Dawkins, C. (2012) Laboured Relations

"Employers are free to lawfully operate an enterprise
and the poor and unskilled workers are (generally) free to exit the circumstance by
quitting. However, the choice between deplorable work conditions or economic
destitution does not constitute real freedom or liberty."

Bestseller calls Detox campaign 'unreasonable and hypocritical'

Reading the Ecotextile Newsletter today I was absolutely shocked to find that Bestseller apparently refuse to 'Detox' with Greenpeace's campaign. The argument that they use is that their clothes is perfectly safe to wear and that what they already do is enough to save the environment. However, a quick Google search came up with this from 2011:

Two industry heavyweights in Denmark, IC Company and Bestseller, also made headlines with the exposé of dangerous chemicals in their textiles. After serious media attention specific targeted at Bestseller, both companys decided to take specific measurement to deal with the situation. IC Company decided to go public with an ad-campaigns warning customers in several countries against the problematic textiles and costumers were offered compensation.

Bestseller just released their very first Sustainability Report which will be an interesting read for everyone after this claim. I'll get back on this later...

NV London Calcutta

I'm really enjoying today's Ethical Fashion Blogathon because I'm getting to know some brands more in depth, but more importantly I have already become a fan of new shops and brands that I wasn't even aware of. Check the twitter feed #ethicalfashionblogathon if you want to join me in this treasure hunt.


Next brand up is NV London Calcutta that I had honestly totally misunderstood until now, that I had the chance to sit down and look properly into their work. NV London Calcutta is a sustainable company in the way they source everything locally in Calcutta. Much more importantly they pay their workers a fair wage, encourage up-skilling and as a non-profit they have committed themselves to give everything back to society.

Having lived in India for a little over two months by now, the notion that at NV London Calcutta workers are all treated as equals means a lot to me. There is a very strong hierarchy between employer and worker. It is disheartening to see housekeepers bow in the dust over the smallest mistakes.

The leather bags are designed with a great lifespan in view. When you do invest in a leather product, I believe, it's immensely important that it's going to last you years and years. NV Calcutta's bags are produced from high quality leather, that will probably wear in really well and the designs are so classic you will never tire of carrying it.

On top of creating impeccably stylish leather products they also have a smaller range of silk scarves. Above is a picture that I have taken from their heart-warming Heritage photogallery. It takes you through a lot of the production steps, such as the handloom weaving of the scarves as above. This spring they even did a collaboration with poet and artist Ron Ryan. You should check it out here.

You'd think with the quality, craftmanship and fairtrade principles of the company that the products would be incredibly expensive. Think again, the ladies' purses start around £15 and the ones above are only £45.

Please follow the blogathon by clicking the image below and enter the give-away on Twitter just by retweeting any tweet with the hashtag #ethicalfashionblogathon (details here).

Nomad Clothing

As part of today's blogathon I've been asked to write a little about Nomads Clothing. I feel in my heart and mind the same passion that so many other fantastic people do when they have visited India for the first time. Not uncommonly will this love express itself through an initiative to do good. This is of course what made Vicky and Duncan set up Nomads Clothing.

And what better choice than to trade rather than aid in garments? The clothing trade is one of India's largest exports and employers, and the variety of techniques and crafts in textiles is unimaginable.

Nomads Clothing use a lot of blockprinting which originates from Rajasthan (check my musings from my recent trip here). Especially the autumnal colours of this season evoke a stylish bohemian look, and although most of the collection consists of cosy daywear, if you style it right you can wear this comfortable collection throughout the day.

My 3 favourite picks from the collection

Handloom handbag, embellished hem trousers and blockprinted tulip skirt.

1. The Handloom Handbag is made from the very textile that Gandhi advocated would bring India independence. Craftsmen will use no electricity as they weave together around 1-1.2 metres of fabric per day, it takes patience and skill - two resources that only demand will help this craft survive.

2. With Nomads Clothing being experts in harem pants and printed leggings I knew there was going to be a perfect piece to feature. These Harem Trousers are sleek yet comfortably roomy and soft, perfect for those days when don't only want to look good, but also feel good. The embroidery at the hem brings this style exactly that extra pinch needed to make you able to wear this into the nights. Check out more about hoe Nomads Clothing helps keeping embroidery crafts alive on their website here.

3. The Short Skirt with a nicely autumn shaded blockprint with tree motives. With the super practical pockets you will never wander around wondering where to put your phone. More interestingly the technique of blockprinting is one of India's gems. Wooden blocks are cut out and coordinated according to the number of colours needed. Most costly are the 10-coloured fabrics that take weeks and weeks to produce. Each colour is printed individually and the printers have minute attention to detail as they press the block down with millimetre preciseness. When printing this style, I'm sure the printer enjoyed a few days of relaxed random pressing. I hope for any wearer of this skirt to think of him and smile as they look down at their gorgeous randomly printed trees.

Please follow the blogathon by clicking the image below and enter the give-away on Twitter just by retweeting any tweet with the hashtag #ethicalfashionblogathon (details here).