Sustainable and ethical fashion and beauty (for those interested in style and beauty)

[SuperSketchy]

I wanted to start a thread about sustainable and ethical fashion, for people who like to look their best or who need to look good for work or whatever.

I love secondhand shops and am always on the lookout for tips on how to shop better in them. I am also a fan of sites like Vestiaire for secondhand, higher end items.

I also like finding eco friendly brands, who are 'walking the walk' as well as 'talking the talk'.

Obviously, the best thing for the planet is to make do with what we have in our wardrobes, but for people who also like to look current or who wouldn't be taken seriously at work if they came in in clothes which were worn out, I'd like to discuss looking good and also being as sustain as possible.

I like doing fashion 'fasts' and also follow a few low buy fashion content creators, like Alyssa Beltempo.

Would anyone like to join me for some sustainable and ethical S&B chat?

People who have no interest in how they look and only wish to stay warm and protect the planet, I truly applaud you, however, this may not be the place for you, although of course anyone is welcome

Aw I love your DH's aunt@PrincessNutNuts . Sounds like my nan!

@Salanda Jesus, yes. A lot easier now. I think I lived on potato waffles and beans when I first went vegan . I think they did have things like Quorn then, but it had egg whites in it then I think. Not even free range iirc. I was a student and I think they did have things like samosas and hummus pretty easily available. But restaurants were just shit for vegans then.

@SuperSketchy haha yes - for me it was often chips as that was the only thing on restaurant menus! Things have really come on - I’m in London and it’s great at the mo.

On a different note, I found this vintage online marketplace others might like: www.imparfaiteparis.com/en/

Not everyone’s style I know but love these vintage cardigans: www.imparfaiteparis.com/les-best-sellers-2/

The old chips and side salad main course! I know it well

Thanks for the vintage market place. I will peruse in a minute when I plan to have a giant bath with and equally giant . One of 'those' afternoons with small DCs today.

I lived on Bourbon biscuits as a vegan in the mid-90s.

I've recently been promoted and lost a lot of weight - need to look presentable, need new clothes, excited about buying all the new clothes, but want to do that ethically. Fab thread!

I’ve been drawn towards the slightly lagenlook one size fits most over lockdown for comfort but it really makes a lot of sense so you don’t have to change wardrobes due weight fluctuations quite so much. Not sure I’m ready to go all the way with it because I’m quite petite so most would be trailing on the ground but as a concept it’s quite cool.

Not quite as cool is the addictive buying demonstrated on the associated Facebook pages and I hear the same is true for some dungaree and legging groups. You don’t just need one top - you need it in every colour. It just eggs people on to consume way more than they realistically need. The almost daily live videos are often akin to selly-telly.

Can I throw in clothes swaps as an option. Some of my most fun clothes have come from swaps, things I'd never buy as they wouldn't get enough wear (a lovely fluffy teddy hooded jacket perfect for parties). Also it's great seeing things that don't work for me any more but look fantastic on friends.
Obviously, you need a selection of friends where enough people overlap on size and/or you're all willing to do some alterations, but still it's a great option.

Same happens with craft and cosmetics, particularly beauty box subscriptions. They know how to sell sell sell. It’s something I’m trying to be more mindful of too and not get sucked it. It’ll all become so much more apparent when all the beauty advents are released this year. That’s not to say I won’t pour over the details and possibly even be tempted.

@SuperSketchy

Aw I love your DH's aunt@PrincessNutNuts . Sounds like my nan!

@Salanda Jesus, yes. A lot easier now. I think I lived on potato waffles and beans when I first went vegan . I think they did have things like Quorn then, but it had egg whites in it then I think. Not even free range iirc. I was a student and I think they did have things like samosas and hummus pretty easily available. But restaurants were just shit for vegans then.

You can always spot her immediately in any of their family's wedding group photos.

@Brogues, that is such a good point re buying clothes which still fit you if your size tends to fluctuate a bit. Wrap skirts, wrap tops, wrap dresses are good. They're pretty adjustable. I also love an oversized dress. If I don't want it to look too oversized and shapeless, I out a belt over the top.

Clothes swaps sound fun, but I'm pretty tall and (ahem) curvaceous, with size 8 feet. None of my friends are similar, which is annoying.

@Spindelina oh yes bourbons and jammy Dodgers! They became a bit of a problem for me . Are jammy Dodgers still even vegan?? I think I was veggie in the mid nineties but probably didn't even know what the word vegan meant then! Was it very difficult finding food you could eat?

Sketchy I had low standards. Mostly toast and marmite or pasta and tomato sauce. But I grew up in a mostly vegetarian Quaker household so it wasn't totally alien. Restaurants were, as you point out, difficult to negotiate!

I weigh now not a lot more than I did then, and still have my clothes from that era which I've dug out. Not so much for work, but at the weekends I'm rocking cargo jeans and boot cuts 😆. In the interim decades I've always been "just about" to lose the four stone, so I've been loth to spend "too much" money on clothes - it's mostly been charity shops with gaps filled by high street cheap stuff. I'm liking the idea of adjustable and looser stuff with belts etc. I think my top half is about where it's going to finish, so fit and flare is also going to be a thing for me for the next little while.

Brilliant idea for a thread.

I've been trying to have a less but nicer and better quality wardrobe for a while.

