Style conscious

Forget hippy hemp and festival fashion – ethical clothing can be dressy and designer too, says Rachel Bell

From the high street to the catwalk, eco-fashion is finally laying its once laughable image to rest. Want wide-legged, high-waisted jeans? The style press adores Del Forte. Got to have a tulip dress or retro chic frock? Enamore has it. Prefer understated style? Head to Amana.

From ankle boots to supersize slouchy bags, ethical fashion is packing a serious punch. Online retailers such as adili.com and thenaturalstore.co.uk offer an impressive range of clothing and jewellery for style slaves and timeless tastes alike.

While the big brands are increasingly switching on to this movement, a growing number of exciting young designers are also bursting on to the scene – using everything from organic cotton to recycled rubber.

Feng Ho: elegant eco

After graduating from the Royal College of Art, Feng Ho set up her own women’s fashion label in 2006. Beautifully constructed, edgy and feminine, her eveningwear is unbelievably comfortable, too.

“I design for the sophisticated, mature-minded woman who isn’t into fashion fads,” says Feng. “I’ve always been into timeless, classic design. As a reaction to fast disposable fashion, my clothes can be worn season after season. Then they can be naturally composted.”

Feng uses sustainable, natural fabrics such as organic cotton, silk hemp charmeuse and bamboo, and has forged partnerships with local suppliers. ‘I’ve found that people in ethical fashion aren’t just more avant-garde and forward-thinking, they’re really helpful too – there isn’t that secrecy.’

To achieve the muted hues from sky blues to coral pinks, Feng uses natural dyes, including tea and coffee. “Walnut and carob create a lovely soft grey,” she enthuses. “I’ve tried lots of things – spinach, berries, beetroot. I feel like a witch sometimes!” Hand printed and solvent free, silk screen designs create panels in her cleverly structured, kite-like pieces.

“Comfort has always been really important to me,” says Feng. “I think that’s one reason why women in their fifties and sixties like my designs, too. I made a top for a size 20 woman the other day.”

Goodone: sexing up recycling

When Nin Castle planned to do her degree show using recycled fabrics, her tutors at Brighton University thought she was crazy. Now she and her business partner, Phoebe Emerson, give talks at fashion schools and universities across the country. In January 2007, their ethical clothing label Goodone won the Trefor Campbell Award for Enterprise.

“We wanted a fashion company that was good in every way – from the materials to who makes it – we didn’t want to take advantage of anyone,” says Phoebe. This principle goes as far as being sympathetic to people’s body insecurities: “We try to design clothes that flatter body shapes.”

Phoebe and Nin see a huge untapped potential in recycling. “Even if it’s organic and fair trade, there is so much energy that goes into producing new materials and growing cotton,” says Phoebe.

Every Goodone piece is an original, made from a staple of designs each season. “Organic and fair trade products still affect the land, have a social impact and need to be transported. The idea of mass-producing the one-off seemed incredible and we were so surprised that nobody had thought of it already.”

Clothes by ethical fashion label Goodone

They handpick their fabrics from a textile-recycling factory, LMB, just down the road from their studio in Hackney, east London. “LMB export and resell most of their stuff in Africa”, explains Phoebe. “But quite a lot of it can’t be worn again and that’s the stuff we buy.”

Goodone are growing fast and hoping to outsource to a local factory in line with their ethical principles. “Our aim is to change people’s perceptions of what recycled clothing is,” says Phoebe. “The best thing for us is when people pick something up and they don’t even realise it’s recycled.”

Seraglia: salvaged bling

‘Instead of spending endlessly on little trinkets that get worn a few times then forgotten, wouldn’t it be better to wear something that is really special to you?’ asks Lucy Wills. She founded seraglia in 2004 to create fair trade, long-lasting, handmade, unique jewellery using recycled and salvaged materials.

“Reusing and repairing is not only an effective way of saving resources, it saves on carbon emissions too,” says Lucy. “Every time you manufacture or transport something, that has a carbon cost – all of our craft work is done in the UK.”

Lucy offers a service for customers to bring in personal items, such as a picture or a gem and incorporate it into the piece. ‘I also like the idea of making something that can be changed as you go along,’ she says. “You don’t have to throw away a whole piece because part of it isn’t fashionable any more or gets damaged.”

Any gold used is salvaged and many of seraglia’s sumptuously ornate pieces incorporate everyday materials such as glass and brass, and even vulcanised rubber – offcuts from the rubber flooring industry.

“I’m really excited about vulcanised rubber,” laughs Lucy. “When it’s hardened, you can cut it into new shapes. The finished product feels like a very hard wood. I like the idea of creating something special out of common materials.”