Fashion & Style Information

Fashion with a Conscience


While wristbands have become a fashionable way to show our geopolitics we often forget that we can make an even bigger impact on poverty and the environment through the clothes we choose. Wearing eco fashion is one way we all can make a real difference. Organic cotton is one of the best examples of how each one of us can influence third world economies by encouraging fairer trade while helping preserve the environment.

A few weeks ago G8 leaders failed to set a date to end their agricultural export subsidies. While Western consumers enjoy low price clothing, they often forget that it hardly reflects the true cost of fashion. Conventional cotton is highly subsidised in countries such as the US and China. According to Oxfam, the US pays three times more in subsidies to its 25,000 cotton farmers than its budget for aid to Africa's 500 million people. These subsidies make it impossible for third world countries to compete on international markets resulting in lower export earnings and even costing some countries more than they receive in debt relief.

Beyond economics, conventional cotton production has also many negative environmental impacts. While it is often described as the "Natural Fibre", cotton requires more pesticides and insecticides than any other crops. According to PAN UK (Pesticide Action Network) cotton accounts for 10% of all pesticides and 22.5% of insecticides applied in agriculture. It takes 1/3 of a pound of pesticides to produce a single tee shirt. The same pesticides and insecticides that are linked to cancer are being sprayed onto field affecting farmers, health as well as the wildlife and the environment.

The "Make Poverty History" campaign has had tremendous success in raising the awareness of many issues facing the developing world. Yet fashion produced in environmentally friendly and under fair-trade conditions still represents only a tiny fraction of the global textile market. However, with exciting new labels and designers, eco-fashion has developed a stylish and contemporary look in keeping with our modern lifestyles.

Just launched this Summer, By Nature (www.bynature.co.uk) offers a great selection of organic cotton clothes with contemporary eco fashion for women, men, children and babies. Products include:

? Womenswear
? Menswear
? Babywear
? Childrenswear
? Toys
? Towels and Bathrobes
? Home Textiles
? Sportswear

By Nature is more than just a shop - it's about aspiring to a certain way of life: a lifestyle that combines a desire for style and quality with care for the environment and respect for people; a lifestyle that doesn't see this as a compromise; an "ethical lifestyle." Providing a wealth of information on everyday issues such as shopping, travel, investment and reducing chemicals at home, By Nature is dedicated to help consumers make to right choices for a more sustainable world.

Annabelle Randles
annabelle@bynature.co.uk


MORE RESOURCES:

Uniform inspires Pasifika winner
TVNZ, New Zealand - 7 hours ago
A design inspired by the Maori Battalion uniform won the main award at Style Pasifika Fashion show at the Vector Arena in Auckland on Friday night. ...


Papierdoll

Fashion Guru Tim Gunn Returns With Second Season Of "Tim Gunn’s ...
Papierdoll, NY - 5 hours ago
by PD news | Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Fashion guru Tim Gunn is back to the rescue, diving into women’s closets everywhere for the second season of “Tim ...


NYTimes: Transitioning in the workplace
Feministing, NY - 8 hours ago
Maybe I should give up on complaining about this, but it still irks me every time I see an article that is about women's issues (and now we can add trans ...


New fashion season arrives
Kyiv Post, Ukraine - Sep 3, 2008
by Maria Leontieva, Kyiv Post Staff Writer For true fashionistas, fall first of all means the arrival of a new fashion season, which requires an urgent ...


Second City Style and W Chicago Host SCS's 3 Year Anniversary ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Sep 4, 2008
Award winning online fashion magazine champions the Chicago fashionista and independent designers to a global audience. Chicago (PRWEB) September 4, ...


Gay Wired

Big Gay Deal: Debbie Matenopoulos
Gay Wired, CA - Sep 4, 2008
By Duane Wells | Article Date: 9/04/2008 12:00 AM Somebody asked me in a recent interview, ‘What do we not know about you?’ And you know what I told them? ...


Trends and Opportunities Current in the Indian Lingerie Industry
MarketWatch - 21 hours ago
Times have changed for the better for the Indian women like never before in terms of fashion style and statement coupled with growing wealth that is helping ...


Papierdoll

CNS Survey Show The Jonas Brothers Are Best-Dressed Musicians
Papierdoll, NY - 2 hours ago
A Celebrity News Service survey among Jonas Brothers fans revealed that the boys fashion style is something to be emulated. “I wish my boyfriend would dress ...


amNewYork

The trends for '09
amNewYork, New York - Sep 3, 2008
By Julie Gordon | jgordon@am-ny.com Minimalism, three ways: Angel Sanchez adds a little sparkle; Michael Kors trims it in fur; Calvin Klein goes off the ...


Style.com to pack fashion shows into the iPhone
International Herald Tribune, France - Sep 1, 2008
By Eric Wilson Style.com, the online home of Vogue, is introducing an iPhone application designed to enable dedicated followers of fashion to watch runway ...

Fashion-Style - Google News

home | site map
© 2006