Just like you, we want our clothes to make us feel as good as how we look. This is why we’re all about shining the light on the sustainable fashion brands that are changing the fashion scene, one consciously-made garment at a time.
Our Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies has rounded a few of our top eco-friendly shopping picks so you can maximise your trans-seasonal style and minimise your carbon footprint too.
British knitwear brand Lyle & Scott, who hold a Royal Warrant for knitwear, has done an incredible job of modernising its range for the new age. Founded in Hawick Scotland 150 years ago, this heritage brand has a pretty cool womenswear line, made up of easy-to-wear, casual and contemporary leisurewear is made with 100% organic cotton.
Not only has Lyle & Scott made its way to our sustainable fashion radar, but it has also surely carved out a permanent spot in our pre-fall wardrobes too. Oh — and did we mention that Lyle & Scott has several cool collabs to watch out for too?
Sustainable luxury footwear brand INUIKKI offers a range of contemporary footwear that was designed in Switzerland and made in Europe. All of INUIKKI’s products are made with organic materials and balance form and function with timeless style. Whether you are comfy in a pair of classic sneakers or well-protected in a pair of all-terrain boots – you know that your Inuikki footwear is made to last.
Sustainable French brand Gaâla is a favourite of our Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies. This brand has just released a vintage-inspired capsule collection with model/photographer/artist Shirinita Altsohn which exudes that effortless French girl style and takes inspiration from some of the screen sirens of the Golden Age of Cinema. We like the Corinne Dress (inspired by Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Doris Day), the Lauren Skirt, (inspired by Lauren Bacall) and the Shirin dress, inspired by the glamorous gowns of the 1930s and 1940s.
Isabel Manns is all about bright, colourful and sustainable seasonless clothing. This contemporary womenswear brand has its home in Marylebone and is underpinned by designer Isabel’s own personal commitment to building a 100% circular fashion label. Most of the prints in Isabel Mann’s beautiful silk creations were painted by Isabel herself, taking inspiration from her parent’s garden and the natural world. We love the beautiful silk dresses, tops, and skirts – made in plenty of different fabrics that can be customised to suit your personal tastes too.
Emotional World Vintage gives a sustainable twist to your luxury handbag game. Emotional World creates one-of-a-kind luxury handbags made with natural and original Boro patchwork, hand-crafted with traditional ‘Sashiko’ stitching methods. Circular, sustainable and with a wonderfully raw aesthetic, no two bags are alike at Emotional World, ensuring a luxury purchase that even the world’s most prestigious fashion houses can’t provide
Performance bag Ogio makes some of the world’s most ingeniously-designed, well-made and technologically advanced adventure backpacks that is perfect for hiking novices, backpacking enthusiasts, frequent travellers and adventure fanatics alike.
Ogio, official supplier to the Formula 1, prides itself in making personal storage products that blend high-octane performance with style. Our Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies tried out the Ogio Alpha 20L Backpack, which comes in a selection of bright and vivid colours.
This mid-sized backpack is coined as the ultimate everyday companion and is ideal whether you’re packing for a weekend camping trip or embarking on a more intense climbing expedition.
At 20 litres, the bag has just the right amount of room to fit all the essentials. It has rapid access exterior pockets that can be used to stash keys, phones, wallets safely and easily. The backpack has two rows of MOD Webbing, which complement Ogio’s MOD Hard Case or Soft pouches, so you can easily customise your Ogio storage option to suit your needs.
As a testament to its commitment to developing products that last, this backpack was constructed with premium 600D Recycled polyester fabric and a ballistic bottom that meet high-level fabric performance and durability specifications.
It also features adjustable shoulder straps with an additional sternum strap to assist in weight distribution. The bags have also been equipped with Aquatech waterproof construction and Exo Shield protective exteriors to keep your belongings safe no matter what elements you are braving.
You can also use this versatile backpack for short weekend trips away, as it comes with a luggage pass through and dedicated 15’ laptop pocket with padded tablet sleeve, equipped with a Reactive Suspension system that ensures all your gadgets are protected from impact.
Ogio is so confident in the quality of its products that all backpacks come with its very own lifetime warranty. The brand also has a 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed policy or they will send you your money back. No wonder Ogio has been coined as the ultimate adventure backpack – it’s totally life proof.
