Leblas’ new collaboration with eco-luxe lifestyle brand URTH

Leblas has to be one of my favourite ethical jewellers, I love their style of jewellery and was super excited to hear that they have teamed up with URTH, eco-luxe lifestyle brand, to design a collection of fine jewellery.

Made entirely from ethical materials including recycled silver, URTH Ethical 18ct gold, and lead-free enamel, the collection will feature some of Leblas’ most distinct filigree design techniques. The delicate patterns of filigree will be brought to life with enamelled candyfloss pastels, and the collection will comprise of a selection of pendants, earrings, and bangles, all united by a central motif of pretty lace bells.

The collection will launch at the end of April at the Leblas Sloane Street Boutique.

Discounts at the Julia Smith shop

This Saturday the Julia Smith shop will be hosting a special offers day for you all on a range of great ethical fashion brands, including Julia Smith, JS Made in Africa and NV London Calcutta!

Shop:
Julia Smith Shop
4 Porchester Place
London
W2 2BS

CHOOLIPS ‘Head to Toe’ online Pop-Up boutique NOW OPEN

Open for 4weeks only!  

Choolips are thrilled to announce the opening of their online POP-UP boutique ‘Head to Toe’ presenting their first collaborations with like-minded brands Terra Plana & Funky Mutts. Available for Spring/Summer, Choolips have joined forces to make dressing head-to-toe in sustainable fashion easy.

Choolips’ online “pop-up” boutique presents the first exclusive collection of limited edition dresses, from a combination of silhouettes, colours and prints.

Terra Plana - Innovators and Eco shoe pioneers have created beautiful one-off shoes & bags using Choolips fabrics especially made for their S/S 10 range.  FunkyMutts - Friends of four legged Friends Used a selection of  Choolips' delicious fabrics, bringing style to the ‘dog walk’ with exclusive collars & leads.
 

Visit the boutique www.choolips.com

Wow sandals made from car tyres

Ever thought you could buy stylish sandals made from car tyres? Well I'm pleased to say YES you can!

The soles from these de la Rue sandals are made from recycled car tyres, which have been hand-cut to make each pair unique, priced at £85.00. The violet pair is ideal for a funky look or if you prefer a more simple and elegant look your love the silver edition.

Bourgeois Boheme are the exclusive UK stockists and with only 200 pairs made, you better snap up a pair now before they all go!

Pai

Pai have a great range for ladies looking for an organic skincare, made from only the purest plant extracts and are chemical free. Founder Sarah Brown was first inspired to create a natural skincare range after years of suffering from a bad skin allergy and using pills to help solve the problem. 

I'm currently using the Chamomile and rosehip cream and anti-ageing eye cream (better to be prepared...) and love the texture of both products when applied.

What's great is Pai offer free samples so you can try the product before you buy!

A Fun filled day at UK Aware

This years UK Aware welcomed some great fashion brands, a catwalk show and some super fun filled workshops.

Stylist Lupe Castro styled the models with some of her favourite ethical designers including Bobelle, Terra Plana, Afrikids, Pure Design, Izzy Lane, Credau and Bamboo clothing.

The most exciting home accessories I found was from Eco and creative art, founder Soraia Waterhouse uses old magazines, newspapers and bottles to make pen pots, baskets, picture frames and a whole load of home must-haves.

Bags made from ring-pulls are all the rage, but I hadn't come across multi-coloured belts made from ring pulls, which I found at the Da Lata stand, perfect to jazz up an outfit for these gorgeous sunny days were experiencing!  

I watched the models on the catwalk show, strut their stuff wearing belts from Pure Design and I had to have a sneak peak at their stand! I predict these will be Hot for Summer!

Jen Marsden, Editor of Greenmystyle and author of Green Guide to Weddings hosted the Eco Beautiful - Plan a wedding with style seminar, joined with 4 other Eco lovies giving us tips on how to plan an eco stylish wedding.

