Saturday, 20 June 2015

The Closet Minimalist



Who am I?
 
I'm your constant companion.
I'm your greatest helper and heaviest burden.
I'll push you onward, or drag you down to failure.
 
I'm completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might as well turn over to me and I'll be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I'm easily managed - you must merely be firm with me.
 
Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I'll do it automatically.
I'm the servant of all great men and women, but alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I've made great. Those who are failures, I've made failures.
 I'm not a machine. Though I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a woman or man.
You may run me for profit or ruin - it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I'll place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I'll destroy you.
 Answer: I am your habits - Anonymous
We all have peculiar habits and like things in a particular way. We go through life picking up these habits, finding what we like and how we like it. When it comes to how we look, it is probably the time when our personal habits are on show for all to see.
Being comfortable in our own skin is a challenge for most. Our clothes are our armour and when we wear certain items whether it be a favourite suit, lucky undies or killer stilettos we draw power from what we wear.
Choosing an outfit in the morning can be stressful and many of us feel regret when we walk out the door or arrive at the office and feel uncomfortable in what we chose that morning. Reducing stress in one area of our lives is important and our wardrobe is one of the easiest places to start removing that stress.
The article written by Joshua Becker called ‘8 Reasons Successful People Are Choosing to Wear the Same Thing Every Day’ is a wonderful article highlighting how minimising your wardrobe can reduce morning stress and also save you money.
 
Changing your habits that hold you back or cause you stress are key factors in making your life less complicated. Minimising your closet and realising that in some cases less is more is an important philosophy to help you manage stress, reduce your impulse spending and also reduce your closet waste.
 
 
 

Saturday, 13 June 2015

Arvo




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Image result for arvowearBased in Salt Lake City Utah, Arvo deliver beautiful watches that are socially responsible and easy on the eye. Showcasing a variety of face colors and authentic leather bands, Arvo have a watch for everyones own unique and personal style. Simple, classic and minimal timepieces are at the heart of Arvo design.
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These watches are unisex in design and have interchangeable bands that are available as separates enabling you to create your own unique color combination. 

The Arvo philosophy is 'be good, do good' and they definitely pave the way in doing so. A portion of each sale goes to assisting various charities and community projects. Some projects include clothing the homeless, local refugee projects and also girls education in India.

Personally, we love this brand. The product is well priced and the quality is amazing, the range is vast and the interchangeability of the bands really ensure you can get the most out of your watch.

Currently the Arvo team are exploring various business opportunities in Europe and Asia so they can improve shipping and accessibility. This business is exceptionally transparent and the customer service is excellent. Definitely a great shopping experience : ) 

Check them out at Arvo Wear


Tuesday, 26 May 2015

Boho Jewel - Samantha Wills




What makes an outfit standout? The bling! and Australian designer Samantha Wills certainly delivers the goods. This self made accessories brand has not stopped growing since its inception when Samantha was just 21 years old! We think its safe to say that luxe bohemian jewelry is on every celebrity and fashionistas radar.

FILM NOIR MEMORIES PENDANT NECKLACEBOHEMIAN BARDOT RING - METAL GOLDDEEP SEA LOVE BANGLE - GOLD
Samantha Wills accessories are iconic in the fashion scene, having debut in Sex and the City the brand has become an international success. The founder and lead designer Samantha Wills is in high demand, becoming a creative consultant to numerous international brands and also collaborating with Australian wine brand Yellowglen. In conjunction with this busy schedule she always finds time for her philanthropic endeavors. Samantha believes heavily social responsibility and is involved in organisations such as the McGrath Foundation and mentoring programs for women and youth in business and lifestyle.

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looking to add a little boho chunk and color to your outfit and wanting it to have a little meaning? check out Samantha Wills website you won't regret it!!

Monday, 18 May 2015

Kester Black


Meet our favorite new nail polish brand! Kester Black. This wonderful brand is 100% Australian made and owned and creates pretty nail colors and delicious smelling soaps. Kester Black is dedicated to bringing you products that are vegan, cruelty free and 100% ethical. The brand is supported and accredited with the Vegan Society and CCF (Choose Cruelty Free) and boasts their 5 free nail formula that has no Toluene, DBP, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin and no camphor. The nail colors are funky and feminine, they will match any outfit and style you could possibly imagine, they also dry fast and don't have a chemical smell.

The soap range has beautiful oils including coconut, jojoba, seed and vitamin E. Shea butter is also included to provide that nourishing and creaming sweet smelling lather. There are no parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals or pam oil in their soaps, meaning no nasties for you or the environment.  

This brand is dedicated to an all round approach to ethical manufacturing and reducing their environmental impact. Recycling, reducing batch numbers and minimizing waste are only some aspects of Kester Blacks commitment to providing a product that is 100% ethical.

for more info head to the Kester Black Website  . . . enjoy your pretty nails, we are! : )

Monday, 4 May 2015

Fashion Feature - Mooi


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Ever wanted a beautiful leather bag but felt too guilty for the animals who provided it? Well we have some news for you, welcome Mooi. Mooi (meaning beautiful in Africaans) is an Australian based company that sources genuine leather and hide that are the by-product of the economic food industry.

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Founder Vashti Uys incorporates her own style into her design and manages to create products that are the epitome of easy going style and luxury. The simplicity of design gives great credit to the materials used to create these fashion icons. The main focus of this brand is to ensure maximum style and luxury is achieved whilst maintaining sustainability and minimal environmental impacts.

Finding the right handbag is sometimes a daunting task especially for the ethical consumer. Materials used to make these luxuries rarely are environmentally or animal friendly. Mooi is a brand that not only provides clean and sophisticated style but also appreciates the resource that it relies on.

