Guest Blogger Eloise here again! – This week I was lucky enough to be able to go to Brighton Fashion Week’s Christmas Pop-Up shop.
Hosted at The FAIR Shop, Brighton, which is known for its stylish fair trade clothing, Fair specialises in ethical and sustainable fashion.
With 20 different designers, all with an awesome story to tell, BFW stayed true to their ethos of providing a platform for distinctive up and coming designers.
I arrived at the shop, honestly not knowing what to expect. But with the likes of Lizzie Bishop (Head of Brighton Fashion Week) and Siobhan (Fair’s owner) showing me around, I was able to obtain a true understanding of why sustainable fashion needs recognition for being a necessary part of the industry.
What I saw –
Antiform
Established by Lizzie Harrison in 2007, Antiform is a progressive fashion company with a twist in its tale.
‘As well as designing and making clothing we have an enormous wealth of experience in sustainable fashion design, textiles up-cycling and local fashion systems.’
Antiform pushes all boundaries of sustainable and ethical fashion using only reclaimed materials. Run by an experienced team of local designers, all of the workmanship and materials involved in producing Antiform clothing is locally sourced within the UK.
NIVO Jewellery
NIVO is a contemporary jewellery label created by Nicole Savoy as an extension of her passion for art.
‘NIVO can be characterized by combining refined designs with unusual textures.’
Established in 2014, each piece in the collection follows a theme, conceptually and with her use of materials. All NIVO products are hand-made, using high quality designs and ethically sourced & recycled metals.
What Daisy Did
What Daisy Did are strong believers of the term ‘Slow Fashion’. They aim to find use of every last scrap of leather from the production of their bags.
‘Our ethos is complete transparency.’
After spending many months trading and finding work in some of UK’s major music festivals, WDD were shocked with the amount of waste left after the end of each event.
‘We were shocked to see at the end of each event, the amount of tents, wellies, clothes, camping equipment and waste that was just left for landfill!’
This sparked the idea to create a product that ‘doesn’t have to cost the earth’ but will be produced with such quality that it will last a lifetime.
What I loved –
Beksie’s Boutique
Founded by Rebekah Shirley, Beksie’s Boutique is a UK accessories store.
‘My main aim in life is for people to feel beautiful, happy and to have fun.’
Focused on producing well-made, high quality items, Beksie’s Boutique began by selling at Brighton craft markets while working from a small attic workshop.
Beksie’s Boutique now spends the summer trading at music festivals with their portable market store, selling signature bumbags, headdresses, face paints and more!
Maybe it’s because I’m an 18 year old girl with an eye for anything that sparkles that I struggled to put these beauties down or maybe it’s because they are any festival-goers ideal. Either way, although not as 100% eco-friendly as everything else I came across, I think BB definitely deserved some recognition for their fabulous glittery bum-bags!
What I learnt –
The People Tree & Bombolulu Workshops
The People Tree is an extremely diverse fashion business, and is the most popular brand Fair sells. The People Tree offer their customers an alternative to the ‘fast fashion’ available.
While I admit my love for Topshop, Zara and other similar retailers, Siobhan’s explanation of the work TPT do left me stunned and also left me questioning ‘who makes my clothes?’
Bombolulu Workshop was established 40 years ago and is a fair trade business based in Mombassa, Kenya. Providing work and a regular income for over 150 people, their mission is to improve the lives and well-being of the tribes they work with.
Specialising in hand-made silver and brass jewellery, they also offer support for the physically-challenged people working there.
‘Slow Fashion’ was also a new concept to me; slow fashion is a term used to describe the battle against consumerism in the fashion industry and is what The Fair Shop is all about.
What I drank! –
MASSIS Tea
As soon as I walked through the door I was greeted with a complimentary tea (or should I say Tey!)
MASSIS Tea is known for redefining the nation’s favourite drink, and I must say they did a fantastic job!
When told to try a tea that is also a latte I have to admit, I was sceptical. I’m a big coffee drinker and couldn’t imagine it being my taste, but after trying a cup, I can say I will definitely be back for more!
Eloise Rolfe writes for Beauty and Ruin.
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