Buy British

 Most British wardrobes will be bereft of clothes that say made in Britain. To be frank this is something we should be ashamed of. Can we change this? Absolutely! There is a quiet urgency among the champions of sustainable fashion who are making buying British favourable once more. 

Katherine Hamnett CBE has been busy campaigning for ethically and sustainably produced fashion since 1989, a frustrated pioneer and lone voice. Are we now ready to listen? YES it seems we might well be, after 21 years of non sustainable living and the realisation that it is time to change! Katherine Hamnett advocates putting Fashion first, she says, “don’t think of sustainability as added value, the customer won’t buy it because it’s ethical, they buy because they love it and they don’t have it, avoid the eco look it’s death"! 

At London Fashion week in September, I caught up with some of the leading British designers who are setting the pace for ethical and sustainable products. Pushing boundaries that I hope will lead to a sustainable way of life we can all be proud of.

Designers such as Henrietta Ludgate are making headlines for producing her luxury collection in a sustainable way, namely by producing in her native Scotland. Ludgate graduated from Central Saint Martins School of Art and began her fashion career working as a stylist and costume designer. She went on to work for acclaimed British talent Osman Yousefzada. She left Yousefzada’s Studio and launched her own label in 2009. An ethos of supporting Scottish craftsmanship is central to her work, with fabrics sourced from within the British Isles and all pieces produced locally.  Henrietta Ludgate has won numerous awards including Ethical Fashion Forum’s  “Fashion Innovation Award for London Fashion week Spring/Summer 2010".  2011 has also seen support for Henrietta amongst celebrities increase. Livia Firth film producer and owner  of Eco Age has worn two of Henrietta’s dresses in the run up to the Oscars as part of Vogues Green Carpet Challenge. Livia also commissioned Henrietta to design the dress she wore to dine with HRH the Queen, Barak and Michelle Obama. A champion of slow fashion, Henrietta’s minimalist silhouette remains hauntingly elegant and distinctive. It is Henrietta’s aim to create clothes that are environmentally friendly but also beautiful, clothes that get handed down and fought over through the generations. Henrietta Ludgate opened her first store in Whiteleys in September and has stockists around the globe for more information check out www.henriettaludgate.com

Henrietta Ludgate SS12 collection

Henrietta Ludgate SS12 collection

Henrietta Ludgate SS12 collection

Lost Property of London is an accessories company specialising in upcycling and sustainability, by utilising discarded coffee sacks and cleverly making them into bags and purses. Katie Bell who studied at Central Saint Martins is the founder, producing the entire product range exclusively in her London design studio. Her customers include Livia Firth and Orlando Bloom. She has stockists in the UK and around the globe. You can find Lost Property of London at www.lostpropertyoflondon.com

Appleby Clutch Bag  www.lostpropertyoflondon.com

Belmont Bag  www.lostpropertyoflondon.com

More recently I came across Susie Maroon the brainchild of artist and designer Susie Brown. Her collection of retro inspired  accessories from phone cases to belts and bookmarks were designed with a focus on creating pieces which become part of the family. Her designs replicate the warmth and history of aging objects, harnessing that little something that comforts the soul. Susie lovingly constructs her designs in her Edinburgh Studio, where the ethos is to source all materials responsibly. Check out www.susiemaroon.co.uk  or visit Carousel Emporium at 1A Turville Street EC2 next to Labour and Wait on Redchurch Street, a newly opened vintage and lifestyle shop that is championing British emerging and established designers. Well worth a visit!

While the wheels may have fallen off the world as we know it, the most remarkable fallout is the number of people willing to put new wheels on and play to a more sustainable beat. The time is now for embracing British design and reigniting British manufacturing. We have a global market eager to buy British. Made in Britain can be a reality if we collectively invest in buying British. Let’s be the change we want to see in the world.