Christmas is nigh! And while I haven’t even started my own Christmas shopping yet, I’ve been drooling over dozens of gorgeous gifts from ethical brands and indie designers, plenty of them local Scottish companies. This year, I want to shop as sustainably as possible, both in the gifts themselves and in reducing the quantity of gifts I buy. So with that in mind, welcome to my ethical Christmas gift guide for 2019, featuring 15+ thoughtful and considered gift ideas. Here’s to the most conscious Christmas yet. The brands in this blog post have either paid a small fee to be featured, or in ..read more

Have you noticed my snazzy new website? I’m really happy to have finally re-launched my online space to reflect everything I’m up to . While I still have 3+ years of blog posts on here, plus all my published articles, I also wanted to showcase my freelance digital marketing work (my day job) to help spread the word about what I do! I realise that I’ve been on a wee bit of an unintentional hiatus from blogging itself, instead spending a lot of time on Instagram. But as we’re all reaching Insta-overload - I, for one, truly believe that blogging is not dead. I spend most of my day creating long ..read more

*This content is sponsored by Pala Eyewear, but all thoughts are 100% my own ‘Mzuri’ frames in rose pink, £110 Overproduction, overconsumption, and buying new in general is a major issue. This is what independent sunglasses brand Pala Eyewear told me about their views on the state of sustainable fashion. However, they remain committed to growth due to crucial eye care projects funded by sales of their products, a dilemma faced by many ethical businesses trying to rethink their purpose. ”Our choices will be felt for generations, if not forever. Our business model gives me hope, but there’s so ..read more

*This content is sponsored by Boots UK, but all thoughts are 100% my own Half a million people in the UK signed up to Veganuary in 2021, a new record. But when we look beyond our dinner plate and towards our toiletries bag, there is a huge awareness gap. What’s the difference between vegan and cruelty-free? If a product is labelled as being made from natural ingredients, does that make it vegan? Does veganism guarantee sustainable credentials? And what the hell is ‘plant based’? Hopefully, from a curious beginner’s perspective, this post will give you some guidance into the murky world of veg ..read more

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Despite everything that 2020 has thrown our way, I am so excited for the festive season, not least because it gives me a chance to shout about some of my favourite sustainable brands here in Scotland. Small businesses need our support more than ever, and as a massive cheerleader for Scottish design, I thought I’d dedicate this year’s Christmas gift guide to our thriving community of creatives who want to put their beautiful stamp on the world without leaving a negative footprint. Scroll on to explore my top picks from Scotland-based ind ..read more

*this is sponsored content Should philanthropy be part of an ethical brand’s strategy? Nordgreen, purveyors of iconic Scandinavian watches, certainly think so. Designed by renowned Danish designer Jakob Wagner, Nordgreen’s watches are ethically made in Danish-owned factories and delivered in recycled and FSC-certified packaging. Their proudest achievement, though, is an extensive ‘giving back’ program. The brand has long term partnerships with three global NGOs - Pratham, Water for Good and Cool Earth - in addition to several smaller local charities around the world, such as ThanksGive in Sou ..read more

*this is sponsored content Did you know the average parent spends well over £230 a year on school uniform per child, excluding PE kit? The vast majority of this is made from synthetic materials so it’s hard wearing, washable and crease-resistant, and it’s replaced regularly as kids outgrow and wear out their clothes at breakneck speed. The staggering financial and environmental cost of children’s clothing is finally starting to hit the mainstream sustainable fashion movement, but how can we create an ecosystem of affordable, accessible, environmentally conscious clothing that parents and kids ..read more

Photo: Fashion Revolution This is a guest blog post by sustainable fashion blogger Emily Kemp Coronavirus has exposed fast fashion’s negligence of women’s rights. For years, the fast fashion industry has masqueraded as feminist. Brands promoting ‘female empowerment’ values and mass-producing feminist slogans on £3 t-shirts have hoodwinked the high street.  But the industry’s ‘feminist’ values exist alongside a striking lack of supply chain transparency and their disturbing denial of a living wage for factory workers – 80% of whom are women. The coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated t ..read more

Los Angeles-based brand Reformation have made over 100,000 masks, donating many to hospitals and homeless shelters across the city. Photo: Reformation via Instagram This is a guest blog post by sustainable fashion blogger Emily Kemp. Ethical fashion is clothing with a conscience. It puts social good, i.e. the protection of the planet and its people, before the unprincipled, profit-driven practices that are prevalent in many clothing manufacturers today. For a brand to remain sustainable, they need to stand by their ethical values, even in times of worry or uncertainty.  In the words of C ..read more

Rose Schneiderman. Image Source: Brown Brothers This is a guest blog post by Mary Beth Graham, events and policy advisor at the Scottish Women’s Convention, and my fellow volunteer at Fashion Revolution Scotland.  "What the woman who labors wants is the right to live, not simply exist — the right to life as the rich woman has the right to life, and the sun and music and art. You have nothing that the humblest worker has not a right to have also. The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too. Help, you women of privilege, give her the ballot to fight with." Rose Schneiderman, s ..read more