2020 was the year our lives were tipped upside down and, in some case, given a shake up. As a result, 2021 has been a catalyst of change for most of us and one of the biggest changes has been how we approach our overall wellbeing. Covid-19 has changed the way we eat, workout, our self-care, and the wellness products we have incorporated into our daily routine. Sales of wellness tech has boomed and as the world slowly reopens, we are now more than ever, looking for ways to proactively get on top of our wellness game.
The Fitbit Luxe is the newest addition to the brand, designed to help you take a more holistic approach to your health and wellness. Luxe offers both the support and motivation you need to stay healthy in today’s world with everything from stress management tools to automatic activity and sleep tracking – all in an effortlessly chic bracelet design.
Get an insight into your wellbeing through the Health Metrics dashboard in the Fitbit app to help you identify changes in your breathing rate and heart rate variability, which could be caused by increased stress or fatigue. With Luxe, you get six-months of Fitbit Premium which gives you access to a range of workouts and nearly 200 mindfulness sessions from popular brands to manage stress. This includes Deepak Chopra’s Mindful Method, an exclusive wellness collection with more than 30 sessions to make mindfulness more accessible.
If the thought of readjusting your everyday routine or retuning to office is leaving you feeling stressed or anxious you can proactively manage it through the Stress Management Score function. This provides a daily assessment of your body’s ability to handle stress based on your activity levels, sleep and heart rate.
Keeping physically fit is a key component of overall health, but for most people, COVID-19 has changed exercise routines. With 24/7 heart rate tracking that powers many of the watch’s health, wellness and fitness tools, you can track your daily heart rate in real-time to better measure your calorie burn. You can also choose from 20 different on-wrist exercise modes including golf, pilates, spinning or tennis and for those who prefer running, biking or hiking outside, you can use connected GPS from your phone to see real-time pace and distance. If you love a home training session you can try out more than 200 guided audio and video workouts from certified personal trainers and popular brands like Aaaptiv, barre3 and POPSUGAR to name a few.
If your sleep patterns are out of sync the Sleep Core function will help you better understand your sleep quality. It also has bedtime reminders so you can establish a more consistent routine. Both light and slim, Luxe is designed for maximum comfort, making it easy to wear nightly to manage your sleep.
Additional health tools include food, hydration and weight logging, and menstrual health tracking. There is 60 new pieces of nutrition content including curated healthy recipes from Fitbit and EatingWell. The new blood glucose logging feature in the app allows you to track your blood glucose levels to see how they change throughout the day.
This piece of arm candy ticks all the boxes when it comes to health and wellness solutions. Using smart tech like Fitbit will allow you to maintain your overall wellbeing and where necessary, make adjustments to feel more positive at home and work. Small changes to your daily wellness habits can often have the biggest impact as they are easy to maintain. Poor mental health can have a huge influence on your performance and overall happiness.
Fitbit Luxe is available to pre-order from fitbit.com/uk, from £129.99
A thousand miles may stand between designer sister duo Lizbeth and Gianella Cevallos, but it certainly hasn’t stopped them from taking over the fashion world with their sustainable denim brand, Glim Studios.
“Glim Studios is all about celebrating style, creativity and personalisation,” Lizbeth and Gianella say. “We saw an opportunity to reinvent denim as a sustainable and ethical brand.”
Glim Studios offers high-quality denim garments, made from sustainably and ethically-sourced materials in small, locally-produced quantities. It is a denim brand with heart and one that stands firmly against the consumerism of the fashion industry.
In this interview, we sit down with Lizbeth and Gianella and talk all things fashion, the best and worst things about starting a business with your sister, and how Glim Studios is changing the fast-fashion tide, one impeccably made denim garment at time.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background, what inspired you to start Glim Studios?
Lizbeth and Gianella: We were born and raised in Ecuador and grew up inspired in all the pop culture from the 90’s and the last of the 80’s, including art, architecture and music from the era.
Lizbeth is a Fashion designer, and Gianella is an Industrial engineer. We both love to travel and explore new cultures and moved oversees to live our dreams. Lizbeth lives in Madrid, Spain. Gianella lives in Miami, US.
Lizbeth: I went to study Fashion Design in Barcelona, and then moved to Madrid to work and study. I did an MBA in Fashion Management, and then a Master’s in digital business and Innovative Technology.
Gianella: I graduated as an Industrial Engineer in Ecuador and then moved to California to study an Applications Programming (Computer Science), and Design Communication Arts, then a Master’s in international business in Florida.
