Review of the Ethical Fashion Week, Berlin January 2017

Every first half of January, at the same time with Berlin Fashion Week, a special gathering of designers is taking place in the German capital city: Ethical Fashion Show. This event, organised this time at Postbahnhof, in the Eastern part of the city, reunites fashion designers and creative whose works are aimed at offering besides the usual beauty and innovative features, a sample of responsibility in an industry quite self-consuming and targeting success over everything.

It was my second time there - the first time was two years ago - and I was very impressed by the quality of the companies present and the social projects presented by some of them. Here is a short outline of my experience, with the promise to cover extensively some of the brands in some later posts.

Liisa Soolep is a knitwear company from Estonia, offering Nordic fashion for both men and women. A project that benefited of funds from the European Union, it uses light wool yarn made in Estonia, with special knitted patterns which go well for any occasion - from a backpacking trip to an elegant business meeting. The choice, as usual, is a matter of personality. The light pastel colours - I particularly love the pink ones - are another feature of elegance of this brand.

Werner is a German family company more than 100 years old. Adaptation to the new economic and environmental conditions and economic challenges is a main condition of survival. For the 2017 autumn collection, the company presents beautiful shoes made of 'leather' made of olives. The shoes not only look good and elegant, but also have a smooth velvet touch. 

The creation of popular jeans involves many ingredients that can be harmful for the environment. The new generation of designers are creating materials and dying substances keeping in line with the traditional jeans while obtaining environmental friendly results. One of the companies presented at the fair that I've found pretty interesting was Feuervogl, one of the many eco denim brands quite in fashion in Germany those days. 

The children products are a very sensitive issue. It is important not only that are comfy and good looking, but equally made of natural ingredients and colours. Sometimes it is a difficult task to keep the eco- and ethical standards high, because the final costs will be higher and there products can have a limited life-span - the children clothes require more washing and the risk of exposure to various substances which might harm the material is higher. However, there were some interesting and quality products in this domain too. 

For travelers - as me - Ethno-tek brought to the Ethnical Fashion Week some colourful and interesting bags and accessories. The products are hand-woven in various villages around the world - Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Each line of work uses traditional patterns and techniques. In each case, the product is supporting social local projects. The results are very beautiful yet practical for the busy traveler. 

We are rarely aware of the materials included in the production of the things we wear. Shoes, for instance. Some people do and share their knowledge. El Naturalista produces high quality vegan and chrome free shoes. I loved not only their design, but also the variety of colours and the comfortable look.

The eco-friendly fashion entered also the world of glasses. Antonio Verde created a family business producing reading or sunglasses made of ecological products. Another aspect of the company is that it guarantees that its employers, many of them in third world countries, are offered decent working conditions - including health insurance - and children labor is not allowed. 

For 20 years, NIX encourages the feminine look by offering comfortable and urban women clothes. Many of their clothes have an air of the 1920s, and are well fit to the long winter time in Germany and Berlin. The brand is using recycled materials and highly certified products in general. Although the predominant colours of the latest collection are a bit too somber for my colourful choices, there were some skirts and coats that can easily suit a variety of tastes. 

One of the reasons I love to attend such events is for the opportunity of meeting interesting creative people from all over the world that would otherwise impossible to know about. Take for instance, this young company from Guatemala - Ukua Lov Baby - represented by its CEO and founder Daniel Guillen Cornet which launched a line of children clothes made exclusively of ecological ingredients, using among others the dyeing techniques from this country. Although most of the companies presented at the fair were from Germany, designers from Spain, Italy, Austria, Slovakia or Belgium were also present, creating quite a nice world and Europe map of responsible fashion brands.

My favorite products were those created by Feldman Wolf. The women clothes presented are, each and every one of them real works of art, with paintings or pictures printed on ecological silk or other elegant materials. The vivid colours and the lines of design are an example that responsible fashion can be also awesomely elegant. 

Men are becoming in the last years more and more interested in wearing colourful clothes with rich motives and prints. Wish those birds from the bio-cotton hoodie presented by Dedicated Brand were available in smaller sizes. Another company that presented bio-cotton products that caught my attention was C.Pauli, also from Germany.

Last and not least, on the way out of the fair, my attention - and camera - was caught by a brand from the Basque country - Skunkfunk. Besides their big and comfy bags, the elegant prints of the purses were a real catch. If you go on their website, you can find also some very attractive women wear items, that can make your summer bright and colourful too. 

I am really glad I made it to the fair this year. I got a lot of inspiration and ideas for coming posts. I hope in the next weeks to feature more responsible fashion brands, sharing the love for elegance and quality.

5 Blue Outfits from ZARA. And a flowerly bonus

Blue is my favourite colour that I am wearing as a makeup, bag, shoes...everything possible. It is the colour that reminds me the clear summer sky and the hope and, in general, that also good things happen to good people too. I do not have any complexes to wear it all round the year, but particularly in the summer, it is the best outfit colour choice. On a research visit at the big ZARA store in Berlin, close to the iconic KaDeWe, I noticed the following blue beauties:

A very simple stripped dress, that reminds me of gardening parties. Simple yet feminine cut, easy to match and to wear. The local price is 49.85.

