5 Ethically Conscious Blogs to Follow

To close this Fashion Revolution Week, I think nothing is more fitting than more inspirations from our fellow influencers. I applaud and admire people who use their influence for good, to try and change the world. I think, as cliché as it sounds, with great power comes great responsibility. In the world where people exploit consumerism and current trends on every corner, it's really refreshing to see people who decide to inspire others and use their voice for good. These women are really empowering and dedicated in terms of ethical fashion. They may still struggle with the journey to become more conscious consumers, but nobody's perfect and it's the determination to learn that matters. Without further ado here are some ethically conscious women you need to know...

It was through the power of instagram that Leah came to my attention. Her blog is filled with various tips on how to substitute your wardrobe with the ethical/fair option. It's through her that I first found more ethical fashion labels all over the world. Her casual styling of the items makes them look really versatile and easy to wear. She also conducts interviews and writes intriguing essays on activism and other related topics. If you're looking for various tips to ease your wardrobe into the ethical life, this is the blog to check out.

From the name, you can already tell how unique Izzy's style is. I can't be sure, but I think it was Izzy who found me and I quickly fell in love with her blog. Still a student, her blog documents Izzy's journey to turn her wardrobe into a more sustainable collection. Aside from ethical fashion, she's also passionate about cruelty-free makeup, veganism and traveling—she's visited various Southeast Asian countries, though not yet Indonesia. Other than her blog, you can find Izzy occasionally writing for Love from Berlin.

If you love stylish urban looks, you should check out Sabrina's blog. Again, it was through the miracle of instagram that I found her. Living in Berlin, her blog offers the aesthetics of the German capital—vintage-inspired and sometimes a bit normcore. She's also a vegan and lomography enthusiast. Such a cool girl! She's a true fashionista, watching current trends and posting wishlists, but she knows the best secondhand stores in Berlin and where to find ethical clothes.

If there's any veteran and expert on the subject, it's got to be Natalie. Having shuffled her way through sustainable fashion, she's found her place. With a background in fashion, this 27-year-old refuses to stay in the industry if she wasn't making positive change. Now Natalie blogs about fashion, beauty and lifestyle—posting Fair OOTDs and Conscious Lists (as she calls them) from time to time. She even practically introduced me to one local ethical fashion label that I'd never heard about.

My first impression of Leah is: "OMG this girl's so cute!" Her style is so close to my heart—everything I can see myself wearing—and she is so friendly. She's apparently quite the star in Brisbane—talking on events and appearing on the cover of magazines—and she's been to various interesting sustainable fashion-related events in her town. Her blog makes fair fashion so much fun and doable, that it's inspired me so much. She also started a clothing label in 2012 called The Happy Cabin and pursues her goal of becoming a social entrepreneur.

If you want more blog recommendations, check out the blog love section on the menu bar

5 Indonesian Ethical Clothing Labels

All this time, when it takes to ethical clothing labels, I've been looking abroad—and later on wistfully dreaming that I could one day purchase their items—when, in fact, there are various ethical labels here in my own homeland. You're probably familiar with Kana—not like I haven't mentioned them millions of times—but other than that, I was clueless about fair fashion labels in the country. Thanks to the Slow Fashion exhibition I visited earlier this month, I got introduced to more than a handful of them. So, in case you're as clueless as I was, I thought I'd introduce some of them to you in this post.

When 5 Indonesian NGOs joined together to form Crafts Kalimantan—a network of indigenous artisans in Kalimantan and their NGO support groups—they created an initiative that turned into Borneo Chic, which was then established as the marketing arm for the network. Their purpose is to promote the artistic heritage of Borneo—such as anjat, korit, bemban, tenun sintang and ulap doyo—by merging the elements of traditional weaving with contemporary designs. They opened their first store in 2011 in Kemang, Jakarta, and now carries their products in 6 stores across the nation.

Starting in 2015, Cinta Bumi has been specialising in barkcloth, which is handmade textile embodiment with papery-leathery texture, originating from Bada Valley (Poso) and Kulawi Valley (Sigi) in Central Sulawesi. Their goal is to revive the barkcloth-making tradition in Indonesia by embracing the artisans across the country. With a home-based atelier in Bali, they cater to the cause of sustainability in social and environmental aspects. Their selection varies from bags, pouches to book covers.

