The Changing Colour of Fashion

As the song title confirms “It’s Not Easy Being Green”.  It is true that there is increasing celebrity endorsement for green fashion. Livia Firth recently launched her “Green Carpet Challenge” where she wore green designer clothing to all the star-studded events, culminating with the Oscars.  However, truly ethically-conscious yet stylish clothing is hard to come by.  It is pretty much the same story as with the organic beauty market; despite an increase in the availability of sustainably produced organic clothing, most companies fail to attain anything more than the not so designer label of “new bland”. 
Even with the most commendable ethics in the world you can’t build a reputation on lack luster, tired and ill conceived designs – after all, who wants to wear a poorly fitting dress or an ugly jumper? (hmmmm… actually I think there might be photographic proof that I did this in 1980s, but I digress). The ethics part is easy, well easy in so much as Global Organic Text Standards are clearly defined (refer to http://www.global-standard.org for details). I’m not suggesting adhering to GOTS is a breeze, but the real challenge lies in combining these (at times restricting) standards with products that sell on their own merit.  This is where Liv steps in. No, I am not being over familiar with Mrs. Firth, a lady whom I have never met, I am referring to the wonderful company Liv - http://www.liv-uk.com/home

It is immediately apparent from Liv’s mission statement that this is a company who have fully embraced the challenge of ethically-conscious design:

“Our mission is to ensure that we do not compromise on quality, comfort or appearance when creating our chic, ethical clothing.”

In terms of comfort a key strength of this company is their loving attention to detail. I recently purchased the Harbour- Hoodie (in gorgeous ocean shade) from their fantastic Decked-Out collection.  A great deal of emphasis was given to the use of seam free knitting technology. I must admit I thought to myself, “Oh come off it, I have so never ever been bothered by seams…” but the garment is truly amazing.  It feels so beautiful against my skin, seam free is definitely a feature I will be seeking out for future purchases. I should also add that comfort extends to their customer service, which is second to none – polite staff, speedy service, careful packaging and the odd treat from time to time (gorgeous Lavender soap on one occasion ; )

In terms of style, instead of bemoaning all the colours that are not attainable with the GOTS dying process, they make the available palette truly sing.  Take a look at the Beachcomber collection, it is bright, vibrant and full of life.

They even do potentially "bland" colours with panache. The Reef Shift Dress from the aforementioned Decked out collection is classic, clean and simply stunning.

Casting a perfunctory glance, it is the clothes themselves, and not the ethics behind them, that make them super sellable.  This is a real compliment to the Liv team and one of the best ways to genuinely help change the colour of fashion on the high street.