All of its products are made from organically grown cotton purchased from fair trade farms in India. Gossypium Gardens Top, £25, trousers, £35 This relatively small company specialises mainly in yoga wear and home linens. Unlike many competitors, the company manages to keep prices low without resorting to sweatshops or child labour as a means of cutting costs. It has just one factory, based in the same building as its Los Angeles head office. All aspects of production are monitored, with particular attention paid to ensuring good working conditions and fair pay.
020 7693 6999, www.americanapparel 4. American Apparel Women's vest, £12 American Apparel is an all-American clothes store which is unlikely to find human rights protesters camped at its door. Following its success in the USA the company has expanded into Europe were it provides a selection of classic vests, t-shirts and all the basics. The company specifically targets the young and fashionable shopper and has a line of customised second-hand clothing which has also been stocked at Topman.020 8733 2580, www.traid .uk 3. 01788 575800, www.wornagain.co.uk 2 Traid Top £29.50, skirt £35 Traid is in essence a charity shop with a difference. Standing for Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development, Traid collects, recycles and sells second-hand clothes and shoes to fund projects in the third world On average it donates £150,000 per year.
They are designed to last, but should they break down they may be repaired for free at Terra Plana on London's Bermondsey Street. The materials they re-use include prison blankets, car seat scrap leather and silk parachutes along with with recycled rubber soles Accordingly, every pair is unique. 1. Worn again Second-hand suit jacket, parachute silk shoes, both £60 Worn Again rather romantically describe themselves as a company who give a 'second chance and new lease of life' to old or discarded fabrics, turning them into stylish trainers. By shopping in these stores, you are helping to oust long-established traders who were actually serving the community rather than dispensing tourist trivia.