 from www.tradeaid.org.nz

Casual spring outfit

Look funky in this eco-friendly outfit, while staying warm in this in-between weather; spring can often feel like winter in NZ!

Hug Fair Trade deep indigo organic denim pencil skirt $60 from www.micahclothing.co.nz

Freeset Fair Trade organic cotton white fork t-shirt $35 from http://store.liminal.org.nz

Tightology Australian made botanica grey organic cotton/nylon/elastane full tights from www.tightology.com.au AUD$39.95

Etiko Fair Trade black canvas Alparagatas AUD$65 from www.etiko.co.nz

Untouched World NZ made black stretch organic cotton seaside jacket $129 (on sale) from www.untouchedworld.com

Trade Aid Fair Trade black silk satchel with red tag $69.99 from www.tradeaid.org.nz

Pele Accessories wooden beaded earrings, handcrafted in Samoa, $16 from http://www.pelebags.com/

Mamarua NZ made recycled resin rata red heart pendant $30 from www.aotearoa.co.nz

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.

Casual winter outfit

Go for dark shades like black and charcoal, with sustainable fabrics such as merino and organic cotton in this cold-weather eco-friendly ensemble.

Hug Fair Trade organic women’s classic bootcut blue jeans $99 from www.micahclothing.co.nz

AS Colour women’s graphite short-sleeved WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) certified merino t-shirt $48 from www.ascolour.co.nz

The New Zealand Sock Company NZ made classic merino black dress city socks $15.99, see www.nzsock.co.nz for stockists.

Etiko Fair Trade sustainable latex and organic cotton black hightops $120 from www.choosecrueltyfree.org.nz

The Merino Story NZ made merino black long drape cardigan $71.20 from www.whatsonsale.co.nz

Freeset Fair Trade jute black squares courier bag $26 from www.marketplacers.co.nz

Pele Accessories wooden beaded earrings handcrafted in Samoa, $16 from www.pelebags.com

Kowtow Fair Trade organic cotton black cirque scarf $48.75 (currently on sale, as is everything on the Kowtow website) from www.kowtow.co.nz

NZ Nature NZ made black merino skull cap $24.95 from www.nznature.co.nz

Icebreaker black merino AC gloves 320, ethically made in China, $31.07 from www.outsidesports.co.nz

Freeset

Freeset does what the name says – sets free! The Fair Trade company was started up in Sonnagachi, Kolkata, India, by New Zealanders Kerry and Annie Hilton in 2001, in order to create alternative jobs for women who were working in the sex trade. In Sonnagachi, there are more than 10,000 prostitutes ‘standing in line’ (ie waiting for clients) within a few square miles. Many of these women have been trafficked from rural India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, and previously there was not any way other way for them to earn money.

Freeset began with twenty women who were taught to sew jute bags. Now there are more than 150 women who work for Freeset. Freeset provides a healthy working environment and higher than average wages to its employees. The bags are also eco-friendly; jute is a biodegradable material, and it doesn’t need much in the way of fertilizers or pesticides. Freeset make a wide variety of gorgeous, funky bags, which can be bought at www.marketplacers.co.nz. Prices start at $11 for wine bottle bags. I have a couple of the Freeset bags, including the Courier Squares Black bag, $26 (although I got it for $10 new on Trade Me – score!).

Freeset now also makes Fair Trade organic cotton t-shirts. A few styles are available for sale at the Addington Coffee Co-op online store (Addington is a Fair Trade coffee company). The t-shirts can be bought at http://store.liminal.org.nz, and are $35 each. There are three designs available in the classic cut – Alphabet in blue, or green, Fork in blue, green or white, and Jailbreaker in black or white. The same three designs are available in the fitted cut, but the Alphabet is only available in blue, and the Fork is only available in white.

SAFE’s Choose Cruelty Free store (in Auckland, and at www.choosecrueltyfree.org.nz) sells three designs on fitted Freeset tees – a blue one designed by Annah Stretton , pictured, a brown one with a picture of a duck (which I have), and the I am Veg t-shirt, which isn’t pictured on the website. They are $40 each. SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) is an organisation which campaigns for the safety of animals, and all profits from products bought at the store go to help their work. So by buying one of these t-shirts, you’re supporting two really good causes.

I really like my duck t-shirt! I found that the sizes tend to be a little smaller than usual – I have a medium, which is often the same as a 12, but I usually wear a 10, and it fits me perfectly. It’s great to know that by buying Freeset bags and t-shirts, that you are helping women to have better lives.