Fairytale EcoFashion

I've always been attracted to the beauty, morality and wonder of fairy-tales, from when I was small to present day they've held my fascination. Recently I've been watching the TV series Once Upon A Time and I was reminded of an idea I'd had years ago to curate a collection of fairytale-inspired items of ecofashion and beauty!

 So allow me to whisk you away to a magical realm - enjoy!

Eyelashes by Paperself - Whether you're a woodland nymph or a sparkling mermaid, London based designer Chunwei Liao has you covered! Paperself claims to be an eco-friendly alternative to more traditional false eyelashes

 High Neck Chipao Collar Capelet by Anny Schoo Eco Clothing - This beautiful vintage-inspired natural linen capelet is perfect for a stroll through the woods to visit Granny...

The Unicorn and The Butterfly Baby Shoes by Little Pitterpat - Even baby princesses need magical vegan shoes! These delightful shoes have been handmade using certified organic cotton and bamboo

Never Never Land Dress by Pierogi Picnic - Add a splash of innocent cheekiness to your wardrobe with this upcycled piece with its Peter Pan Collar. Change the look each time with a different petticoat

Bear-ly There Pillow by Bird Mafia - This super cute bear is sure to think your bed or couch is juuuust right! Made using organic cotton for the exterior and recycled polyester inside to make him nice and plump

Fae Dress by Nuvo Nova - Channel your inner Tinkerbell or Flower Fairy with this sweet dress crafted from vintage materials

Love Pendant by Annabel Panes - Surely one of the most important themes threaded through fairy-tales is LOVE! This stunningly elegant necklace was made in Lima from certified Fairtrade silver mined in the Andes

Sofia Two Piece by Reformation - If you're after a modern take on a fairytale princess then look no further than this beautiful ivory two piece! Impeccably crafted from surplus material, it's feminine yet funky

Light Fairies by Beatrice Oettinger -These utterly strange and delightful lights consist of tiny fairy dresses which have been baked from flour dough and dyed with beetroot! Each exquisite string of lights is unique

Explorer All-in-one by ALAS - How adorable is this all-in-one nightwear from ALAS? It reminds me of the character Michael Darling from Disney's 1953 version of Peter Pan! You can rest easy in these pyjamas knowing they're made from certified organic cotton

Constellation Dress by Vaute Couture - Feeling ordinary? Perhaps it's time to wish upon a star? Loving this organic velvet dress for stargazers and dreamers!

"The fairy poet takes a sheet Of moonbeam, silver white; His ink is dew from daisies sweet, His pen a point of light"

~Joyce Kilmer

Purr-fect Pieces of Ethical Design

Looking for something fair and sustainable that will get your sense of style purring? Check out these fabulous ethical feline finds =^..^=

David Meowie Pillow by Two Lost Souls -Bowie and kittens? What a winning combination! How adorable is this handmade pillow case plumped up with recycled plastic faux down

Meow or Never Sweatshirt by Vaute Couture - Keep cute and warm with this organic cotton top! It's also a great way to start a conversation about the awesomeness of adopting shelter animals :) 

Love Cats Rings by Sarah Healy Design NYC - Inspired by the song 'Love Cats' by The Cure, this super sweet ring has been carefully crafted by hand. PLUS 10% of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to the ASPCA

Cat Backpack by Little Frenchy - Tired of your boring bag made from synthetic fibres? Then check out this blast of sunshine and kitties made from certified organic cotton and natural dyes

Tiger T-Shirt by RCTees - A beautiful tiger face has been lovingly hand printed onto this organic pima cotton shirt

Vintage 1980s Michaele Vollbrach Maxi Dress - Wonderfully quirky, this vintage dress is fantastic for fabulous winter layering

Kat and Mouse Shirt by Pini Piru - This funky kids tee depicts the epic rivalry between cats and mice printed using water-based ink on a 100% organic and fairly traded cotton tee

The Grin by Pini Piru - Another crazy cat character from this Netherlands-based label graces a fairly traded and organic cotton tee

Fat Cat Coin Purse by Blue Q - This serenely happy orange kitty coin purse is made from 95% post consumer recycled material and is sure to put a smile on your dial!

Cat Ballet Shoes by FC Select - These 100% vegan flats are simply adorable! I'd like to know if the cruelty-free materials are also sustainably sourced...stay tuned :)

Leopard Shoulder Trim Dress by Ruby Rocks - Fierce AND fairtrade = WIN! Made in a small factory in Bali, Ruby Rocks knows each and everyone of their employees and ensures they're not only paid an above average wage but also receive healthcare for themselves and their family members

Kitten in Hammock Necklace by Unique Art Pendants - Need a buddy while you're out and about? Why not this little fella? This cuddly pendant has been handmade

Live in the Meow Tee from People Tree - This lovely tee has been handmade by the artisans of Assisi Garments in India using fairtrade and organic cotton fibres

Black Cat Dress by Leah Goren - I definitely have my eye on this dress for summer! The dress is made from 100% organic cotton sateen and the cat print is 100% cuteness

Leopard Ring by Love Hearts and Crosses - This 100% porcelain leopard just wants to hug your hand! Each spot has been hand painted 

Two Peas in a Pod by Nic and the Newfie - Loving this pair of mischievous Siamese cats watching a bumblebee! This super comfy looking sweatshirt is made from a combination of organic cotton, recycled polyester and rayon. Also thumbs up to pockets!

