Elka's AW18 Sea Crew collection honours the heritage of the hard-working fishermen and sea crews of the North Sea.

The weather is turning and the north wind will soon start to blow and bite.  Spare a thought for those who bear the brunt of the cold when their work takes them out to the cold north sea.

I'm thinking of fishermen who throughout history have always mended their workwear with patches whilst at work in the harsh conditions of the rough seas. These patches bear testimony to years of fighting and working in often inhospitable conditions. These patches act as badges of honour and can signify the duration of one’s service.

Since the foundation of the brand Elka in 1958 one of their main objectives has been the outfitting and protection of Danish fishing fleets. Thus the Sea Crew collection is a reinterpretation of designs that have kept fishermen dry for 60 years.

Built with original 320g OEKO-TEX® standard 100 PVC fabric and high frequency welded seams Elka makes sure that every jacket from the Sea Crew collection meets the same exacting standards that we send to sea.

The original PVC collection has been the heart of our DNA since the company’s inception, and that the company takes pride in making clothing that is durable and waterproof enough to be worn by fishermen on the North Sea.

Handmade in their own factories since the beginning their materials are OEKO-TEX® certified and the Original PVC Collection still utilises their classic designs with bonded seams and raglan sleeves for maximum flexibility and waterproofing. After sixty years of sending these jackets out to sea the company declares proudly that their garments still stand up to the test every time.

Read in full on the Textile Innovations page.  Click HERE. 

Ethical footwear brand Po-Zu unveils AW18 and SS19 collections ahead of London Fashion Week

This Autumn/Winter 2018 season, British ethical footwear brand Po-Zu's signature style returns with chrome-free leather boots and best-selling sneakers. The new collection features new developments and silhouettes, including a non-leather runner which nods to the continuing athleisure trend, a vegan Chelsea boot, a vegan high top and a vegan snow-boot to see us through the après-ski season.

Building on the 12 year history of the brand, Po-Zu launched a new ethical line from Sri Lanka for the Spring/Summer 2019 season while also growing the Portuguese product range to offer a stylish ethical alternative for both men and women.

Sven Segal, CEO of Po-Zu, commented: “Seasons may come and go but the ethical footwear trend is here to stay. Therefore, we are also introducing new styles, a large amount of which are also vegan.

Spring/Summer 2019 features fresh new colours and stylish easy-to-wear sneakers made with organic cotton, coconut coir and Fair Trade rubber. “

Safia Minney, MBE, Managing Director of Po-Zu and Founder of Fair Trade fashion pioneer, People Tree, comments: “It’s been incredibly exciting building our ethical and sustainable supply chain in Sri Lanka and we’re so pleased to be able to offer customers an even wider choice of ethically-made footwear at prices that are ever more accessible.

Safia continued: “Consumers are waking up to the harmful consequences of their purchasing decisions. We are seeing ever more a shift towards vegan fashion that is not just cruelty-free but also plastic-free and environmentally-friendly. Working with naturally vegan and biodegradable Po-Zu shoes offer style and substance with top-class sustainability credentials."

Meanwhile, Po-Zu continues to maintain a cult following with the geek and Star Wars community, adding several new styles to the AW18 offering for Star Wars fans. Most notable is the new Leather RESISTANCE in luxury soft chrome-free leather.  Referencing the Rebel Alliance emblem with a heat embossed logo on the side the new sneakers shine new light on the timeless Star Wars brand. The range, which has been officially licenced by Lucasfilm and Disney has been worn on actors and stars alike including Daisy Ridley (Heroine Rey) Mark Hamil (Luke Skywalker), director, Kevin Smith, Youtuber, Casey Neistat and more.

Consumers’ increasing awareness of sustainability, ethical fashion and sharing economy

Some of the industry's visionaries on sustainability, ethical fashion and fair trade joined up to discuss Sourcing and Design and the Next Chapter on Fashion and Sustainability at Bloomsbury Gallery in London on September 4th  while ethical footwear brand Po-Zu’s launched their new SS19 and AW18 collections.

Photo from Pu-Zu. 

The discussions highlighted consumers’ increasing awareness of the harmful consequences of their purchasing decisions, and the growing shift towards vegan fashion that is not just cruelty-free but also plastic-free and environmentally-friendly. 

Sven Segal, Founder and CEO of Po-Zu said: "Everything starts with awareness. Most people are completely unaware of the issues with the footwear and the fashion industry.  My speciality is shoes and I can tell you there are tonnes of really nasty chemicals put into ordinary shoes. There ought to be a list of ingredients if you buy online on the product page much like with food."

