Monkee Genes Turn Green

For my outfit this week I've chosen my favourite new colour of the Monkee Genes Organic Sateen range - the Olive Green Skinny Trouser. This colour is new and fresh and will see you into the new season when it arrives.

Here I've teamed it with the People Tree Holly Ruffle Top (available in blue stripe or red stripe) which is made from hand woven cotton in India. I don't think this outfit would be complete without a pair of retro trainers like our Veja Trainers. Here I've picked the White / Red Veja, but you have a choice of many different colours from our website. The look is finished with fair trade brass accessories from Just Trade - the Single Hoop Earrings and the Brass Bracelet.

Total cost of outfit: £194.00

Fun Festival Fashion

The festival season is upon us. So here's Equa's guide to looking fabulous in the fields.

Your festival wardrobe will work best if you combine practical elements with a good dash of fun. Playful prints such as this Luna Splash Dress by Julia Smith can be layered with leggings. Layering is the perfect solution to dealing with unpredictable British weather. The Jackpot Stavell cardigan is another great lightweight layer; keep it in your bag for chilly moments.



Jersey dresses are easy to wear and oh so comfortable. This Emmy Lou Dress by Nancy Dee has a cute print with sunrays peeping put from behind clouds, so wear it when you think the sun needs some encouragement to get its hat on!




Don’t be afraid to mix and match your prints. Accessorise a bold striped top with a pretty floral scarf, experiment and enjoy yourself!


At festivals my re-usable shopper comes into its own. It rolls up like a piece of sushi so it’s no trouble to carry around, and it’s great for sitting on when the grass is damp or to chuck muddy clothes into at the end of the weekend. If it gets dirty it can be washed under the tap and will be dry in 10 minutes.



Have a great time and remember.. don't forget your wellies!

More ethical festival fashion:
Komodo Lenny Top
Just Trade Long Brass Hoop Necklace
Kuyichi Nipi Belt

Annie Greenabelle Vintage Sports Dress

This fab Annie Greenabelle Vintage Sports Dress is perfect for this hot weather finally we're having. Made from super soft and light organic Fair Trade cotton jersey with blue and white stripe trim. This is our salute to Wimbledon this year!

We've teamed it here with the Beyond Skin Sole Pumps with a fairly traded natural latex sole and extra latex cushioning to make these the most comfy eco-pumps ever. The Matt&Nat Santigold handbag and the all new Just Trade Fair Trade Brass Jewellery Collection that is already a best seller.

Equa in The Observer Magazine

We were very pleased to have not one, but two, beautiful ethical outfits from Equa featured in last week's Observer Magazine. The Jamie Playsuit by Nancy Dee, Outsider's Oversized Shirt Dress and the Nipi Belt by Kuyichi were all picked out by Observer fashion editor Jo Jones.

Equa taking part in next weeks Ethical Fashion Sample Sale - Thursday 20th May - Sunday 23rd May

Peaches & Cream for Summer

The perfect way to add a splash of colour to your wardrobe this summer is by adding a touch of peach to your outfit. Nothing says summer more than a fresh colour like peach and here at Equa we've got all kinds on incarnations, from subtle splashes to full on block colour.

If you're looking to add a bit of colour to your work wardrobe try the Komodo Zinia Skirt, team it with the Matt&Nat Yacht Handbag for a fab outfit. If you're in need to a dazzling dress for a summer party try the Rianna De Witte Starfish Dress, this sexy dress adds a splash of glamour to any day.

The perfect pairing for peach is cream or white. Accessories your outfit with accents of the summer's staple colour - white. The Jackpot Stavell Cardigan is a great accompaniment to most summer outfits. Or put the Komodo Otis Linen Shorts with the Bibico Frill Sleeve Top and the Terra Plana Union Plimsoll.

But if you really love peaches and cream then the Outsider Oversized Shirt Dress is the one for you.

My Latest Ethical Dilemma - Ethical Maternity Wear

As the buyer of Equa I have spent 5 years sourcing the best of ethical fashion for the Equa Boutique and Website. Especially in the early days it wasn't always easy, but today I think Ethical Fashion no longer deserves the old label many people still pin it of not being fashionable or desirable. Ethical fashion is fashionable and has been for a good few years now, with labels like People Tree, Annie Greenabelle and Bibico (to name a few) proving that ethical fashion can be achieved at high street prices. For the past few buying seasons I've felt confident that I'll find a great collection to showcase in our ethical boutique. Recently however, I've come up against a new challenge for my wardrobe - finding ethical maternity wear.

