An early Christmas gift from Equa to you - free postage on all orders

Are you bored by the postal strike? Us too. Waiting for goodies to arrive in the post is like waiting for Christmas to happen as a child; agonisingly painful, though worth the wait of course when those gorgeous parcels arrive.

To take a little pain out of shopping online we're offering free delivery worldwide on all items until the end of October. Now at least you're not footing the postage bill for those new on-season purple Monkey Genes sateen skinny trousers, best-selling Veja volley trainers or delectable Made Hayley Mardon Rhombus necklace. Or on any items that you just have to have right now, for that matter!

We know you love to save the pennies too, where you can, without skimping on the quality of what goes in your wardrobe or course. Free delivery on all orders is one perfect way to help you do that. Consider it an early Christmas gift from Equa to you!

In store right now, our stylists are going ga-ga for winter warmers. It must be the nip in the air this week. The conversation has turned to coats and knitwear (check out People Tree's snuggly cable cowl jumper), especially with the arrival this week of this glorious Mandarin coat in a striking red from young designer Cecilia Hammarborg's capsule Black River Falls collection, launched at London Fashion Week. Against a grey autumn day, it can't help to lift the spirits.

Made in London using Italian wool, this swing coat has a high collar and puff shoulders and is fully lined. With front seam pockets the coat fastens at the front with four covered buttons. But here's the most gorgeous touch; the tailored front is offset with wide pleats at the back, so beautifully made that we just had to show you in the picture here. The whole coat has a Sixties feel to it, don't you think? It's a great quality investment piece, at £245, that will last for many winter seasons to come.

Cecilia Hammarborg is a new talent to watch. Her signature style is the combination of sharp tailoring and immaculate cutting with slightly unexpected feminine fluidity, such as sharply waisted coats with full skirts for example. It's a blend of sharp and soft. Hammarborg's 'birdgun' logo is a case in point - cute little birdie with a revolver head. Need we say more!

From New York to London Fashion Weeks, Equa celebrates international ethical fashion

It's a fantastically exciting time to be in ethical fashion as September heralds the international catwalk season and, with it, a showcase of the very best ethical fashion and beauty across the globe.

Over the space of six weeks Fashion Weeks in New York, Paris, Milan and London will seduce, excite and entertain us with the shapes, styles, colours and fabrics we'll be wearing for Spring Summer 2010.

Of course, ethical fashion is about enduring style over seasonal fast fashion, but its still vital for ethical fashion designers, especially those we stock at Equa, to stay in touch with what influential design giants like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and emerging talents like Luella, Christopher Kane and Danielle Scutt are up to. After all, what these visionaries create now we will all want to wear in seasons to come, just the most ethical versions we can find!

Equa will be at London Fashion Week from tomorrow onwards, spotting the most gorgeous collections and exciting fashion stories, and of course doing a thorough edit of the best of Estethica, the ethical zone which now features over 30 ethical collections.

Meanwhile, we're also inspired by Paris and New York's Ethical Fashion Shows, both of which are hotbeds for new talent. Find out more about these on Greenmystyle.com. Click here for Paris and here for New York.

At Equa we're having our very own celebration of international ethical fashion & beauty. We stock ranges from across the world, here are some of our favourites:

From Europe

Alchemist
Alchemist, pictured left, is a label for women who want to look feminine without being too girly. With a focus on perfect tailoring, the Dutch brand is certified by Made-By, which means you can track production back to its source.

Veja
A best-seller for us, there seems to be no shortage of fans for French ethical trainer brand Veja. To make their trainers Veja uses organic cotton canvas from Fair Trade cooperatives in Brazil, natural latex from the Amazon Rain Forest which requires no tree felling, and 'ecological leather' which Veja developed in 2003 which is chrome-free and tanned with organic compounds only.

From the UK

Annie Greenabelle
Who doesn't love Annie Greenabelle (pictured right and top). Using end of roll fabrics and Fair Trade Foundation certified organic cotton, her cute dresses appeal to the girl in all of us.

Enamore
Lingerie to feel exquisitely sexy in, and all ethically produced, much from vintage fabrics. A guilt-free Agent Provocateur if you like!

Beyond Skin
Pioneers in ethical footwear, Beyond Skin uses environmentally friendly fabrics such as hemp, organic cotton and recycled bottle tops, to create collections that are stylish and wearable across seasons.

From the US

Whish
Another new arrival in store and online this season, Whish is a range of bath products that are paraben-free, sulfate-free, TEA and DEA-free as well as petrochemical-free and use all natural and organic ingredients. We feel a pampering session coming on!

Stewart + Brown
Quintessential quality casualwear in organic cotton, Mongolian cashmere and sustainable fabrics such as hemp and Tencel from this American design duo. The pointelle cotton vests are popular all year round. Great for layering.