Kindness by Review: Surrender Apparel

When Julie Belic - a designer with degrees in sustainable fashion and international development - turned to yoga during a stressful point in her life, she soon realised there wasn't anything out there that she wanted to wear to classes.

"I didn't want that gym bunny, shiny legging look. I wanted what I wore to yoga to be more seamless with my everyday clothing..." says Julie. In 2012 she took a bold step forward and founded Surrender yoga apparel for men and women, produced ethically in Bali.

I was delighted to have been contacted by Julie, asking me to review one of her brand new sustainable botanically-dyed tops. Let's see how it fares during my 'yoga road test' ;-)

My sea green top has been dyed using the leaves and roots of mango and indigo, this means the pigment will fade over time. It's recommended that you wash on a cool gentle setting and dry in the shade. 

According to Julie, "Botanical dyes lighten the footprint of the garment during construction...As the greatest environmental impact of a garment occurs during its use by the consumer in laundering, using botanical dyes encourages the consumer to wash gently and therefore reduces the impact of the garment".

I seriously liked the fact that I felt both comfortable and secure in this top. It didn't pinch anywhere but it also wasn't gaping or shifting about during my more active moves! You don't need your yoga session to turn into an impromptu strip tease!

Made from 95% Modal and 5% Spandex, this top flexes nicely with your body while feeling lovely and soft.

Within the next five years, Surrender aims to be partnered with an Non-Governmental Organisation and have a strong social enterprise dimension to the label. I personally would love to hear more about the individual makers in Bali, perhaps with the addition of a 'Meet the Makers' type resource on their website. It's clear from talking to Julie that she's committed to Surrender becoming a brand that's increasingly transparent, sustainable and community-oriented as well as aesthetically pleasing. 

For my lucky Australian and New Zealand based readers, Surrender is giving you the chance to WIN your very own botanically-dyed yoga top from the new collection!
 
To enter simply:

1. Leave a comment below on this post telling me what yoga means to you

2. Click on the Rafflecopter widget to officially enter the competition and to gain access to additional chances to win

The competition will run until 10:00 am (AEST) on Thursday 19th March 2015, and is open to Australian and New Zealand residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kindness by Review: One Colour

In November last year I was fortunate enough to chat with Di Stitt - the Founder of ethical label One Colour. Now I'm delighted to take a closer look at some of their amazing and empowering products, including: Kenana Knitter Critters, the Martha Shell Top and the exquisite range of East African tribal dolls.

How completely adorable is this fella? He and his friends have been lovingly hand-knitted from organic cotton yarn by the female artisans of Kenana Knitters in Tanzania. I love that each creature comes with the name of the specific artisan who created them!

Since its foundation by local Kenyan Patricia Nightingale in 1998, Kenana Knitters has "taught women in the area to knit beautiful, organic products using local, sustainable resources". 

These delightful products are also available in leopard, lion, tiger, zebra, elephant and monkey. Being individually made, each character is distinct...even within a species! 

I can also confirm that Kenna Knitter Critters are highly huggable for both adults and toddlers alike...

Late last year One Colour was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ in the Kids’ Product category as a distributor of Kenana Knitter toys, at the inaugural Green Lifestyle Awards. 

 
One Colour has now launched their new collaborative collection with Viva Africa called Detour. Inspired by Founder Di Stitt's travels through Kenya, Paris and Namibia, the collection includes both dresses and separates. According to One Colour, each piece has been created by skilled Kenyan tailors who are employed in a clean, safe environment. They are paid award wages and entitlements and have access to further training.

I took the Martha Shell Top in fawn out for a spin! This extremely versatile top is made from 100% African grown, rain fed cotton from small scale farmers. 

The fabric feels lovely and soft on your skin and the top is just as easy to wear with shorts as it is to dress up. 

 
Added bonus? My new top seems to be very attractive to cats! =^..^= You can also purchase the Martha Shell Top in ebony, white and starlight blue. 

My final treasure from One Colour is this beautiful Kikuyu Dancer, which has been hand-stitched by the ladies at Dolly Craft based in Kangemi.

The creation of these charming dolls helps to generate income for women living in the Kangemi Slum, putting food on the table, paying school fees and covering basic medical needs. 

Attention all UK Ethical Designers: Design an Ecochic Outfit for Whitney Port

Let me start by saying this isn't normally the type of thing I write about here at Kindness by Design but I think it's a brilliant opportunity to showcase ecofashion to a mainstream audience! It's important to note that I have not been paid in any way to write this - it's pure me :)

Whitney Port (Image Source)

So here's the deal - I received an email from TalentHouse announcing that Venus & Olay are inviting all UK and Ireland based fashion designers to create a two-piece outfit for their Golden Goddess Ambassador Whitney Port. 

The winning designer will see their creation modeled by Whitney Port as part of an exclusive feature with Glamour Magazine and receive a £1,000 bursary towards their creative work. 

Whitney at the launch party for Who What Wear's new home decor site (Image Source)

Now my initial reaction to this information was - well there doesn't seem to be anything eco/ethical about this competition - then I realised that we the KBD Community could make it so! I've featured so many astoundingly talented ecofashion designers from the UK and I would love nothing more than to see one of these inspiring creatives win this competition. Imagine having Whitney Port wearing and talking about her gorgeous new sustainable outfit to a mainstream audience? Brilliant! Designs need to be submitted by August 7th - all other details can be found here. 

Let me know if you do enter - Good Luck! x