The Ethical Fashion Forum is a membership organisation.
The forum was founded by a dedicated group of individuals, fashion designers, organisations and businesses.
Details of the founder member businesses/ organisations of the EFF can be found below. These businesses and organisations were in the same place at the right time and have played an active role the development of the EFF. As well as those listed below, there are many other businesses and individuals in the ethical fashion sector which have contributed to the work of the EFF, as well as pioneering sustainability in fashion.
The EFF will shortly be launching a programme for business membership beyond founder members, as well as offering membership to individuals.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Ethical Fashion Forum, either as a business or as an individual, go to sign up!
EFF Founder Business Members
(Profiles below)
Aranya www.aranyacrafts.com
Ciel www.ciel.ltd.uk
Elizabeth Laskar/ SARIDRESS
Enamore www.enamore.co.uk
Equop www.equop.com
Fashion for Development, Judith Condor Vidal
From Somewhere www.fromsomewhere.co.uk
Gracie Burnett www.gracieburnett.com
Howies www.howies.co.uk
Junky Styling www.junkystyling.co.uk
juste. www.juste.co.uk
Natures Mistress www.naturesmistress.co.uk
Sari www.saricouture.com
Squared Cycle
Terra Plana www.terraplana.com
THTC (The Hemp Trading Company) www.thtc.co.uk
TRAID www.traid.org.uk
Worn Again www.wornagain.co.uk
Aranya
www.aranyacrafts.com
Aranya is a member of the International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT). Set up in 1990 by Ruby Ghuznavi, the company’s aim is to revive and promote traditional Bangladesh textiles whilst working in partnership with craftspeople, guaranteeing them a fair wage and ensuring that they are not exploited or undervalued. Ruby has worked in craft development since the mid 70’s and revived natural dyes in Bangladesh using eco-friendly, non-pollutant, indigenous plants to create a range of 30 colourfast dyes. Aranya has trained hundreds of dyers, weavers and textile artisans and continues to offer free training courses to artisans and small NGOs across the country. It has also successfully established the commercial viability of natural dyes and is one of the foremost organisations specialising in these dyes in the region.
Ciel
www.ciel.ltd.uk
Ciel produces designer womenswear collections using organic natural fibres, alpaca, bamboo, cotton, hemp-silk, 100% Azo free dyes and fabrics certified by ‘Oekotex’, 'Confidence in Textiles', Skaal, JAL and EKO. Sarah Ratty, the designer behind Ciel, was one of the first fashion designers to actively address sustainability, In the early 1990’s Sarah launched the pioneering “Conscious Earthwear” label, and has been working to address the environmental impact of the industry ever since. Her work has been exhibited at the V&A, Barbican, Crafts Council and toured with the British Council.
Sarah is an eco design consultant and a member of the Soil Association Textile Advisory Committee since 2002; she has worked with PAN UK Organic Cotton Working Group 2002-2005,Traidcraft and AHF in 2006. Sarah is a Fellow of the RSA and Vice Chair for the EFF.
In June 2007 Ciel was announced winner of the inaugural UK Fashion Industry Award for Export, the “UK Fashion Exports Award for Ethical Fashion” was presented to Sarah by HRH Princess Anne. Ciel was also in a short list of two for The Observer Ethical Awards for 'Best Fashion Product' June 2007.
Elizabeth Laskar/ SARIDRESS
Elizabeth Laskar founded SARIDRESS as a means to raise awareness amongst young people about sustainability issues, at the same time as creating bespoke dress designs from second hand sari’s. Working with fashion schools and colleges, SARIDRESS projects involve fashion students in a creative competition process culminating in an auction. SARIDRESS is a not for profit company and profits from auctions are donated to development charities. A qualified image consultant and stylist, Elizabeth Laskar also provides creative direction and choreography for fashion installations and catwalk shows.
Enamore
www.enamore.co.uk
Founded by Jenny Ambrose, Enamore collections are made from organic and sustainable fabrics including hemp, cotton, peace silk and vintage materials. Collections include womenswear, lingerie and accessories.
Equop
www.equop.com
Equop’s motto is “Seek balance”
A fashion and design label, the business aims to practice, support, and promote socially and environmentally responsible trade.
Equop clothing incorporates fair trade and organic cotton and includes certification by Agrocel (agrocel-cotton.com), Skal International and the EKO quality symbol (skalint.com) A percentage of all Equop online sales is donated to charity.
Trading for Development, Judith Condor Vidal
Born and raised in Peru, Judith Condor Vidal worked with rural producers, fair trade and womens groups and co-operatives in South America for many years before moving to the UK. An associate member of IFAT (The International Fair Trade Association) , Judith set up Fashion for Development to create market access for fair trade fashion products in the UK and Europe. Working with a variety of fair trade organisations from around the world, Judith links producer co-operatives with designers , schools of design, and retailers, to create sustainable market access for producers. The ultimate goal of Fashion for Development is to improve the quality of life and opportunities of the individuals behind the products.
From Somewhere
www.fromsomewhere.co.uk
From Somewhere is a designer womenswear brand. From Somewhere collections are made from left-over fabric from garment factories which would otherwise be discarded.
Filippo Ricci and Orsola De Castro, founders of From Somewhere, are dedicated to promoting a facilitating sustainable practices in fashion, and were responsible for initiating the Estethica exhibition which is now an established part of London Fashion Week, as well as a number of other projects in the sector.
