A F
S
FORWARD
SUSTAINABLE GIFTING & FESTIVE WEAR
WINTER ISSUE 2020
CONTENTS 5
Introduction
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Rice & Carry: Making Fairtrade Products from Plastic Waste
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Elvis & Kresse: Putting People and Planet at the Heart of What They Do
10-11
Shonamac: The Most Sought-after Pre-loved Designer Brands
12-13
In Conversation: Studio Minti
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Boutique by Shelter: Glitter up Your Festive Gatherings!
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Introducing: BEEN London
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Sustainable Party Wear Guide
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Sustainable Gift & Festive Wear Mini Directory
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Contributors & Credits
INTRODUCTION FASH Forward showcases sustainable fashion brands driving positive change in the fashion industry. The brands featured support the people behind the product, the planet or both. The aim of this issue is to highlight the stories of a selection of UK sustainable fashion brands and to share their gifting and partywear ideas in the lead up to Christmas. There is one international brand featuring, Rice & Carry, which was one of the brands that inspired FASH Forward to come to life and has just started delivering to the European market through a partnership with Fair Squared. If you enjoy this issue, please share the ISSUU link with friends or on social media, or follow FASH Forward on Instagram to learn more about the brands featuring.
@fashforward.uk hello@fashforward.uk
RICE & CARRY:
Making Fairtrade Products from Plastic Waste In 2012, Henri & Susi, Rice & Carry founders, had the idea to upcycle an old rice bag, to tackle two issues: 1 Growing amount of plastic waste on Sri Lanka’s coastline Rice & Carry make fair trade products from waste plastic. fair2.me @riceandcarry
2 Lack of job opportunities for women from rural areas. Today, they offer a wide range of up-cycled bags and accessories. All products are handmade by female artisans. They train women from rural villages to become skilled
seamstresses, and pay them fair wages, based on fair trade principles. Since 2019, they are a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). As Rice & Carry now have Fair Squared as their European distribution partner, why not consider gifting an upcycled rice bag this Christmas? Check out our favourite pieces on the opposite page and the process of how they are made on the right from top to bottom.
GIFT IDEAS
Cleaning of Rice Bags
1 Washbag €14.95 2 Laptop Case €34.95 - 44.95 3 Cooler Bags €44.95 4 Gym Bag €49.95 5 Tote Bag €29.95 6 Yoga Bag €29.95
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Manufacturing of Handloom Fabrics 3
4 Sewing of Bags by the Seamstresses 5
Quality Control
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Sewing of Bags by the Seamstresses
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ELVIS & KRESSE:
Putting People and Planet at the Heart of What They Do IN THE WORDS OF KRESSE In 2005, Elvis and I did not start a business; we initiated a rescue mission to ensure that London’s damaged, decomissioned fire-hoses would not end their lives in landfill. Our business solves waste problems. We give our fire-hoses a second life by transforming them into bags, belts, wallets and purses and then we donate 50% of the profits to the Fire Fighters Charity. Elvis & Kresse doesn’t have a long, complicated supply chain. We are
our supply chain. We have a team of dedicated craftspeople. We have the full support of the London Fire Brigade, Brigades across the UK and the Fire Fighters Charity. We are so proud to be a social enterprise and a B Corp. The fashion industry represents a systemic, structural failure. It might be good for shareholders, but it has not been designed to benefit everyone in its ecosystem. The earth pays, the ocean pays, the makers pay, the farmers pay, and the consumer pays. Our products could have been made by underpaid workers
or with materials and practices that destroy the environment. We chose, instead, to be truly creative and as a result our business is a joy to be a part of.