It was a lot of fun seeing so many people of all ages flocking to the morsbags workshop, where they got to choose fabric from unwanted curtains and duvet covers and with the assistance of the Morsbags team make a re-usable cloth bag. Sad to have missed it? don't worry you can visit www.morsbags.com to download the template to make one or get a group of friends together and have a morsbags party!  

Morsbags.com is currently running a competition to win a trip to India to visit a fair trade tea
plantation, register by the 18th of June to be in with a chance to win such a great experience www.morsbags.com

I can't wait for what UK Aware will do next year! I'm already counting down the months!

Models provided by Cosmic model management
Catwalk photos provided by Nico Dattani

Miss Butterfly Collection

I can't enough of these funky and uber cool designs from Beautiful Soul, made from gorgeous Japanese vintage kimonos, vintage saris, Fair-Trade organic jacquard, handloom cotton and that's just to name a few....

I'm a huge fan of Japanese vintage kimonos but even more so when recycled into what I would say 'a piece of art'! The Miss Butterfly is currently on display and stocked at the V&A museum, so looks like I'm not the only one that thinks so. 

Beautiful Soul have recently opened a studio in Portobello or you can see the rest of their designs on  
www.beautiful-soul.co.uk

Editor of Amelia's Magazine talks at the Sketchbook Pop Up Shop

The Sketchbook team did an amazing job in getting another brilliant speaker to give a talk at the Sketchbook magazine Pop up Shop in Newburgh street.

Today we were all treated to a talk by Amelia Gregory, founder and editor of Amelia's magazine
After 5 years and 10 issues of Amelia's Magazine in print, Amelia now spends her time running the online magazine covering fashion, art, music, illustration and all things environmentally creative.

We all got a great insight into the highs and lows of producing issues 1-10 and the running of her online magazine, which I must say is fantastic, I've been a fan of Amelia's magazine for a while now and love the photography and illustrations showcased on the site. Amelia hit the nail on the head when she said there are so many beautiful pictures you can look at, why not have a beautiful picture with a great message behind it!

Take a peak at Amelia's Magazine - www.ameliasmagazine.com

Want to see another great speaker at the Sketchbook pop up shop then check out the schedule on the Sketchbook blog page

Natural and Organic Products Europe 2010

Yesterday I headed on down to the Natural & Organic Products Europe Expo. in Olympia to check out all things Natural and Organic in the beauty world.

Finding good anti-aging skincare products are hard to come by, however if you’re a fan of the benefits of consuming Pomegranate you might be interested in the Weleda Pomegranate range. Made using organic pomegranate seed oil which helps promote skin renewal and firmness, enhancing your skin’s vitality and protecting against skin-damaging free radicals. They smell fruity and yep kind of yummy too!

We all know a lot of that extra weight in out suitcase is generally down to all our skincare and beauty products, but who can blame us, we do want to look good on holiday! but if you’re practical like me (on a good day) grab yourself some handy travel size products. Lavera have recently launched a travel size kit containing a Gel Cleanser, Toner and Oil-Control Lotion. These essential products contain Organic sage essential oil which helps reduce excess oil while reviving the senses, perfect to help control the shine when on holiday!

I was super excited to come across Pai at the show as I am currently using the Geranium and thistle cream, which has a nice lightweight texture, which I love! Pai is free from artificial colours, fragrances and chemicals, the ingredients used are so fresh that their sell-by date is stamped on the bottle.
The Natural and Organic Products Europe Expo is still on for one more day – www.naturalproducts.co.uk

UK AWARE 2010 the UK’s Green and Ethical Lifestyle Show

UK AWARE is the show that has something for everyone with 200 exhibitors with inspiring ideas to help you be green without the yoghurt weaving. There will be activities for the kids, interesting debates, green machines for the guys… and for those with creative flair you can find out how to turn a pair of old curtains into a funky shopping bag.

The show will be held on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th April 2010 at Olympia Two from 10 am – 6 pm. Tickets cost only £6.00 from Daisy Green Magazine.