A blue leather jacket makes a very elegant statement. You do not have to read a motorbike, but to wear it with elegance and lady-like attitude. It looks like jeans but it is more elegat than that. Available for 49.95 EUR.

Either you pack for a long beach weekend or you need an outfit for an evening in town, this printed dress is too interesting not to consider as an important item of your luggage. The purchase price is 39.95.

This blouse took my heart away. First, the colour, then, the cut, and the possibility of oh, so many combinations with skirts and shoes and bags. It costs 39.95 EUR.

The beauty of blue can go even much further: inequal blouse with long sleeves, but made of a material that suits even the much warmer seasons. Recommended for work, special meetings or just in one of those moments when you want to show yourself how much you care about you, you and only you. It costs 39.95 EUR.

And here are my bonus discoveries, two beautiful flowerly-print dresses: elegant, simple, with an inspired choice of colours, that can be weared all round the day and on many occasions. The prices for both are 49.95 EUR.

This medium length dress brings joy and happiness. Can be weared with a pair of jeans and any style of shoes, from simple to very high heels. As a bag, I will rather wear a mono-vivid colour clutch.

This second dress is more serious and may bring some mystery for the long summer evenings. Add some black shoes and some long earrings and success is your middle name!

What about you, blue lover reader? What are your main summer finds?  

Fashion tips: H&M jewellery collection

I am very very careful with the jewellery I wear - more than with the shoes, to be honest - but when completely by accident I discovered some items from the latest accessoires collection by H&M, I was more than surprised. I usually associate their jewellery with the teenage-kind of items but this time I was proved to be snobbishly wrong. Most of the metals are gold-looking, combined with various stones. The assymetric row stones are very attractive in fact, and they look pretty natural - not only in the pictures.

The silver and black combinations are inspired by the 1001 Nights, it seems, massive pieces with intricated chains. The metal looks pretty cheap so it did not impress me too much. 

But on the goldie side of the collection, there are more attractive options, like the opal and glittering gold, which can be used not only for the office sport outfit, but also for some non-pretentious evening date or party.  

These bracelets are actually my favourites, as I love the finely-shaped metal with the moderatelly sized stones. For each bracelet, there are three colourful stones that can be matched to different outfits, both in term of colour and degree of sophistication. 

 The Latin American inspiration of these earrings is chic enough to wear them for a couple of days in a row.

 The rings are also nicely cut, with flower models or simply stones. The prices are very attractive too: with an investment of 10 Euro one can find easily two matching items. 

The complicated geometry of some make it an interesting accesoire for the day. Regardless of the reason why you are living the house, do it in style!

The earrings are offered in different combinations and pairs which makes you feel free and special, regardless of your age and your budget. Especially when you travel, you need to still feel good, without being exposed to the danger of losing your family treasures or being too ostentative. 

Not all earings look authentic and high-end but if you have some time to search, you can find for sure something interesting. As for me, I promise that, at least once in a while, will be less snobbish and will check non-brand jewellery. 

Photos taken at the H&M Store in Bamberg. 

4 Reasons to Have at least a Pair of Half-Gloves this season

As winter, even in Germany, is about to finish soon, writing about gloves does not make too much sense. I better try to research some topics about summer dresses and swimming suites, maybe. However, there is still time to save your pair of half-gloves - check the good sales running everywhere in Europe, and here are the reasons why:

- Elegant. I was given a pair of woolen half-gloves, but long time ago I used to wear some very sexy leather ones and I was so in love with them that I used to wear them all round the year. Those were the times...

- Practical. I decided to wear them more often when I realized how easy I can use my smartphone when having them. When my fingers are free I can easily check the phone, or take pictures or upload photos on Instagram. Yes, maybe I am too much addicted to Instagram, I know...

- Showing off what you really want to. Like your fine manicure or your delicate fingers. Seriously, is it not a pity for your beautiful manicure to stay hidden during the unexplainable long winter?

- Unforgettable. They are so practical and giving you a natural feeling that you just keep them on you when you have your coffee or go out or pay for your newspaper. No more worries that you left them somewhere or you end up at home only with one of them...

What do you think? Ready to add a new item to your wardrobe this season?

My newest colourful love: 2 in 1 Green Lamarthe handbag

It was just another summer day, when I entered Galeries Lafayette Berlin to kill a bit of time and have a look at the newest models of bags, hats and maybe for some blogging inspiration. Then, I saw this beautiful Lamarthe bag. So beautiful that I spent more time than scheduled in admiration.

Maybe the colour is a big too strong, but with a simple summer outfit - yellow or pink salmon or light brown/beige, or if bold enough, some orange, it brings a lot of happiness. As for the shows, if there are matchable green shows, why not, otherwise, some beige or yellow sandals can be recommended as well. The bag is spacious enough for a lot of important items, from your tablet to your phone, a make-up set, your purse and even a kindle. Only be careful not to overload it as it is hand-carried. 

It is made of quality leather and the interior is coated with quality silk. 

Mostly a daytime accessory, when folded it can easily be carried on for an evening party. This multi-functional quality is an important asset and if you can buy it on sales - right now the price goes around 150 EUR. - it's a very serious investment. As it is summer, don't forget to wear a light make-up!