The Ethical Fashion Label

In this ethical fashion feature, I’m wearing a casual and a corporate outfit by my favourite sustainable fashion label, Pure Pod. As one of the pioneer brands on the scene long before ethical fashion was considered a thing, Pure Pod has been making beautiful designs with a passion for people and planet. Ethical fashion brands are in my opinion, the labels that should be mainstream, where we buy our new clothes from. They are slow fashion brands committed to Fairtrade, organic clothing, organic certifications, sustainable production, fair wages, decent work conditions, natural textiles, animal welfare and environmental consciousness.

With fashion being one of the most environmentally-damaging industries, it’s remarkable that the UN Sustainable Fashion Charter for climate action was launched in December 2018 at the COP24 climate conference. Initiated by the UN climate change secretariat, the climate for fashion charter was backed by Stella McCartney. It has 16 commitments for brands and organisations to adhere to for low-carbon production methods and for the elimination of fashion waste. So far, forty fashion brands have adhered to the charter.

With cheap fashion threatening the planet, the creation of the charter was an absolute necessity to reform the havoc that has been reeked by the industry. Some of it includes:

• water pollution

• soil contamination through agricultural pesticides

• landfill waste, toxic chemical and dyes during manufacture

• soil degradation

• deforestation

• drought from over irrigation.

More than twelve years before the arrival of the charter, Pure Pod has been striving to create a cleaner fashion industry and promote creative designs that have a story and strong identity behind them. Their clothes are made of natural, Certified organic fabrics, natural or low impact dyes and deadstock material.

They only work with businesses and companies who are tracing and checking their supply chains to make sure people and the environment are protected and looked after.

The environment is a huge factor throughout their sourcing, production and distribution processes. Disposal and waste management are even woven into their design process.

When you factor in all of these elements, it becomes clear that ethical clothing is not cheap. Even though we might be paying a lot more for an ethically-made item than a fast fashion item, we can rest assured that ethically-made items will outlast their fast fashion counterparts by many years. On that account, in the long run we’re getting a lot more value than what we paid for the garment. We won’t run the risk of buying something that will fade or disintegrate after the first wash.

The BMWi Blue dress

This beautiful BMWi Blue dress is made from bamboo velvet, in a shade of blue that I love.

The look: Lounging by the water, I chose to go barefoot with this one.

Style tip: If you own a dress like this, try wearing flat sandals or ballet flats for a casual look. For a night out, I’d opt for open-toe sandal heels.

Autumn/Winter: Certain styles of knee-high boots might work with this dress in colder seasons.

The Denim Banded Bee Dress

This denim Blue Banded Bee Dress is Australian made from Certified organic cotton denim indigo.  It has handmade crochet trims on the bodice to symbolise bees and an open back.

I paired the dress with Pure Pod’s pink and white 40’s inspired Vintage top. It’s vegetable- dyed, hand block printed and made from Certified organic cotton voile.

The Look: To give it a corporate look, I wore patent black court stilettos and a black handbag.

Styling tip: Wear the denim banded bee dress on its own, with a casual top or top with a unique pattern for versatility.

Outfits sourced from:

BMWi Blue dress: Pure Pod

Denim Banded Bee Dress: Pure Pod

40s inspired Vintage top: Pure Pod

Michael Kors patent black stilettos: The Green Shed Op Shop

Black handbag: Borrowed from a friend.

♥ Nina Gbor

Decolonise to Survive

With upcycling as a sustainable fashion technique, I was excited to feature upcycled designs made by YHI Creations. I love everything about them – from their ethos, originality, mission-driven innovations and philosophies to their very stylish and artistic redesigns.  Made from 95% recycled clothing, they produce conceptual aboriginal art imagery handcrafted by the founder, Ella Noah Bancroft. The imagery is sewn onto unique one-off vintage and preloved pieces. They also screen print on organic cotton, just like my t-shirt with the powerful message, ‘Decolonise to Survive’.

YHI’s phrase, ‘Decolonise to Survive’ is about looking at what in your own life has been colonised. It’s about taking back power through sovereignty and looking at how colonisation actually disempowers us all. It’s about reconnecting to our humanness.

YHI (pronounced Whee) is an Indigenous, Australian, ethical, culturally-innovative jewellery and clothing company. YHI is an Aboriginal word that comes from the Gamilaroi (Kamilaroi) nation. It translates to goddess of light and creation.