It was in May 2014 when designer couple Ega and Julia (EJ) started this Bandung-based sustainable jewelry label. It is unique from the way that their products are handcrafted using dry rice grain, resin brass or silver. Their goal was to create a label focused on "sustainable luxury," meaning to create luxury items while using sustainable materials. Their items remind me of crystals without having to mine for the items, which is much eco-friendlier. They also look incredibly gorgeous!

Using natural dyes as well as trees and plants native to Indonesia, Imaji Studio strive to be more sustainable. Using 100% handwoven cotton and asking for the help of local artisans, they apply Japanese philosophy and aesthetics, preserving deliberate beauty in imperfection of handmade objects. They offer all sorts of quirky casual clothes, from slip dresses to culottes. They also have side projects—such as the Zero Waste project, where they create accessories from their leftover fabric.

With the determination to create a positive social impact, Denica Flesch created this batik brand with the focus on batik tulis (literally translated: written batik), which means each pattern is drawn by hand and each item is unique. Their business model ties one collection to one initiative for a rural textile community. For instance, for their KUPU collection the Sukkhacitta team provides training to the farming community in Jamplang Village, Central Java, to turn their indigo farms into fabrics for clothes. They offer a selection of gorgeous kimonos, bandanas and scarves.

One of the things that I love the most about Indonesian fair fashion labels—as you can probably tell from this list—is that they, not only empower the poor and stay responsible to nature, but also fight to preserve our cultural heritage. As an art-enthusiast, I find that aspect to be very important—as our cultural artistry seems to be dwindling. Aside from these, you can obviously check out a number of other ethical clothing labels that I've featured on the blog before. You can also read my interview with the founder of Kana and see their behind-the-scenes process.

If you have any more recommendations, please don't hesitate to let me know down below!

Ethical Fashion: Swedish Hasbeens

If we talked about bags last month, this month we'll be talking about another accessory, which is actually essential in everyday life—if you want to go out and about to see the world, anyway. Meet Swedish Hasbeens, a Swedish brand specialising in clogs! The brand was founded in 2006 in Stockholm, inspired by a 1970s mother named Anita. Their designs still derive from original models of the '70s and handmade in respect to people and the environment, collaborating with small factories which have been making shoes for decades and using vegetable leather. Their leathers are all of the ecologically prepared natural grain variety, chosen for its beauty, high quality and sustainability. Three years after its establishment, Swedish Hasbeens became one of the fastest growing Swedish fashion brand, selling in over 20 countries.

With their slogan. 'Better shoes for a better world,' Swedish Hasbeens vows to always take the environment into account and to always treat their workers fairly. They believe that sustainability, creativity and quality should never be sacrificed for short-term profitability and fear of failure. They swear by the quality of their products, using durable materials, such as naturally tanned leather, lime tree and alder wood. Using natural materials, Swedish Hasbeens hopes to produce shoes which will last for generations, thus minimising the amount of waste produced.

The name 'hasbeen' itself has a deep meaning behind it. It represents the inspiration that drives the brand into its success and determination. It marks their unwillingness to bow down to corporate thinking of merely searching for profit and fitting oneself into the public trend. Swedish Hasbeens keep true to the traditional way of shoemaking, with the help of skilled artisans who have been involved in the industry for generations. They also believe in self-expression, regardless of what the current trend is or what would look perfect on the pages of a fashion magazine.

Ever since I spotted Swedish Hasbeens on A Beautiful Mess, I've been lusting after them forever. They have the most old-fashioned yet stylish designs and each shoe looks really comfortable to wear. If I had to choose one to be my favourite, I think I'd go with their Agneta design. It just looks like it could be a classic in my wardrobe—or shoe rack? I've thrifted a pair of clogs before and they've served me rather well. I could only imagine what a high quality, durable pair could feel like on my feet. So which one is your favourite pair?

Ethical Fashion: Gunas New York

While I'm an avid lover of dresses and skirts, I've been told that fashion is so much more than clothing. It includes accessories too, apparently, and bags are my go-to accessories to complete an outfit. However, most ladies' bags available are either not cruelty-free or completely unethically produced. Today I'm going to introduce you to a high fashion, cruelty-free and sustainable variety from Gunas New York. It all started in 2009 with the animal-loving designer Sugandh G. Agrawal, who quit her job as an industrial designer at KitchenAid and started her own vegan fashion line. She believes that we can all look and feel good without having to sacrifice animals—and she is determined to make that happen with her brand.

