Report by Tamsin Blanchard
Photography Marcus Dawes
If you eat organic, it makes sense to dress organic, too. That’s why the Soil Association is clinking champagne glasses at the brunch today to launch Estethica, LFW’s ethical-fashion showcase sponsored by Monsoon. Organic clothing will be in the spotlight at the SA’s stand, showing off collections by People Tree (including its collaboration with Orla Kiely), Monkee Genes and cotton-basics line Continental Clothing.
Organic fashion is proving great for business. Sales of certified-organic textiles grew by 35% last year, and the global organic-cotton market is predicted to grow by 20% in the next year. “It is increasingly clear that it’s possible to produce fashionable textiles in a way that’s kinder, cleaner and better for people and the planet,” says Georgina Thomas, the Soil Association’s textile specialist. For a product to be labelled “organic”, 95% of the fibre must be certified organic.
People Tree’s turnover increased by 17% in 2010 with Emma Watson’s Love From Emma range. “We’ve taken 30% more boutiques for S/S 12,” says the label’s founder Safia Minney, who started its designer collaborations in 2007 with Richard Nicoll, Thakoon and Bora Aksu.
For Mariusz Stochaj, head of products at Continental Clothing, production cannot keep pace with demand. His EarthPositive range
is certified by the Soil Association, made using cotton that’s farmed organically and manufactured at a wind-powered factory – its carbon footprint reduced by 90%. The brand launched in 2008, and in the past year produced close to 3.5 million pieces. We’re getting better…
