LFW: Estethica
- Words by Peppermint
London Fashion Week’s Estethica is renowned as one of the greatest mainstream exhibitions of ethical fashion worldwide, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint. Our UK Correspondent Rachel Manns had the privilege to head along and see some of ethical fashion’s pioneers – and the variety of design and craftsmanship was astonishing.
Joanna Cave‘s jewellery designers are wonderful. Made from 90% recycled sterling silver, they’re ethically produced in Greece (the homeland of Joanna’s mother), and the pearls used are sourced from ethical suppliers in Japan. The designs are romantic and feminine, with hints of Greece’s ancient culture. We especially adored the Yoko bracelets! You can purchase her items online or from Australian stockists Imago and Legacy of Epocas.
Pachacuti have been impressing us with their sustainable hats since Carry Somers founded the label in 1992. Meeting Carry in person was wonderful; her background is so inspirational, and the work she’s done in South America is revolutionary. The label’s SS13 collection features hand-woven and hand-embroidered hat ribbons, and their famous Panama hat is made from organically grown carludovica palmate on a community-owned plantation which encourages biodiversity of plants and animals. Nothing is wasted – fibres not suitable for hats are used for roofing. The collection itself combines a range of styles and colours, and was presented beautifully at Estethica. You can buy Pachacuti hats from their online store.
Copenhagen-based label MAXJENNY make long-lasting garments out of fabric from recycled water bottles. They collaborate with different artists using wonderful eye-popping prints, and make their clothes with as few seams as possible, even using innovative fabric patterns to minmise cut-off waste.
Mich Dulce‘s sustainable millinery collection looked incredible. She is widely acclaimed as one of the most original and important Filipino visionaries in fashion today, and we could definitely see why. She even won the top prize in the 2010 International Young Creative Fashion Entrepreneur category at London Fashion Week. “It isn’t enough to just make pretty things. The fabric and craft employed in making my hats are an essential part of the heritage of the T’Boli culture, a tapestry of the tribe’s own history and traditions, I want to show this to the world whilst remaining creatively engaging”. Crafted from a sustainable fibre, her hats are distinctive and original with a classic twist that we couldn’t get enough of. She currently stocks in Pela in Canberra and is hoping to gain more Australian stockists soon.
Junky Styling is one of the key players when it comes to sustainable London-based fashion. They’re a big name with heaps of personality. London’s fashion scene has a huge soft spot for them, and it’s clear why. The garments are made from the highest quality secondhand clothing, which is deconstructed, re-cut and completely transformed. The New Yorker described it as ‘an eccentrically chic line of mutant couture’. Their SS13 collection Interchange is influenced by the interchangeable weather conditions that we now live alongside and the line includes Wraps and Waists for the cold and Loose and Breezy for the heat. Introducing this season’s shower proof snow print, Interchange is produced out of rain macs, desert shirts and, of course, their trademark fine suiting – they definitely have most forecasts covered then! (This one’s for you Melbourne). Items are available from their online store here.
Carla Fernandez‘s colourful exhibition really caught our eye. Inspired in the Yucatan Peninsular, Carla’s SS13 Mayaland takes us to unexplored, colourful and wild places. A combination of pre-columbine and contemporary Mayans together with techniques that include hammocks, palm, rebozo, embroideries, wood turning and silver and gold filigree make up this amazing and lively collection. Using mainly linen, cotton and silk with some additional accents, they base their collection in the colour palette of the tropical environment of the jungle using red, aqua, hot orange, jade – as well as some classical shades like navy blue and beige. Prints are inspired by the remains of this ancient culture and Mexican fauna, and they work with various artisans around the peninsular, using different techniques to make the most of the artisan’s knowledge and input. They’ll be stocking this collection at Legacy of Epocas in Sydney and Melbourne. We love it.
{Guest Post and Photography by Rachel Manns}
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
Hang out with us on Instagram
On the 14th of April 2013 the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, tragically killing 1134 workers and injuring over 2,500 more.
Every year we commemorate this devastating and avoidable loss of life and advocate for better working conditions for all during Fashion Revolution Week, which runs from 22nd-28th April in 2026.
This year there are different themes for each day of the week, with the annual Mend In Public day falling right in the middle, on Saturday 25th April.
This is your cue to gather your community, settle in and commit some time, attention and creativity to mending your clothes in the pursuit of extending their life in your wardrobe. Be it patching, embroidery, sewing or stitching, there are many ways to resolve structural and aesthetic issues in your garments that will see you donning them for years to come!
If it’s a bit tricky to get mending on the day itself (it will be ANZAC Day here in Australia) then fear not. Any time is the right time for mending so if you need to take needle in hand on another day that will do just fine!
Comment below if you know of any events you`d like to share happening in your community.