DID YOU KNOW? Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
PERSONALISED GIFTING Why not make a gift extra special with a personalised message. You can add almost anything to most of the fire-hose pieces - a name, initials, special date, small quote, special message, or words of encouragement.
elvisandkresse.com @elvisandkresse
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3 1 Fire & Hide Tooley Tote Bag £270 2 Overnight Bag £260 3 Fire & Hide Wallet £90 4 Luggage Tag £25 5 Medium Washbag £62.50 6 Double Card Holder £35
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BLACK FRIDAY Elvis & Kresse do not participate in Black Friday or discount sales events. However 50% of all the profits from Elvis & Kresse pieces are donated to the Fire Fighters Charity and Barefoot College. Since 2005 they have donated over £170,000 to charity and rescued over 220 tons of material from landfill.
SHONAMAC:
The Most Sought-after Pre-loved Designer Brands
Every year SHONAMAC, the seller of preloved luxury fashion, publishes a list of their most sought-after designers based on website searches, here is the “pandemic� version to show the shift in demand.
shonamac.com @shonamaccom
WHY CONSIDER PURCHASING A PRE-LOVED DESIGNER GIFT?
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• Better for the environment as it promotes recycling and ultimately creates less waste
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• Supports a local business, SHONAMAC’s store is located on Bellevue Road, Wandsworth • Financial saving, preloved designer pieces have a significantly lower price than the original E DISCOU
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PRODUCTS 1 Fendi Jacket £325 2 Hermes Scarf £75 3 Hermes Scarf £245 4 Alexander McQueen Clutch £72.50 5 Celine Pouch £225 6 Yves Saint Laurent Bag £1190 7 Chylak Shoulder Bag £235 8 Shrimps Beaded Bag £295 9 Shrimps Beaded Bag £295
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IN CONVERSATION WITH STUDIO MINTI WE CHAT TO EMILY GUBBAY, CO-FOUNDER OF THE SUSTAINABLE FASHION HUB, STUDIO MINTI. Tell us a little bit about what Studio Minti does? We are a sustainable fashion hub and platform selling curated pre-loved clothing. Studio Minti was founded by Laura and myself, it started in Dublin in April 2020 and we have now launched our London online shop too, which we are really excited about! We hand-pick all the pieces and present them in a way that is easy to navigate. Usually when it comes to second-hand shopping, you have to trawl through a lot of clothes to find what you want. We make it easy and offer a mix of high street and designer pieces at an affordable price, we photograph and style the pieces in house to offer the best second-hand
shopping experience! Our platform is ideal for anyone who would like to buy second hand but doesn’t want to look through hundreds of pieces to find what they are looking for. When did the London studio launch? We launched on the 23rd of October 2020 - offering curated pieces sourced in the UK! How do you decide what goes on site? All of our team (Laura and I included) have fashion and styling backgrounds - we are used to looking at trends and at what people actually want to wear now! Whether that’s buying high street, luxury or vintage it’s all about a piece which feels modern, timeless and versatile. We want people to buy second hand to extend the life cycle of clothes and enjoy wearing their new pre-loved piece again and again!
How do you analyse the trends? From our previous design jobs, we are used to looking at trends everywhere: on instagram, the street or in magazines. Instead of taking that energy and putting it into designing, it’s about finding these pieces that you have spotted whilst out and about. Instead of creating something new, we look for something that already exists. Why shop at Studio Minti for Christmas Party Wear? It’s the season where a lot of clothes are bought to be worn once or only a few times - so why not make a more sustainably conscious choice and buy a pre-loved party piece! We also have a special curated party edit which will make it super easy to find the perfect party wear!
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What pieces would make a great gift for an eco-conscious friend or relative this Christmas?
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Knits are a great option for gifting and we have a great range at the moment from glittery jumpers to more cosy casual pieces. We are also offering gift vouchers!
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PRODUCTS
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1 Vintage Red Jumper £41 2 Ralph Lauren Jeans £26 3 Embroidered Metallic Cashmere Knit £56 4 Leathers Trousers, Model’s Own 5 Escada Jacket £60 6 90s Popcorn Top £21 7 House of Holland Gold Pleated Skirt £40
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BOUTIQUE BY SHELTER:
Glitter up your Festive Gatherings! WRITTEN BY AILIS CROWLEY & NICOLA MACCARTHY We all know Christmas is set to be a bit different this year, with work parties moving to Zoom and celebrations with friends becoming more intimate gatherings at home.