UK Aware will also have a two day clothes swapping extravaganza, and new for this year, will be the ethical catwalk show styled by ethical stylist, Lupe Castro, you will be treated to the fabulous collections from Izzy Lane, Tammam, BAM clothing, Bobelle, Urban Buzz and Eco-Boudoir.com

Pump it up with Beyond Skin

Lets be honest as much as we all know high heels make us look taller, slimmer and a little sexy! we also all know they can be a little painful too…. Which is why every lady owns a pair of flats and in my case it’s about 40 pairs, and yes I’m aware that some would say that’s not a lot. Which is why I can’t stop lusting after these adorable pumps from Beyond Skin, perfect to team up with a pair of skinny jeans or one of my cute vintage tea dresses!

These super cute pumps are now only £39.00 reduced from £65.00  www.beyondskin.co.uk

Popping Up With More Eco Chic Brands

Looking for some stylish Eco brands stocked under one roof? then you’re going to love the Pop Up Shop courtesy of EJF! Stocking EJF and some other super stylish brands located in the trendy Carnaby Street.

I know where I will be this Saturday!

Access all things Green 24/7

Standing in the middle of Chiswick high road as a true ethical fashionista would having shopped myself silly at Oxfam and Ecoage and just realised I’ve got a bicycle puncture that I can’t resolve on my own! So lucky light bulb moment….. I check My Book of Green iphone app to get hold of the nearest cycle shop, and while I am at it fair trade coffee shop and healthfood store! The GPS system finds the nearest in my location, brilliant I know!

The Book of Green iphone app allows you to find all thing ethical on the go – fashion, flowers, coffee shops, photographers, magazines, PRs…. you name it!

You can get a copy of the book of view it online at the Book of Green

Loving Lavera!

Lavera has to be in my top three when it comes to exceptional organic skincare brands! There are a lot of brands out there that claim to be organic and kind to the skin however from experience I’ve  found some to be quite harsh, a little greasy and some tend to have an overwhelming perfume scent…… So I’m happy to say the Relax Cleanser and Cleansing Gel from Lavera was the complete opposite, it felt soothing on my skin and my face felt fresh after it had been applied and rinsed off.

The best part is Lavera is one of those organic brands that are totally affordable, the Cleansing Gel is available at £6.90 and The Relax Cleanser is only £16.50
From www.lavera.co.uk

The Green Familia

The Green Familia (TGF) has to be one of my favourite green websites, I love the pressing articles featured on the site as well as the great fashion and lifestyle features!

If you’re a fan of discount codes like myself, then check out the discount page You can find a good number of ethical brands on this page!

Keep spreading the word I say! – Check them out on www.thegreenfamilia.co.uk

CRED Celebrates the launch of the Fairtrade and Fairmined Gold Standards

Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) and the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) have announced the long-awaited launch of the first international independent third-party certification for gold production. The new Fairtrade and Fairmined standards will mean that millions of impoverished artisanal small-scale miners around the world will be able to receive independent certification and recognition for their efforts, bringing economic security to millions of families and their communities around the world.

 

CRED are founder members of ARM, and CRED Founder Greg Valerio has been instrumental in seeing this new standard completed, working closely with FLO, ARM and all other parties involved. We are delighted for him and for everyone involved, and look forward to the great benefits this standard will bring to the mining communities that form ARM, and the many more around the world that will be brought in. Fairtrade and Fairmined gold will guarantee a minimum price, creating security for producing communities. It will include a 10% Social Premium that will support the education and development of entire communities, and a further 5% Ecological Premium will be payable to miners that extract gold without the use of chemicals.

Oro Verde™ have been producing independently-certified artisanal gold for over 7 years. They have worked hard to develop gold production that uses no chemicals, protects the environment and supports the continual development of producing communities. Oro Verde’s model was the inspiration and prototype used to produce the Fairtrade and Fairmined standard. As such Oro Verde™ will be first in line to be certified.

