Cabinet's Sustainable Summer Style

Last week I decided that it was time to order a couple of pieces of clothing from a brand that I have liked for years, upon delivery I was totally shocked that their brand portrayal definitely didn’t mirror their distribution aesthetic, my carefully selected pieces came in 3 plastic bags with plastic hangers and I was horrified.

It really got me thinking about how important it is to design with circularity in mind. I had been disillusioned from the outset with this wholesome looking brand, who demonstrated a love for the great outdoors and surrounds itself with a free-spirited aura. When ultimately they use non-recyclable, throwaway packaging and don’t seem to care. I instantly felt disconnected to the pieces that I had been looking forward to receiving and was ready to treasure and work into my wardrobe as staples for years to come.

On a more positive note I have started doing a bit more research into some of the other brands that I really like and thought I would share my thoughts on a few who seem to be making a difference with their timeless collections and considered material choices.

I know that not everything we purchase will hold intrinsic value but when it comes to investing in luxury goods you would hope that at the heart of these pieces lies craftsmanship and consumer connection. As more and more of us are starting to question the provenance of the materials and ingredients in the things we buy and consideration towards the welfare of people, animals, and the environment, I think it's time to try and do it right.

With an increasing number of brands offering you a choice to invest in a more ethical approach, from products that meet an internationally recognised sustainability standard to those that are made using environmentally conscious processes or technologies, there is finally a little more transparency to support the health of the environment, worker and wearer.

Here are a few really great brands that I wanted to share below, I have mixed in a selection of our rolling jewellery collection "as we never work to seasonal design" our collections are all hand made in the UK by a select group of talented craftsmen and women. We are dedicated to investing in our local economy and develop with partners that share our passion. Our accessories are all made in our studio in Devon from vintage block printed cottons and all limited edition.

Envelope1976 is a high fashion brand from Oslo, Norway. Designed for a modern, and quality conscious woman with a sustainable approach.

Founded by Celine Aagaard and Pia Nordskaug - sustainability and fashion has been a lifelong passion.

Envelope1976 is all about sustainability, they find it crucial to change the attitude towards production and consumption in the fashion industry. The brands DNA is built on their choice of materials, design and colour palette – all timeless, eco-conscious and natural. Their collections are timeless, yet fashionable. Their garments can be worn in multiple ways. For Envelope1976 this is key, since they believe it to be more sustainable to create garments that will last for years. It is not only the material that can affect the timeline of a garment, it is also important that the design will last, and that you can discover new ways to style your pieces.

Envelope is all about design made to last. They believe that there is no need to follow seasons to be fashionable, conscious, and stylish. They look for suppliers, manufacturers and collaborators that share their vision in terms of sustainability and use materials made from natural fibres, that are renewable, biodegradable, and long lasting along with natural pigments when dyeing fabrics.

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REN skincare offers you visible results from skincare that is not full of bad ingredients. Ingredients that work with your skin, without causing irritation. Ingredients your skin would choose, from sustainable sources and sustainably packaged.

Bottles made with Ocean Plastic, tubes made from post-consumer-recycled plastic and designed for circular recycling. They package products with the planet in mind and team up with partners like Surfers Against Sewage and Plastic Patrol that share their vision of sustainability. With a pledge to become Zero Waste by 2021, in that all packaging will be 100% recycled, recyclable and reusable.

Not to mention their factor 30 sunscreen is great and one of the best reef safe sunscreens I have found on the market. Check out the link below if you need some guidance … https://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/your-guide-to-reef-friendly-sunscreens

POSSE an Australian brand and a movement re-defining vintage for the modern day woman, empowering her to feel confident and effortlessly embrace her femininity. The Australian-based label was conceived with a desire to create timeless pieces, in doing so each piece has been inspired by the past and re-constructed for the now.

Posse exudes a sense of irreconcilability and understated elegance, with each garment designed to hold a permanent presence in your wardrobe. Adopting ‘less is more’ philosophy. This idea has been embedded within the brand since its conception. believing in the principles of slow fashion; an approach that aims to encourage consumers to invest in higher quality garments that have a better impact on our planet. Posse pieces are designed to last, and it is their aim to produce the finest quality garments.

They are working towards a brighter, more sustainable future with a mission to reduce their impact, across all aspects of the business. Partnering with new suppliers who share the same ethos they do, to manufacture responsibly and ethically, committed to a change for the better.