Learn more and get involved:
@FashionRevolutionAustralia
@Fash_Rev
FashionRevolution.org
#FashionRevolution #WhoMadeMyClothes #MendInPublicDay
“This is just a reminder to you to go for your big dreams! They might just work out.” ❤️
And we’re so glad you did, Emma!
From @CinnamonDaisyStudio:
No biggie, I’m just in a really cool magazine 🥹
When @Laura_The_Maker reached out to me last year to ask if I’d be interested in being featured in @PeppermintMagazine I didn’t hold back. I 100% fan girled 🤣 it was obviously a yes!
Getting to talk about the positive impact sewing your own clothes has on your body image is the BEST. I started sewing my own clothes because the standard doesn’t fit me. But I wasn’t expecting to heal my body image at the same time. What a wonderful byproduct ❤️🩹
So this is just a reminder to you to go for your big dreams! They might just work out ❤️
Mother`s Day Chocolate Treats Subscription Special! 🌟
This very sweet subscription offer comes with some glorious goodies, thanks to our friends at @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo!
Our lovely community manager Em, runs us through the offer.
SUBSCRIBE FOR $79 AND RECEIVE:
🌟 1 x 12-month Peppermint Subscription!
PLUS!
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 43% cocoa, Certified-Organic Taming The Jackalope Drinking Chocolate from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 70% cocoa, Certified-Organic Ship To Wreck Chocolate Flakes from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Issue 64 (includes a free code for the #PeppermintDaisyDress digital sewing pattern!)
🌟 A5 art card of our exclusive ‘Together We Rise’ Issue 60 cover design by @LukeJohnMatthewArnold
🌟 All wrapped in fabric from @DoopsDesigns
Price includes postage! This special offer is available to Australian addresses only. Don`t miss out – there`s limited numbers!
🌟 Link in bio!
#PeppermintMagazine #MothersDay
Calling all brands who give a damn! 📣
Bookings for our wonderful Sew&Tell digital issue are now open – if you are an awesome creative brand that fits right in with Peppermint`s ethos of style, sustainability, sewing and substance, get in touch. Or if you know of one who might be keen – tag them below. We have packages for budgets both big and small, but spots are limited, so don`t wait too long to get in touch!
Drop us a line at Mandy@PeppermintMag.Com for a chat with Mandy, our lovely advertising manager – she`ll help you find the best way to share your good work with our awesome audience.
We`d sew love to work with you! ✨️🧵✨️
#PeppermintSewAndTell
💛 BFF GIVEAWAY 💛
Generous, messy, creative, spiky, warm, enigmatic… our best friends come in many flavours. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a far better, more interesting place to be.
Inspired by Sam and Sadie’s complicated ‘forever’ bond in Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by @GabrielleZevin (a firm Peppermint fave ‘friendy’ read), we’ve rounded up some iconic fictional duos from books, movies and TV - the ride-or-dies, bosom buddies, chosen family, the ‘you’re-my-person’ people.
They all remind us that the non-romantic kind of love is always worth the effort (and it’s often the kind that lasts!). Think Anne Shirley and Diana Barry, Calvin and Hobbes, Snoopy and Woodstock, Eloise and Penelope… Head to the link in bio to read the full story and meet them all!
We’ve got two copies of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow to gift to one lucky Peppermint reader and their bestie, thanks to @PenguinBooksAus.
To enter:
✨Follow us and @PenguinBooksAus
✨Tag your best friend in the comments
✨Tell them why they’re so darn great!
Because as Sadie tells Sam: true collaborators in life are rare. And very much worth celebrating.
Winner drawn Tuesday 21 April 2pm. Australian addresses only. Good luck! 📖
#BFF #BookGiveaway #TomorrowAndTomorrowAndTomorrow
Mother`s Day Chocolate Treats Subscription Special! 🌟
It`s almost time to celebrate that special person in your life who has motherly energy – mum, aunty, single parent, queer parent, grandparent, caregiver... or maybe just someone who happens to love getting chocolate treats (and hey, maybe that someone is YOU!).
This very sweet subscription offer comes with some glorious goodies, thanks to our friends at @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo!
SUBSCRIBE FOR $79 AND RECEIVE:
🌟 1 x 12-month Peppermint Subscription
PLUS!
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 43% cocoa, Certified-Organic Taming The Jackalope Drinking Chocolate from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 70% cocoa, Certified-Organic Ship To Wreck Chocolate Flakes from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Issue 64 (includes a free code for the #PeppermintDaisyDress digital sewing pattern!)
🌟 A5 art card of our exclusive ‘Together We Rise’ Issue 60 cover design by @LukeJohnMatthewArnold
🌟 All wrapped in fabric from @DoopsDesigns
Price includes postage! This special offer is available to Australian addresses only. Don`t miss out – there`s limited numbers!
🌟 Link in bio 🌟
#PeppermintMagazine #MothersDay