CRED continue to produce truly ethical jewellery in Oro Verde™ Fair Trade gold. The Eden Wedding Rings and the sumptuous Penelope Collection by Annabel Panes are the latest examples of CRED’s pioneering journey towards excellence in design and ethics.

CRED Jewellery – www.credjewellery.com

Evie Collins underneath the Spotlight

1. How important is a Daytox?
Urban Daytox is important if you value great health and well-being and the information you learn is highly beneficial for this.
It is also an essential element to include into your lifestyle:
- if you are stressed out or want to learn more about detoxing and cleansing or
- as a maintenance in between longer, deeper cleanses.

2. When did you start Urban Daytox and what was the reason behind starting it up?

I started Urban Daytox in September 2009, I started Urban Daytox because I wanted to show people how to look after their own health using nutrition and simple techniques that can easily be made part of their lifestyle. Also to provide a peaceful healing, supportive space to learn about detoxing, relaxation and try fasting. 

3. What does a day entail at your studio?
As well as being a juice-fast day, the Urban Daytox Wellness Session provides you with enough information required to fast safely at home and the skills to begin to look after your own health. It runs over one day and incorporates yoga, meditation and informative sessions on adopting a healthier lifestyle, from juicing, alkalising, to raw food and health techniques.
The schedule of the day is varied to suit the needs of the class but generally incorporates:
- Morning and afternoon yoga and meditation sessions
- A nature walk meditation (weather permitting), or a guided meditation.
- Three lovely, nourishing juices throughout the day
- Three nutrition and wellness coaching sessions
- A take-away pack containing detailed handouts of all the information and techniques taught during the day.
Our aim is for you to leave feeling healthy, relaxed and inspired and most importantly, armed with a toolbox of great new health techniques that you can start to incorporate into your daily life.


4. How do people feel after they have had the Daytox?
It varies depending on the individual. Generally people feel either calmer, more relaxed, happier, re-energised, less stressed, inspired or motivated.

5. Do you offer any other services on its own, such as yoga or meditation?
Other services include: weekly yoga classes in Barnes on Thursday at 7pm. One to one yoga sessions and nutrition coaching. 

6. Do you have any plans to expand in the near future?
I would like to start 7 day detox retreats in a gorgeous sunny destination. 

7. What is your top green tip?
My top green tip: Start sprouting! It’s an easy, quick way to make nutritious, energised food and it saves money. 

8. What do you do to relax?
To relax I love swimming in the sea, picnics in Richmond park, horse riding.
Urban Daytox is a MUST! have a look at my review below or have a look at the website - www.urbandaytox.com

My Juice Fast Experience at Urban Daytox

When I was offered the chance to do a juice fast at Urban Daytox in Barnes with Evie Collins, based on the theory that a day of fasting each week is beneficial to both body and mind. I thought great, this sounds like a good challenge!

The morning started off with a juice, mixed with cabbage, beetroot, apple and carrots and yes the thought of such a mix didn’t excite me either, however it was surprisingly quite tasty, even though it contained cabbage, a vegetable I’m not a huge fan of, the beetroot and apple added a nice sweetness to the juice.

Evie Collins our nutrition coach and yoga teacher spoke to us about the reasons for a one day juice fast and why it’s so important to heal the body and mind, followed by a crash course in the benefits of the vegetables and fruits we were consuming on the day, so far so good I thought!

 
















We then headed to the yoga mats to do an hour of yoga to awaken our mind and body, only having done yoga a few times I thought it better to take my position at the back of the class so I didn’t make a fool of myself. It wasn’t too much hard work but I did find I struggled with some of the positions. Every so often Evie came over to see how I was doing, the genuine attention from Evie was a nice feeling, as it can feel extremely intimidating when you’re the least flexible out of the group.  I enjoyed the meditation which followed after, this me-time was fantastic! I normally find it extremely difficult to switch off, but being in such a serene environment with soft sounding music it was easy to release all my tension and zone out for half an hour.

