As it’s now April it’s high time to stop hibernating and head out to enjoy sunshine and blossoming trees. And to change the wardrobe around from being all about layering and keeping warm to embracing lighter colours and potentially even showing a bit of skin.
To celebrate that we’ve passed the Spring Equinox I’ve put together a wish-list of Spring fashion with a quartet of sustainable and ethical pieces.
Top left: I’m currently loving Fashionable’s bags and their business model that provides employment to women in Africa and the US who have overcome extraordinary circumstances, ranging from prostitution to homelessness to addiction to a lack of opportunity. This bag (Alem) is named after one of the women they work with, and it’s handcrafted in Ethiopia (and Mexico) from 100% genuine distressed leather.
Top right: This sweater from Zady is made from wool of Alpacas raised in their natural habitat in the Andes mountains of Peru. The fiber is sorted, washed, combed and spun in nearby Arequipa, Peru, where solar panels provide 80% of the energy the facilities need. The final product is then crafted in New York and is created to last.
Bottom left: In love with this pair of trousers. Made by Study NY that uses sustainable materials and produces its clothing in New York City. Handwoven, made from 100% wool in black/grey tweed.
Bottom right: Handmade in a small shoe factory outside Florence, Italy, this espadrille is made in Italian goat chevreau leather, by Blankens that combines Scandinavian style with European craftsmanship.