Even though we live in opposite sides of the world. We share the same values and found common ground by sharing the dream of creating a brand that reflects both, and their beliefs, founding Glim Studios in 2019.
2. What is the best and worst thing about working together as sisters? Why did you decide to focus on denim?
There isn’t a worst thing about working together because we really enjoy working together as sisters and business partners. It’s an exciting adventure for both us, a true discovery.
We know each other well enough to recognise our strengths and weaknesses in order to support each other. We may disagree, but then find a way to see each other’s perspectives. Most of the time we ended up combining our ideas. From the business point of view, we try to use every advantage to make things work in the best way possible.
We live in different countries, with different time zones and thousands of miles between us. This poses many challenges, but the passion and the dream we share for Glim Studios helps us overcome them.
We decided to focus on denim because we love denim. We saw an opportunity to reinvent denim as a sustainable and ethical brand. We decided to work very close with our partners to develop denim garments with the lowest impact on the production cycle and find ways to recycle the leftovers materials by only making limited quantities of each style. This is the quality of clothing we like to wear, and we want to share it with others.
We went one step forward by bringing the opportunity to customise our customer’s denim items using patches and pins from our ‘Customisation Bar.’ This makes every item more special and unique. At Glim Studios, we celebrate style, creativity and personalisation.
3. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as businesswomen so far?
The global pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced as businesswomen. We’d never imagined that almost four months after we officially launched Glim Studios in November 2019, that we would be facing a global pandemic which has been lifechanging for everyone. The first three years of any fashion label are crucial and so we approached the situation in the best way we could, reinventing and adapting to changes we were facing with our community and our customers.
It was hard, but we have managed to keep learning from every little thing that was and is still happening around us. We are very lucky that we are a small business that can make changes fast and reinvent easily.
4. What difficulties do you face as a sustainable and ethical fashion brand?
As a sustainable and ethical fashion brand we believe fashion can be a force for good, and a vehicle for change. Nonetheless, on this path we have faced many difficulties on every level such as:
Finding the right partners. It has been a real challenge to find responsible businesses. Not just any person, or company, but certified businesses that support sustainable and ethical production with transparency. At the same time, partners that can provide us flexibility to order limited quantities.
Some of our styles come in very limited stock because we need to satisfy our suppliers, and at the same time, we try to maintain our sustainable ethos because we know that’s the best way.
Another difficulty has been to inform and reach our customers to explain why our garments have the value they have. We make high quality items, focused on detail, and responsibly-sourced materials, which turns our operations into more costly processes.
And finally, our surplus (items from past collections, and material from past collections), have always been in a part of our plans. So, we try to minimize them from production and reuse them in future collections. This part of a planning process and this takes time.
The contradiction is that we produce for consumption even when we do produce limited quantities. We recognise how this inherently contradicts the current fashion industry which thrives from newness and consumption. So, we are committed to making better choices every day across the business. Every small action matters.
On this front, we decided to work with small factories, most of them family-owned, where we are able to watch each piece be made. We have seen and met the workers who are hardworking people that create each piece of clothing for Glim Studios.
5. “Glim Studios is all about style, creativity and personalisation.” Tell us more about this ethos and what sets Glim Studios apart from other brands in the market today?
When we refer to Glim Studios ethos, we wanted it to represent young people at heart. We want to celebrate style, creativity and personalisation because we believe everyone is different and that make this life so wonderful. We believe that what sets Glim Studios apart from other brands today is that we don’t categorise ourselves and we welcome everyone, every individual.
We celebrate being different, being unique, we celebrate style and with it comes creativity and personalisation.
We create unisex pieces where our customer decides how they will wear each item. We produce limited quantities which means every style is unique in their own way. Beyond that, we also have our ‘customization bar’ where you have the opportunity to customise your pieces by adding patches and pins with freedom because we want to empower uniqueness and authenticity.
6. What’s next for you? Any new exciting projects in the pipeline?
That a good question! For sure, we will keep working hard and dreaming big with Glim Studios. We are very focused on the things we want to achieve and explore with the brand, for us there’s no limit so we are 100% excited for what’s to come. We have been working non-stop in a few projects all related to the brand that will come to light later this year.