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The Mooi brand also provides high quality cow hides that are each unique to the animal its from. Again all hides are remnants from the food industry and are ethically procured. 

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Check them out here! http://www.mooistore.com/

Wednesday, 29 April 2015

A little Pledging - Folke Byron Bay

Australian made, unfortunately its not as common as it should be in the fashion industry. Although we do have brands such as Cue, Gorman and Manning Cartel that are utilizing the local talent pool and ensuring that their brands are not costing the earth or humanity, but these brands don't cater to everyone's tastes and requirements. This is where the sweatshop fast fashion garments come in to play and bulk up the fashion industry, fill the gap in terms of cheap t-shirts and jeans.  

We would like to introduce the folk of Byron Bay, literally, the up and coming organic clothing brand Folke are bringing local, organic and all round ethical t-shirts to us ethical fashion enthusiasts. This brand holds tightly to the ethical production and manufacturing standards that many disregard. They believe in 'fashion karma' which goes without saying that these fashion conscious few know how to fashion, ethically!. The design ethos is simple, a natural casual style emulating the beautiful region and community of Byron Bay. These t-shirts are 100% organic cotton, 100% organic ink and 100% sweatshop free manufacturing.

As this brand is just starting up a pledge fund has been created to assist in raising the funds to manufacture the 'forever free' t-shirt at a sweatshop free factory located in Sydney. So if you want a feel good Folke tee or just some more info on this great new brand follow this link, pledge and as they say bring your fashion karma back to base.

Folke - Byron Bay






Friday, 24 April 2015

Fashion Revolution - For the Love of Fashion



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What are you wearing? Check the Label. Is it from China, India Bangladesh, Thailand? Have you ever just thought about where your clothes were made and who made them?

A tragic incident occurred on April 24th 2013 in Dahka Bangladesh, which is two years ago today. A clothes manufacturing building known as Rana Plaza collapsed killing and injuring thousands. Many of you would have heard of this heartbreaking event, seen it on the news, or read it in the paper for a short while and then nothing, until the anniversary last year. As a result of this tragic incident a global initiative began called Fashion Revolution, who chose to challenge society on a global scale to check where your clothes were made and who made them. They developed the #insideout campaign that encourages people to turn their clothes inside out and show your tag to the world. This particular campaign initiative really makes the issue of where your clothes were made a reality not just to the wearer, but to brands and businesses.
Fashion Revolution is a powerful movement that seeks to connect and reconnect people around the world through fashion. The fashion industry is still one of the most exploited industries in the world. It is also one of the industries that contributes greatly to the GDP(Gross Domestic Product AKA revenue) of many countries across the globe. This is what really causes concern as it is one of the most important GDP providers in these countries. If an industry is a sizeable part of the nations interests, why would you not care for it, improve it and make it sustainable for the future? So why is it not a priority in many of these governments?

Since the disaster, human rights organisations and workers unions have campaigned for better work practices in Bangladesh and other manufacturing nations, they have urged businesses and brands to improve conditions and wages for workers. Many brands using this manufacturing plant specifically have signed an the 'Accord on Fire and Building safety in Bangladesh, which is a legally binding contract that allows for impromptu inspections and an increase in safety measures for the building. This is a start and many of us campaigners should be proud of the progress that has been done.  

Fashion Revolution is just what this industry needs, a revolution in the way clothes are made and a revolution in the way fast fashion is consumed and appreciated in society. So turn your clothes inside out and #whomademyclothes or #insideout. Its up to us fashion lovers to make the change and show just how much us as consumers want this change.


For more info on Fashion Revolution, the Rana Plaza building or how to get involved head to www.fashionrevolution.org or use the #whomademyclothes or #fashrev on your Instagram. Also check http://www.cleanclothes.org/ranaplaza for brands that still need to improve their standards for manufacturing.
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Friday, 10 April 2015

'Buy less, choose well, make it last'



‘Buy Less, choose well, make it last’

-        Vivienne Westwood

Image from kOOii
 We have come to the decision that our first post topic will be short and sweet and give a little insight as to the reason why we are here and the words we live by. ‘Buy less, choose well, make it last’ are words from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood the renowned designer who has made remarkable changes to her own design ethos and brand. These words mean something to us here at IFA, our philosophy is largely based on those words as changes to the world of fashion start with the choices we make as consumers.
An ethical consumer is someone who thinks before they buy. It's not just the brand that makes you an ethical consumer but also the logic behind the purchase like what and why your buying the product in the first place. 

There is no denying that buying ethically or even responsibly is a costly exercise as many brands that are ethically made or use environmentally sustainable materials have a slightly higher price tag, but it is important to remember that being a conscious consumer is not just about buying specific brands but also choosing when to buy something and why.
 
As consumers we have the power to decide how the products we love get made, what materials are used and also the conditions in which they are made. Simone Ciprione founder of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative states ". . . consumers are king, You can engage, as consumers to ask the stories behind the product and people will start getting the stories right". There is increasing awareness of these issues and more and more initiatives and charities are becoming involved in the textiles industry.
We hope that this site will help you guys find the best fashion brands and support the charities that are really working hard to make the changes that need to happen to the fashion industry.

We wanted to make this post short and sweet so please stay tuned for more updates from the ethical fashion scene and our monthly brand audits, where we present to you our favorite brand of the month! 

Please feel free to comment, email or tag us on Instagram at @independentfashionaudit if you have ideas or opinions on ethical and sustainable fashion we would love to hear from you!

until next time . . . IFA : )