Come one, it’s Christmas, we needed to make our gift-guide look nice. Flick through and download our guide EggMag Guide to Christmas.
(NB – you can download the document by clicking on the furthest-to-the-right grey icon, underneath the first page when you hit the link above. It’s the little box with a white downwards arrow inside.)
Boys can often be neglected when it comes to grooming products, but we know you like to look after yourselves as well! Male skin can suffer with acne, dryness and sensitivity, as well as battling against the elements and general living. To top it off, many high street brands are full of synthetic ingredients, which can make matters worse. Step in Organic Homme by Green People, with their 10-strong range of products designed with the modern man in mind. Each one is packed full of goodness to tackle any skin concerns and help keep you looking ship-shape.
The ‘Good To Go’ Travel Pack is a brilliant introduction to the range, with 50ml versions of four hero products. The Scrub It Exfoliator will help smooth skin out by sloughing off dead skin cells and is great to use before shaving. Follow it up with the Shave Now Wash and Shave, a simultaneous face wash and shave gel. The Cool Style Shower Wash is also in the pack along with the Itch Away Shampoo which can really help calm a dry flaky scalp. The pack is £20 and is limited edition so don’t miss out!
Junky Styling have created a bespoke sustainable washbag to go with the travel pack so you can look stylish on the move. You can buy the two together for £35.
Zoe Robinson finds ethical fashion is really kicking off at Pure
Earlier this month I spent a day in the bizarre bubble that is London’s Olympia to visit the fashion trade show Pure. This bi-annual event takes place for buyers and press to have a good old gander at what designers have created for us all for Spring / Summer 2012.
Over the last few seasons the ethical offering at Pure has grown, largely thanks to the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF), ‘the industry body dedicated to a sustainable future for fashion’, who also runs seminars at the show. Primarily geared towards buyers, their must-see seminars focus on how to put together a great ethical fashion collection in store, and with sales of eco clothing having grown by 72% in 2010, retailers really have an incentive (and in my opinion a responsibility) to source their stock ethically.
At Pure, EFF also present the winners of the EFF Innovation Award which recognises excellence in design, quality of product and ethical credentials. Here are just some of my favourites from this season’s Pure, starting with one of the Innovation winners Chichia…
This exciting new collaboration between Made By Africa and Chichia is produced in a fair-trade certified factory in Tanzania. The colourful and highly wearable designs combine jersey with African prints in organic cotton (see above).
Nancy Dee now produce their entire collection in the UK using eco friendly fabrics suchs as organic cotton and bamboo. In addition to their wonderful and much-loved printed jersey dresses (above), they have some great tailored pieces for SS12.
If you are a regular reader of EggMag you’ll know we do love London-based brand Lowie so I was very excited to see this 50s style dress (above) in a cute boat print – the first print they have had designed exclusively for them.
This image doesn’t do justice to this ultra feminine dress by Komodo (above) – it’s a really beautiful print and such a versatile style.
There is so much to like about this sublimely simple, versatile and very soft organic cotton dress (above) from Stewart+Brown. How can I style thee? Oh let me count the ways…
It was great to discover this very exciting new Colombian brand Cyclus at Pure. Crafted from highly durable inner tubes these these bags are a triumph of expert design, upcycling and local production. Loathed as I am to recommend a new ‘it’ bag – or utter the words ‘must buy’ – but if you invest in one hot new accessorise brand next season, let it be this one!
I have my eye on this new style from Makki (above) which would go with just about anything. Made from eel skins that are a by-product of the food industry it’s sustainable and stylish, just what we like.
Beautifully feminine bag from Coco Barclay (above) – the vintage gloves can be removed for a more casual look and if it’s cold outside they will keep your fingers cosy.
The brilliant Beyond Skin are a vegan brand who make efforts to be as sustainable as possible. Some of these stunning (and surprisingly comfortable) shoes are produced using a super soft fabric made from recycled plastic (see above).
Meher Kakalia’s amazing footwear and bags are produced in Karachi often using ‘found’ materials (some weaving embellishments are done with thin strips or ‘threads’ of plastic bags), utilising tradtitional techniques and supporting local, highly-skilled artisans. I love them so much I took extra photos, which are below for your shoe-ogling pleasure.
See Zoe’s website www.think-style.co.uk
Twitter @zoerobinson1
Facebook Think Style
This month we are very excited about the arrival of organic beauty brand Vapour to the UK. Fresh from the States, this make-up line is pushing the capabilites of organic cosmetics. A blend of 70% certified organic ingredients and 30% minerals and vitamins, teamed with responsible production and packaging, makes this range a winner in our books.
Organic make-up can still suffer with the reputation of not living up to its synthetic counterparts. We think this line will help change that way of thinking. Smooth textures glide onto the skin, making it look and feel great. The colour range is superb with a foundation for all skin tones, making natural beauty accessible for all. The Stratus Soft Focus Skin Perfector is becoming a firm favourite for glowing complexions along with the Plumping Gloss for a gorgeous pout.
Vapour Organic Beauty has already won awards in the US and is building a strong celebrity fan base including Gywneth Paltrow. We’ve joined the fan club and we hope you will too! The range is currently exclusive in the UK to Content Beauty/Wellbeing.
Elixir Lip Plumping Gloss £18 for 4.5ml
I have absolutely nothing against holistic therapies, world music or ethnic jewellery, but why is it that the word ‘green’ is inextricably linked to all things boho and hippy?
The annual London Green Fair stepped up a notch this year, so on June 4th, I hopped along with high expectations of finding this, as the website says, a “free festival that reflects the green aspirations and achievements of London as a whole, as well as providing an enjoyable and engaging day out for people from all walks of life”. Umm. Not really. There was a fair bit of suspiciously fast-looking food and it seemed the focus was on world music, alternative lifestyles and the aforementioned ubiquitous market-stand jewellery. What’s green about that?
