Inspired - A very exciting event this Sat!!

By Lorna

Saturday, 15th of October 2011@ The Kensington Roof Gardens

EVENT STARTS AT 7.00PM AT THE KENSINGTON ROOF GARDENS, 99 KENSINGTON HIGH STREET, LONDON W8 5SA

What are your plans for this Saturday eve? No plans yet, or too many to actually commit? Well, here at Ecogoddess HQ, we think we have found you the perfect night out!! At one of the most beautiful venues London has to offer, Kensington Roof Gardens, Mayamiko Trust are hosting a charity night like no other...'Inspired'. In collaboration with Slaves of the Extraordinary, there will be emerging fashion, music, ground breaking performance and dancers. Sounds good to me!

The following ethical designers will be featured: Lauren Solomon for SLAVES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY, MIA by Mia Nisbet, Fair+TRUE, Bestow Elan and Christi Sanders. There will also be music and performances from the following: Listen, feel and taste the wonderful cocktail of emerging musicians, DJs and dancers including E.I.C Dance Theatre, Michelle Cade and Catwalk music by Jakub Gaudasinski.

The event sounds fab but.... what is this REALLY about? The mission statement of the Mayamiko Trust charity is ''Empowering local communities through skills and fairer trade. To help people lift themselves out of poverty and end injustice.'' Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries with well over half the population in extreme poverty and 175 out of 1000 children die before they reach the age of 5 (World Health Statistics). Unsurprisingly then, a charity aiming to lift people out of poverty has started here - The Malawi Cotton project outlines plans to set up a factory (plans below) to produce clothing to sell to both the local and international markets. There will be education, training and childcare available to the local women who work here to allow them to generate a sustainable reliable income. They will have the life changing ability to support themselves and their family and free themselves of extreme poverty.

''We watch, we listen, we learn, we act. Through skills training, education, nutrition, sanitation and fairer trade practices. Mayamiko works to support creative talents and turn them into sustainable activities. Mayamiko loves everyone, but has a special soft spot for the most vulnerable - women and children.'' Mayamito Trust 2011

I will be going to this great event and I would love to meet you so drop us a comment below if you are going. If you know of any other exciting Ethical Fashion event happening in your area - get in touch, we love hearing from you!

To buy tickets and support this inspirational charity click here

To read more about the Malawi Cotton Project click here

EDUN - CATWALK REPORT - New York Spring/Summer 2012

By Lorna

EXCITING TIMES!!!!!! New York fashion week is going on as I type and London Fashion Week starts on friday (16th). Most of my friends are frantically cutting patterns, sewing together final outfits, printing lookbooks and sending out invites. One of the New York shows I was most looking forward to was ethical label EDUN. Since Sharon Wauchob took the creative direction reins, this label has had a profound injection of style and craftsmanship. The SS12 show featured a skillful mash-up of iconic florals overprinted with african patterns, mesh sportswear references and a beautiful optomistic pallete of red and blue hues. Edun supports six factories accross Africa where 37 per cent of the women's line is made, the label's ethos being ''Trade not Aid''. I LOVE IT!!

Johari launches on ASOS

by Naomi

Beautiful limited edition summer clothes - sound good? It is!

Johari's philosophy is that fashion should be ethical, stylish and beautiful - we like! And even better, they have just opened an ASOS boutique.

Guest designer Julia Smith has come up with some great versatile designs that are perfect for any summer occasion. What's more, every piece is handmade in Kenya by the brand's very own social enterprise - feelgood fashion at its best!

Now I'm not generally a casual girl (permanently overdressed is my regular get-up) but I have a serious soft spot for these Masai designs.

Green Nzuri T-shirt £18

Johari Neema Dress - £30

 Got a summer of weddings, dinner dates, drinks with the girls and perhaps even a trip to the races? Then look no further - these dresses will help you rock them all! 




Johari Kilele Kimono Dress - £45

Johari Green Ra Ra Dress - £50

 

Check out the Johari ASOS boutique here and see the Johari website here. 

