In days like these, with disasters such as the one at Rana Plaza and barbarious methods used, for instance, for producing angora-wool, there’s a growing anti-force of the fashion industry as we know it. With initiatives such as Fashion Revolution and Dame Viv’s Climate Revolution, engagement’s gone cool and discussions have arised. But still, even though the general fashion brand may have gone better in question of sustainability in their production and worker’s rights, there’s still a long way to go. Ecological, vegan and locally produced clothing have existed for long, but unfortunately, they’d often be a shame to wear for the fashion-interested. Far too often have I questioned myself where the interesting designs within sustainable fashion are.

Recently, however, something seem to have happened. Emerging designers whom are fully dedicated to their beliefs are establishing, and a few experienced designers change their point of view in the area of sustainability. Filippa K recently took a step towards sustainable fashion, with a newly shaped sustainability statement, and Belgian born Bruno Pieters, former designer of a self-titled brand, Delvaux and Hugo Boss’ menswear, today runs online store Honest By. It’s concept is simple: to focus solely on high-street clothing and accessories for which a full transparence regarding fabric and material origin as well as working conditions can be presented. Additionally, a great focus on ecological, vegan and locally produced clothing exists. Except for his own designs, other designers such as Calla and Haeven Tanudiredja are invited to create sustainable collections sold on the site.

Furthermore, there are less experienced, but very interesting, designers who have established their own businesses the recent years. Portuguese brand K L A R, founded in 2012, opposes the vast animal exploitation within the fashion industry, as well as the general unsustainability. Even if producing their clothing and accessories in Portugal without animal fabrics, they’ve kept an interesting design-philosophy and constantly explore new shapes and technologies for fabric-manufacturing - and still manage to keep to a reasonable price range!

As for the question of vegan shoes, the fashion-friend has for long needed to turn to Stella McCartney - as long as your feet can be squeezed into at highest a pair of 41’s, that’d be. Regarding me, it’s been an impossibility. However, recently having discovered Belgian designer Mats Rombaut’s Paris-based line ROMBAUT my hopes of a good looking vegan feet future has again awoke. Having collaborated both with earlier mentioned Honest By as well as K L A R, one could mistake the brand for well experienced, when it’s in fact only been in business for two years. Nonetheless, business seem to go well. An online shop was established a few months back, and thus these goodies are now available worldwide. Also K L A R and Honest By commit to online sales, which is good since emerging brands like these unfortunately have few stockists.

Top picture: Courtesy of ROMBAUT (A/W 2015). Lower pictures: Courtesy of K L A R (S/S 2015).