7. What advice do you have for women who would like to become successful entrepreneurs like yourselves?
The best advice we could give any women out there fighting for their dreams is the same we received from our parents from the very beginning: Work hard, be consistent and believe in yourself and your dreams with all your heart and never take anything for granted. It may take a while to see the results you always dreamed of, just remember ‘the day you plant the seed it’s not the day you eat the fruit’, be patient and keep working hard.
Now that parks are the new restaurants and romance is strictly prohibited to the great outdoors, we’re finding new ways to ramp up our winter-walk style this Valentine’s Day.
If you still haven’t found THE gift for your beau, then our editors have hand-picked some timeless and functional pieces to impress even the most discerning outdoorsman.
Last year has been tough and with no end in sight for lockdown 3.0, the last thing we need is all the unnecessary pressure that Valentine’s Day brings. So, this year, instead of Valentine’s we’re showing our gratitude to all the girlfriends that have helped us survive a global pandemic.
We know how much all those boozy zoom calls, distanced park walks and late night Netflix Watch Parties matter, so what better way to say thank you than by treating your favourite gal pals to some of these ultra-stylish fashion finds this February?
While #TeamCoco may be hunkering down at home, we’re still on the hunt to find new ways to inspire you even in lockdown.
We know you’ve probably been living in pyjamas for the better part of three weeks (heck – so have we), but there’s also nothing wrong with dressing up and cosying up in style too. In fact, mindfulness experts say that dressing up at home (comfortably of course) can be just the trick to beating the Blue Monday blues.
So, whether you’re exploring new ways to create #stayathome content or just wanting to look like a human being on your next Zoom meeting, here’s a few of our favourite loungewear pieces to get you through lockdown 3.0 in style.
There isn’t much that pulls me out of the extreme malaise of an Instagram rabbit hole, but there is, however, one unfailing exemption. That is, the premise of spotting someone’s coffee table; with my thumb firmly pressed onto the screen to freeze frame their interior, my tapping frenzy is brought to a halt as I squint to decipher the spines of their colossal hardbacks. But, how has a cumbersome compilation of words and illustrations come to bear such cultural prominence?
No doubt they serve their purpose of curating an aesthetically pleasing home, but a coffee table book epitomises something greater. They’re a dinner-party conversation starter, a first date ice-breaker or – if we’re being honest – a very pricey place to rest your cuppa.
Whilst Douglas Sirk believed that the “homes that people live in exactly describe their lives”, the same could be said about their coffee-table companions when describing an individual. From architectural landscapes to vintage cocktail recipe guides, every cover is less an ornament and more a window into the soul of its owner.
This Christmas, should you find yourself trapped within the quandary of yuletide spending, gift someone the opportunity to live vicariously through one of House of Coco’s tabletop requisites. Just try not to spill on the pages.
Nothing quite celebrates the arrival of the festive season than seeing kaleidoscopic baubles appear in boutique shops and department stores. There are plenty of fantastic creations this year to bring some celebratory cheer to the end of a tumultuous year.
Tom Martin
If you are looking for artisanal baubles, the number one place you should visit is Tom Martin’s website. Each bauble is painstakingly hand-painted using a 400-year-old Chinese craft of inside painting. The process involves hand-painting, in reverse, on the inside surface of the glass using tiny hooked paintbrushes lowered in through a small hole at the top of each globe. He has created the official bauble of Claridge’s Hotel and Annabel’s nightclub. Designs including snow-laden forests and The Snowman have been impressing audiences across the globe, as they are sold in over 20 countries on 5 continents.
It is all about sustainability with their Christmas decorations this year as they’ve unveiled the largest sustainable collection ever sold. This is in keeping with their ongoing, Project Earth initiative aimed at changing the way we shop. They’ve stocked decorations from the likes of Felt So Good which focuses on using eco-friendly materials and supporting Fairtrade. And they’ve also commissioned pieces to celebrate the multitude of gift ideas on offer at this ever-popular department store.
For those who want to avoid a mishmash of bauble decorations, this family-run homeware brand has helpfully curated a 2020 baubles trend guide. They include kitsch, celestial, whimsical menagerie, Christmas past, and island paradise, so you just need to focus on your personal preference. With the likes of a beaded skull and glass chilli, I am personally voting for kitsch.
From a world-famous department store, you would rightfully expect to find the most extravagant, outrageous baubles imaginable. They have some stupendous offerings this year including the likes of the Wedgwood tree bauble with their customary blue porcelain and the intricately designed floral bauble from Jayne Redmond. Harrods have also commissioned their own line of baubles including elegant bow and silver drops baubles to child-friendly Santa Globe Christmas bauble.
