Fairtrade Friday: Guestpost with Isai58

I am so flipping excited about today's post.  Karoline and Emma run an ethical clothing brand called Isai58 and they're here on the blog to tell you their story and to give you 25% off their clothes, plus free delivery! What a treat for the end of the week.

The Story Behind Isai58

After being awakened to how some of the poorest people have to pay the price, when we in the West demand cheap fast fashion. We decided to start buying from ethical brands who provided safe working conditions and sustainable wages for their workers.However it proved to be very difficult to find ethical clothes that suited our style. We thought that others must be feeling the same way and therefore decided to create a brand that had what we were looking for, classy and chic garments with high ethical standards.

We were adamant about building a brand that did not just tick the basic ethical boxes for the sake of an ethical label on their garments, but instead we wanted isai58 to have ethics at the heart of everything we do. We therefore decided to manufacture our garments with charities that have the same vision. By partnering with charities in Kenya and India that provide sustainable work for some of the world’s poorest people, this desire to help others became reality. And after years of networking and preparation we are now open, and are offering an opportunity for the ethical woman to look classy.

The more work charities get by brands such as isai58 the more people they can provide sustainable work for. So by buying our clothes you become a part of the solution that provides sustainable work for others.  And the good thing about sustainable work is that it provides an opportunity for people to break out of the poverty cycle and build a life for themselves. The aim is that they no longer have to depend on others for hand to mouth charity, as this expression so perfectly describes: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”.

We do not see the work we do as charity: “Providing good working conditions and sustainable wages for their work they do, is not charity, this is justice”

Thanks ladies! If you know of any other ethical clothing brands that would be interested in guest posting, please get in touch! In the meantime, why not click on the picture below and browse the Isai58 website - make use of this fabulous discount! Just type in the code: Ellie25

Happy Shopping!

Fairtrade Friday: Wishlist

You know the drill, I try to encourage y'all to think about shopping more ethically. This week I've been moving away from my beloved second-hand clothes and turning my attention to new, fair-trade clothing brands. I always thought that they were unaffordable, however, I was pleasantly surprised by some of my finds. A lot of the items are roughly the same amount of money you would pay for an item in Zara, Topshop or Mango and some, like the brown coat and the rucksack, are a little out of my budget, but who says a girl can't dream!?

1. I've been lusting after a speckled t-shirt for a while now. This one is from Avocado Store, a German online fair trade and organic clothing store, and comes in a variety of different colours. My favourites are the black and the blue. They're also incredibly affordable at €16.90 per shirt.

2. I fell in love with these trousers from Nomads Clothing. They are perfect for a humid, city summer, when jeans are no longer an option. I reckon you could also pair them with wedges to dress them up a bit. They're also not too pricy at £25 a pair and also come in blue and pink.

3. I have been in love with Fjällräven Kanken rucksacks for over a year now. I swear everyone at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus had one. Not only are they hardwearing, the company are also renowned for constantly finding ways to improve their ethical policy. These are a little bit pricey at £60 a bag, but I have chosen the larger option with space for a laptop. The mini Kanken is definitely cheaper.

4. Who doesn't love a pair of TOMS? For every pair you buy, one pair gets given to a child or adult in a developing country. Without shoes children can't go to school. I already have a pair of Botas, which I love, but I always enjoy looking at their prettier designs for the summer. These are £42 but remember, you are getting two for one here!

5. Summer is all about the statement jewellery. This gorgeous necklace is from MADE and is incredibly expensive, but they do have some options for under £20, so go and check them out.

6. This is another Avocado Store find. I love light-weight jackets in the summer, growing up in England there was always more chance of rain than sun during the holidays, so you always wanted to be prepared. Unfortunately, this parka is way out of my price-range, but maybe I can find something just as lovely and practical in one of Berlin's many second-hand shops. Watch this space.

Topshop Petition

Who doesn't love a bit of Topshop denim?

They have great styles, great fit and a variety of lengths, wonderful for the tall and petite amongst us.

HOWEVER, how much MORE would we love Topshop denim if they were to commit to selling only Fair Trade jeans?

In my quest to shop more ethically, I have created a petition asking Topshop to only sell Fair Trade denim in their stores. It's a completely reasonable request, particularly in light of recent events and in regards to the average price of  a pair of Topshop jeans. It would also mean a significant step towards making Ethical Trading more accessible on the high street and allow us all to start shopping with a conscience without having to compromise on style. 

Here's the link to the petition, please share it with as many people as possible. 

DUNGA DUNGA DUNGA-REEEEEEEEE

These GAP darlings were calling to me from across the food court at Spitalfields Market in London.

I was eating falafal, listening to Chocolate by 1975 and taking photos with a disposable. 

Call me an accidental hipster, but I've been dreaming of a pair ever since Bridget and Charity posted theirs on instagram. They are the comfiest little darlings: good quality, not slutty and an incentive to jump around like a loon and have a good time. I really love them. 

Brick-lane was also full of them. So dear reader, don't buy yours on the highstreet, get down to London and buy yours for a tenner too. 

Ethical Fashion Show

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from the lovely Charlotte Instone who attends the London College of Fashion inviting me to an ethical fashion show. Naturally, I got very excited because I'm really trying to shop more ethically and what more inspiration do you need than an entire show dedicated to ethical products!?? Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the actual show, because I will have moved to Berlin by then (that's another story!) but I would encourage as many of you fashionistas to go and check it out. I really believe, that we all have a responsibility to AT LEAST look into sustainable fashion, assess it's accessibility and start putting pressure on our favourite brands to stop using slave labour.  

If you love clothes and you love people, if you love clothes and hate injustice, if you love clothes and love quality, if you love clothes and you hate poverty, then get yourself down to St. Paul's Hammersmith for May 8th at 7pm.

Please let me know if you do attend because I would love for you to guest-post on this blog and let us all know what you found out! Here's the link to the event page

For those of you who can't attend, but still want to shop more ethically check out this website Ethical Consumer where you can find out which Highstreet stores have the best ethical policy according to environment, animals, people etc.