( Dresses both from Rokit, skirt from Annie Greenabelle)

According to global cool, I learned recently, 900 000 tones of clothing in Britain ends up in landfill each year, and half of the clothes bought by British women last year have never been worn. Ahem – let me repeat that – half of the clothes bought by British women last year have. never. been. worn. Whoa! This is crazy oui? Oui.  And also quite sobering.  In fact, if you go deep into the ethical issues of clothing supply chains (waste, chemicals, labour practices etc) you can get yourself in a right muddle. I am trying, not always successfully, to stop myself from being paralysed by this sort of information, but instead to try and let it help me make decisions.

Last month I ruthlessly weeded out my wardrobe. I’ve been threatening to do it for years, and it was unbelievably satisfying (strongly recommended.) Combine this with trying to buy ethically and also being skint, what do we have? A “call-in-reinforcements” winter wardrobe clothing melt down. Most mornings.

It’s extremely tempting to chuck my ethics out the window and indulge in some deep down and dirty Primark shopping.  And in the past I have often succumbed, only to be bitterly disappointed after the first wash where it has either shrunk or been pulled so badly out of shape it looks like it belongs to a sack of potato’s. Buying clothes from ethical companies can also cost the earth (‘scuse the pun), and has a tendency to make you look a bit like a hairy earth mother. And even though I have a touch of hippy round my edges, hairy earth mother is a look I am strictly reserving for my 60’s (along with clashing bright colours and elaborate hats)

If you have mastered the art of bagging a bargain on ebay- I salute you. By the time I have whipped my self up in a bidding frenzy, paid more than I ever intended (limits schlimits) – then paid for shipping- The only thing I end up with is an overdraft and an overpriced dress.

(Clockwise from top left: Top from people tree, t-shirt from and skirt from Ascension, Duffel coat from Annie Greenabelle)

Then there is always the charity shops. But, if like me you live in a bit of a scuzzy area, the best thing you’ll find is someone’s second hand, soiled Peacocks  nightie. But my top new years resolution is to master the art of ebay and charity shop chic. (suggestions warmly welcomed)

(Left: Cardigan from Howies, jeans from Bochica, dress from Ascension)

Anyway, back to that fateful week of bare wardrobe, no money and good intentions. Before I dashed out of the office to piss my money away at the arse end of the high street, I thought I would explore a couple of alternatives. And I am pleased to report that I was pleasantly surprised. Nice cheap ethical clothes are out there.My first port of call is vintage shops.  They really stir my cuppa, and they may well stir yours too. They save clothes from landfill by recycling them and are often cheaper than the high street. They look cool, lets face it even with a list of clichés as long as you arm vintage will always be cool. No walking down the street and seeing 5 girls each wearing your Topshop dress.

And a whole throng of new, independent and ethical fashion shops have sprung up in the latter half of the noughties, without even a hint of the aroma of tofu and body odour about them. So I decided put together a collection of my favourites for this year.

(Below: All from Howies)

But, with all of this, it’s always worth keeping in that no ‘ethical label’ is ever fully, 100% “ethical”. They simply don’t exist.  There’s organic, local, hand made, made from Hemp, made in the UK, Fairly traded, tree protecting, wildlife saving or garments using only organic dyes and no garment can tick all of those boxes . What you choose all depends on your values and the way that you choose to navigate around it all. And I am also of the opinion that the high street isn’t always monstrous. An expensive top from Reiss, for example, might last you for years and stop you from buying 10 cheaper T-shirts. Ultimately, you can avoid most ethical conundrums by simply buying fewer clothes. But this isn’t always realistic. We can however, be a bit more thoughtful about where things come from and what they’re made from. A whole new ethical wardrobe probably isn’t realistic but a few new pieces is a good start. And we all have to start somewhere. And with the January sales and the start of a new year, what better time is there than now?

(Below: T-shirt from Edun, jumper from Howies)

Squidge Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about how HEL LOOKS got started?

