kowtow

Direct from Wellington New Zealand comes kowtow's  incredibly stunning latest collection "Law of Tangents".

With an eye predominantly on design, the labels 9th ensemble is a group of carefully created organic garments inspired by mathematics, how it corresponds with nature and then translates into fabric. Wavering between tailored and draped design, each piece has been inexplicably engineered into an object of dramatic form. Without the assistance of vivid colours or brightly printed fabrics, the garments hold their own through pure pattern magic.

Clearly holding a torch for sustainable design, the team at kowtow have several write ups on their site dedicated to educating consumers about the situation in 3rd world countries, where western markets are blatantly taking advantage of cheap labour in adversely substandard working conditions. Their philosophy of being aware of what is truly going on in the world encourages consumers to purchase wisely through turning their heads to a slave trade economy. A complicated cotton process is also exposed on the site, with extra kudos towards the designers for crediting the labour of their respective suppliers.

A true example of fair trade and eco friendly design, kowtow is one label deserving of genuine credit. Go their now to support their amazing work.

Urban Lace

So what do old bike parts and Jewelry have to do with each other? Well for the purpose of this story, just about everything as a matter of fact.

Here be Urban Lace Jewelry. These little beauties are hand crafted by designers Barbi Touron and Aaron Shear, and are re-born from discarded inner tubes of bicycles. Because thousands, (if not hundreds of thousands we think) of inner tubes, are thrown into landfill each year in the US alone, Barbi and Sean have dedicated themselves to reducing the amount of this slow to decompose material, by turning it into chic, wearable, art.

The inner tubes themselves are durable, flexible, and waterproof. Each finished piece has been carefully washed and coated in an organic plant based formula that Urban Lace has developed, giving the material its lasting luster.

Available in the range are wrist cuffs, anklets, necklaces, earrings and masks. To find out more, go to their website here.

MuMu Organic

If you've ever assumed that "eco fashion" was all about hippy pants, hemp shirts and tree hugging emblems, well you can definitely think again.

MuMu organic is an original label born from in the Cyclades islands near the mainland of Greece, producing super stylish, and yes, organic clothing. 

Designer Athena Bentila and artist Roland Wakker come together to merge their talents with light, breezy and playful handmade dresses. They have a strong commitment to using fairtrade manufacturing,  + ecofriendly fabrics of the highest quality.

As you can see by their pics, dedication to design is not compromised at all, with each dress being meticulously structured, and each fabric displaying colour, fine thread work, and playful patterns.

I'm completely taken with their spotty fabric dresses! I love a good polka dot!

Sistahood - by Freddy Chur

If you are into comfort + cute (like I am!), you need to check out the sublime label Sistahood by Freddy Chur. Made from 100% organic cotton, and custom dyed with GOTS approved inks, these playful little pieces are made in limited runs, in New Zealand.

Freddy has a strong ethos of keeping things clean, and has chosen to manufacture in a way which is less harmful to the environment. "Sistahood is a women's eco knitwear label inspired by the desire to create comfy, funky street styles in an earth and people conscious way"

I am loving her new collection of simple tee's, drapey dresses, and colourful harem pants, and for something a bit more on the wild side, her jungle inspired jumpers and scarves from her last collection... too cute! All garments are available online here.

You can tell that designer Freddy Chur is very involved in trying to make this world a better place to live for everyone, not only by her dedication to sustainable design, but by reading her fantastic blog. She covers educational topics such as biodiversity, choosing natural fibres, permaculture, oil pollution as well as some more lighthearted topics, like how to keep yourself entertained on a rainy day!

Comfy clothing for the green & concrete jungle and anywhere in-between....enjoy Sistahood ♥

Freddy Chur has kindly chosen to sponsor this story, helping to support our blog. If you would like to sponsor a story about your venture, please click here.