We then continued to listen to more nutritional advice from Evie, this time on the importance of raw food. Half way through the talk we had our second juice, again surprisingly nice, and at this point I was really starting to enjoy the juices  and feeling a lot more alert.

During the talk on health tools we were all given two freebies, a shower brush, to help our blood circulation flow and remove dead skin cells and an enema kit, which is good for cleaning the colon. Perfect to use in the privacy of your own home, just make sure your not expecting a delivery from the postman or plumber that day, you don’t want any interruptions…….

After doing another session of yoga and meditation we headed on back to the table to have our last juice, this time it contained green leafy vegetables, which I’m glad was left to the end as it had to be the strongest out of all the juices, and one which will definitely have to grow on me! The day ended with us all having a chat about how we were all feeling followed by our first meal of the day, miso soup which was delish!

I must say the day experience with Evie really exceeded my expectations, I learnt heaps of nutritional advice, met a lovely nutrition coach and yoga teacher, left with some fantastic freebies and most importantly felt a great sense of well-being.

Would I do it again? YOU BET CHA I will – It was much-needed and you would be happy to know I know look out for juice bars instead of coffee shops when I’m out and about, sadly there are a lot less and generally I have to settle for a juice in a coffee shop, but I have hope for change one day!

Sounds like something you would love to do…… you can book your place by contacting Evie Collins at Urban Daytox on 0208 274 9206 or email her on evie@urbandaytox.com. Visit www.urbandaytox.com for more information. The first session costs £95.00 for the day!

Eco-friendly bags made with vegetable tanned leather!

In need of a good size handbag to fit all your essentials? but in need of one which is stylish and made ethically? Then check out these bags from Embellished Truth!

Each handbag is made using the finest eco-friendly leather which has been vegetable tanned in Europe. The tanning process is free from chrome and other heavy metals and uses vegetable substances which are harvested in a sustainable way. The end result is beautifully soft, breathable and biodegradable leather.

You can get one of these fantastic bags online 

Afriteaque – A must-have skincare brand

When I came across Afriteaque, my initial impression was Wow the packaging looks great, which means a lot in the organic skincare industry, as I’m sure you may agree some skincare brands can look like they’ve been prescribed by a dermatologist! I love the bottle and even the red petal underneath the brand name, adding a touch of luxury. 

Afriteaque products contain the active ingredient Rooibos (Redbush), recent independent research has confirmed Rooibos’ potency as a cosmetic ingredient delays the aging process,  it contains 50 times more anti-oxidants than Chinese green tea and rivals current popular anti-aging ingredients such as ginseng, ginkgo and white tea.

Now I may only be in my twenties but I say bring it on!

Shakti Mat – The Modern Bed of Nails

When I came across the Shakti mat, which claimed to lead great improvement in a range of conditions such as back pain, neck pain, insomnia, depression and fatigue, my eyes lit up and I knew I needed to get my hands on one.

After hours on the computer and an increasing back pain, I decided it was time to spare 30 precious minutes to try out the Shakti mat, which comprises of 6000 acupressure points, which makes it a very effective tool for easing tension and inducing a state of deep relaxation. As I laid down on the mat, my first thought was Wooooo this is painful, this immediately prompted me to lay a sheet on the mat before I laid back down (recommended in the accompanying booklet), to help ease the dis-comfort, it did the trick and the mat felt a little less painful, after about a minute I felt a lot of heat which had to be the increase of blood flow which I read up on earlier. After 10 minutes I rested my face on the mat and I must say was relieved it didn’t hurt as much, I then ended by resting my front for the remaining 10 mins.

Overall I must say I enjoyed the 30 mins me time and anything that lures me away from my computer will always get the thumbs up from me! One session unfortunately won’t take away all the pain and tension, so I am going to stick it out till the end of the week and let it work it’s magic on me! What I’m very pleased about, is the fabric is made from organic cotton and the factory workers where the Shakti Mat is produced, all enjoy good wages, decent working hours, meals and physician care which is also offered to the employee’s family and others in the neighbourhood.

