EcoWorldFashion.com BLOG

Hi just wanted to apologize for the delay in getting up our new Paper and Nest category!!!! Spending time with our child over the school holidays has been a priority, but we’re back. We also will make some other changes to our website, so we have decided to wait and do it all together.
Just wanted to summarize some important pointers for healthy clothes, Healthy for you, for those who make them and our planet.
a) Conventional clothes are dipped in formaldehyde, a toxic chemical that makes poor quality cotton look good enough to buy, (of course until we wash it and find the fabric thread-bare and course to touch.) Can cause chemical burns on the skin and is particularly bad in hotter areas of the body.
Japan has strict regulations on the use of formaldehyde, and will not accept for import many of the clothes available in Australia.
b) Man-made fabrics, just that – chemicals that we do not need to absorb through our skin and piling up in our landfills.
b) So when buying new clothes, for the purest, cleanest clothes buy GOTS certified organic or from clothes makers that can verify the eco-status of the factory that make natural fibres like silk and hemp.
c) Make sure the dyes used are low impact, or are plant dyes like natural indigo.
d) Fairly traded clothing means knowing no human has been exploited whilst making the clothes. Every time you buy cheap (or not), think again – I always try to remember the eyes of a child and go to You Tube – search, SWEATSHOP and watch and learn!!!
e) Look after your clothes, protect them when not in use, wash them gently and choose clothes that can be washed rather than drycleaned (more harmful chemicals).
f) Lastly recycle your clothes or secondhand ones (that are not reeking of mothball chemicals) into new designs.
Babette

Just a reminder that ‘when we know better we do better.

Supporting companies with fairtade and ethical policies does help.

Consider also the health benefits for workers from ‘GOTS’- Global Organic Textile Standard producing factories, they do not have to be exposed to toxic chemicals like azo dyes, pesticides in the cotton and formaldehyde and we ALL benefit from that.



We recently were invited ( thanks to Shona: the ethical entrepreneur) to have a stall at World Fairtrade Day in our city, Perth, Western Australia. Sorry no photo yet.

It was a fantastic day interspersed with some serious discussion! Got to meet an amazingly talented fairtrade ethical eco fashion designer Charlene. We now have in stock her recycled denim crocheted wraps that come with a wonderful story behind them.

Babette

Nowadays, we hear a lot about "going green" and being gentle to our environment. This movement is hitting the fashion industry and we are starting to see more and more so called "eco fashion designers" designing ethical and sastainable clothing line. 

Here is the video featuring on those young eco fashion designers (sisters) doing a pretty good job. Good on them!

Now that we are realising the benefits of organically grown foods, the next step is to look at what we are placing on our skin daily. What is being absorbed, what is irritating and a potential allergen, what are the impacts to our skin and ultimately our health on wearing man-made nylons or polyester, soaked in chemicals (formaldehyde) that are known carcinogens.

For every choice we make there is a consequence. That five dollar t-shirt WILL cost you a lot more than you bargained for. Ask these questions when you choose your next item of clothing:

WHAT is it made of?  If it is not 100% organic cotton, wool or wild silk, just don’t buy it.

WHERE was it made? If it was made in a sweatshop factory or a country with limited controls on the use of chemicals, you can be sure those chemicals will make there way to your body via skin contact and our precious planet.

WHO is running the company designing the clothing? If they CARE for our environment and the HEALTH and SAFETY of people, they will have the appropriate symbols certifying organic and fair-trade principles.

It is time to choose our clothing for ourselves, our children, and the future of the earth with CARE, equipped with the knowledge that our time on this earth is worth asking for the healthiest choice for everyone.

We recommend an online fashion boutique that will be launching in Aug 08 www.ecoworldfashion.com for a range of the best organic and ethical designer clothing for women, men and children.