Facts: Johari ASOS Boutique. Pieces handmade in Kenya supporting social enterprise. Made from cotton and polyester.

A slightly delayed Monday treat!

by Naomi

Yes...I know....it's been a while. Unfortunately or fortunately the last few Mondays have been super busy and I haven't had the chance to post! But I am here at last!

So today I am posting about what Ecogoddess did on one of the aforementioned Mondays! In our neck of the woods, the first Bank Holiday Monday in May means one thing: Stilton Cheeserolling!

It's not the high adrenalin break-your-neck-and-legs event that those crazy Gloucester folk partake in. It does involve rolling cheese down a hill (well wood painted like cheese), but as what constitutes for a hill in these flat fens is what other people would look at as a gentle slope, it is much more..... laid back! It does however require fancy dress and is part of an all-round huge fete which the entire village and surrounding villages turn out for.

After a hugely successful trial run last year, raising money for the EJF, this year Lorna and I ran our second charity bake sale. This year, it was to raise much needed funds for The Mustard Seed Project, which works to empower the people of a slum community in Mombasa.

We spent the weekend baking and icing and by the time we had finished, we had 180ish cupcakes, three traybakes, one loaf cake, 8 jars of chutney and lots of vanilla cookies and shortbread! We also sold some jewellery made out in Africa.

The pics here were taken after we had sold most of our cakes, but you can get an idea! We dressed the stand in ribbon and kitsch patterned fabric and tablecloths, and put cupcakes on pretty plates and cake stands.

The sun was shining and the fete-goers were loving cake - we sold out by around 2.30pm (which meant we could go and enjoy a nice cider in the sunshine!) After deducting costs, we raised a wonderful £310!

If you are thinking of doing your own charity bake sale, here are a few of our top tips:

• Presentation is everything - there were plenty of other stands selling cake and cupcakes, but our extra effort in dressing the stand and decorating the cakes attracted a lot of customers.
• Mix it up a bit - flavours should offer the classic favourites, but also something a little unusual. We did classics like Maple & Pecan, Coffee & Walnut and Carrot Cupcake, but also Oreo Cupcakes with a cookie at the bottom, Chocolate & Banana Loaf Cake, Lemon Cheesecake with a lemon curd centre, and Strawberry Cream Cupcakes with a jam centre and cream cheese frosting. Make flavours they can't resist!
• Know your audience - we tailored the cakes to appeal to both children, teenagers and adults. Some of the cupcakes were smaller, and so more manageable for children. We also did a rainbow sponge cupcake with bright glitter icing to appeal to kids and big kids! Not everyone likes chocolate or a huge amount of buttercream icing, so we did more grown-up flavours like Mocha, Lemon Drizzle and Orange Drizzle.
• Price it right! We needed to make a good profit over our costs, and knew that visitors would have varying amounts of money to spend. We sold little cookies at 25p each, then smaller cupcakes and slices of traybake at £1, and large deluxe cupcakes at £1.50.

Overall it was a great success and something we hope to repeat. We would love to hear about your bake sale experiences and any fundraising ideas!

Facts: Bank Holiday bake sale for the Mustard Seed Project. Cakes and cupcakes made from organic, fairtrade and free range ingredients.

This Weekend- Ethical Fashion Sample Sale @ Truman Brewery

By Lorna

Definitely worth a trip to the big smoke! I went to this eco sample sale a couple of years ago and it was brilliant! Got lots of lovely eco bargains (for myself and for presents), supported young brands and got to know some great new ones. See you there!!

Facts: 20th-23rd May 2011, Truman Brewery, Ethical Fashion Sample Sale, Howies, Komodo, Kuyichi, Outsider, Julia Smith, Biblico 

Exciting news for people & planet!

By Lorna


Sadly the exciting news is not that Ecogoddess got invites to the Royal Wedding bash today (although that would have been very exciting!) This news actually comes from our friends at the Environmental Justice Foundation...