The mat costs £50.00 from www.victoriahealth.com
The Shakti Mat is also available in a lighter version for those with sensitive skin and/or for those who want a milder treatment, priced at only £44.00

Ethical heaven interviews Claire from BoBelle

1. What inspired you to produce ethical bags and accessories?

I have always been passionate about fair trade and ethical living. When studying for my Masters though it was my Business Ethics tutor who inspired me to focus my business plans around ethical values – I haven’t looked back since! 

2. When did you begin trading and how has BoBelle progressed since then?
BoBelle was founded in October 2007 and it has changed dramatically! I wanted to test the market with eel skin leather as my Mum has an eel skin wallet, which is now 9 years old and still beautiful! We had lots of other brands under BoBelle’s gift boutique, but it was in 2008 when we changed the site and shop to solely focus on the accessories. Due to its popularity we now have our own designs and are wholesaling to over 35 stores in just the past 4 months. Being in Topshop and our Eco Shop certainly helped BoBelle’s growth, as did being voted Top 100 Entrepreneurs by Striding Out and being awarded Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts! 

3. Which pieces are you particularly proud of and why and what are your best sellers?
My favourite piece has to be the Hemera Handbag, closely followed by the Theia Clutch. Those two are my own unique designs and I adore them! The Aphrodite Wallet is another I am very proud of, but the handbag is the crowning glory! It is so soft, strong and luxurious! Our best sellers change from month to month! However, I can say that this month the favourite colour is purple and the biggest seller online has been the Hemera Handbag. 

4. What is the most challenging aspect of working in the ethical industry?

I think the most challenging part of working in the ethical industry is educating people that ethical fashion can be fashionable! It has such a negative connotation attached to it that it is frumpy, expensive and not on-trend. However, I happen to disagree. I think there are wonderful designers out there that are proving ethical fashion to be durable, an investment, not over-priced and of exceptional quality. I hope that BoBelle reflects this daily. 

5. Is there anything exciting happening in the near future with Bobelle?
BoBelle is growing on a daily basis, which is so exciting! We have new styles coming out for A/W 2010 which is great and we have a few larger deals up our sleeves as well which is all very exciting. It is important not to be rigid in business, so we take each day at a time and try to take advantage of all opportunities whenever they arise.

Bobelle – www.bobelle.co.uk

What a Page Turner!

Once you finish a book, what happens to it? do you leave it on a shelf to collect dust, give it to a friend or donate it to charity? Ever thought of making hair accessories or even a chandelier? No me neither which is why designer Lucy Norman blows me away!

Lucy found that unsold books from charity shops end up in landfills, as currently there is no infrastructure set up to recycle the paper from books as the paper is low grade and the glue on the spine must be removed. To avoid such waste, Lucy collects unsold books from Charity shops and makes chandeliers, hair accessories and bracelets.

It’s total genius and I can’t wait to see more page turning home and fashion accessories Lucy designs next! Check out her website LulaDot for more innovating designs!

Tahi to offer the ultimate in luxury eco showering

Sleek, luxurious and divine are just some of the words that come to mind when looking at the Tahi – luxury eco showering!

Tahi’s striking architectural design incorporates the revolutionary Twin-Jet™ Technology and requires just nine litres of water per minute to deliver a fantastic drenching, resulting in complete customer satisfaction and substantial, long-term savings on water and energy of up to 40 per cent with each shower taken.

To get your hands on such beauty visit www.devatap.com

The Molle Collection from Juzi

The quirky Molle collection from Juzi is the perfect way to step into the Spring Season. The collection is beautifully handcrafted with an array of vibrant coloured molle beads, each bead is created by hand, from used materials, namely magazines, posters and calenders which are cut, colour sorted then wrapped around and around to form a bead.

These colourful pieces are sure to enhance your look and are extremely versatile to suit any style or occasion. The Molle collection starts from only £10.00! That’s music to my ears!

