23.10.14

LET'S TALK ABOUT SWEATSHOPS


The mass production of cheap clothes is something that has always been on my mind. I'm sure I'm not the first blogger to address this issue and I'm also sure I won't be the last. The mass production of cheap clothes, usually takes place within a sweatshop, a factory which violates 2 or more labor laws. These sweatshops can be horrendous; having unfair wages, using child labor, with exhausting hours, all for an unfair wage. In some cases, if a parent is unable to find a well paid job, the child, with an average age between 5-14 becomes the breadwinner for the family.

In 2013, we saw the collapse of a Bangladesh sweatshop before our eyes, with a death toll reaching nearly 400. Despite a large crack in the building, around 3, 000 workers continued into the building to begin their day, making clothes for Primark and Matalan. What saddens me is that even though there was a huge warning, cracked across several parts of the building, the workers still continued, trying to earn what they could for their families. The owner of he building, Mohammed Sohel Rana, was arrested as he attempted to flee to India. He is held for illegal construction, forcing employees to work and for his negligence. It was later reported that Rana had goals for adding an additional 5 stories, on top of an already weak 8 story building.




After this gruesome disaster, many fashion brands decided to either adopt or reinforce their already existing ethical collections. The biggest example, comes from the world's second largest retailer, H&M. H&M is one of the most influential brands across the world, having done several collaborations with designers such as Lanvin, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and most recently Alexander Wang, to be released in November. CEO of H&M, Karl-Johan Persson aims to "Set ourselves the challenge of ultimately making fashion sustainable and sustainability fashionable." The Swedish retailer has 7 commitments which they swear by, which can be read here.

Hopefully, with the help of major fashion retailers and designers, ethical and sustainable fashion will be more prominent in stores. We need to commercialise sustainable fashion, with more obvious store-fronts and displays for customers to see what they're buying. I think we have all unintentionally bought unethical clothes, at least once, which was produced in a sweatshop. For example, if just we need a simple t-shirt, we pick up a cheap one from an inexpensive store, without realising the hard-work behind it. Multinational food and beverage company, NestlĂ©, has fiercely promoted their 'Fair Trade' ingredients, which has now become ubiquitous. Fashion stores need to adopt and promote their concious collections more widely, so that customers can purchase the items and support to sustainable and ethical fashion.



To find out more about ethical and sustainable fashion, visit H&M's website here and click here to shop the looks. Remember, sustainable fashion, doesn't have to mean ugly fashion.
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18.10.14

FALL FASHION

The weather is starting to get much colder and more grey so it's time to wrap up for fall. This season, my style will focus on casual, comfort and style. Like a neat shirt, tucked into chic jeans, finished with casual trainers. Of course my colour choices still remain in the grey zone! Check out EastDane.com and see their awesome fall/winter lookbooks.

- The skinny jeans are from Native Youth - £50
- The wool sweater is N.Hoolywood - £312
- The sneakers are Our Legacy - £176
- The man coat is Ones Stroke - £378
- The ergo shirt is Opening Ceremony - £167

Stay tuned for a style guide for this season and outfit posts, coming soon. In the mean time, be sure to follow me on Instagram or Tumblr, for daily fashion posts.

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3.10.14

LOUIS VUITTON S/S 15
















































For his third collection at Louis Vuitton, designer Nicolas Ghesquiere  has created a contemporary version of the 21st century. The clothes that walked down the runway this season were stylish, with subtle hints of each era. For example look #2 and with the 70s denim and simple blazer. Or look #3 and it's 60s mod print. What I love about this collection is that the clothes look luxurious; with unique shapes and materials used. Or the rich colours and patterns printed onto tops, bags and even the heels.

The styling of this show was impeccable, I love the way he combined loud orange with quiet whites. Or a green sweater, tucked into a skirt with a slit on the front, teamed with black boots. The textures also added to this collection, from the soft wools with plastic. I think this collection is what I'd call outside-the-box thinking, juxtaposing harsher materials with softer ones, to create a tension between the clothes.


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2.10.14

VALENTINO S/S 15





















































I think Valentino is one of those brands where you can trust that the designers will always deliver elegance, style and grace and for their latest collection, duo designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli took us on a gypsy adventure. The show was opened by Yana Van Ginneken who wore a stunning navy dress, which had a floral pattern, with sections cut out to create a lace effect. She was finished with a pair of knee-length gladiator sandals, with her hair tucked back with simple make-up. The tone of navy was spread across other looks, before full length patterned gowns appeared on the runway. These had a bandanna style to them, in tones of greens and blues. Another inspiration for this collection was the sea, an underwater fantasy. For example look #3, which came in 3 different styles, all with the same neapolitan ice-cream tones of pink, cream and chocolate. These dresses flowed easily down the runway, moving effortlessly, like an underwater creature floating around.

The last few gowns stunned everyone in the audience. The dresses looked light, ethereal and like a fantasy. These dresses appeared in sheer materials, with amazing detailing. They had unique prints of different starfish, little sea creatures and even ships. They looked stunningly beautiful. I really enjoyed watching this show; the silhouettes, the shapes, the movement, the materials, even the music added together to create a harmonious collection.





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1.10.14

CHANEL S/S 15


















































As a blogger, one of the most difficult tasks I have is to cut looks from a show and it was the most difficult today. In his latest runway, the set was a street in France, held in the Grand Palais, one of the biggest venues used for hosting a runway show and today, it held a feminist protest. Top-model Cara Delevingne was at the front, marching the girls along the street, chanting "What do we want?" "Free!" The protest boards read 'Free freedom', 'Ladies First', 'Fashion not war' among many others. In terms of this collection, I'd have to say it is pretty close to perfect.

It's interesting to see the change in Lagerfeld's collections, think back to Couture Fall 2010, where models wore strict suits, with a fur lining on the sleeves and the hem of skirts. This was a look that only a editor could wear, like Anna Wintour who quickly adopted this elegant style in her daily wardrobe. But as his collections past, the style and the clothes became more youthful, like Fall 2013's simple tweed jackets, with a black skirt and thigh-high skin-tight leather boots, or more recently Fall 2014's sneakers. And for Spring 2015, the clothes carried a rebellious and youthful air in the clothes. I loved the opening of the clothes, with the very colourful outfits, this colour scheme was printed onto boots, the lining of jackets and even shirts. Then came the 70s camo, over-sized, casual and effortless. Before finally injecting his Karlism into the show, with sharp collars and tailored suits. I think there's something for everyone this season, the young 70s girl to the chic woman.



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