I want to love everything in my wardrobe rather than it all be just ok, but I have a somewhat hard body type to dress which doesn't help. As part of this i'm aiming to buy more expensive items secondhand.

Im also fussy about fabrics so for basics like t shirts and ethically produced materials tend to be nicer.

I've been browsing Vinted but the vast majority is high street.

Im planning on finding my size in Levi's etc and then getting a couple pairs from vestiare.

I’d be interested to hear recommendations or ideas for things like ethical and sustainable work out gear, underwear, trainers - stuff I don’t feel comfortable buying used. Everything else I buy secondhand already, though I probably need to buy less overall. For example, I need some yoga gear and am considering options like girlfriend collective, organic basics and free people. Lists and recommendations that come up when I google tend to be us-centric, I’m not sure if there is a go-to U.K. site for this kind of info.

Rosalind, I've had leggings from Thought which were ok for yoga, but not my favourite leggings I have to say. There is also BAM which makes Bamboo leggings and underwear I think, but I've never actually bought anything from there. There's another one called Boody which I quite like for pants.

I love the look of Organic Basics, but I've never bought anything there as it is a bit pricey. But I'd like some of their knitwear for Christmas.

Spin, funnily enough, my family were also Quakers. Not really by the time I was born though. More my grandparents and their parents.

Thanks Supersketchy. I don’t mind spending if it’s really good quality/performance and will last. My sister wasn’t very impressed with her BAM leggings which puts me off.

@OhRosalind

Thanks Supersketchy. I don’t mind spending if it’s really good quality/performance and will last. My sister wasn’t very impressed with her BAM leggings which puts me off.

I love my BAM leggings although I wear them as loungewear rather than yoga. They feel lovely and the ones I have have the deep waistband which is super comfy and supportive.

I've had them for 2-3 years and still going strong

@OhRosalind I’ve got a couple of underwear sets from Organic Basics. Had them for around two years and going strong - I’ve found them to be good quality and comfortable.

For trainers and running kit I use On, but it is pretty expensive. Veja are another ethical trainer brand - they do fashion and running trainers.

I haven’t tried but have heard good things about Girlfriend Collective too. Patagonia for outdoors/hiking stuff too.

I completely agree about cutting back on buying new. I getting a lot more, good quality, second hand clothes for my children. For me, I am going to try and not buy any new things, other than a needed pair of winter boots as mine have kicked the bucket. This is from someone who really is/ was a bit of a shopperholic!

I recommend this website for incredibly high quality second hand clothing. A lot comes from influencers and fashion circles as that's the background of the owner. Things sell quickly.

manifestowoman.com

@DirtyDancing

I completely agree about cutting back on buying new. I getting a lot more, good quality, second hand clothes for my children. For me, I am going to try and not buy any new things, other than a needed pair of winter boots as mine have kicked the bucket. This is from someone who really is/ was a bit of a shopperholic!

I recommend this website for incredibly high quality second hand clothing. A lot comes from influencers and fashion circles as that's the background of the owner. Things sell quickly.

manifestowoman.com

Ooh that website looks great.

Not so high end but the re-fashion website is good to keep an eye on, they have some lovely things, as well as re-using the proceeds to go good causes.

re-fashion.co.uk/collections/new-arrivals

Thanks for the suggestions, maybe I’ll risk it and try organic basics and girlfriend collective. I love the look of Veja but found them horrendously uncomfortable and sold them on quickly.

Has anyone tried Rapanui for basics? They have a good range of T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts etc, and the prices seem reasonable. I haven't bought from them though so can't vouch for quality. There's also People Tree and Finisterre for outsoorsy stuff, both a bit pricier

@stickybear I’ve only bought socks from Rapanui before, as Xmas presents. They looked good quality and recipient is still wearing them several years later with no holes.

Chips and salad is the food of the gods in my view - but, yes, during my various dairy-free phases I’ve noticed it’s often the only option!

I was delighted to discover fig rolls are vegan, but I digress....

Came on to mention Gudrun Sjoden - not high fashion by any means but the company seems really committed to making as much of their clothing ethically and sustainably as possible - and they have a handy code for whether fabric is a good choice due to how it’s produced or whether it’s organic/recycled etc. Some of the styles are, um, an acquired taste but the autumn/winter clothes are usually lovely.

I’ve found both Rapanui and Finisterre to be very good quality, Rapanui t-shirts in particular, but it’s casual clothing. Finisterre have some smart knitwear occasionally. I like the look of &daughter knits, but it’s obviously very expensive. I may buy one jumper from them this year.

@stickybear I would heartily recommend rapanui. They have a circular fashion thing going on - you send back the clothes when they are worn out and they recycle them. So far from them I have bought: knickers, T-shirt’s, sweater, leggings, socks and a light raincoat. The socks were bamboo and a bit thin, but I find bamboo socks can be a bit like that. I really rate everything else though, particularly the leggings which I always find hard to find decent ones. My husband liked the raincoat so much he ordered himself one - the male one is identical to the ladies, so we now have matching coats🤦🏻‍♀️ Although I did make him order a different colour to me.

How is the length in things like hoodies and leggings at Rapanui please? Not that I'm buying anything at the moment due to 90 day nothing new pledge, but maybe another time.