Tuesday, February 26, 2008

ALL'S FIN AT DEVIDOLL THIS SPRING

The Norwegian eco-luxury label FIN debuts at DeviDoll in March.

"....embark on a stylish journey with FIN's heroine Amelia Earhart -- the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic in 1932. In the age of global warming, she would probably have chosen FIN's signature mode of transport: A glider plane."

Get ready for quintessential Scandinavian design - neat lines and nuanced colours -- combined with a strong sense of what looks chic on women everywhere. Get ready for classically beautiful clothes.....

Black organic cotton cigarette trousers

Grey organic cotton skirt
Preorder

Indigo blue organic cotton knit skirt
Preorder




....made from organic materials and fairly produced....



Black organic cotton trench (also available in light grey)
Preorder



Cropped organic denim jeans
Preorder





Blue organic cotton jersey skirt (also in black)
Preorder




....by a company that takes care to be carbon neutral throughout.




White organic cotton jersey dress
Preorder






Grey organic cotton cigarette trousers
Preorder



There is an ambitious sense of 'having -it-all' about FIN. Have the look, have the luxury and get all in the right way. This is the first venture into the UK for this label (having sneak-peeked their AW08 lines we know they're here to stay!) and we welcome them to DeviDoll. Having our cake and eating it...now that's FIN(E) indeed.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

BYE TO A TRUE PIONEER - PANGAYA


I had heard rumours in the late Autumn but now its confirmed: Pangaya, a pioneering online eco-boutique in the US, is to close.

Our loss entirely -- Pangaya taught anyone who cared back in 2004 when ethical fashion was still a "huh?" phrase, what it was all about. Sustainability and fashionability. Together. For everyone's benefit.

Well done, thank you and best of luck with whatever is next!
ps - the blog is still going strong and you can get the best of ethical fashion at the best of prices on their site even now.

Monday, February 18, 2008

MORE THAN SAVE THE WORLD FROM HAMNETT



Friday's Evening Standard had a great article about doyenne of green fashion Katherine Hamnett. There is all the usual fieryness we've come to expect from KH, including a tidbit on the Tesco debacle last year and her history from Sloane Street purveyor of glamour to present day ethical fashion champion and critic of mainstream fashion glam and all that goes with it.

Particularly refreshing (and timely since now everyone has an opinion on ethical fashion), though, were her take on some very real issues for anyone in the ethical fashion space:

1) Journo (having noted that KH thinks fair fashion needn't cost the earth): " But your slogan T-shirts sell online at Pounds 40 a pop ...?
KH: "Well, we are a designer brand. That's our main line, and I'm afraid if you want the real thing, that's what you gotta pay for it."
(WELL SAID! Why should ethical designer-wear be less expensive than any other kind?? Ethical is about sustainability, production process and fair trade. Its not about charity.

2) Journo wonders if KH advocates 'a boycott of, say, Primark, which sells cheap-as-chips throw-away clothes?'
KH: "Yes, of course we should all boycott the shops that don't stock environmentally sustainable, ethically made clothes...."
(YAY! Anyone who knows DeviDoll and this blog knows we DETEST fast fashion).

3) Journo thinks that the idea that fashion can save the world (the title of a talk KH gave at the V&A last week) is 'preposterous'. Fashion is about consumption for consumptions sake and if we really wanted fashion to save the world it would simply get designers to close up shop and encourage us to go second hand/stick with what we have.
KH: "It's about covering our body. We need clothes. And fashion employs about a billion people around the world, it's probably the world's biggest industry."
(Why do people never seem to understand that fashion is a business - what it needs is cleaning up not annhilation. Fashion as simply consumption for consumptions sake can be changed to something more meaningful and that's the whole point! There is no inherent harm in the desire to adorn oneself - its the doing it conscientiously that is necessary. At least KH gets it.)

4) Journo (continuing the 'fashion can't save the world' theme: 'And what about size zero? Isn't that unethical in itself ? Isn't the super-skinny "ideal" damaging to young girls?'
KH (who has already earlier denounced modelling in no uncertain terms as 'vile', 'a stupid profession' and 'a meat market'): "Clothes look better on skinny people and crap clothes look OK on skinny people. It means you can get away with anything ... I'm much more concerned about people who are size zero and have no choice. When I was in Mali I met two women who had lost children at the breast because they couldn't feed them."
(Yep, thank you KH, for reminding us to keep our priorities straight. There is much more to be done for those who have no choice than those who do -- and lets face it, its not like the 'size zero' issue isn't getting proper attention, especially on catwalks.)

