Four Eco-Conscious Brands You Will Love
Whats is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion is about producing clothes, shoes, and accessories in an environmentally and socio-economically sustainable way. As attitudes and behaviours surrounding these issues have gained traction in recent years, consumers are changing their purchasing habits, necessitating a change in the fashion industry.
Within the wedding industry, we are beginning to see this interest spillover as brides and grooms become more aware of the carbon footprint of their wedding day. Just like ethical beauty, the fashion and jewellery industry have many best practice guidelines to ensure the sustainability of the products; below I have covered a couple of key elements that you may wish to consider if you are “going greener” on your wedding day:
- Using sustainable materials: Renewable or recyclable materials and packing.
- Sourcing the materials ethically: Where are raw materials are sourced from?.
- What are the social and environmental factors of using these materials.
- Ethical supply chain: There should be traceability and transparency.
- Going carbon neutral: offsetting the companies carbon footprint.
- Brands with a purpose: Being part of the wider Eco-conversation.
- Built to last: The pieces are made to be loved and last for years to come.
1. The Bridal Gown: Meet Indie Bride
Indie Bride takes pride in being a sustainable, made-to-order bridal wear brand, based in London’s South West. Their passion for creating hand-crafted, beautiful dresses that respect the environment, makes them a winner in my book! The sustainable materials used in production include Cotton, Silk, and Organic Ramie; all sourced from Scotland, England, France, Germany, and China. The cut-offs are then used to make hand-embellished accessories such as sashes, veils, and headpieces. The bohemian designs, coupled with the relaxed vibe make these dresses a winner for me!
2. The Under Garments: Meet Ender Legard
3. The Rings: Meet Anuka Jewellery
Francesca established the eco-conscious jewellery brand- Anuka- after witnessing first hand the devastating impact that our throw-away culture has had on the Vietnamese coastline.
Staying true to their ethical roots, Anuka uses Fairmined, Fairtrade, and recycled precious metals and ethically sourced stone in their design process. The result? Modern, clean designs with a transparent design journey, that can be perfectly personalised to you.
4. The Watch: Meet Nordgreen
At Nordgreen, the Scandinavian values of generosity and social responsibility are ingrained in their DNA. The modern, elegant watches- designed by multi-award-winning chief designer Jakob Wagner- have gained impressive international recognition. You can find their modern creations gracing the glossy pages of many high profile magazines, including Forbes, Vogue, Harpaz Bazaar, GQ, and Grazia, to name but a few.
True to their “green” ethos, sustainable initiatives are deep rooted in the companies mission, these include: Responsible Manufacturing, Sustainable Packaging, and a Carbon-neutral footprint ( Planting 1000’s of trees to offset the carbon emissions generated by their head office in Copenhagen.) Moreover, the pièce de résistance for myself has to be their “ giving back” program. Pas & Vas – the masterminds behind Nordgreen- say “ We believe the right to good health, a clean environment, and a full education are rights for all… We want to make sure you feel good not only about the watch you buy, but also about what that watch stands for.” This means that with every watch purchased, Nordgreen donates to one of 3 causes on your behalf- Health, Environment, or Education, and guess what? YOU get to choose which partner that goes to!
With my gorgeous, stainless steel Infinity- 32mm Silver watch , I chose to contribute to Pratham UK, giving one month of education to a child in India. Having recently visited India, ( Oh, the days before COVID-19!) I fell in love with the country and the people,however, I was struck by the poverty that still exists. Almost 70% of India’s children drop out of school before year 10, as a result, India is home to the highest number of illiterate people in the world. Pratham is on a mission to improve the quality of education in India, and this cause spoke to me greatly! Personally, I can’t think of a more rewarding treat for yourself or a loved one on a wedding day. Oh, and P.S- they do guys stuff too, so I guess nobody can be “fashionably late” down the aisle then!