I did spot Rice Dream, The Land Trust, Riverford Organic, Capital Growth and Thrifty Couture stands – and a lovely corner (yes, corner) dedicated to permaculture. But that was pretty much it out of a whole – if somewhat thin – festival. Harrumph.
My apologies in advance to any other greenies I didn’t spot.
Comments welcome…
As always, we’ve had our ears flapping busily, and have heard news of some smart goings on in the next couple of weeks. We thought we’d share some of them with you:
3-30 June: The Lost Collection at KK Outlet
See around 60 accidental works of art on show for the first time ever. The art spans from graphic doodles to full-on Impressionistic landscapes – all of which have been lost or dropped on trains, the tube, in buses and black cabs. If ever there was a reason to use a sketchbook, this is it…
8-11 June: TASTE MUSWELL HILL FESTIVAL
Visit the first ever Taste Festival for Muswell Hillians and enjoy all sorts of fun stuff from music and poetry to food and drinks and more. Our old favourites, Planet Organic will be putting on tastings, demos, an artisan bread market (Fri & Sat only) and, to top it of, giving shoppers £3 off, when you spend over £15. Simply email mh@planetorganic.com to get your special voucher.
12 June: Open Farm Sunday
Spend a day in your wellies – that’s not at a festival! At this annual event visitors can meet our good British farmers to learn how they grow our food and care for the countryside. Many will offer trailer rides, self-guided or hosted walks and, of course, you can have a real root around some lovely farm shops.
12-18 June: Two Degrees 2011
Rally together and make your voice heard in this festival combining climate change action and art. Try your hand at bingo bike-riding, sit back and enjoy some stories, or simply have a rant.
Sundays throughout June: Creative Summer Sundays at Here Today Here Tomorrow
Join the Dalston-based sustainable fashion foursome for a choice of workshops from making your own zipped purse from vintage materials to learning how to dye and batik fabrics and more. Prices are between £30-40 and the team promise that tea, cake and refreshments will be provided. Crafty fingers at the ready…
I really risk sounding like an old hippy here but I am massively wound up by the latest Burger King ad. I wonder if that was their aim; to wind up greenies? Either way, it is NOT funny that the ice caps are melting and what a horrendous stroke of irony that they are selling a BEEF burger, when cattle farming is one of the most contributing factors to climate change. See what you think, and please comment – I’m concerned that I’ve missed the point or over-reacted because surely BK can’t have that little respect for the future of our planet?
It occurred to me today that there’s an under-current of ‘bespokeness’ rippling around the UK streets. This thought sprang to me as I left my final appointment at Ethique‘s first and fabulous EcoLuxe Day.
Earlier this week I had been out shopping with The Boy for a proper suit (for him). We scoured every price range from Savile Row to Zara and what struck me was the choice that has now appeared on the high-street. To add to the personal shopping service many high-street shops have been offering for a while, it seems that some now have alterations services as well – and you can even get your own suit personally made to measure from Reiss. This may partly down to the Mad Men craze that has swept and swept the nation, and left in its wake a load of people wanting to wear properly fitting, quality clothing, but stick with me though…
Back to Ethique (and eventually to the point). The luxury ethical concierge service is now offering relaxed days filled with consultations, talks and ethical lifestyle inspiration. Choose from personalised fashion tips, make-up advice, interiors ideas and plenty more: good, girlie, high-end fun. The event that I attended began at Tibits (a particular favourite of mine, and an EggMag stockist) where I was given a personal itinerary. This took me to The Organic Pharmacy for an efficient and effective make-over, and then to The National Geographic Store for a chat with the sustainable interior designer Elina Grigoriou who opened my eyes to how The Boy and I can maximise the use of our lovely, but really not-very-thought-out living space. Both appointments were genuinely interesting and I came away feeling that becoming a member would make my life a little easier – and a lot more luxurious.
There are more and more companies now that tailor-make products for your personal style, be they cheap as chips or bucks-a-plenty. And they are on the up. Have a bespoke perfume made to excite your sense of smell at Frazer Parfum, get salads to suit you at Tossed and order your name in a necklace from Tatty Divine. Choose any object and I reckon you’ll be able to find it, somewhere, personalised for you. And, check out any fashion magazine on the news stand. The inspiration for current trends are broader than they’ve ever been. This summer be a boho babe, be pale and interesting or be nuts, angular and bright. You can be whatever you want to be.
So. Here lies my proof of a gradual and building backlash against the mass-produced. People maybe still want That Dress but they want to wear it Their Way. Men want suits, but they want it tweaked to fit their individual style. Some wish to join a concierge service, like Ethique, in order to customise their life.
Maybe it’s because the public are no longer fooled by simple ‘buy this’ advertising. Maybe it’s inspired by the wonderful vintage trend that’s coloured everything from fashion to architecture over our recent years. Maybe it’s down to the recession, which highlighted the importance of buying quality products that last. I’m not saying Primark is dead (although I wish it were) and I’m not saying tailoring is the future (although that would be nice, if a little pricey) I am saying that people, now, like to be unique.
Nice, I say. And about time.
It’s UK Aware next week, and I highly recommend a visit there if you can. In fact, we still have a bunch of free tickets up for grabs on the EggMag website. It promises to be a good show this year, with all sorts of companies present from natural beauty brands to electric scooters. Yours truly is off on a well needed holiday, but there will be a few EggMags around at the event, so make sure you hunt one out if you still haven’t picked up your White Issue. For more details, click here
And read the UK Aware blog here
Be inspired and enjoy!
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