The Junction Boutique supports local talent to market and sell sustainable fashion products to a wider audience of fashionably intelligent customers.
www.thejunctionboutique.co.uk
Kerrie Curzon Creations produces fancy and comfortable ready-to-wear underwear, often using recycled or fair trade and organic fabrics. The current collection features many one-off pieces remade from other garments.
Her prices are also very affordable, she wrote: 'no high fashion at high prices, or fast fashion at low prices. Items are priced fairly, based on fabric, materials used, and time'. I love this philosophy!
As a true French woman, it is difficult to resist buying all her beautiful, cheeky and comfy knickers!
Every first Wednesday of each month, Dana, a trendy fashion blogger from London will discuss eco-fashion. Don't miss it!
Now that the glamorous Royal wedding dress a la Grace Kelly has been revealed, we investigate what Eco-Fashion has to offer us princesses at heart this summer, and look through those high street brands that have adopted a radiant clean white theme. We will even explore some beautifully crafted wedding dresses designed especially for a sustainable environment!
Personally, one brand which I am particularly excited about is H&M’s Conscious Collection released as part of the Spring/Summer range 2011.
“The name Conscious describes our continuous work towards a more sustainable fashion future. Today and tomorrow.”
H & M have wonderfully manufactured this range whilst respecting the environment, yet still managing to maintain their high quality in clothing at the best price for which they are renowned for. What is even better is that this is not a standalone collection, as H & M are continuing to test for better and “greener” materials, and have been emphasising the importance of Style and Substance since 2009.
By understanding the importance of their actions in relation to their affect on the environment, H & M have successfully grown to become a fine supporter and producer of Eco Fashion, with a greater corporate responsibility to the planet.
“Because good style also needs substance.”
Amour Vert has a unique blend of sustainable fabrics including organic cotton, bamboo and peace silk, all of which allow for durable, breathable, and more importantly, comfortable clothing.
Their philosophy is to produce fashionable clothes which have stemmed from organic materials, right from the beginning of the manufacturing process, by keeping pesticides and chemicals away from their soil and thus away from your skin.
“Amour Vert believes we can plant the seeds for a fundamental transition in the fashion industry in which the prevailing practice is one of sustainability and mindfulness.”
These casual yet chic designs are stitched, sewn and knitted by women who work in co-operatives certified by the World Trade Organisation. The delicate embroidery showcases the traditional skills of these women, and ultimately creates a unique selection of designs, each of which maintains a contemporary style.
Something Borrowed, Something Green.
When the day finally comes to pick out your wedding dress, one hopes you will be able to find a gown that fits wonderfully, is constructed elegantly, and perhaps most significantly, is eco-friendly.
If you feel rather rebellious, perhaps consider Blushless, a sustainable high fashion brand specialising in bridal gowns.
These bold and somewhat inventive designs aim to provide an alternative to the traditional wedding gowns and are created specifically for the ethically responsible bride.
But just because a wedding dress is Eco-friendly, does not necessarily mean it has to be an outlandish design-it can still be traditional.
Take for instance, Motasem, which introduces luxury into eco-fashion with timeless designs such as this silky wedding dress, yet kept at affordable prices. Found online, each dress is produced only four or five times, guaranteeing you a practically one of a kind design. What is especially beautiful about these fabrics is the way they can be slightly altered and shaped to transform a wedding dress into a stunning cocktail dress.
And once you have found the perfect dress for you, something fabulous for the wedding night can be found on the junction boutique website.
This limited edition collection of silk nightwear is made to an exceptionally high standard by the designer Anne Wiggins.
Of course, you do not have to be a blushing bride to purchase this elegant and understated camisole, as it can be worn as either lingerie or outerwear, and can be a fantastic buy for this summer.
The Junction Boutique was founded in 2010, in London, United Kingdom and provides an online fashion store for talented new designers to showcase their sustainable products. As a social enterprise, our mission at the Junction Boutique is to support local talent to market and sell sustainable fashion products to a wider audience of fashionably intelligent customers. The Junction acts as part promoter, part broker for designers, helping them achieve their goals in the world of fashion. In return, our customers get the opportunity to buy innovative, refreshing, and sustainable fashion designs that challenge the mainstream fashion brands and high street stores. - http://www.thejunctionboutique.co.uk/
I love the contrast of the gold and the colourful beads.
I also love that is made of 95% recycled and fair trade materials.
I adore anything with shells and pearls!
Love!
I love that this necklace is made from wellington boots.
I like the vintage style and the bright pink lining.
I've only just started to wear headbands again, can't get much better than one with a huge flower!
Like I said, anything with pearls...
I simply like the look of this bracelet,
and it's in the sale!
Everyone need a good scarf!
This one looks so warm and comfy and I love the colour!
I live in baggy tops. This one is in a beautiful gold colour!
Perfect teamed with some denim shorts and gladiator sandels.
The Junction Boutique is welcoming a new original designer: Frilly By Lily!
Finding frilly bits that make up frillybylily jewellery takes time; frilly bits are rare and can only be found by practiced searching methods that take years to learn. This is why most frillybylily jewellery is one off, so no one else will ever have the same as you!
