Favourite fashion purchases of 2010

I know that a big part of sustainability is focusing on consuming less, and therefore buying less, so talking about loads of things I’ve bought does seem somewhat odd, considering my worldview...However, the purpose of this blog is share with the world my findings on what options there are for eco, ethical clothing, so that when people do purchase clothing, they can make more informed choices.

I bought quite a lot of really great clothes (ok, too many) this year, but to narrow it down to my ten favourite purchases:

- Veja Fair Trade beige/chocolate organic cotton and natural latex Taua sneakers $99 (bought for half price) from Starfish (Wellington store, see www.starfish.co.nz for store addresses) I got these during Fair Trade fortnight in May. They are super comfy, and great to wear when I go to the gym and my dance classes. They also look very cool teamed with skinny jeans.

- Skinny Nelson organic cotton hooded cardigan $70 – I got this half price at Fusion in Wellington in June, and I wear it so much. It’s unisex, and kinda baggy – looks good with skinny jeans.

- Freeset Fair Trade Organic cotton brown duck t-shirt $40 from www.choosecrueltyfree.org.nz – This is really cute and comfy, and I like that the proceeds not only go towards supporting the women who work for Freeset (ex-prostitutes in Kolkata, India), but also towards the work of SAFE, an animal rights organisation.

- People Tree Fair Trade organic cotton tunic $30 – I got this on Trade Me. People Tree is a UK label. It is great to layer over t-shirts, or wear as a sleeveless top.

- Hug Fair Trade Organic cotton slim leg jeans $74.25 from www.micahclothing.co.nz (currently on sale, I also got mine on sale for $70) I got these when Micah Clothing was doing a roadshow. I previously had said (not on this blog, but to various friends, family members, and anyone else who would listen) that I would never ever ever wear skinny jeans, but changed my mind when I found these. They’re not super skinny, they’re more somewhere between straight and skinny, and are quite flattering on me.

- Hug Fair Trade organic cotton blueberry drape front cardigan $45 (currently on sale from $60, I got mine for $40 at the Micah roadshow) from www.micahclothing.co.nz – I tie this in front, it’s very cute and flattering. Great to wear over a plain t-shirt.

- Thrive NZ made black merino cardigan $48 - I got this when Thrive had a discount outlet store on Lambton Quay. It was a sample or something for the 2011 winter collection, and it’s awesome, I wear it so much.

- Untouched World NZ made black puna wool pants $95 (heavily discounted, original price was $295) – I got these when Untouched World had a discount outlet store on Lambton Quay for a few weeks. They are a really nice pair of pants.

- Descendant NZ made organic cotton black scissor skinny jeans $134 from Starfish – I got these half price at the Wellington Starfish store. I used to think black skinny jeans were only for emos, but now I’m convinced they’re a wardrobe staple. Well, they are for me anyway. They don’t have to be for you necessarily. These are great for teaming with a slightly baggy t-shirt and some ballet flats or sneakers.

- Terra Plana black Ginger vegetable-tanned leather pumps, ethically made in China, $235 from Starfish. These are great shoes for the office. The heels are not too high, so that minimises the risk of falling over, although I still have fallen down some stairs a couple of times when wearing them. However, I won’t blame the shoes.

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.

Jeans

Jeans are a wardrobe stable. A good pair of jeans can last a long time, and can be paired with loads of different clothing items to be dressed up or down.

UK brand Hug Fair Trade organic denim jeans can be bought at www.micahclothing.co.nz. The styles are: Women’s Classic Bootcut in blue, Women’s Classic Straight Cut in black, Women’s Slim in dark grey (pictured above, I have a pair of these), and Men’s Traditional Straight in blue, all $99.

Untouched World has the Women’s Spring Indian blue stretch organic denim jeans, $235. It is a slightly flared style, and is made in New Zealand. For men, there is the Jackson Jean, $259, straight leg, in indigo, and the uw jean, now $160 (previously $229) relaxed straight leg, in blue. Both styles are made in New Zealand with organic denim. Buy them at one of the Untouched World stores (locations listed on the website), or at www.untouchedworld.com.

Another brand making jeans in New Zealand is Descendant Denim. They use Fair Trade organic cotton. There are a lot of different skinny and straight leg styles for men and women. I’m not sure of the exam prices, but I think they are all priced somewhere between $250 and $300. Stockists are listed at www.descendantdenim.com

Or you could go for The Good Jeans (for women), made by in New Zealand by Martinborough brand Thrive, from blue organic denim. They are $248, and are high-waisted and wide-legged. Buy them from www.thunderwear.co.nz, or see the website for stockists.

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

Micah Clothing

Micah Clothing is a New Zealand company which sells Fair Trade organic cotton t-shirts. The company was founded by part-time Salvation Army youth worker Darren Frazer on the principals of Micah 6:8, to ‘act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly’. Micah Clothing is based in the South Island town of Winton. The t-shirts are made in India, and are available in a variety of colours and funky prints for men and women, at www.micahclothing.co.nz. I have four of their t-shirts, including the one pictured, and they are great. Some are $30, others are $35, and they also have plain t-shirts available for $25. There are some end of line t-shirts on sale for $15 and $20.

The Micah Clothing website sells Fair Trade men’s and women’s jeans, $99, and denim skirt $60, from a UK Fair Trade wholesaler. They also sell Fair Trade organic cotton women’s cardigans, $60, from a UK Fair Trade wholesaler, and Fair Trade organic cotton men’s and women’s clergy shirts, $75, made by a company called Butler & Butler.