Liisa Jokinen: We started in July 2005. We were on a summer holiday in Stockholm, Sweden, when we realized how colourful and diverse the streets of Helsinki are. As soon as we came home, we started taking pics. What especially inspired us were young glam rockers who were hanging outside Kiasma art museum in the centre of Helsinki. We thought they were worth documenting. And because we wanted to show the looks of Helsinki to the whole world, we published them online. We have continued doing HEL LOOKS because of the great feedback and simply because it’s a lot of fun! Meeting new people, taking pics, running the website.

SM: You mention that the site is a tribute to ‘the pioneers of street fashion photography’. Anyone in particular?

LJ: Shoichi Aoki in particular!

SM: The images have a real feel of documenting Helsinki sub-cultures. was this the plan from the outset of has it evolved over time?

LJ: Yes, the plan was and is to document the Helsinki street scene. We know there’s something worth documenting and showing to the rest of the world.

SM: So how do you go about getting the images? How do people react to being asked?

LJ: I usually always carry the camera with me. It’s nice to be surprised – to see something “hel lookable” when you really don’t expect it. Helsinki is a small city with only 500 000 inhabitants in it.

SM: So what about you two? Tell us about yourselves?

LJ: I’m freelancing, writing and photographing for lifestyle and fashion magazines. Sampo is working as a creative director at Sulake, the founder of teenager online game Habbo Hotel.

SM: Any other projects going on?

LJ: I’m planning an “non-profit social travel agency” with my friend Ulla-Maaria Engeström. A travel agency promoting local, high-quality, low-carbon services and travel destinations. Our aim is to re-define the meaning of luxury! Then I’m also planning to take the HEL LOOKS exhibition to Brussels next year (it has been on show in Copenhagen, Berlin, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius). Oh and one more thing: I’m one of the curators of Art Diamond art exhibition taking place next summer in Pori, Finland.

I found these pictures Cyana trend land, you can see that there has always been a fairly stock format for photography lips, make them full, make it close up, if you can get something protruding from the mouth, be it soft fruit or a wisp of cigarette smoke. And keep them on a blank canvas, the paler the skin the better, alabaster cheeks and chins from which a glorious full pout appears.

I have to say there is nothing quite like a woman wearing lipstick well, I have a friend who has one of the most glorious pouts know to man or beast.  She went through a wonderful stage of wearing rich red lipstick covered with red glitter. It was one of the most captivating sights. You couldn’t take your eyes of her lips.

It isn’t one of looks you can keep going all night, lips are all about first impressions, the entrance. Those looks when some ones gaze flicks from your lips to your eyes. A heavily lipsticked mouth is a statement makeup, halfhearted just doesn’t cut it.

Now you’ll have to excuse me while I go and blow a ridiculous amount of money on lipstick. Here are some of the most wonderful pouts fashion has to offer.

Emma studied at London College of Fashion before being given a Scholarship from Marchpole to make my graduate collection. Now the designer and textile artist set up the label ä elska from my studio space in the creative hub that is Cockpit Arts in Deptford. We asked her some questions and she said this…

Squidge Mag: Can you talk us through your work process, how do things go from a fuzzy concept to the finished article?

Demiswede: Well for me usually everything starts with a lot of photocopies! I’ll spend a lot of time in libraries and this creates loads of ideas that usually lead to a theme. For my graduate collection I was influenced by a lot of scientific diagrams and symbols that document movements or sounds. I thought about how even though most people can’t read musical notation they can enjoy the sound, so their brain understands the same symbols just in a different way! Its a thought process that feels simple and obvious but points to other ideas about interpretation. This leads to me scribbling a lot and playing with shapes on the mannequin which leads to garment shapes!

SM: What or who do you think has been the biggest influence on your designs to date?

D: I think Swedish culture is my biggest influence, I find the design aesthetic so beautiful, Its so pure and so functional yet has a massive visual impact, It is my aim to design like that.

SM: Which designer would you most like to work with?

D: At the moment my favourite designer is Erdem Moralioglu. It is difficult to combine femininity, modesty and modernity and he does it so so well. I also love Martin Margiela for his design ethos, it’s very admirable for a designer to shy away from the spotlight because a huge team of people will have worked on the designer’s collections. The work is so high end, yet exposes the processes behind making the garments.