YHI can be described as an activist line that uses style and art to bring awareness to current political, social and environmental issues. YHI is about social change, creating a cause and spreading a message of unity regarding the fashion industry’s impact on the pollution of our planet, while sparking conversation about our own social structures. YHI wants to empower people to understand the effect their actions have on the environment so that people make more informed decisions when purchasing clothing, without having to compromise on their personal style. Ella believes connection to country starts with caring for country.

Ella Noah Bancroft, artist, designer and founder of YHI Creations.

Ella is a Bundjalung Artist. Her Indigenous heritage has been a major influence in the creation and execution of YHI. She has been inspired by the evolution of the rich culture embedded in our country that’s now over 60 thousand years old. She believes the Earth Cycle's survival is dependent upon our community embracing a more sustainable future. YHI shines a light on waste and recycling in a way that supports people to embrace change. This is why their products are designed to instigate a sustainable lifestyle through a shift in people’s awareness, thoughts and actions. Their mission is to change the way we see fashion and how we can take responsibility for our creations’ footprints. 

DECOLONISE TO SURVIVE

Ella coined the phrase ‘Decolonise to Survive’ from the realisation that the system does not work. With the rising rates of mental health and obesity levels, and with the amount of suicides our country faces each day, she needed to address the situation.

Ella believes the meaning behind the statement ‘Decolonise to Survive’ could be the key to our physiological success in social change by reconnecting to our humanness.

Decolonising is a direct link to regaining power of the mind and also shifting social change.  In order to regain the mind, we must decolonise it. Decolonising begins with looking at how we can stand together with a strong message, a unified message as Indigenous pioneers to reclaim personal and collective power and to inspire others to reclaim their power for the sake of all our future children.

STYLING

The Look: I love my “Decolonise to Survive” t-shirt. I paired it with a black layered tulle skirt, tan buckle belt, cream-colour panama hat and flat, tan sandals.

Styling tip: To me this is an everything t-shirt. Wear it with It jeans, pencil skirt, shorts - everything. Personally, I’d wear it with a long ball gown skirt and flat sandals.

Light Denim Fire Patch Jacket: Perfect match over the t-shirt.

Styling tip: This sort of jacket can go with almost anything in your Spring/Autumn wardrobe has the right colour pairing and isn’t too corporate.

Outfit sourced from:

T-shirt and jacket: YHI Creations

Black layered tulle skirt: PDSA Op Shop, Bristol, UK

Tan belt: Noffs Op Shop, Surry Hills, Sydney

Panama hat: Hand-me-down from a friend

Flat, tan sandals: Suitcase Rummage preloved market.

Photos by Brunela Fenalte Photography.

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

Fashion, a feminine issue

Style. Sustainability. Positive change.

The key to social, economic and political growth of any society lies in bolstering female empowerment. Empowerment enables more women to enter leadership positions and broadens the scope for women’s voices to be heard. When women are empowered, their families, communities and even the nation benefits therefore, they are crucial to bringing positive change in the world. For instance, with better opportunities for work, education and business, women raise better families, have more educated children and there is a decline of poverty and disease. Herein lies the basis for societal progress and development. This is why fostering female empowerment is an integral part of Eco Styles.

The fashion industry is powered by approximately 60 million garment workers around the world and 80% of them are women. Majority of these women work in countries like Bangladesh, China, India, Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam with unfair wages so low that it keeps them stuck within a cycle of poverty. This is often in addition to being subjected to abuse, social injustices and horrific work conditions.

The collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in April 2013 is considered the deadliest garment factory incident in history where approximately 1,138 garment workers were killed. Approximately 2,500 injured workers had to be rescued alive from the rubble. This incident shocked the world, brought more exposure to this issue and triggered the formation of global Fashion Revolution movement. The movement advocates for the fashion industry to operate in ways that value people, the environment and profit in equal measure.

The fashion and apparel industry make multi-billion dollar profits every year. A report by Deloitte Access Economics for Oxfam for Oxfam’s ‘What She Makes’ document, stated that only 4% of the retail cost of a garment goes to the garment worker of an average retail supply chain. That means for a $10 t-shirt, only 40 cents go to the worker. In countries like Bangladesh where the wages are even lower, the worker gets an average of 2%, which would come to just 20 cents on a $10 t-shirt. The inequality of unfair work compensation that these women experience is staggering. It would be easy for these brands to pay these women a living wage that would alleviate their poverty and enable them to have a decent life. The report goes further to say that even if big companies increased the retail price of clothing to pay workers a living wage, it would only amount to a 10% increase of 10 cents on a $10 t-shirt, making that t-shirt price $10.10.