For Those Who Demand Excellence

Trousers London has got to be one of the most stylish and innovative men’s brands out there, their latest two new additions – Trousers 8 and Trousers 9 are too stylish for words. They both have low crotch styles but as a pair they sit as edgy opposites – where one is angular, the other is curved; where one is subtle, the other is loud. 

Both these new styles are crafted in Italy from raw organic denim and come with a variety of colourful linings including recycled silk tie fabric.

Trousers London has developed a huge cult following in Japan and designer Matthew Williamson is a huge fan too! He has been spotted at London Fashion Week and been photographed on a few magazine covers wearing trousers 5 and I must say looking uber sexy in them!

These two new styles are available at Trousers London and at various stockists priced at £185.00

Ethical heaven interviews Hetty from Hetty Rose

1. What inspired you to produce ethical shoes?
After an inspiring ethical based project during my studies I felt very strongly about issues beginning to become focused upon in the field of fashion. I believe retailers need to be totally in control of where the products they sell come from, right down to the core materials and how these are made and by whom. The more I found out and the more people I meet in the industry confirmed my decision to create an ethical footwear brand. As a brand we try to encourage traditional methods and feel it is important to promote hand crafted products, made in Britain. We up-cycle vintage kimono fabrics from Japan, vegetable tanned leather, recycled leather and vintage trims & trinkets. All products are hand made by myself in a workshop, which I enjoy immensely.

2. When did you begin trading and how has Hetty Rose progressed since then?
The company was founded in 2007, and I launched the first collection in February. The press have been very kind to us and have enjoyed the collections so far with features in Italian Vogue, InStyle, The Telegraph and Grazia. These publications have helped to show people what we are doing and raising awareness which ultimately has led to the brand being more recognisable. The initial set up of the business was hard work in terms of building the brand and gaining credibility in the fashion field. However I love what I do and was flattered when I was chosen to exhibit at London Fashion Week in my first season, which helped raised the profile of the brand significantly. Exhibitions since have done the same, and we now have shoe parties and events to promote the shoes.

3. Which pieces are you particularly proud of and why and what are your best sellers?
I enjoy collaborating with designers, my favourite has been a ‘Valentine’s’ partnership with Yukiness who creates the most amazing theatrical wigs. We created a window display for Valentine’s Day at Canary Wharf Shopping Centre in London. The window was an inspirational fusion of colour, crystals and handmade love hearts. The Yuki shoe has been the most popular with my clients.

4. What is the most challenging aspect of working in the ethical industry?
It can be difficult for small businesses who hand make their products to survive in a market where people are used to fast fashion. I think people will always want a quick fashion fix, but I hope people will buy things with more of a conscience and interest in where it has come from and how it has been made. It has to be desirable and fashionable, the fact it is ecological/ethically sensitive, should just be a normal factor and it will be. It can be a challenge to source ethical alternatives to the norm, however I make good relationships with all my suppliers who hand craft many of the components I use.

5. Is there anything exciting happening in the near future with Hetty Rose?
Yes the new collection, which will be very exciting!

View the full collection on the Hetty Rose website

Spread the love ethically

If you’re looking for the perfect engagement ring or wedding band that is certified as socially + environmentally responsible, have a look at the stunning selection from CRED Jewellery.

CRED jewellery is made using platinum and 18ct fair trade gold sourced by Oro Verde, the world’s premier supplier of ethically sourced precious metals. CRED are proud to use gold that is produced without mercury or cyanide and as with their gold their precious stones are traceable from mine to retail.

If you like what you see, check www.credjewellery.com to see the rest of the collection.

A Pretty Pick Me Up

Theses gorgeously coloured bags and purses are from the ever so divine Bobelle made from eel skin leather; a by-product of the food industry in Asia.

The Bobelle purses and wallets are an instant pretty pick me up and the Hemera handbags have the right amount of glam to add to any outfit!

Check out the full range at www.bobelle.co.uk