Ethical sourcing and manufacturing is fundamental in frilly work, in fact it defines the business as it makes it much more challeging.
Anne Wiggins is a big mind with a big heart. Armed with a PhD from the London School of Economics, she went on to consult for a number of UN and international organisations. She recently founded her own ethical silk loungewear label.
Who are you?
Whilst working in museums and galleries in New York, Sydney and London, I completed my undergraduate degree in History & Medieval Studies at the University of Sydney, a masters degree in Computer Applications for the History of Art at Birkbeck, and pursued further post-graduate studies in medieval history at the University of New England.
However, throughout this period, I was increasingly drawn back to my passion for design: from childhood onwards, I have designed my clothes, and either made them myself or had them tailored to my specifications. I am now winding down my other commitments in order to concentrate on building my ethical silk nightwear and loungewear label, Anne Wiggins London. Free from the obligation to produce in large quantities, I painstakingly sourced the very finest raw materials and the best craftsman using traditional artisan techniques that cannot be replicated in mass-produced garments. All without compromising my beliefs. Of course, at no stage in the production process are people exploited, but it was also very important to me that even the silkworms not suffer. The fabric in my garments is not coated in softeners, elastomers, synthetic resins, nor has it been subject to chemical treatments that are toxic and contain suspected carcinogens. I insist on quality controls greater than the ISO standards and those set by the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments.
Quality is crucial to every choice I make. I feel that producing objects of a high quality that will last for many years amounts to a fundamental contribution to the environment: to manufacture clothing that will be disposed of after a few years of use – no matter how green the process of their manufacture and disposal – misses the point. Ethics and quality should go hand-in-hand... I believe that this issue is essential to our future.
How do you keep it real?
I am fortunate to have a solid base of wonderful, amazing friends, some of whom have been in my life since childhood. I speak with a core of them every day, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. I think there’s something so beautiful and magical about friendship: people coming into your life andchoosing to love and support you. I’ve had my share of heartache, injury and loss, and my family – of course – and friends have enabled me to come out the other side. I never forget how precious the gift of their presence in my life is. I also love hiking and cooking for the people I love.
What's the most memorable occasion on which you've been wearing a Britt Lintner dress?
Last November, I flew from Geneva to Nice for what was to be a day of meetings in Monaco. That evening, Geneva airport was snowed in, and I was stranded. As even trains back to Geneva from Nice weren’t getting through, the next night I flew to Paris, caught the train back to Geneva the following morning, and went straight to another meeting. By that stage, I had been wearing the same dress for three straight days! However, because of its quality and beautiful cut, it looked pristine, and I appeared unruffled… I can’t think of any clothes in my wardrobe other than Britt’s that would have held up under such pressure – high praise indeed!
Do you have any fun fashion tips?
I think underwear and sleepwear are incredibly important, even if no-one else sees them. Beauty, quality and luxury - even in the smallest details of our lives - have the ability to calm, reassure, uplift and inspire us.
The Junction Boutique is welcoming the third new designer of the day: Anne Wiggins. She shares her insights on her new brand:
Beauty, quality and luxury - even in the smallest details of our lives - have the ability to calm, reassure, uplift and inspire us.
Believing that women should feel elegant and effortlessly stylish during their downtime, and that seduction is all about discretion and subtlety for those with discerning, confident taste, Anne's unwavering attention to detail has resulted in the creation of this luxuriously relaxed, understated, glamorous, and contemporary - yet timeless - collection.
This limited edition collection of silk nightwear and loungewear is made to an exceptionally high standard.
Free from the obligation to produce in large quantities, Anne has painstakingly sourced the very finest raw materials and the best craftsman using traditional artisan techniques that cannot be replicated in mass-produced garments. All without compromising her ethical beliefs:
As a Buddhist for over twenty years, it is vital to Anne that the silk worms not suffer. She insists on the principle of ahimsa (non-violence). Traditional silk farmers boil the cocoons to kill the moths and harvest their cocoons. However, Anne favours the rarer and much more expensive – but infinitely more humane – approach whereby moths are allowed to mature and emerge unscathed from their cocoons.
In this process, because the one continuous silk fibre woven by the silkworm has been broken into many smaller strands by the emerging moth, the cocoon is degummed to remove the sericin and then spun like other fibres – such as cotton or hemp – rather than being reeled onto spools in one continuous silk strand. As a result of being spun as a fibre rather than being reeled as a thread, the fabric produced is warmer and softer, yet paradoxically can often be rougher to the touch. However, Anne painstakingly sourced a small factory in Japan that spins bespoke orders of the very finest quality, softest silk from these fibres.
The fabric in Anne’s garments is not coated in softeners, elastomers, synthetic resins, nor has it been subject to chemical treatments that are toxic and contain suspected carcinogens.
At no stage in the production process are people exploited. Anne works with the factory inspection company SGS to do ongoing spot-checks to ensure that everyone working on her garments: is over 17 years old, works no more than 50 hours a week, has consistent access to natural light and unpolluted air throughout their working day, and is paid a fair wage.
Anne insists on quality controls greater than the ISO standards and those set by the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments.