Oxfam’s What She Makes report also states that from approximately 2013 to 2017, Australia’s fast fashion industry has grown by 21.5%. The revenue of some of these brands have been on the increase while one of them even doubled its profits during this period.

The garment industry has one of the most shocking examples of global inequality. A small number of people accumulate enormous wealth while millions of poverty-stricken workers work hard in long hours. A garment worker for instance will not make in a lifetime what the CEO of a major fast fashion brand makes in one year.

Brands are beyond capable of paying workers a living wage. Positive changes need to be executed to ensure that the women who make our clothes are treated with dignity. Beyond the notion that fair, liveable wages are a basic human right, the socioeconomic ramifications are huge. A living wage means workers and their families have enough food to eat and decent housing with sufficient space so that many people are not forced to live in one room. Living wages would also foster the ability to look after children, afford transportation, healthcare and education for themselves and their children. This will ultimately foster societal development.

Reversing this trend of inequality might serve as a benchmark for achieving positive change in other industries. Brands have the responsibility and the power to ensure a fair system and better quality of life for workers. Consumers also have power and agency to ensure that this change happens. Consumers can act in several ways:

1. Join the Fashion Revolution

2. Request fashion supply chain transparency from brands through social media and email.

3. Use ethical fashion apps and guides like Good on You and Baptist World Aid.

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

Preloved Colour Therapy

Probably the most recognised form of sustainable fashion is buying preloved (second hand) clothing. Preloved clothing makes up about 90% of my wardrobe. It’s all come from vintage stores, op shops (charity shops), markets and clothes swaps. And when I buy new, it’s usually from an ethical label.

My wardrobe is an eclectic mix of various aspects of my personality that expresses itself in what I wear. My personal style is feminine, quirky and creative with a bit of drama. With the fluorescent green skirt as the main attraction of this preloved outfit, I chose un-matching pieces for a romantic, yet quirky look.

I was drawn to this skirt because I love bright, bold colours amongst other things. I believe colours have the power to affect our mood and even uplift those that behold it. For instance, have you ever worn a red outfit to a place on a cold and dreary Winter day and watched everyone’s face light up when you walked into the room?  It’s worth donning colours that give joy so that they support your mood throughout the day and make you look fabulous. For some, prolonged use of this form of colour therapy can have a positive impact on general wellbeing.

STYLING

The look: I’m wearing this bird pattern cardigan top with the green skirt and my beloved leopard print stilettos. On the Vespa, I tested the look with these bright red ankle boots.

Styling tip: With a loud skirt like this, you might choose to pair it with a neutral colour top or blouse.  Complementary colours like black, white, navy, dark or light brown might also work.

Sourced:

- Bird-pattern cardigan from a preloved market

- Fluorescent green skirt from Vinnies Op Shop, Surry Hills, Sydney

- Red ankle boots from Canberra Fashion Market.

Photos by Brunela Fenalte Photography.

♥ Nina Gbor

Breakfast at Tiffany's

In homage to Audrey Hepburn, one of the greatest style icons in history, I restyled my little black dress (LBD) in the spirit of Audrey’s legendary looks in the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s needless to say, Audrey is one of my biggest style inspirations and many of the pieces in my wardrobe are inspired by her.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).

You can wear an ultra-sophisticated look like this one to stand out at a cocktail party, as a wedding guest, formal event or any other glamorous occasion. Even better, you can host your own Breakfast at Tiffany’s party for the opportunity to wear this look. The super wide brim hat is a statement piece that turns heads and starts conversations.

STYLING

The look: I’ve had this dress for nearly a decade. Many of us have an LBD or something similar in various colours and shapes. I’ve used this dress to the office with more subdued work-appropriate accessories. For the glamour effect, I’ve worn it with lots of bling, a wide brim statement floppy hat, patent black court stilettos and my 1960s black velvet vintage handbag.

Styling tip: An LBD is a great staple to have because you can simply use accessories to style it up or down to make it fit for nearly any occasion. For example, I can style this dress for five different occasions, using accessories and a couple of additional pieces. The versatility means you can create a stylish capsule wardrobe and pack light when you need to.

For a more corporate look you can wear to the office, use less or no sparkly jewellery. You can even go with loafers or your average office/work flats. Try these tricks on a couple of your dresses.