I'm Back - Introducing Miss Malaprop

So after my brief hiatus I'm now back in the blogging groove. I've missed blogging so I'm glad to be back. The magazine and UKFB are now both up and running so go check them out (http://lulubelle.co.cc and http://uk-fb.co.uk)

Now lets get back to business so to speak. Today I'd like to introduce you to blogger and eco conscious shop owner Miss Malaprop. Many of you within the blogging community may already be aware of this lovely lady and her delightful blog which explores all kinds of craft related goodness but she also runs an amazing online shop.

This talented lady has been blogging since 2006 and her shop is an extension of her blog. You’ll find handmade, eco-friendly products and the range is immense. She stocks gifts, home products, accessories, clothing, jewellery and beauty goodies.

Most of the products are either made by local artists, handmade, organic, upcycled, upcycled or recycled. This shop truly is ethical and eco conscious and its apparent that the lady behind it has the same values and aims as myself - promoting and spreading the word about ethical fashion and these are some of the reasons i adore Miss Malaprop and hope you will too.

The world needs more shop owners like her. As you all know ethical fashion is close to my heart and it's lovely to meet others who feel the same.

Now take a look at some of my favorite items:




You really should pay Miss Malaprop a visit at both her Blog and Shop.

A Big Announcement!!!

As you all can probably tell by the subject matter of recent posts of mine ethical fashion has become a subject very close to my heart. Although if I’m honest until I attended the launch of Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration which showcased so many wonderful ethical designers I hadn’t given the ethics of what I wear as much thought as I should have with the exception of the leather and fur industries. All this has changed recently though and its become an issue that’s important to me.
Most of you know I planned to only wear second hand/vintage or clothing by ethical fashion brands for 30 days but I’ve now decided to make it a permanent lifestyle choice. There aren’t actually too many Japanese eco brands about to blog exclusively about Japanese fashion is no longer an option. There are so many amazing non-Japanese ethical designers out there that I would love to write about and help promote so I won’t be limiting myself in that way. But from this moment on I’ll only be posting about ethical fashion brands/designers and the masses of independent designers who produce their clothes in an ethical way using locally sourced labour and end of roll fabrics (Thanks to Amelia for this info)
London Fashion Week truly showed me just how brilliantly creative ethical fashion can be and it’s not just small designers who produce ethical clothing. Vivienne Westwood has collaborated with footwear designer Melissa to produce vegan footwear and Stella McCartney’s collections are ethically made.
I hope you’ll all stick with me through this transition and beyond as I find my feet and I hope you’ll support my decision. Before I end this post I must thank the awesome Bella and Kristy Elena for all their kind words and encouragement at a time that I needed it.

Amelias Compendium of Fashion Illustration Launch

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the launch of attending the launch of Amelia Gregorys newest book Amelias Compendium of fashion illustration. The book features ilustrations and profiles by 30 of the hottest rising illustrators as well as profiles and information on some of the most innovative and creative eco conscious fashion designers. In case you don't know who Amelia Gregory is she is the brains and beauty behind Amelia Magazine (http://ameliasmagazine.com) an online magazine that looks at the best and brightest ethical fashion designers along side fabulous fashion illustrations it really is a must read.

The launch was attended by some of the UK's biggest bloggers and fashion designers. I grabbed the chance to purchase the book and wow its amazing. The illustrations are some of the best i've ever seen and I had the chance to meet some of the bloggers that i've forged relationships online with including Sarah of sarahs-scribbles.com, Nikki of nikkinakkilou.co.uk, Cherie of cheriecity.co.uk and Koral of koralxo.blogspot.com. I also met an amazing jewellery designer who makes Japanese style kawaii jewellery - expect a post on her very soon. She had the coolest bright blue hair and fashion sense and was super nice. It took me an hour to pluck up the courage to ask to take her photo.

All in all I had an awesome time but I wish i'd plucked up the courage to chat to more bloggers that I recognised.

[caption id="attachment_1493" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Photo provided by lira - http://www.lltheportmanteau.com/2011/01/amelias-compendium-of-fashion.html"][/caption]

And some images from the book (aren't the illustrations AMAZING)!!









If you'd like a copy of this awesome book take yourself over to http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/shop/ where you can also check out some of Amelias other awesome publications. Go on you know you want to!

Eco Conscious Japanese Designer–Ikkuna/Suzuki Takayuki

 

Ikkuna/SuzukiTakayuki’s concept is simple ‘he wishes a lot of people had more chances to feel the kindness of organic cotton through what we call fashion’.

This brand is involved in the production of the cotton through the growing and spinning stages through to the construction of the garment. They only use dyes from extracted plants too so these garments truly are eco conscious and organic.

Their designs are simple, understated and minimalist but well made, excellent quality and made from the highest quality organic cotton.

Mass produced standard cotton accounts for 25% of harmful pesticides worldwide but organic cotton uses no pesticides and is beneficial to the environment. The cotton used in ikkuna/suzuki takayuki garments is also fair trade ensuring the farmers growing the cotton receive a fair price for their product. Also no child labour is used in producing their clothes which delights me as this has long been an issue close to my heart. I remember attending a gig in Sheffield a few years ago by an artist called Get Cape Wear Cape Fly. At this gig he used the platform to name and shame companies that used child labour. Two such companies were Nike and Gap. Ever since that day I’ve not bought from either of these stores. They may well have ceased these practices since but I still refuse to buy from them. Child labour is an abhorrent way of producing clothes and I won’t support any company that have used or uses it.

If you know of any company that have used child labour leave me a comment so I know to never buy from these companies.

You can find more of this companies eco garments at http://mode-8.net

Natthakur – retro, eco conscious accessories

Natalie Thakur is a designer of limited edition, luxury, retro feel leather bags, purses and wallets. Based in London her products have a distinctive british feel about them. She hand makes everything and use only ethically sourced materials. She is quickly becoming popular and her bags have been seen on many a fashionista including Caryn Franklin and Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud. She's also been featured in a lot of publications including The Independent. Natalie was trained at the prestigious London College of Fashion and earned her designing stripes at Ghost and Mulberry.

Her products are based on items like an old british coin, sweetshop paper bags and the traditional carrier bag. But as they are made from leather they are ultra durable. This designer is definitely one to watch and her products are perfect for the eco conscious fashionista.

If you want to grab yourself an item or 5 you can visit her online store at http://www.natthakur.co.uk/store

Fuyume!