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.

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.

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.

Socks

For toasty warm feet, try merino socks from The New Zealand Sock Company, priced from $15.99 to $19.99. They are made in New Zealand, come in a variety of different styles, colours and prints, and the company is committed to sustainability. I have the Women’s’ City Merino Flower Print socks, pictured. Available from Kirkaldies, Farmers, and a number of other stores (check out www.nzsock.co.nz for more stockists).
If you prefer cotton, Holeproof has a range of organic cotton socks, $14.99, available from Farmers. Organic cotton socks are also available from www.fernbirdecostore.co.nz, $18 for men’s socks (two different kinds), and $17.50 for unisex.

Bamboo socks are available from www.fernbirdecostore.co.nz, $15.50, and Jockey also makes them, $14.99, available in a variety of styles, prints and colours, from Farmers.