If you want to enjoy a Christmas tipple along with your baubles, then these renowned florists have just the offering for you with their limited edition floral bauble and spritz kit. The ornate baubles contain precious, dried flowers whilst the kit contains ST~GERMAIN Elderflower Liqueur. Each bottle contains 1,000 hand-picked, wild elderflower blossoms. Each bottle is individually numbered to reflect which year the flowers were picked.
Check out our comprehensive guide for the ultimate Christmas gifts for couples, perfect for those in need of last-minute ideas.
With a plethora of Christmas baubles to choose from this year, why don’t you consider treating yourself to something a little magical and also surprise your friends and family with some festive bauble cheer?
#TeamCoco Editor-in-Chief Laura Bartlett and Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies were whisked away for a stylish afternoon filled with plenty of laughs and pre-loved designer duds with fabulous ladies of The Pod Online. Here’s what went down during their Fantastic Afternoon with The Pod Online.
Founded by the incredible Cat and Alex, who bring together decades of luxury retail experience, The Pod Online is a North-Yorkshire-based personal styling service that offers the very best curation of pre-loved designer goods.
In addition to their impeccable personal styling services, Cat and Alex also help women detox their wardrobes by offering fashion advice and streamlining their collections. They also offer private personal styling parties, where you can gather your girl squad for a day of trying on various designer clothes over some bubbles. We honestly can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.
Without sounding too much of a cliché, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Cat and Alex have a ‘passion for fashion’ which breathes life and joy into everything they do. The Pod Online makes personal shopping fun and does away with the oftentimes intimidating pretence of luxury shopping.
#TeamCoco Editor-in-Chief Laura Bartlett and Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies are two very different women, each one with a very distinctive personal style. Both #TeamCoco babes approached the experience with completely different perspectives – but left it feeling more confident, more stylish, and 100% more fabulous.
Editor-in-Chief Laura Bartlett
If I’m completely honest, I was really apprehensive and nervous about spending a day with Cat and Alex, purely on the basis that I have spent my entire adult life believing that designer clothes wouldn’t fit me. Having honed in on my personal style over the years and as someone who falls into the ‘plus size’ category, I wouldn’t have believed you if you’d have told me I would be walking away from this day with a Balmain dress feeling better than I had in a long time.
The whole day was way more fun than I anticipated and the selection of clothes that had been pre-selected was so me! Not only did I walk away with a bag full of designer buys, but my confidence was through the roof and I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time. Meeting Cat and Alex was a breath of fresh air, not once did I feel outside of my comfort zone and walking away with a Strenesse Cape and Malene Birger was just the icing on the cake.
Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies
I’ve always embraced fashion and I think my personal style is quite unique. I love taking lots of fashion risks and can’t resist a statement piece. I always like to incorporate something ‘unusual’ or ‘unexpected’ into my looks, like a crazy printed coat, or a massive hat, mixing and matching various textures, prints and silhouettes.
Coming to the experience, I honestly didn’t think that Cat and Alex could pinpoint my style as perfectly as they did — and just based on an Insta-stalk too! They prepared six outfits for me, and without a shadow of a doubt, I would have put all those outfits together myself if given the chance.
We started off with a couple of casual day looks featuring a Victoria Beckham top and some biker boots, and then a Whistles trench coat, Loewe bag and Jimmy Choo combo. Both looks were easy to put together and would not be out of place in my existing wardrobe, yet also offered up an elegant yet understated perspective to my style.
Cat and Alex then ramped up the style-ante and put me in a blue printed Peter Pilotto shift dress and Miu Miu heels which was a perfect date-night ensemble. They followed this with a stand-out deep green floral printed Megan Parker coat and Dolce & Gabbana shirt combo – which was my absolute favourite look of the day.
Next up, was a more glamorous bohemian dress and fur-vest look, matched with an oversized hat from Lack of Colour and ACNE boots. As an added flourish, Cat and Alex styled the printed dress over a turtleneck – which is one of my go-to autumn style hacks. My final look was all about comfort and cosiness and featured a dark pullover with some olive green Axel Arigato trainers.
Six looks, six completely different styles, six different versions of me — and The Pod Online absolutely nailed them all. Safe to say I came home with armfuls of pre-loved designer pieces that I now cannot live without.