Gracie Burnett
www.gracieburnett.com
Gracie Burnett has worked for many years to revive and develop natural and non-toxic dye processes for clothing. Gracie Burnett collections feature naturally dyed, handmade designer womenswear, made from organically sourced fabrics.
Howies
www.howies.co.uk
As a company, Howies is dedicated to promoting respect for the environment.
Howies collections include organic cotton, recycled waste cotton, recycled fabrics, and zque accredited merino. The company pledges to give 1% of our turnover or 10% of pre-tax profits (whichever is greater) to grass-root environmental and social projects.
Junky Styling
www.junkystyling.co.uk
Founded by Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager, Junky Styling transforms second hand clothing to give it a new life, creating unique collections as well as one off bespoke designs. Customers can take any item from their wardrobe into the junky workshop to have it re-designed , fitted and turned into something to be treasured rather than discarded.
juste.
www.juste.co.uk
Juste. has three core goals:
1. To create high quality, design-led womens wear collections
2. To work in partnership with designers, textiles and fashion producers and co-operatives all over the world- to build on local capacities and skills, create opportunities and build sustainable livelihoods
3. To minimise the impact of sourcing and manufacturing processes on the environment
The company is committed to transparency in all its business practices and raising awareness of the positive opportunities in the fashion sector, through example.
Current collections are produced in partnership with innovative designers in the UK and Bangladesh and incorporate naturally dyed, fairly traded silks, jamdani and kantha work.
Natures Mistress
www.naturesmistress.co.uk
Natures Mistress womenswear collections use tree cotton which is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas, using sustainable perma-culture (permanent agriculture and permanent culture) systems. The cotton trees grow on the edges of terraces beside food crops and on land unsuitable for growing food. The trees become established in the local eco-system, and do not require chemical pesticides or fertilisers.
As the tree cotton is unsuitable for machine spinning it is hand spun into yarn, dyed using plant based dyes in small batches, and dried in the sun. All garments are handmade using traditional skills and are designed in Devon and Nepal.
Sari
www.saricouture.com
Sari was launched in November 2002 as a project recycling saris into accessories to raise money for children in developing countries. The project grew into an ethical label owned by Sital Haria and Sam Cook that represents their passion for combining good design with ethical values. Sari launched its first womens wear collection in June 2004. Sari uses unwanted and second hand saris and transforms them into exclusive women’s wear and accessories. The use of exquisite saris makes each garment unique and distinctive. Sari continues to support international aid by donating 10% of its sales to a children’s charity.
Squared Cycle
Squared Cycle was founded by Allanna McAspurn to create a distribution model, linking fair trade organisations with markets for high quality products in fashion and homeware.
By building links with a network of buyers and boutiques in the UK and Europe and combining this with expertise in market and quality requirements, Squared Cycle provides sustainable market access and product development for a range of goods made to fair trade criteria.
Terra Plana
www.terraplana.com
Terra plana is a shoe company focused upon innovative, sustainable shoe design.
Terra Plana uses a variety of eco friendly materials including: Chrome free leathers, vegetable tanned leathers, recycled materials, pure latex soling materials, recycled rubber soles and recycled foam foot beds. Terra Plana also uses E-leather in shoe collections. A leather by-product, E-leather is a blend of leather and textile fibers 're-woven' and finished so it is practically indistinguishable from good quality leather. E-Leather is produced with closed loop water usage and best practice pollution prevention methods.
Terraplana are winners of The Observer Ethical Awards Fashion Product of the Year 2007
THTC (The Hemp Trading Company)
www.thtc.co.uk
THTC's t-shirts are made from 55% hemp and 45% certified organic cotton.
THTC focuses upon hemp in its collections- Using hemp in a t-shirt can save hundreds of gallons on water and the hemp can be grown organically in most climates.
With a long tap root able to reach water, bind and aerate the soil where other plants can’t, hemp crops can be used to reclaim land in areas prone to drought ( e.g. African Sahara) or flooding.
THTC was one of two runners up in the 2007 Observer Ethical Awards for 'Best Fashion Product'
Tonic TShirts
www.tonictshirts.com
Tonic is an ethical clothing label offering original designs on sweatshop-free ethically sourced, fairly traded and organic cotton men's and women's printed t-shirts and embroidered polo shirts and hoodies.
TRAID
www.traid.org.uk
TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) is a charity committed to protecting the environment and reducing world poverty by recycling and campaigning. Funds raised in the UK by TRAID through the collection and sale of reclaimed clothing and shoes help to divert waste from landfill and fund sustainable development projects in some of the poorest regions of the world.
TRAIDremade works with designers to give torn nad stainded clothing a new lease of life by mixing, matching, ripping, cutting, sewing and printing. From floaty skirts to fitted shirts, TRAIDremade follows the fashion trends widely available on the high street. However, as designers are working exclusively with donated materials, each and every piece of TRAIDremade is completely one-off and original.
Worn Again
www.wornagain.co.uk
Worn Again creates new products from recycled materials that would otherwise end up in landfill. The company is designed as a platform for improving social, economic and environmental conditions in regions where it operates, while building a profitable business.
Making shoes is one of the most toxic, polluting, resource intensive industries there is. In order to produce shoes with least environmental impact, Worn Again uses recycled materials, sources regionally and works to reduce waste and carbon emissions.
Worn Again was founded through a partnership between Anti-Apathy (An NGO which promotes awareness and action for positive social change, www.antiapathy.org) and Terraplana (www.terraplana.com)