Any woman walking down the street today in a fur coat will definitely get a few looks thrown her way… and most will be far from admiring! But what about the vast majority of the rest us that walk around in leather 24/7?

In 2006, UK clothing and textile impacts generated up to two million tonnes of waste, 3.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and 70 million tonnes of waste-water. It is becoming obvious that this is something that urgently needs to be addressed. Vogue Paris declared the look for Autumn/Winter 2007 was ‘eco-warrior’, so it seems that ethical fashion is going from strength to strength.

Green clothing has definitely moved on from its ‘hippy’ image of the 90s. From amateur how-to sites like Ohmystars.net teaching “T-shirt surgery”, to one-of-a-kind silk-screen prined bamboo tank tops on craft site www.Etsy.com, it’s obvious that there has been a major progression in this area of the fashion industry. Stella McCartney recently launched her new ready to wear range at London Fashion Week, proving that this is a trend definitely on the rise.

The most important label
When opting for ethical fashion, it is wise to keep an eye out for the Fairtrade mark to guarantee authenticity. Fairtrade labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late 1980s. The Max Havelaar Foundation launched the first Fairtrade consumer guarantee label in 1988 on coffee sourced from Mexico. In the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation was established in 1992, with the first products to carry the Fairtrade mark launched in 1994. It continues to be the only true indicator of the origin of the product you intend to purchase. To display the Fairtrade mark a product must meet international standards set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). These standards are agreed through a process of research and consultation with key participants in the Fairtrade scheme, including producers themselves, traders, NGOs, academic institutions and labelling organisations such as the Fairtrade Foundation.

Trailer trash or Hollywood heaven?
Fairtrade is definitely no longer a fashion faux pas. There are a number of websites that stock the latest looks and still hold the Fairtrade mark. www.Peopletree.com stocks everything from bags to dresses. All of the clothes you see on this site are cotton certified organic, Fairtrade and dyed using safe and natural dyes. Not only this, but a lot of the clothing is hand-woven with extensive use of
embroidery creating beautiful clothing as well as employment.

If you want to ditch the leather shoes try vegetarian-shoes.co.uk for a wide selection of men’s, women’s and children’s footwear. For children’s wear, take a look at www.hug.co.uk, home to Little Green Rascals, a vibrant babies and children’s clothing range made using organic and Fairtrade certified cotton. You will find everything here from babygros and bibs to jeans and dungarees. With pricing as low as £12, it’s hard to go wrong. As Katherine Hammet, one of the industry’s most ethical and environmentally aware designers, said: “Sustainable clothing doesn’t have to be more expensive. It can be more affordable and it should be more affordable.”

Katharine laid the groundwork for anti-fashion-fashion back in the 1980s with her bold black-on-white message shirts (like the anti-drug “Choose Life” T-shirt seen on George Michael in a Wham! video). Hamnett’s latest T-shirt reads “Save the Future” and it’s a line she produced in partnership with the Environmental Justice Foundation for its campaign to end child labour in cotton farming, especially in Uzbekistan. It took a long time for the Katharine to make herself known, but now, in 2008, the designer who couldn’t find a friend in fashion is in the swirling centre of the eco fashion popularity club.

Making a difference
However, style aside, the message is still there behind the cute T-shirts and pretty dresses. Irish label Edun, founded by U2 singer Bono and wife Ali Hewson in conjunction with New York designer Rogan Gregory, wants its customers to think about the cotton in their clothing and how it was produced. Their motto “trade not aid” promotes a focus on raising Africa’s share of the global cotton market. African cotton farmers are “using expired pesticides and are subject to grave negative health effects,” says Bridget Russo, an Edun spokesperson. “These farmers often make a loss every year and some sleep 10 to 20 people in a hut with one pair of shoes among them all.”

A new textile industry group, supported by Marks & Spencer, has been launched and aims to drive forward the sustainable and ethical production of clothing throughout the global apparel supply chain, with a series of new initiatives. The new RITE group (Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment) has been formed by Marks & Spencer, the University of Leeds and Ecotextile News magazine, in response to the changing requirements of the textile industry. The new group plans to provide advice and fact-based information to minimise the impact of the production, use and disposal of textiles and clothing on the environment.

“Membership of the RITE group will include forward-thinking individuals and companies who can demonstrate a real commitment to sustainable changes in their
working practices,” explained Phil Patterson, dyeing, printing, finishing and colour manager for Marks & Spencer.

Not only have Marks & Spencer followed McCartney’s lead and started to sell an ever-expanding range of Fairtrade clothing, but Oasis and H&M have also fallen fashionably in line. It seems like the high street stores are finally catching on to consumer needs. Shopping has never been so guilt-free – just don’t forget your bio-degradable bag!