Conscious Companies You Need to Know About
It’s a strange time in the world right now. Making people sit back and think about what they can do to have a positive impact in this crazy society of ours. A small but important step is supporting small, conscious businesses doing the right thing. Put your money where your mouth is and buy something beautiful from a company worth supporting. Here are a few, female run (and one husband and wife duo), dreamy businesses I am excited about.
Selkie is a female founded and run business creating thoughtful, stunning garments. Kimberley Gordon has created a brand celebrating femininity and diversity with an inclusive size range and reasonable prices for a luxury sustainable brand. They are transparent about their manufacturing and fabric choices and acknowledge they are far from perfect in regards to sustainability. They are working on improving this. In terms of their ethical standards, they are doing wonderful work. They are WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) and BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) certified which means that their manufacturers meet the highest standard of social compliance and responsibility. For more information click here.
Here are a few Selkie pieces on my wish list right now:
Founder Ashley Alexis McFarlane, pays homage to her Jamaican-Ashanti-Maroon heritage, through Omi Woods’ creation fine jewellery designed to be worn everyday, with the craftsmanship to last generations. Each piece is individually and ethically crafted with fair-trade African gold and globally sourced conflict-free fine metals. Little environmental impact is created due to each piece being made to order, with remnants being reused or recycled. The brand gives back to local African communities through sourcing from small scale mines and paying a living wage. Contributing to improved health care, education, safety and improved living conditions in the area.
Obviously Omi Woods is doing incredible work, ethically, sustainably and socially. This fact is made even better by each piece being completely stunning, wearable, detailed and timeless. Here are a few of my favourites:
Married couple Natasha and Brett spend their days hand crafting beautiful ceramics at their home in the woods of Vermont. Each piece has a sense of individuality, and playfulness. Small batch releases make these pieces highly sought after amount ceramic enthusiasts like myself, I am eagerly awaiting my opportunity to support this couple’s love child/business.
Based in Brisbane, Ileana embodies elegant Australian summers. Lightweight fabrics in timeless silhouettes creates comfortable and chic garments. The brands founder, Heshanie Tennekoon, a Sri Lankan - Australian, combines eastern and western aesthetics to form a unified, sophisticated brand aesthetic. Paying homage to her heritage while maintaining a modern effortless style.
The brand’s slow fashion approach means the collection is curated and well thought out. With an emphasis on quality and sustainable design. Ethically produced and made to last with natural fibres, for minimal impact on the environment. Here are some of my favourite pieces and I look forward to future releases.
Nicole Leybourne, founder of The Knitter, along with a handful of New Zealand hand knitters began twiddling away to create intricate and unique knitwear pieces. Demand quickly grew and now making is spread across New Zealand and Peru. Using the countries local resources of NZ mohair, alpaca and sheep wool from the Peruvian highlands. Fabrics are coloured with low impact dyes and are biodegrade. Ethics and sustainability are at the core of the brands ethos.
The Knitter is dreamy. Chunky knit heaven. I would happily wear the same jumper everyday if I had one of these.
I am always looking for more small, ethical businesses to support. Please comment any brands you think I should know about.