5) Journo: '...the fashion industry encourages women to buy handbags for Pounds 1,000; an obscene sum of money to spend on something we clearly don't need".
KH: "Oh, I don't really care about that. If someone wants to pay it, well, poor them. It shows a lack of imagination I suppose, do you really have so little that you can't think of something more fun to do with Pounds 1,000 than buy a handbag?"
(Exactly - if that is what people want to spend on then its their problem. The way I see it our aim is to get them to spend that 1000 on a bag that will actually help someone/not harm the planet/be animal cruelty free. The fact that people are seduced by fashion does not mean those who want to 'clean up' the fashion industry should have suspect or shallow aims).

....and she hardly wears make-up (she particularly dislikes"misogynist" women's magazines which "trade on fear"...Oh my God you can't have wrinkles! You'd better go and do something serious about wrinkles!")...and she still smokes.


Way to go Ms. Hamnett.

Monday, February 4, 2008

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

photo: Dan Lecca
dress: Halston

When Donatella Versace shows a low cut evening gown made of hemp to kick off New York fashion week you know eco-fashion is on the up and up. On Thursday the great and the good of fashion attended the FutureFashion show organised by Earth Pledge and (the recently greenified) Barney's. 28 big swinging designers (including Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Versace, Bottega Veneta) each contributed outfits created from sustainable fabrics.

Shalom Harlow (an old fav of ours) and Elletra Wiedemann explain what's the point and why the awareness matters. Read more details of the show itself here.

Though DeviDoll is still pondering how effective this interest from the bigwigs will actually be for ethical fashion and also, very importantly, what their interest will mean for the small (er) designers who have been working at this for years with no attention and much struggle, we are very happy with the publicity given to alternative fabrics (ingeo, bamboo, hemp and lyocell among others). High time.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

TRULY IN VOGUE

Am thrilled to see that the recently launched Vogue India is concerned with sustainable style. Not to suggest that the Vogue family doesn't pay due attention to eco-fashion -- who can forget Dec 07's Penelope Cruz -on-the-cover Green xmas shopping guide issue?No, its that 'eco-lux' has a context for, say, American or British Vogue because luxury-living is here maturing beyond bling and designer logos. Stella McCartney, ($1000+ vegan 'must-have' boots to new, 100% organic cosmetics line CARE), uber-posh Lady Bamford (founder of Daylesford Organic), Cameron Diaz's Prius habit....eco, fashionable and lux fit well together here and the respective Vogues can capitalize on that.

Vogue India, however, has a more complex mandate: the economic boom has created a large (and growing) population of rich (and fashion-conscious) Indians who equate chic with top designer labels and are willing to spend on it like never before. Status flows from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Maybachs. Don't forget this is the country whose Maharajas alone gave Cartier and Rolls-Royce enough business to stay afloat.That's the legendary Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala who commissioned Cartier to create his necklace. The famed 'Patiala Necklace' stuff of legends and Cartier's most reknowned piece, is among the most exquisite (and expensive) jewels ever (with 2930 diamonds including De Beers 7th largest, this isn't really a surprise).

But, back to Vogue: the issues of sustainability and responsibility in fashion need attention now - not, like in the West, when enough has been spent on conspicuous consumption so that those who need to, start thinking twice. In this context it is heartening to see that Vogue India is willing to ask the question: latest Miu Miu arm candy or (a more sustainable ) chic fabric bag?

By no means am I suggesting that Vogue India can (yet) give Sublime or NU competition...I am just highlighting that a young magazine with big boots to fill, in a status/money/fashion/luxury drenched environment like that of India's Vogue readers, has asked a very good question which shows that it cares about fashion, but in an intelligent way.

Well done and keep it up. After all, everyone knows that to be in vogue is more than about just looking good.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

THE SEASONLESS WARDROBE GOES MAINSTREAM

The Gods/Universe/powers-that-be are doing their bit in ensuring our new year's resolutions don't fall by the wayside: 'cross-season dressing' is a big goal of ours for 2008. You shop less (and we can all agree that this is a key part of being an ecoista) and make your wardrobe work hard.Well turns out we're in good company (so what if differently inspired) -- this weekend's Wall Street Journal reports that AW08 mainstream collections are looking unusually lightweight and 'springy' because designers have realized they need to get real about the weather when they present their collections. Michael Fink, Women's Fashion Director, Saks sums it up "It's a season where we're seeing people really think about the weather and that's important. These clothes are delivered in July and it's not getting cold until October now."

I want to add 'that women travel more than ever just as a matter of routine' to Mr. Fink's observation. It might be cold in October in NYC but in California heavy wool won't cut it and let's not even think about farther afield (like India, for example).

All hail the wardrobe for all seasons.

 


Carbon Clear website by drivebusiness