As one of the fastest growing plants on earth and with no reliance on chemicals or fertilisers to grow, it is one of the greener grasses; it even helps to purify air quality and remove nasty toxins from contaminated soil.

That’s some hard-working grass. But as Eco Salon recently reported, as a fabric it’s not quite so sustainable as we’d all originally thought (and hoped).

‘Sustainable fashion’ may be on the up, but the label is often applied to products that use harsh chemicals to transform bamboo into fabric (known as rayon), which are damaging to both workers and the environment. The use of the harmful chemicals means the bamboo quickly loses its green credentials.

All is not lost, however; though more expensive, a far more environmentally friendly way to make use of bamboo is to mechanically turn it into fibre. This process means crushing the plant into a pulp mixture (it may sound violent, but it’s kinder) and then spinning the separated threads into fibre. Companies can also recover and recycle some chemicals by using a closed-loop system, therefore avoiding any unethical effects.

So before bamboo gets a bad name, check out the products below which say no to polluting chemicals and instead use a planet-friendly way of turning bamboo into beauty.

Which bamboo products are actually green?

Eco-Fashion
Eco-fashion brand Wear Chemistry is making its mark in sustainable fashion with a bamboo clothing range. Their t-shirts are made from 70% bamboo viscose and 30% organic cotton, and they process their bamboo into fabric in a responsible and sustainable way, thanks to the closed-loop system mentioned above.

And it doesn’t stop there; they even use recycled paper for their deliveries and 100% biodegradable plastic for their pop-up shop carrier bags. It’s already loved by the likes of Dave Berry and Angellica Bell, and is certified to be in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard. Fashion with a conscience; we like it.

Eco Utensils
If you’re trying to keep your home as green as possible, Bambu Boutique should be your next shopping destination. Their range of cooking utensils and kitchenware is ethically produced in China and Vietnam and they even have the Co-Op America Seal of Approval for their fairness towards workers and the environment. From cute children’s utensils to colourful baskets, their products make a great addition to any eco-conscious kitchen.

Eco Bedding
The innovatively-named Luxury Bamboo Linen company ethically makes, well, luxurious bamboo bed linen, so you can even be responsible while you’re sleeping.

The bamboo used is from non-polluted plantations in China, and is turned into fabric using the kinder process of mushing it into a pulp, before combing out the threads and spinning into yarn, then colouring with azo-free environmental protecting dyes. The bed linen is then created with 60% bamboo and 40% cotton, keeping hold of the plant’s natural anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic and moisture-wicking properties – perfect for sticky summer nights.

Fast fashion means we’re constantly encouraged to update our look and change our wardrobe on a seasonal, or even monthly, basis. Which becomes a little soulless after a while. And hugely expensive.

So I was intrigued when I heard about a blogger who had taken on the challenge to only buy second-hand clothing for a year. Preloved Reloved is a blog by Kim, a West London-resident. She’s taken on the challenge of only buying second-hand clothing, mainly from charity shops, eBay and vintage markets, for the next year to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

There are certain items of clothing Kim can’t buy second hand, for obvious reasons.

These include (in her own words):

1. Underwear/hosiery (ick).
2. Swimwear
3. Sportswear and sports shoes
4. Gifts!? Should I be allowed new clothes for my birthday!?
5. Jeans. I can never find jeans to fit anyway so may not need to buy any.

Kim’s challenge got me thinking about my own shopping habits, and how there’s really very little need to always buy new clothing all the time. Particularly as vintage clothing is still, and probably always will be, fashionable.

Second-hand Clothes Online

It’s certainly more sustainable. With auction sites like eBay and swishing sites like Big Wardrobe, Swishing.org and Posh Swaps remaining popular, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up a bargain.

Other sites to pick up second-hand clothing include ClothesAgency, Oxfam, MyVintage and VivaStreet. You can even pick up free clothing from your local Freecycle scheme.

Image: [Orin Zebest]

The dawn west dusk east watch is designed by artist and poet Brian Catling for Mr Jones. Instead of an hour, minute and seconds hand, it has one small circle that moves around the watch face throughout the day. And instead of numbers, you’ve got a watch face with different colours the whole way round.

It’s a watch that basically slows you down by only giving you a vague idea of the time.

In the interview with Catling below, he outlines why he wanted to reveal as little time as possible, and what inspired the style and design of the watch face.

Brian Catling discussing the development of dawn west dusk east from Mr Jones on Vimeo.

You can buy the dawn west dusk east from Mr Jones for £145.

Would you buy a watch that doesn’t really tell the time?

And when it comes to packed lunches, Tupperware or plastic sandwich bags apparently just won’t cut it any more.

With health fears rising about bisphenol A in plastic containers,  parents are looking for alternatives.