It was announced today that Delegates at the Stockholm Convention conference of parties have made the decision to list Endosulfan (an extremely toxic chemical pesticide) under Annex A of the Convention. This is basically a global ban on all production and use within the next 5 years. This is a major victory for people and planet!!!

Endosulfan is widely used in cotton production and is the dominant pesticide in the cotton sector in 19 countries. In a single province of Benin, at least 37 people died from endosulfan poisoning in just one cotton season. 


An estimated 1 million to 5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in 20,000 reported deaths among agricultural workers (including cotton production) and at least 1 million requiring hospitalisation. 

Acute symptoms of pesticide poisoning include headaches, vomiting, tremors, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing or respiratory depression, loss of consciousness, seizures and death. Chronic effects of long-term pesticide exposure include impaired memory and concentration, disorientation, severe depression and confusion.

Massive thank you to everyone who has supported the Environmental Justice Foundation's campaign to ban this horrific pesticide. 


LONG LIVE ORGANIC COTTON!!!!!! ...... and the pesticide free workers who grow it! : )


To find out more about the Pesticides & Cotton click here
To read about the impact of Endosulfan in India click here

An almost-on-holiday Monday treat!

by Naomi

The bank hols are just around the corner and that holiday feeling is slowly creeping up on everyone!

One of the things I love about time off is that, when the weather is warm there's nothing better than chilling in relaxed summery casuals. Barbecues with friends, that balmy breeze and the smell of suncream - ooh it's almost like being on holiday!

I've been keeping my eye out for pieces that ooze that chilled summery vibe and I think I have found a few gems!

The ASOS AFRICA range has some pretty tasty looking designs, like these peg-leg trousers with a leaf print (£45). OK, so you may not actually be on safari or stood in a vibrant African market, but with trousers produced in Mombasa and championing a Kitenge print from Tanzania, they are enough to make you feel like you could be!

I also LOVE this jacket and shorts combo, both also made in Mombasa. Perfection in peach!

The cropped jacket is a linen mix and I love the way it drapes - so elegant yet laid back (£50). The shorts are lightweight cotton with a soft handle finish, and a gorgeous rustic stripe and stylish cut that makes them great for day-to-night socialising (£30). Oops - I think I may have talked myself into buying these!

Last but not least, this Maradufu dress by Lalesso is simply gorgeous (£85). Lalesso is all about care-free summer style; it champions the talent of African artisans and created "an independent, charity based, eco and ethical clothing production unit," which it uses for all of its production.

If you're detecting a slightly African theme, it's no coincidence! I think I have been subconsciously inspired by my recent involvement with the charity The Mustard Seed Project, a UK registered charity which works to improve the lives of those that live in the Mgongeni in Kenya.

They are a really passionate and hardworking team, and fully believe in the ethos of empowerment not aid. More about my work with them in due course, but please do visit their website to find out more, and donate if you can. :)

Have a great week and some great days off!

-x-

Facts: ASOS AFRICA: supporting African artisans and production; Lalesso: uses an ethical factory and African prints; The Mustard Seed Project in Mgongeni, Kenya - empowerment not aid.

Super cute eco flats!

By Lorna

In true british style, all it took was a few unexpected days of BEAUTIFUL hot sunny weather for the whole nation to get their pasty legs out, flip-flops on and BBQs dusted off. I LOVE it! The British optimism about summer is so contagious - I can't wait to be shed of all the layers of winter and rock sum summery eco threads. I will be documenting all the essential S/S11 trends and my own summer-y purchases here so keep your eyes peeled. I started this weekend by getting re-acquainted with my summer wardrobe and my serious lack of summery shoes... check out these gorgeous African print ballet pumps for a great place to start!

Lalesso batik prints are made in Kenya under a fair scheme, supporting communities. At £30 a pop we think they are a great way to add some pattern to your wardrobe. You can find them in all sorts of colours and patterns here

Facts: Lalesso batik print shoes: supporting communities in Kenya, £30 a pair, available from Lalesso.