A forward-thinking, innovative and sustainable approach for getting kitted out for this year’s festivities! The gift that keeps on giving! @shelterclapham
It seems more important than ever to dress up and have fun with your festive party wear for your ultimate night in, as clubs and pubs have almost become a thing of the past. If you are looking to bag the best dressed prize at your Zoom work party or go all out with your Christmas dinner outfit, look no further than Boutique by Shelter! From Christmas jumpers to sequin dresses, there really is something to suit everyone’s festive wardrobe! Once you’ve nailed your festive wardrobe, why not surprise your loved ones with a gift from the preloved collection including watches, jewellery, hats and scarves! Not only will you be supporting a great cause, you’ll also be extending the lifecycle of these amazing clothing and accessory items!
cardshop.shelter.org. uk/collections/reuse-restore-rehome
PRODUCTS All items in these photos are available from the Clapham Common store once it re-opens, including the Red Beret, Fur Scarf and Glitter Jumpers, all available under £50.
INTRODUCING
BEEN London bags may be beautiful. But so is their story. They’re made from material that was destined for landfill: premium leather offcuts, single-use plastic bottles, discarded clothes, pineapple leaves. They’re handmade in London and packaged using 100% recycled materials. Which means they feel just as good as they look. Check out some of our favourite designs on the left, available on their website below. @been.london
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Genia Mineeva, Founder & Creative Director
BEEN LONDON
IN E · GET
SUSTAINABLE PARTY WEAR
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PRODUCTS 1 Lava Ring, £170 emmaaitchison.com 2 Sparkly Socks, £17 swedishstockings.com 3 Cameron Jacket, £595 motherofpearl.co.uk 4 Velvet Dress, £190 franksldn.co.uk 5 Wendy Dress, £210 franksldn.co.uk 6 Rowan Coat, £595 motherofpearl.co.uk 7 Silk Scrunchie, £20 slowandsow.co.uk
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SUSTAINABLE GIFT & FESTIVE WEAR ST
SHO S O P
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Adrenna London adrenna.co.uk @adrennalondon
S ¡ MO
ONLINE RETAIL
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MINI DIRECTORY
O F T HES
Emma Aitchison Jewellery emmaaitchison.com @emmaaitchisonjewellery Faith Rowan Leeves faithrowanleeves.com @faithrowanleeves Finisterre finisterre.com @finisterreuk Franks franksldn.co.uk @franksldn Gigi’s dressing room gigisdressingroom.com @gigisdressingrm Good News goodnews.london @goodnewslondon
Nivel Fashion Rental nivel.co.uk @nivel.uk
Humanseavintage humanseavintage.co.uk @humanseavintage
One Scoop Store onescoopstore.com @one_scoop_store
Mother of Pearl motherofpearl.co.uk @motherofpearl
Turtle Bags turtlebags.co.uk @turtle.bags
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CONTRIBUTORS & CREDITS FASH FORWARD TEAM Editor Nicola MacCarthy
Brand Coordinator Ailis Crowley
Social Media Coordinator Ceren Ecran
Graphic Designer Celestine McCabe
FEATURED BRANDS BEEN London Genia Mineeva, Founder & Creative Director
Photo Credits: BEEN London
Boutique by Shelter Lilianna, Store Manager Albert, Model
Photographer: Ellie Wainwright
Elvis & Kresse Kresse Wesling MBE & James ‘Elvis’ Henrit, Co-Founders
Photographer: James ‘Elvis’ Henrit, Co-Founder
Rice & Carry Henri & Susi Founders
Photo Credits: Rice & Carry
Shonamac.com Shona McLeod, Founder
Photo Credits: shonamac.com
Studio Minti Emily Gubbay & Laura Egan, Co-founders Lois Wandless, Model
Photographer: Emily Gubbay