This is an excerpt of Episode 2 of Style & Sustain - The podcast. Listen to it HERE or read the interview highlights below. Esha is the definition of #bosslady. She’s a normal woman, who’s started something incredible. She dove into the adventure of starting her sustainable and ethical brand ,,Omi Na-Na in 2018, quitting a comfortable job in PR at that time to start it all. ,,Omi Na-Na is authentic, cool and flaunts stunning statement dresses. In the podcast episode, we talk about how her Indian heritage shaped her journey into sustainable fashion, inspired the craftsmanship behind her bra ..read more

As part of my collaboration with the North London Waste Authority, I talk to them to ask four key questions about waste management in the city of London, specifically North London. The city is striving to make recycling easier but the staggering level of production and consumption can complicate or stifle these efforts to some extents. As consumers the way we use, take care of and throw our belongings away can make a huge difference. Let's find out how. 1. What exactly happens when we throw or recycle something in the city of London? So it will depend on exactly where you are, but here in nor ..read more

Positive social impact and sustainable/ethical fashion should always go hand in hand. Origin Africa is a brand that has committed to elevating the positive social impact game by giving 100% of their profits to Africa based social initiatives. I talk to co-founder Alice about how and why the brand is creating change and transforming the industry. 1. Can you please introduce Origin Africa and why the brand was created? Origin is the UK’s first ethical fashion brand to donate 100% of profits to social impact. We essentially created Origin because we felt disenchanted and frustrated by traditiona ..read more

We all have a relationship with clothes. Some choose to create them, some choose to experiment with them, some express themselves with them, while others stick to their basic function of covering them up with little care as to how it looks. Truth is whether we enjoy fashion or not, we all wear clothes. Today, we live in a generation of individuality and fashion is self-expression. However, we are also a generation of excess. Clothes have become like disposable cups: buy now, wear once (or never), then buy the next trend and on and on it goes. We’ve normalised our addiction to clothes to the p ..read more

‘Tis the season for gifting once again and 2020 is THE year to be mindful about what you are buying and where you are buying it from. It’s a year that has pushed us all to re-evaluate our values and habits, a nudge to put our efforts and our money towards doing good in all the ways we possibly can. So if you must buy gifts for friends and family, why not make it a sustainable and ethical one? Even better, why not take it a step further by supporting small black-owned sustainable and ethical businesses. ,,Sancho’s is an incredible black-owned sustainable and ethical independent shop based in E ..read more

Anyone else feel like 2019 was a year of growing anxieties? If there’s one thing I take from it: it was the collective awakening to pending issues that we all felt the need to address. From Extinction Rebellion protests, to Hong Kong protests, continued #metoo revelations, to impeached presidents and the all impending global warming crisis capped with forest fires …EVERYTHING commanded our attention. We all found ourselves grabbing for some sort of control. Whether it was refusing plastic straws at the bar, creating Facebook fundraisers on our birthdays or having conversations with friends abo ..read more

Can you think back to the last time you bought a pair of jeans? Most likely you considered just a few factors in your purchase like style, cut or price. The last time I bought a brand-new pair of jeans was a year ago and I got them from the amazing sustainable brand Armed Angels. Fast forward to today and my approach to buying jeans has completely changed: I no longer buy new denim. Whether it’s a denim jacket, shorts or jeans, I find it second hand or vintage. Why? Because the denim production process is one the most environmentally damaging in the clothing industry, it’s also one of the mos ..read more

In today’s ultra-busy world, boredom is the last thing that we would consider as good for us. It seems like everything around us is built to eradicate boredom. The current COVID-19 predicament we find ourselves in is proof of this. Despite the chance to be utterly un-busy, we are constantly bombarded with ways to yet again combat the other "virus": boredom. From DIY at home videos to indoor exercising to getting through that to-do list we never finished, there is always an alternative to being bored. Rarely do we see advice that says we should in fact be bored, just for a minute. Don't get me ..read more

Clothes donation is on the rise. Research and recent surveys show that two in five people living in the UK have had a closet clear out while on lockdown and many are aiming to donate to charities as stores re-open. This means charity shops will be overwhelmed with donations and many items will not make it to the shop floor sadly. These will be rotated around different shops until when unsold thrown away or shipped abroad. Either way, most of these items will end up in landfills. As consumers, we have a responsibility to be sensible and educated when it comes to where and how to give our cloth ..read more

Remember when ‘sustainable fashion’ meant loose, multicoloured hippy pants and scratchy sweaters? Those days are well and truly over, as designers across the fashion industry are taking the leap to produce eco-friendlier and sustainability conscious clothes. Their luxury factor is found in their commitment to create beautiful styles constructed from the most exquisite of natural materials such as vicuña, peace silk and Orange Fiber, all assembled by fairly paid, highly skilled artisans. Zero + Maria Cornejo Talk about girl power! Zero + Maria Cornejo is a company owned and run by women. Chile ..read more