One option is the Graze Organic lunch bags. These reusable snack and sandwich bags are the creation of Los Angeles mothers Heather Jacobs and Leslie Sarracino.

Mothers of Invention

Jacobs and Sarracino heavily researched what goes into making the organic lunch bags, down to the details of what can be used to print the designs and where the materials can be sourced locally. The result is a collection of well designed sandwich bags that both parents and kids love.

The ink used on the bags is water-based, rather than plastisol inks, which contain PVC and phthalates which are harmful to the environment. The water-based inks are non-toxic, free of lead and heavy metals.

This, coupled with the use of organic cotton for the bags, means they’re expensive to produce. It’s not surprisingly that they’re reasonably pricey at around $24 for a pack of three Graze bags, but since you’ll be using them for a long time to come, it’s an easy one to justify — thanks to the wonders of “cost-per-use” logic.

Recommended reading:
Handmade leather satchels. The Cambridge Satchel company makes beautiful old-fashioned leather satchels for work or school that will make going to work that little bit more pleasurable.

New Slowdown Skill: learn sewing. Lovely as those Graze bags are, you could always save on the air miles and make your own from the many hundreds of reusable cotton bags you’ve gathered over the years.

The reality is that ethically-produced underwear has a bad reputation. Often, people assume the bras will be dull and purely functional, while the pants will be plain and definitely not sexy.

This reputation is one that Saumarez, the ethical designer lingerie boutique, is trying to correct. Run by Victoria Groulef, the online luxury store hunts down the best fair trade, organic and ethically created underwear collections and accessories. The result is a boutique filled with luxurious styles, covering everything from retro burlesque bow knickers to super-soft organic cotton bras.

Saumarez is a joy to browse through, with sassy tips and comments from lingerie expert Mia scattered throughout the pages. It’s all about glamour and treating yourself to something a little decadent.

Designers include UK-based Gilda & Pearl, vintage-inspired Ayten Gasson and some very cheeky accessories from Holloway-Smith Noir.

I’m a big believer in spending a decent amount of money on your underwear, so I’d like to encourage you to splurge on a luxury set that’s as fun for you as it is for those who produced it.

Do you buy ethical lingerie? Tell us which brands you rate, here…

London shopping mecca Selfridges has picked up on this vibe with the launch of the Forever Shop, a specially curated pop-up space bringing together pieces that the design royalty believe will stand the test of time, from Levi’s 501s to Cartier bracelets.

The room has been curated by the department store’s creative director Alannah Weston, Elle Decoration Editor-In-Chief Michelle Ogundehin, and British designer Sir Paul Smith.

The concept is that we learn to treasure beautifully made items that are best in class and worthy of looking after and handing on to our kids. It’s the opposite of buying into cheap and disposable fast fashion and fast design, and a philosophy that we fully support at jorgandolif.com.

We think it’s particularly fitting that the space replaces the store’s Wonder Room, which stocked ostentatiously expensive fripperies such as one-season handbags at the price of a developing nation’s GDP.

Vogue UK’s pick of the pieces in the Forever Shop include an Alexander McQueen scarf, a Burberry trenchcoat, a Repetto ballet pump, a Christian Louboutin high-heeled shoe and a Cartier bracelet.

Sir Paul Smith has handpicked a collection of books including a focus on the Bauhaus movement and D.H.Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”.

Meanwhile. New York-based fashion blogger Ari Seth of Advanced Style has been commmissioned to photograph the Forever Room as well as timelessly stylish folk passing in and around the shop. Ari’s photo above can be seen on his blog right now, along with other inspirational images of ageless chic, and an exhibition of his work hangs instore.

Hurry down to Oxford Street as the space closes on August 15. Boo!

Photo: Ari Seth

1. Spiegelbeeld
Huidenstraat 24, Negen Straatjes (“Nine Streets”) area

Spiegelbeeld (Dutch for “mirror play”) is the place to search for secondhand designer labels like Manolo Blahnik, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein. You’ll also find popular Dutch labels like Dries van Noten and Laundry Industry. The owner of this small but high-quality shop is almost always there to lend a hand and her honest opinion.

2. Laura Dols
Wolvenstraat 6 & 7, Negen Straatjes (“Nine Streets”) area

With a vintage inventory that warrants two stores on the same block, Laura Dols is a secondhand staple in Amsterdam. At the bigger location (Wolvenstraat 7) you’ll find racks of clothes spanning five decades (quite well-organized by color) and unique accessories like enamel-buckle wide belts and beaded bags. The back room and basement, full of party dresses perfect for everything from cocktails to a play-it-again prom, are sure to please any vintage hound.

Across the street at Wolvenstraat 6 are coats galore and a collection of vintage embroidered tea towels, pillowcases, tablecloths and European farm linens.