Leopard Jumper by ASOS Africa - Be an urban wildcat with this handmade jumper which has been crafted under fair conditions in Africa. This top is part of a wider collection  produced in collaboration with a rural Kenyan community north of Mombasa

Georgie Kids T-Shirt by Stella McCartney - Um cat cuddles all day??? Yes please! Loving this certified organic cotton tee from Stella's high-end ecofashion label

 
Feeling warm and fuzzy after all this kitty-themed design? Then why not look up your local cat shelter and ask if you can volunteer for a few hours? One great thing you can do is to give them all a lovely brush and a kind word =^..^= That's how I found my little rescue boy while living in the Fiji Islands :)

My Little Green Wedding

"I love thee - I love thee,
'Tis all that I can say
It is my vision in the night,
My dreaming in the day"
~Thomas Hood

I thought it might be nice to share with you just a few examples of the simple green touches I incorporated into my recent wedding ceremony and reception!

Ryan and I wanted to keep cut flowers to a minimum, selecting native and locally-sourced species. Our florist was amazing, producing vibrant bouquets and button-holes showcasing Australia's eye-catching flora! 

One of our decorative themes were stars, so you can imagine how excited I was when I came across star-shaped eco-confetti! Each star is made from 100% biodegradable rice paper. We poured the stars into reusable cardboard cones and placed them on the chairs for people to use at the end of the ceremony. I also put some aside for my flower girl to throw as she walked down the aisle - to her utter delight!

 
It might sound crazy but I actually found my dress in the first 3 hours of wedding dress shopping in the first store I visited! I fell head over heels for my 1950s vintage beauty by renowned designer William Cahill with its exquisite hand-stitched flowers. Of course Ryan and my shoes were both vegan along with Ryan's belt!

Two of my astoundingly talented bridesmaids hand-crafted dresses for themselves and my two other bridesmaids using locally-sourced materials. To fit in with my vintage dress, they worked from a 1950s pattern. 

For my insanely adorable pageboy who is currently obsessed with all things Iron Man, I ordered a special handmade bow-tie from Look For Me Bowties. 

To decorate the reception tables I alternated succulents potted in sweet little silver buckets with tea light candles on top of a hessian runner. The succulents, created by the amazing 2Petals Floral Design, doubled as my bonbonniere for each guest to take home and enjoy.

Also throughout the room we'd strewn wheat-grass planted in repurposed glass jars and upcycled pianola scrolls with LED lights inside (prepared by my friends and classmates from the Centre for Sustainability Leadership). 

After the best evening of our lives - family and friends were taken home in a bus we'd hired to get them all home safely :-) x

Kind Events: Thrift Shopping 4 Positive Change!

"The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her"
~Marcelene Cox

Last week I had the great fortune to attend 'Fashion Hound' Faye De Lanty's first ever VIP Thrift Shopping Tour in support of the Australian Red Cross! 

Brooke and I enjoy some sparkly pink Henkell-Sekt (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)

I arrived with new ecofashion friend Brooke Hahn - Founder of The Beautiful Think - and was struck by how amazingly high fashion the Red Threads store in Paddington looked! Before I could look around properly, a camera crew asked us to go back out and come in again so we could be filmed.  During this second 'arrival' I felt like an awkward robot trying to pass as human! ;)

Despite being camera shy I was thrilled to be wearing the organic bamboo 'Tyakuwa' (Indigenous Australian for 'celebrate') slouch dress by Witjuti. Such a great mix of sophisticated and comfy! I paired this with the Tagua nut jewellery I nabbed at an artisan market in Ecuador and my bag made by women in Rwanda with proceeds going to the Kinamba Project (has plenty of room for thrift-shop purchases!). 

This has to be one of the most beautifully presented thrift-stores I've ever seen! (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)

Faye is an amazing lady who is committed to promoting accessible planet friendly fashion. Here's how she describes herself and her mission:

Am hopelessly addicted to aesthetics (aka Shiny Disease) and have a never ending thirst for style. So in an ode to my beloved Beagle – the eternal hunter-I search the globe for sustainable style, ideas, inspiration and beautiful things to share here on Fashion Hound. I am a huge fan of vintage, charity shopping and love myself a bit of DIY! I believe that where possible we should re-use, recycle, re-invent and re-write the followed fashion path.

Faye De Lanty aka 'Fashion Hound' (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)

Faye has decided to start a series of VIP Thrift Shopping Tours that will combine ethical shopping fun, ecochic styling opportunities and giving to a great cause! I can tell you the first one was a blast!!! There's something truly delightful about raising money for charity while nabbing some sweet vintage threads. Not to mention hanging out with like-minded ecofashionistas while receiving the VIP treatment!

There were goodies galore! (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)

A real highlight for me was getting the chance to talk to some inspiring ethical designers that I'd never met before. I look forward to sharing their eco-design stories with you very soon! It was also fantastic to see so many people supporting the concept of thrift shopping. There's far too much waste happening in our fast-fashion world and reusing clothing is a fantastic alternative to buying brand new items.

Getting to know some fabulous local ethical designers! (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)

Excitingly Faye has just announced that planning for VIP Thrift Shopping Tour #2 is already well under way! It's set to take place on September 11th at the Australian Red Cross store in Newtown, Sydney and will include a DIY Denim and t-shirt workshop. Save the date!

My goal of avoiding the camera failed spectacularly! (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)

You can connect with the Fashion Hound via her Website, Facebook and Twitter.

The Red Threads store in Paddington has everything from clothing, accessories, shoes and even books! (Photo credit: Bryan Marden)