SM: The fashion industry has been massively influenced by the recession, what effect do you think this has had on new designers?

D: I think it has hit everyone hard, I’ve definitely lost some opportunities due to the recession but I’ve gained the absolutely amazing one to have a studio space at cockpit arts and support from head for business that I never would have had otherwise! Seeing other businesses fail makes you realise that you can’t spend money you don’t have, and you have to be very clever about what you put on the market, but it pushes you to do well on your own. I don’t think it would be any fun if it was easy ; )

SM: How would someone reading this hope to get hold of one of your designs?

D: The garments you can see are made to order and you can email me at demiswede@googlemail.com. Later this year I will be selling accessories at Greenwich market and slowly but surely building up a bigger product range and stockists! Also look out for my label launching which is going to be called ä elska

SM: Your final collection features items which have incredible intricate patterns cut into the fabric, is the process as painstaking as it looks?

D: I drew the textile design by hand and used a laser cutting machine to cut the design.  So the laser does the really clever bit! Although it does take a long time to digitally match the textile design to the garment shape, not to mention make sure that you don’t set anything on fire!!

SM: I love that there is an origami element to your work, the pieces are incredible architectural, where did this feature in your work emerge from?

D: Architecture feels similar to fashion in a lot of ways, basically in both disciplines you are cutting out flat shapes and putting them together to make one big three dimensional shape. I also think that you inhabit your clothes as much as you do your home. Its funny that you say it looks like origami because at first when i was trying to work out how to fit people into the shapes I made little paper models of them!

SM: Your studios are in Deptford; South East London has often been suggested as a hub of creativity, do you think that the area has had an influence on you?

D: It’s impossible not to be influenced by your surroundings and Deptford is brilliant as the creativity is a really exciting undercurrent that bubbles underneath society and comes out in graffiti and little community projects. I think you will always find emerging artists and designers where the rent is cheap!

SM: What would you say has been the highlight of you career so far?

D: I’m really only just getting started so I feel like all the highlights are yet to come! I think my graduate show was a definite highlight even though I totally almost fainted afterwards! Can highlights exist in the form of people? I’ve been really lucky since graduating to work with some amazingly creative people at places like Amelia’s magazine and Louise Goldin.

SM: Have you got anything interesting in the pipeline for the future?

D: I have so many ideas and so many plans! I’m going to be doing large pieces of textile artwork to place in empty shop windows, converting negative recession-affected spaces into positive ones! I’m going to be setting up my market stall and I also have some really cool interior products in the pipeline!

SM: What other up and coming designers do you think we should watch out for?

D: Definitely look at Louise Goldin, she does absolutely astonishing things with knit and her shapes are so forward thinking. I also think Peter Pilotto is doing some really interesting things with digital print so I’d keep an eye on him!

Here at Squidge we love hearing about new, exciting things, particularly when those new, exciting things are designers or artists. So it was great when the lovely Samantha from Eliza Clare got in touch with us, to tell us about their label. Eliza Clare creates some of the most weird and wonderful accessories I have encountered, from sculptural jewelry to take-away themed bags, all these items are hand made and exquisitely finished. So we decided to ask them about the world of accessory design and get some insights what makes the brand tick…

Squidge Magazine: What was it that first made you guys strike out, and start making your own line of accessories?

Eliza Clare: We really wanted to create something that was completely different to what was available! We wanted to make accessories that we loved and be able to fulfill our creative urges

SM: Your newest collection is described as ‘tapestry bead sculpture’ what exactly does that mean?

EC: A lot of our work is sculptural in the way it is formed or in the way we put it together. Our new Adornus jewelry line is created from cubes of tapestry and our overall aim was to create “sculptured” pieces of statement jewelry.

SM: Who do you think would want to buy your collection?

EC: Our own research shows us that our products are bought by every “kind” of customer. Female; Male; Old; Young; Conservative; Eccentric; Romantic; Bold. The list is incredibly varied – I think this is because we actually appeal to a wide range of tastes and that most customers can find something within our collections that is “them”. So I guess the answer is everyone

SM: Was it hard to get started, any tips to aspiring designers?