3. Episode
Waterlooplein 1, Old Centrum area
Berenstraat 1, Negen Straatjes (“Nine Streets”) area

With branches in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, London and Rotterdam, Episode dresses throngs of a mostly young clientèle in thrift-store finds. The two Amsterdam locations both feature men’s and women’s clothes with a strong focus on the 70s and 80s. Their collection of old Levi’s and military-style jackets is hard to beat.

4. Daffodil
Jacob Obrechtstraat 41, Oud Zuid (“Old South”) area

Filling a gap in the secondhand shopping market, Daffodil stocks its tiny corner shop with classic trousers and skirts, sophisticated suits and seasonal outfits. Most brands are mid-level and local, like Pauw, Claudia Strater and Mexx. Lucky shoppers will find Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent.

image:Proud2bme

Suck and Chew founder Vicki Maguire, a copywriter at advertising agency Hurrell Moseley Dawson Grimmer, came up with the idea after hankering after old-fashioned service and carefully crafted products. In an interview with Design Week Maguire explained: ”We wanted adults to stand in wonder at the rows and rows of sweetie jars and ditch their organic lifestyle at the sight of a Sherbet fountain,” she adds. “It is a nostalgic concept, but more than that. It’s about a love of the time and care that went into things, and of independent stores.”

The little shop is packed full of dozens of glass jars filled with bonbons, jelly beans and chocolates of every imaginable variety and vintage shop counters are stacked high with gift boxes, while there is also an assortment of vintage-inspired cards. Plenty of Union Jack bunting gives everything a decidedly British flair – every time I stop by I feel transported back to the little seaside villages in Devon I used to go on holiday to as a child.

Suck and Chew is pure nostalgia – head there for your own trip down the memory lane.

Suck and Chew
130 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Tel. 020 8983 3504
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street

Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm
Sunday 9am to 4.30pm

 Image:  Wee Birdy

No more is this true than the month of January, when after the gift buying frenzy of December, many still feel the need to plunge themselves into the pursuit of new goods. If you really need to buy a new suit or TV, hey, the sales can be perfect. But to wander through the nauseous sea of people, thumping music, bright lights and shelves heaving with the vague notion of picking up a bargain – does anybody actually enjoy it?

While I am a dedicated follower of fashion, and religiously read glossy tomes dedicated to fashion, interior design and lifestyle, I actually hate the act of shopping, much like someone who watches Nigella Lawson, reads Jamie Oliver and then microwaves a Pot Noodle.

Blame it on the horror of working at the Mall Of America and later Harrods (arguably the world’s largest temples to consumerism) during sales time, where I saw grown adults and professionals behaving not unlike primates or small children.

A fashion editor friend recently confessed she only heads to Net-a-porter for a few key items, with the rest of her wardrobe made up almost entirely from charity shops, not because she can’t afford anything else (far from it) but because it’s one place she actually enjoys shopping.

While you rarely can go into a charity shop and find exactly what you’re looking for, whether it’s a new coat or sofa, the serendipitous nature of charity shops ensure that if you find something you like, you’ll consider it a treasure, a one-off and attribute value to it, no matter how much (or little) it actually cost in monetary terms. Same goes with buying vintage, swapping through friends or websites, or even buying from an independent boutique which places an emphasis on unique treasures, not fast fashion or design. This is when shopping really is a pleasure, and when shopping becomes Slow.

Labour and Wait is a de-clutterer’s dream, founded on strong Slow Life principles. It’s an all-purpose shop selling everything you need for stylish and comfortable living, with absolutely no gimmicks or fuss. Instead of pushing the latest ‘must have’ household gadgets and fashion-led accessories, the store’s owners specialise in functional, timeless products, many of which will last a lifetime.

Browsing the catalogue, you’ll find all you need for everyday living, stripped down to the barest essentials. But the products themselves are far from boring, having been carefully selected for their individual beauty and utility. Many items are design classics: familiar, useful objects that have stood the test of time.

Take any item from the range – a milk pan or even a toilet brush – and think about how many times you’ve bought and replaced similar items in your lifetime. It’s certainly a sobering prospect to consider how much waste we create by relying on short-term fixes to lifelong problems – all of which can be adequately handled by the simple and stylish products you’ll find here! Prices are surprisingly reasonable, considering the quality and durability of the products: a large enamel roasting dish, for example, is priced at just £30, while a set of re-usable dishcloths is £7.50.

It’s never too late to re-think your approach to consumerism, and Labour and Wait is a great place to start stocking up on the tools you’ll need to ease the transition into a simpler and more honest way of life.

Visit Labour and Wait at 18 Cheshire Street, London, or their online store at labourandwait.co.uk