Anne considers quality as being crucial to every choice she makes regarding these garments. She feels that producing objects of a high quality that will last for many years amounts to a fundamental contribution to the environment: to manufacture clothing that will be disposed of after a few years of use – no matter how green the process of their manufacture and disposal – misses the point. Ethics and quality should go hand-in-hand... Anne believes that the right approach to this issue is essential to our future.
These elegant pieces will take you from play to the boudoir and beyond - flirty camisoles, dreamy sleepwear, sexy slips and luxurious robes - all constructed from the finest quality silk in a flattering Champagne colour...
The Junction Boutique is welcoming the second new designer of the day: Bridget Harvey.
Bridget Harvey is a freelance designer-maker working from a studio in East London. She hands-made wooden jewellery inspired by worn paintwork and colourful scenery.
Each piece is a hand-made one-off, with detailed finishes and beautiful surfaces applied to create tactile and intriguing jewellery. She hand dyes and embellishes her work using sustainable techniques and eco-friendly dyes. All her materials are sourced as ethically as possible, using mainly reclaimed wood.
The Junction Boutique is welcoming a new designer: Boutique Ethique. Linda Row, the founder of Boutique Ethique expresses her ethos for her new brand:
‘Ethical consumerism has always been the driving force behind my work and although the ethical landscape has changed since 1997 when I created the label Clothworks, the power of the consumer to place their hard earned cash in the right place has never been greater.
My label Boutique Ethique offers an antidote to high street homogenisation of style, offering women a unique range of clothes made in a sustainable fashion.
‘Evolutionary design pays homage to the excellence that has come before and avoids the trashing of old things before their time is up.’
Designed for adventurous women, who have an appreciation for quality and craftsmanship
and are not afraid to stand out and be individual. Boutique Ethique’s collections, evolving from one season to the next are made in the UK by a team trained in couture.
These timeless pieces for are made from silk and are printed in the UK with eco friendly dyes.
In her popular blog called www.smeef.blogspot.com, Smeeeff expresses her enthusiasm towards Cloth Magpie's New Collection!
Here is her article:
This week I discovered Cloth Magpie, have you heard of them?
Cloth Magpie was launched in 2009 and is the brain child of Sam Cross, and I've got to admit I'm in love. Sam has taken vintage fabrics and created a limited edition handbags that were inspired by vanity cases and old school glamour (the best type of glamour). All of the fabrics were printed in the UK and the bags completely made in the UK too so Cloth Magpie is proud to be British too! I've been staring at the Spring/Summer collection for hours trying to pick my favourites and it was so super, hard because I love them all! But here are the two I've settled on:
So do you all understand why I'm so in love with Cloth Magpie now?
One of our favourite designer, Carmen Woods, has been once again featured on a very popular blog called Deep City (see: http://www.deepcity.co.uk/fashion/deep-city-carmen-woods)! The Junction Boutique is very excited to take part in the successful journey of such a talented handbags designer!
Deep City's article:
The exciting new diffusion range from accessories designer Carmen Woods extends her creative hand to affordable luxury. With a clutch bag starting at £75 through to a large roomy shopper at £215 Carmen Woods demonstrates that long lasting great designs are attainable at a lower price.
Despite the new price points, Carmen Woods has refused to compromise on quality concerning design or materials. She continues to use the finest Italian leather including striking metallics such as silver and gold, alongside berry shades, earthy browns and classic black.
Why not save the planet while you’re at it? It’s time to forget about all your previous misconceptions of unstylish, uninspiring eco-fashion, because sustainable fashion is receiving a jaw-droppingly chic overhaul.
I’m sure you don’t need to be told that our environment is something which needs to be nurtured and preserved more than ever before, what with all the damage we’re causing it in our modern world. But now you can enjoy fashion at its finest without the use of harsh chemicals or pesticides in the growth of cotton.
Camilla Kennedy, a Fashion Design graduate who has worked with the late Alexander McQueen, has released her debut collection with dresses all in shades of nude, showcasing the beautiful aesthetic quality of organic cotton. The collection evolved from her final year collection produced whilst studying at Birmingham City University. It was entitled ‘The Run of the Mill’ and was inspired by the use of child labour, cotton pickers and factory workers.
One of the dresses was spotted on the front row of Graduate Fashion Week, which in an interview, Camilla admits to feeling ‘very excited about’. The dress in question is a brown and cream coloured number with a double layer skirt made from a combination of organic and upcycled cotton. Even the lining is made of 100% upcycled silk! Now that is one environmentally-friendly dress.
If you want to get your green fingers on this dress or any of Camilla Kennedy’s creations you can visit online fashion store, The Junction Boutique.(www.thejunctionboutique.co.uk) The business is set up and run by Marine Tanguy, a Warwick University History of Art student, and her business partner.
‘Our mission at the Junction Boutique is to support local talent to market and sell sustainable fashion products to a wider audience of fashionably intelligent customer’
So unleash your inner eco-warrior and let sustainable fashion become part of your wardrobe this season. Not only will you be taking a grand stride in the direction of saving our planet but you’ll be supporting fair wages and fair working conditions too.