Since finding out I was expecting, I have done a combination of borrowing maternity clothes from family and friends and making the most of the clothes I have in my wardrobe that will expand with me.  However as my due date approaches it is becoming harder to make do with what I have and as I have needed to get new clothes I wanted to find a few key pieces from Equa's SS10 collection that I could wear, at least until the last few months.
So here is my pick of the current season that I will be wearing with my bump:

This Alchemist Sequin Tunic is perfect.  I have gone up a size in this one so give added room for expansion.  There are slits up the side seams which will allow for further growth and it's nice and light so will keep me cool in the hotter days to come.

The Bibico Frill Sleeve Top will be another staple for me over the summer months.  The tunic style provides lots of growing room.  Again I've gone up a size in this one to give me more space.

 

This Bailey Pleat Front Dress I'm hoping will see me through a couple of the weddings I've got this Summer.  The pleats at the bust are perfect for going over any lumps and bumps you may have and it's made from Bamboo which is a naturally cool fabric so if those wedding days are scorchers I should stay nice a cool in this number.

I've been wearing this People Tree Asymmetric Dress a lot lately.  The design is perfect for a growing bump with the ruffles at the front providing room for growth.  This has been one of our best sellers since it arrived in store, and I think it is easy to see why, it's simple to wear with flats like the Terra Plana Rizzo Pumps or the Vivo Barefoot Union Plimsols.

The Hazel Tunic is another one I've been wearing a lot of over the past few weeks.  The empire line of this tunic has made it geat for me as I've been slowly getting bigger.  Team with the People Tree Lotus Leggings and the Rizzo Pumps and you've got a great and comfortable outfit.

Other pieces I've picked out are:

Jackpot Perla Organic Dress

Bailey Summer Drape Cardi

Komodo Lenny Top

Komodo Tia Tunic

If you're like me and looking for ethical maternity wear, do not despair while there may not yet be a dedicated ethical maternity wear label, there are some choices that will get you through most of your pregnancy.  For the rest, the best thing to do is borrow from friends and in turn lend them on to others so that the clothes get the most use from them.  Good luck and enjoy!

Penny

New Ethical Label Bibico Now at Equa

New ethical fashion label Bibico has arrived at Equa.  This season sees beautiful stripe tunics and cute everyday cotton tops from this young ethical label.

Bibico's main aim is to produce fashionable clothes that are produced in a fair manner.  Made in India by a woman's co-operative the Spanish designer of Bibico Nieves Ruiz spends much of her time in India overseeing production and design.  The result is beautifully made collections that don't break the bank... perfect and we at Equa love Bibico!

Click Here to View the Current Bibico Collection >>

Click Here to View all our New Collections Just Arrived at Equa >>

New Ethical Labels at Equa for Spring 2010

It's the time of year when many things are going on in the background at the Equa Boutique.  The Winter Sale is coming to an end, and we're preparing the shop for the Spring season that will be coming in over the next few weeks. We're also looking at Autumn/Winter 2010 with Pure and London Fashion Week all happening in February.  Both shows are now excellent for finding new and exciting ethical fashion labels.  This season sees many new labels at Equa which were found at shows like these: 

Jackpot
This international label works with MADE-BY, the organisation that helps fashion companies create an ethical supply chain.  Our collection from Jackpot this season will feature the Jackpot Organic 'Donation Tee'. For every t-shirt sold, Jackpot donate 5 Euros to Indian agricultural cooperative, Chetna who help Indian farmers produce organic cotton.

Julia Smith Made In Africa

Equa is no stranger to Julia Smith, however this new diffusion line from Julia Smith is a new direction for the London designer.  Made in Ghana Julia Smith works with a skilled batik printer Marian Essel and have formed a co-operative in the suburbs of Accra, Ghana's capital city

Using traditional African Batik prints Julia Smith has produced a collection of dresses that retail between £32 - £70.  In this Julia Smith picture: Luna Splash Dress £40 and Miami Jacket £70.

Junky Styling

The East London designers from Junky Styling are renowned for reconstructing unwanted suits and men's shirts making them into a whole new outfit.  Well this season Junky Styling is coming to Equa in the shape of two beautifully designed dresses.

The Audrey Shirt Dress, pictured, is made from men's shirts and comes in this blue pin stripe or a pink herringbone. Available from late February for £140.

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This French label designs classic collections that are essential for every wardrobe using organic cotton and other sustainable fabrics such as bamboo.

The Robyn draped tunic dress is made from Modal - a fabric derived from wood pulp. Available at the Equa boutique from early March at £65.

Annie Greenabelle Sale

The Annie Greenabelle Autumn/Winter collection is now all on sale with great discounts across the line. 

One of our favourite of this season's Annie Greenabelle designs is the Panel Party Dress. This is a great piece for all events and is made from 100% Fair Trade Foundation Certified Organic Cotton.

£62 £49

Click here to Shop >>