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The Green Pulse: A Sustainable Halloween?

Tuesday 31 October 2023

Welcome back to the green pulse!

Hello sustainable fashionistas!

Happy Halloween, I hope you’re having a great week so far. 

This Halloween, I’m realising how difficult taking sustainable decisions and being true to your values really is. Both nursery and pre-school have invited kids to go in dressed up today, a sustainable fashion dilemma! Determined not to give in to cheap and easy Halloween costumes in the supermarket, I decided to get creative. 

My one-year-old is getting thirdhand the secondhand costume I bought last year for the eldest. For the eldest I searched high and low for what I thought would be a non-flammable black dress secondhand on Vinted and decided to make her a witches hat. It turns out that making it wasn’t quite as easy as it looked on the Youtube video, but in the end it looks great. The only thing is that I didn’t measure her head well enough so the hat is too small and kept falling off this morning as she left the house wailing and looking at me in disgust.

I felt terrible, maybe I should have just bought her a cheapy hat in the supermarket after all? But I’m so glad I didn’t. I’ve resolved that she’ll understand when she’s older, and even thank me for it. Let’s hope so!

This week, as well as it being Halloween, I wrote and published my most personal article yet about how polyester underwear can affect your fertility. It’s such an important subject. Our clothes really do affect us more than we think. I hope you get the chance to read it, and share it with your loved ones if you see fit.

And finally, alongside the usual sustainable fashion news, discounts and events, an interview with lovely Australian brand Ina Swim. Their founder Sallina Carlyle shares the trials and tribulations of running a sustainable clothing brand, especially in the age of fast fashion and our penchant for cheap styles.

I hope you find this week’s newsletter interesting, enjoy and have a great fortnight 😊

The Halloween hat I hand-made at home for my daughter
The hat!

Conscious discounts

Labante London handbag
  • Labante London (pictured): For gorgeous PETA approved vegan bags, purses and accessories, take an exclusive 20% off with code: SKIM20 until 20 Nov.
  • Strawberry & Cream @ Veo: Until 1 November only, take 25% off this beautiful organic cotton bedding from Strawberry & Cream at Veo.
  • Ethical Bedding: For sustainable & organic bedding, gifts & mattresses. Take 15% off spends over £200 until 31 Dec with code AFFETHICAL15
  • BAM Bamboo: Up to 50% off their cool knitwear and athleisure range in their mid season sale.
  • Rays and Riches: for gorgeous ethically hand made jewellery, take 20% off with code GOODMAKERTALES.
  • M&S: Take 30% off all Halloween costumes, gifts and decoration until 15 November.

Quote of the week: 

Realize the political power of your money and spend it with the brands you know are treating their workers and the environment in the best possible way.

Lily Cole

Upcoming events

MA in sustainable fashion open day
Sustainable style exchange flyer
Sustainable Fashion evening for charity flyer
Teeside University event
Drapers Awards poster

MA in Sustainable Fashion open day (online)

Would you like to study sustainable fashion and become one of tomorrow’s change-makers? If so why not book a place to attend this online course overview and live Q&A for the online MA at Falmouth University. 16 November 18:00.

Sustainable Style Exchange

This clothes swopping or “swishing” event in support of the Kent Wildlife Trust is being held in Farleigh near Maidstone on 18 November. Refresh your wardrobe sustainably!

A Sustainable Fashion Evening for Charity

Another charity event, this time in support of FOCSA for vulnerable children in Columbia. The event, including an upcycling workshop and panel discussion is being held at The Trampery in London on 29 November.

Sustainability & Fashion: Strike a Pose

Being held at Teeside University, this event which is open to the public is being held at the university on 8 November.

Drapers Awards 2023

Drapers are a fashion retail magazine. Their 2023 awards held at the Hac in London on 15 November will honor the most forward thinking fashion retail brands out there.

Interviews with sustainable brands and latest posts

What news? Sustainable fashion in the press

Resrcle launches its pilot marketplace

Resrcle is launching its marketplace for sustainable and circular fabrics on 6 November. This innovative marketplace focuses on making it easy for brands and textile buyers to access sustainable fabrics including leftover and deadstock textiles and new and biodegradable materials. They have attracted €175,000 in funding so far and prioritise a community-based approach encouraging designers, creators, sustainable start-ups, businesses, and like-minded innovators to get involved.

Joanie Clothing has gained B Corp certification

Joanie Clothing, the UK brand that offers a vintage aesthetic, has been awarded the coveted B Corporation certification. Becoming a B Corp is not easy and is reserved for brands that excel in their social and environmental credentials. We congratulate them and hope that they continue to go from strength to strength!

Future forward fabric shop Bakermat opens in Antwerp

Founders Cedric Jacquemyn and Quinten Schaap have opened a new fabric store in Antwerp focused on helping young designers get to know how to work with sustainable materials. The store will not only serve as a training ground but also a material agency for heritage, handmade and innovative “future forward” fabrics.

They mainly focus on locally sourced fabrics from Europe but extend to fabrics from places like India for heritage and hand-made options that can’t be sourced locally. This one-of-a-kind concept will really help designers to learn how to work with sustainable fabrics, and source them all at once.

Two killed in garment worker wage protests in Bangladesh

One person was reported to have been shot by police and another to have died in protests over garment worker wages in Bangladesh. We take for granted our rights to protest and to be paid fairly but in certain parts of the world speaking up against injustice can tragically cost you your life. It just shows how important it is to buy our clothes from brands that pay workers fairly for making the clothes that we wear. 

H&M launches a €500 million green bond

H&M is raising money for its green initiatives with a green bond sale. It is aiming to finance sustainable water project and increase its use of recycled energy and materials with the proceeds.

Biomaterials company Gozen receive $3.3million in funding

The innovative tech start-up Gozen has received significant funding to take forward the development of its biomaterial Lunaform. Lunaform is made by fermenting microorganisms and is 100% animal and plastic free. It’s great to see more and more innovative materials being launched on the market, and being recognised by major funders for investment.

Crocs are launching a new take-back programme in the States

Crocs are piloting a new scheme for customers to take back their unwanted shoes. The shoes will either be recycled or donated to worthy causes.

That’s all for now…

I hope you enjoyed this fortnight’s newsletter. Enjoy your Halloween, whatever you wear. 

And sharing is caring, please share with any friends that you think might enjoy!

Have a great fortnight, and speak soon 🙂

All the best

Julie

Have a great fortnight.
All the best
Julie

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