Mother of Pearl - Creativity and ethics sit equally in their brand philosophy. They believe in delivering beautiful clothes without compromising on integrity.

In 2018 they launched a ‘No Frills’, fully sustainable line of core classics for everyday wear. They are working towards making Mother of Pearl a fully sustainable brand.

Believing in transparency and giving their customers access to the full story behind the products, Creating an online filter, which tags each garment with its sustainable attributes, showing you what they have managed to achieve for each individual piece. So rather than having to simply trust a sweeping one-page sustainability statement, they are providing you with individualised product information so you can really know what you are spending your money on.

"clothes without compromising on integrity”

Faithfull, having an ethical business is at their core, knowing how their products are made and who is making them. They keep a personal connection with each one of their employees to ensure they are well taken care of. By being based in Indonesia and working so closely with local communities, they are able to support and encourage local artisans to create beautiful handmade products.”

With a production based out of Bali, Indonesia, they believe in building life-long relationships with partners and the community. They are community minded and family focused, forging partnerships that are mutually beneficial, based on real, genuine family values.

They endeavour to always choose hand-made over mass-produced and resist cutting corners at all costs. They continue to work with and grow the local communities and artisans around them and will continue to adhere to handmade production with complete care and love.

A brand that is working towards creating a better future, creating socially responsible garments that you can feel good about wearing on the inside and out.

IT'S NOT QUANTITY AND SPEED, IT'S QUALITY AND PROCESS. They invest in responsible manufacturing and take time to source high-quality, sustainable fabrics that will look after not only your skin but our home, Planet Earth. They drive to make timeless, versatile wardrobe staples, built to outlast the ever-changing trends.

“BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.”

“Honesty is what drives Haeckels forward. It’s the transparency of our journey that allows our community and collaborators to connect with us”

Arising from a desire to share Haeckels with other people; to enthuse them about the health-giving properties of the sea; to raise awareness about natural products that are every bit as effective as chemical-derived alternative.

Seaweed hydrates; it’s rich with valuable vitamins, minerals and amino acids; it’s anti-bacterial, skin rebuilding and anti-inflammatory; it’s all-natural, and all around us. Under licence, they harvest it by hand from the beach just steps away from our shop.

“Sharing extends to everything we do, including our concerns not only for our local coastline but oceans across the globe. Sustainability has always been part of Haeckels’ philosophy and, as we’ve developed as a brand, it has only become more and more entwined with what we do; as we branch out into new territories, we strive to implement the same care we have in our home town of Margate, and raise the same awareness about the fragility and value of the ocean”

“We believe we can all make a difference”

Our way: Exceptional quality. Ethical factories. Radical Transparency.

We have been following these guys for a while and love what they are doing with their beautiful and function swimwear shapes. Read more about Vicki and her brand from a section of her bio below.

It has long been an ambition of mine to create my own brand, combining my artwork with my passion for surfing and the natural environment.

After years of travelling the globe to tropical surf destinations, I realised there was a gap in the surf and swimwear market for beautifully designed swimsuits, that fit properly and don’t go anywhere in the surf, with gorgeous prints, and that are also ethically and sustainably produced. This, as well as my experience designing for surf wear brands such as Billabong, Hurley, Saltrock, among others, was enough to help me start the journey of creating a swimwear brand that fills this gap.

Recognising the current need for a more eco-conscious approach to fashion, coupled with years of struggling to find the perfect swimsuit that stays put in the surf, sustainable swimwear seemed the perfect choice.

In order to fulfil this ambition, I relocated to Barcelona in 2017 to obtain a postgraduate degree in Swimwear and Lingerie Design at BAU School of Design. And thus, sand&palm was born!

With a focus on sustainable values, where possible I source environmentally friendly materials and production methods of the highest quality and standard. sand&palm is made with lycra from regenerated ghost fishing nets and post consumer plastic waste. The garments are individually handmade in the sand&palm studio in the surf capital of Cornwall, Newquay.

Sand&palm takes a fresh approach to print design. I like to think of the fabrics as canvas for artwork and illustrations, and all designs are exclusive to the brand. The fabrics are hand-dyed and screen-printed in house, in small batches with eco friendly dyes. Because they are individually made, no two print placement is the same, meaning each sand&palm swimsuit is completely unique.