Gunas itself is a sanskrit word, which means the basic quality that exists in all of nature and its creations—in the form of Tamas (darkness, inertia, inactivity and materiality), Rajas (energy, action, change and movement) and Sattva (harmony, balance, joy and intelligence). The word is deep within the roots of spirituality. Also, it just so happens to be an anagram of the designer's name. And such is the brand's principle, naming the priority in the order of people, planet AND ONLY THEN profit—not the other way around. Gunas works with ethical manufacturers and local artisans from across the globe to bring cruelty-free handbags to their customers—staying true to their vegan root.

Unwilling to contribute to consumerism and overconsumption, Gunas refuses to launch seasonal collections. They break the traditional clothing business system and launch their collections only on occasion, deliberately taking time to create thoughtful products. Each of their collections signify a different personality of a woman: the ANGEL collection for softer, femininity; the CHAMPION collection for a professional winner; the EXPLORER collection for the ever wanderlust; the GLAM collection for the fabulous among us and the REBEL collection for the bold warriors in all of us.

I absolutely love the variety within their catalogue. If I have to identify myself with a collection, I'd pick Angel and/or Champion. The designs are just so versatile and the cut is roomy enough for me to carry whatever I want. Product-wise, specifically I adore Bridgette and Kangaroo—but they have so many classy ones that I'd sooner go for all of them. Gunas also has a shoe collection launching soon and, if you pre-order until August 31, you can grab 30% off for them using the code SHOELOVE. Who wouldn't want a conscientious, cruelty-free and ethical pair of adorable shoes, am I right? Ugh, I simply cannot wait! Which of their products do you fancy?

Ethical Fashion: Naja

This month's ethical fashion showcase is something I stumbled upon on instagram a while ago. Their #nudeforall campaign captured my eye and I decided to look at their other collections. Naja was founded by Catalina Girard, the woman behind Underwear for Hope and Term Member at the Council of Foreign Relations, and Gina Rodriguez, Golden Globe winner actress from Jane the Virgin who is actively involved with the National Hispanic Foundation as well as four other Latino-focused organisations. Their latest campaign—#nudeforall—offers 7 shades of nude colours of underwear in three panty cuts. They're promoting this campaign by pasting up each shade on subway stations in New York City, so you can find out which one your nude is by standing in front of it.

Naja's main goal is to empower women, break the standards of body image in the modern world and create an eco-conscious clothing line to cater to women of all race and sizes. For their values, they stated: "Naja is a product of our passions and beliefs: a love for beautifully designed things, a bit of rebelliousness, and a deep desire to make the world a better place." In terms of empowering women, Naja changes the way lingerie is marketed nowadays, refusing to objectify women in a way that appeal to male consumers, and instead chooses to connect with the smart, courageous and sexy women of today. Naja's garment factory primarily also employs single mother or female heads of households where they are paid above market wages with healthcare benefits. This is their way of aiding single mothers, implementing flexible work policies that make it easier for women to balance work and childcare. This is all done with as little environmental impact as possible. Naja uses digital and sublimation printing, as they produce almost no water waste, and fabrics made out of recycled plastic bottles. However, none of this process sacrifices their craftsmanship, paying meticulous attention to details, luxurious design elements and high quality materials. 

What I love most about Naja is the wide selections of designs that they offer. You can get the classy, luxurious undergarments, the quirky, tacky printed panties and the solid-coloured goods all in one shop. They also use models with a wide range of body types and races. Some of the items are showcased in two options on their online store: the caucasian version and the black version, using two models to show the difference in appearance for different skin colours. They also have inspirational, empowering quotes written on the inside crotch area of their panties, as well as their social media information, etc—as you can see above. Style-wise, I absolutely adore their prints-adorned pieces, especially the Frida Kahlo-inspired collection—as she is also one of the most inspirational women ever. Their designs are incredibly unique and not at all shown in an overly-erotic way, as most lingerie labels seem to do. The best part is they also ship internationally—and, if you're living in the US, they offer free shipping on orders over $75—and their prices are quite affordable. What a way to feel empowered!