EC: It wasn’t so difficult to get started – a lot of the startup stuff can be achieved on a wing and a prayer! I think that it is hard to keep going and not to get disheartened sometimes – it takes a really long time to build up a presence in the market and  to create a “name” for yourself. It takes a while to be able to earn money from the business too! My advice to aspiring designers is – Just Do It! You don’t have to start big; nor do you have to start with a bang – just get started . Think outside the box and work hard. Trust your designs; trust yourself.

SM: The bags all seem to have their own theme, where do you get your ideas?

EC: Our ideas really come straight from our imaginations! We are inspired daily by the world around us – and we are never short of new design ideas!

SM: How long does it take to make a bag from concept to completion?

EC: Some of the bags may take 80-100 hours from concept to completion – others 40 or 50 hours. They all differ greatly. A lot of how long a bag takes to create is based on how difficult it is to construct and how much “work” there is involved, such as embroidery and beading.

SM: Which person (real or fictional) would you most like or have carrying/wearing Eliza Clare accessories?

EC: An Aussie actor – Cate Blanchett: Nicole Kidman; Naomi Watts – someone with STYLE (or at least a good stylist ) who could put our accessories on the Red Carpet and in the world fashion spotlight! Other than that – everyone!

SM: What designers do you look to, any particular favourites?

EC: We really love OTT designers! Marni, Jamin Puech – there are so many. Our inspiration comes from within, but we love to see what others are creating.

SM: What words would you use to sum up what the eliza clare brand is?

EC: Bijoux. Beautiful. Heirloom. One of a Kind. Timeless. Art. Divine. Personal.

SM: Do you have a favourite piece in the collection?

EC: Do I have to choose!? Ummm, Bramble, Bouquet, Bolster?!? Too hard!

Thanks again to Samantha at Eliza Clare for answering our questions! You can find the full collection of accessories on the Eliza Clare website, so get over there and spend some pennies!

Squidge Magazine: Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where you live/work, how long you’ve been a professional photographer for…

Alexandra Carr: I live in Hoboken, NJ and work mostly in NYC, Brooklyn and this area.  I’ve been a professional photographer for about 4 years.

SM: Can you also tell us a little about who you’ve worked for?

AC: Some clients I’ve worked with include:A4, Nylon, Nylon Japan, Celeste, Squint, Dooney & Bourke, Zac Posen and some record companies

SM: When did you first decide you wanted to be a fashion photographer? What first sparked your interest?

AC: I’ve always loved magazines, especially fashion magazines and was riveted by them from an early age. I came to photography as a career later because at first I was not sure that I wanted to do something I loved so much for commercial purposes.

SM: Shooting fashion, especially on location, is full of potential problems/issues/hazards. Got any horror stories?

AC: Not really any horror stories, apart from few run ins with perverts and crack heads. A shoot was disrupted once because someone called the police and said we were holding down a girl.  A couple of police cars showed up and it took a bit of time to convince them that nothing extraordinary was going on. It was pretty weird considering that the crew was mainly female with a couple of effeminate looking guys. They didn’t even ask if we had a permit (which we did not have).

SM: The classic question; digital or film? What do you typically carry with you on a shoot, camera equipment etc?

AC: I used to shoot medium format but lately I have been shooting 35mm. I have a Nikon Fm2 and a Nikon 300 D. The other stuff I bring really depends on the location but I usually have a couple of stands, a scrim jim and lights.

SM: And who are your favourite photographers?

AC: Many… Nan Goldin, Juergen Teller,  Inez and Vinoodh, Venetia Scott, Steven Meisel, Ed van der Elsken, Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton…

SM: There is a constant debate around how important education is in relation to photography, and wether college/university is a waste of time compared to hands on experience. What’s your opinion?

AC: I am self taught but I don’t have anything against formal education. I think that the primary learning experience comes from practice. Everyone has their way of finding their own voice and methods.

SM: And for all the budding fashion photographers out there, any words of advice?

AC: Trust your instincts.

Many thanks to Alexandra for the interview. You can check out her portfolio here.