Patagonia Shoes – Performance and Comfort to the Max

Posted on June 11, 2012 by admin

When you think of the companies that have been the real pioneers of sustainability in the clothing industry, Patagonia is most definitely one that springs to mind. Whilst they are perhaps more about function than fashion, their clothes are just right for looking the part when out and about in the great outdoors even in an urban area and I always think you need to be comfortable to look stylish!

The brand founder Yvon Chouinard is a lover of the outdoors and of nature and the company has a strong philosophy of respect for the environment which encompasses everything that it does from the creation of new fabrics including recycled polyester and their common threads recycling iniative to its involvement in environmental projects and campaigns around the world. It still manages to make great looking clothes that perform to the max.

Patagonia is a company that really does walk the walk when it comes to sustainability making a huge commitment to the environment by donating 1% of all sales to grassroots environmental groups. They also have an environmental internship scheme where employees can leave their jobs for up to one month to work for the environmental group of their choice. Patagonia continues to pay their salaries and benefits while they’re gone, and environmental groups worldwide get them for free.

I am particularly taken by the range of Patagonia shoes stocked in the UK by Spartoo.co.uk which are ideal for those who like to combine comfort and style and demand a lot from their footwear from the flip flops which are ideal for beach holidays and watersports to the trail shoes for those who love to run.

Maha Breathe coral shoes

Banda Thong Flip flop

Banda Sling Sandal

Banda Criss Cross

Fore Runner Trail Shoes

What do you think of these? Do you need comfy shoes for an active life?

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Eco Friendly Fitness Clothes

Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin

I go to at least four fitness classes each week and run once or twice a week and so sometimes feel like I spend much of my life in fitness clothes. In the past, I have never made any attempts to find eco friendly fitness clothes because not only do I want them to be uber flattering and comfy but also easy to wash. It is difficult enough to find all of these things so I figured adding sustainable to the list would be setting myself up for an impossible task.

But, new sustainable clothing lines are appearing all of the time, as I desparately need some new gym clothes and love a challenge, I though I would check out what was available, here is what I found.

This Stella McCartney organic cotton hoody from Sweaty Betty is really pricey at £110 but I really love the look of it so will definitely be keeping an eye out in case it ends up in the sale.

This organic cotton hoody by Award winning Isle of Wight based, eco friendly brand Rapanui is much more affordable and available for £45 at Ethical Superstore.

I was particulaly interested in finding some Bamboo fitness wear as not only is bamboo highly sustainable, I know from the childrens clothes that I have for my daughter that it is incredibly soft and comfortable. It is also great for wicking sweat making it ideal for fitness wear, although I don’t of course sweat, I glow!

I came across Asquith London which I really liked the look of. The collection is made from certified organic cotton and bamboo and is designed to look classic, flattering, natural and elegant. I really like this idea and would much prefer to wear this type of clothing than overly branded pieces. It is designed to be worn for yoga, pilates, the gym or leisure wear so would I would feel quite happy wearing it to drop the children at school before an excercise class. I particularly liked the look of this coral coloured top made from organic cotton and bamboo and these Bamboo yoga pants which are available in taupe or black. They also had a range of other tops which could be layered over this one.

Fushi are also based in London and have some fantastic pieces made from sustainable fabrics. This organic cotton crop top would work well layered under the bamboo halter back tank.

As I expected much of the fitness wear that I found had a yoga focus but I was also hoping to find something suitable for running and high impact excercise classes.

Patagonia are one pioneers of ethical and sustainable clothing and they have a selection clothing designed for yoga and trail running. Whilst I wouldn ‘t exactly class myself as a trail runner (more of a jog round the block kind of girl), I have been meaning to get myself something a little more practical for running in. Generally as I am out and about in public, I prefer my running clothes to have a little more coverage to the clothing I would wear in an excercise class and often I need something a little warmer especially first thing in the morning. I liked the look of this silkweight t shirt and these running shorts would be great for the warmer weather as shorts never look great on me. They also have a good selection of sports bras including some for high impact sports.

Do you know of any good UK eco friendly fitness clothing brands? If so please leave a link in the comments.

I have been quite busy writing over the last few months. This week 2 of my articles have been published .

Ethical Fashion Forum Source Magazine – Marketing Sustainability Online, How To Make The Most Of Social Networks

Ms Wanda’s Wardrobe – Ethical fashion without hippies

There is also some really interesting stuff going on at Ms Wanda’s blog. If you want to ask more questions to your favourite retailers, brands and designers, why not join Ms Wanda’s Fashion Mob?

Lots of exciting stuff going on for me next week. Apart from my birthday and a trip I have planned to rearch my second hand and vintage guide to Bath, I will be having coffee with one of my favourite ethical designers and dinner with my bestest friends. Have a very lovely weekend.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Ps – this post contains some affliate links but is only stuff I really liked the look of

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Organic Cotton Checked Shirt by Patagonia – A Review

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Shirt by Patagonia from Nature Shop
Denim Cut offs – upcycled from an old pair of jeans
Boots – El Naturalista
Necklace – MADE UK

I was recently contacted by Nature Shop (www.natureshop.co.uk) to see if I would like to choose an item to review from their eco friendly range of brands which includes Patagonia, Timberland, Merrell, Keen, Simple and Teva. This organic cotton shirt by Patagonia really caught my eye. I have been wanting a checked/plaid shirt for some time but have never really managed to find just the right colour, quality and cut.

Whilst I am well aware of Patagonia as one of the pioneers of sustainable clothing, I have always considered them to be purely functional clothing for extreme conditions so have never really looked properly at their range (when do I ever go out in extreme conditions?). I do however go camping in Roberta our camper van and although we were particularly lucky with the weather last year, it can get a bit nippy in the evenings particularly early in in the year. This shirt looked like a great choice for a practical but stylish camping outfit.

The shirt proved to be a great choice as it is super comfy to wear. The fabric is described as a soft organic cotton flannel and I can definitely vouch for the fact that it is really soft and warm and feels great.

I ordered a size up so that I could layer it over another for extra warmth. Whilst it is straight cut and a lot less fitted than the clothes I would usually wear, I quite liked the kind of ‘grungey boyfriend’ look to it when worn open with the sleeves rolled up and it is definitely practical for climbing in and out of the campervan crawling around in tents. I loved the reddy/ orange colour of this shirt but it is also available in a very nice Prussian Blue.

I would definitely recommend this Patagonia shirt for anyone looking for high quality clothing that also looks good for camping, festivals and other outdoorsy type stuff. The style is pretty classic so I don’t think it will ever go out of fashion.

In case you are interested, in addition to using eco/ sustainable fabrics, Patagonia are doing plenty to for the environment including giving 1% of all sales to grassroots environmental groups, innovative supply chain management, the common threads recycling initiative and confronting the issue of consumerism head on with their groundbreaking ‘Don’t buy this jacket’ advertising campaign. (more info on their eco credentials if you click on the link at the top of the page)

The necklace that I am wearing is part of a parcel of goodies that I recently received from Ethical Jewellery brand MADE UK, but more about that in another post very soon.

I hope you are having a good week, if you missed this weeks fantastic Ethical Fashion Bloggers Valentines Day DIY/ Upcycling round up,, you can check it out here.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X