The ethical Christmas gifts we'd love to get (and give!) this year

Behind the scenes at Equa we're getting ready for the Christmas season. We love creating our festive shop window, coming up with our instore treats (mulled wine, anyone?) and displaying our top ethical gift picks. Islington looks so magical at Christmas, especially Camden Passage where we're located.

We make a special effort to capture that Christmas magic online too, at both our online shop and on this blog, where we will be highlighting our best gift ideas and running a special Christmas competition (watch this space). We couldn't help ourselves this week, what with so many lovely new season pieces arriving on the shop floor. We just had to pick the ethical gifts we'd love to find under our eco trees!

Penny Dowling, founder & director

I love the Saffron Winds wash bag made from recycled rice and fish bags from Cambodia. I have an old wash bag that I think was a freebie from a magazine, so I think I deserve a new one! This one has been catching my eye ever since they arrived in store and I'm hoping that I've dropped enough hubbie hints!!

If I don't get that (or maybe even if I do), then my Eternal Creation slippers that I bought three years ago at one of the Fashion Made Fair sample sales are now so threadbare that I don't think they will last much longer. A great classic Christmas gift of a pair of slippers wouldn't go amiss and these Po-Zu Peasy slippers fit the bill for me.

Eva Phillips, sales assistant

Hmm, it's tricky to pick just one as I would love pretty much anything! But I guess if I'd been a very good girl I'd love to receive the Edun Morain sweater. But then again, I would also love any of the Ila candles as I adore scented candles, especially such pretty ones. I can never justify buying them for myself!

Christina Harnois, sales assistant
I would love to receive the Cecilia Hammarborg Mandarin coat because every girl should have a red coat to brighten up those crisp Winter days! This piece would be in my wardrobe for years to come, the quality and elegance of the fabric makes it timeless and the whimsical design would make me feel like a character in a fairytale. Now, who will I find to give it to me...?

Marta Krsteva, sales assistant

Top of my Christmas gift wish list is Kuyichi's Magic dress. I love everything about this dress: the colour, the fabric, the style, the length and the detailing. I'd wear it as a dress and as a top too, with skinny jeans or leggings. Electric blue is such a powerful colour and is my favourite!

Thalia Warren, sales and marketing assistant

Beyond Skin Hendrix vegan ankle boots: This is the kind of gift I would give because I really want them for myself! A vegan friend of mine says she missed leather far more than she misses any food items but I know she would love these gorgeous boots. They are super sexy and very chic. The flash of purple lining gives them a fun edge too. I think the fact they are hemp rather than all over plastic, as many vegan shoes often are, would be appreciated too.

Fashion Focus: Outsider launches at Equa

A key fashion story for Autumn / Winter 2009 is flexible dressing, or in other words, items that are as lovely to wear both day and night, styled modestly or glammed to the max.

At Equa, we like to think that this trend is a response to smart, style-savvy women no longer wanting to build a clothes mountain at home, much of which will rarely get worn. Instead, seriously stylish women would rather invest in fewer pieces that are more versatile and better quality.

It's no longer stylish to splash the cash on disposable fast fashion. Buying something so high fashion it's out of fashion before its out of the bag, and poorly made in an exploitative way, is not something to brag about amongst friends!

More and more of our customers have been coming to us looking for simple, chic separates that they can wear to the office or to an evening event and that will transcend the seasons. We think we've found the perfect wardrobe solution in Outsider, a brand new collection just arrived at our Islington boutique and online this month.

The designer behind Outsider is Noorin Khamisani. Noorin has worked for big fashion brands and has seen first-hand what happens to quality and ethics when ranges are mass-produced and slavish to fashion fads.

For Autumn / Winter 09, her first season, Noorin has created pieces which are elegant and timelessly stylish, from the divinely sculpted pencil skirt with drape pockets (pictured) to the delicate circle pleat neck dress.

Fabrics are environmentally-friendly, mainly organic cotton, linen and hemp/silk, where possible sourced locally to the factory in which the garments are made. The largely monochrome colour palette makes mix-and-matching a doddle, and keeps the pieces relevant into the evening.

Noorin says: “For AW09 we have been studying icy landscapes, the simplicity of line and colour. We have created a collection of new classics. Pleated detailing and shiny hemp/silk fabrics come together to make a range of versatile feminine apparel. Focusing on using sustainable fabrics with great drape and hand-feel – we know you will feel even better wearing our garments safe in the knowledge that these are fashion, people and planet conscious.

"Our designs are inspired by clothes that have been in our wardrobes for years - because true style is timeless, not transient and throwaway. We design versatile day-to-evening pieces that are made to the highest quality and designed to last and be loved. They are simple pieces that fit in easily, but they can also be styled to look individual."

Outsider manufactures its collection in India at a factory which the team has visited on several occasions and they have a trusted and open relationship with the factory owner. Working conditions are very important and they ensure the working hours and conditions are of a fair and high standard. There is no child or slave labour.

We can see from the interest in the Outsider range in its first days with us that it's hitting the spot for you. Our advice, if you see a piece you love, snap it up quickly!

Shop the current Outsider collection at Equa now