On the next chapter for the industry, Safia Minney, MBE, Founder of People Tree and Managing Director of Po-Zu commented: "I see the work of the pioneers informing the agenda. The problem with ethical fashion and footwear brands is that we have to run so fast and compete on an unlevel playing field because we are competing with sweatshop fashion and fashion that is highly polluting and exploitative."

Caryn Franklin MBE, British fashion commentator, Professor of Diversity in Fashion and former Fashion Editor and Co-Editor of i-D Magazine: "It is a case of joining up the dots. If we are looking to be empowered and emboldened by our choices and to feel that to a certain extent we have embodied cognition: that we are feeling good about what we are wearing so therefore we have confidence and self-belief..."

Caryn continued: "If you know that something has been made by somebody in despair, then it has absolutely nothing to contribute to  life and your experience of yourself, because that information, you can't un-know."

On the vegan revolution, the plant-based economy and cruelty-free fashion, Bel Jacobs, freelance fashion journalist and former Style Editor at the Metro said: "The very fact of the matter is that sentient beings are suffering."

Bel added, on the next steps for the industry "I think social media is putting forward stories about what is going on behind the factory walls in a more efficient and devastating way than ever before and I think consumers are going to react to that."

Tamsin Lejeune, CEO of Common Objective and Founder of the Ethical Fashion Forum remarked: "The entire fashion and economic system is dysfunctional. We need tax breaks for ethical fashion pioneers to level the playing field, so they can compete."

Last but not least, on the sharing economy, Zoe Partridge, Founder of wardrobe rental concept, Wear the Walk said "It is about changing people's mindsets and how they consume."

Modern fashion meets Japanese sub-culture as new clothing brand Tokkou arrives for London Fashion Week

Contemporary Japanese fashion brand Tokkou is setting up a pop-shop in London’s trendy Notting Hill to coincide with London Fashion Week.

The London-based brand takes inspiration from Japanese youth subculture Bousou-zoku for its cutting-edge looks.

TOKKOU’s visionaries want to bring their fresh approach to couture by using technologically enhanced fabrics.
Photos from TOKKOU

The designs are inspired by traditional garments worn by the bousou-zoku biker gangs and the traditional sotsuran worn by students during their graduation ceremony, the Tokkou collection reinterprets clothing as an art form used to express team names and beliefs with words and illustrations.

Inspired by the recent popularity of Japanese culture in Europe and the current trend for Japanese writing, embroidered jackets and jeans, the Tokkou brand symbolises Japan’s cultural heritage while incorporating elements of British punk-rock and Gothic culture. The result is a striking Asian-British fusion of silhouettes, cuts and styles with unmistakable Japanese flair.

Its 2019 Spring Summer collection, Shining in the Dark, is designed in the hope that the wearer shines even while riding their motorcycle in the dark.

Featuring dark and brooding hues emblazoned with eye-catching traditional Japanese characters and bold graphics, the Tokkou range includes oversized hoodies, tailored jackets, trousers, sweatpants, shirts, dresses and tailored shorts.

Each garment is created in the country that the company has drawn much of their inspiration from and aims to transmit traditional Japanese culture to the world through fashion.

TOKKOU’s visionaries want to bring more of their fresh approach to couture to stores and streets around the country by using technologically enhanced fabrics.

Billed as "utterly wearable and very on trend," the collection is designed to be edgy yet timeless and uses modern materials such as a soft Lyocell Cotton blend, with a gentle and drapeable texture that unlike nylon and polyester, does not require petroleum for its production.

There’s also high dense stitch fleece lining, luxurious 80 yarn count poplin and luxury fabrics spun in the Biella region of Northern Italy.

Tokkou has ambitious plans to present its designs to the world, and will host a guerrilla fashion show on the 15th September alongside London Fashion Week. 

The Notting Hill pop up shop will be open to the public, the media and fashion merchandisers alike from the 21st September for two weeks.

During their time at London Fashion Week, Tokkou’s creators are hoping to meet with suppliers to clothing stores throughout Europe as well as independent fashion retailers who understand the brand’s vision and share their view of Japanese fashion as an art form. 

UK fine jewellery industry to reach £3.3billion in 2018

In the UK, the retail value of the fine jewellery industry rose for the fourth successive year to a high of £3.2billion in 2017, according to research from Euromonitor International and is predicted to rise again in 2018 to reach GBP £3.3 billion.

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and British women’s favourite choice of gem to wear, according to research published today by leading UK online jewellers Gemporia (www.gemporia.com).

All categories of fine jewellery; rings, neckwear, wristwear and earrings have grown, with necklaces showing the largest (10%) uplift over the 2014 – 2018 period. Overall, rings are still the biggest category of fine jewellery sales in the UK worth £1.39bn in 2017, predicted to rise further to £1.435bn by the end of 2018, while watches saw the slowest growth with 2% retail value increase in 2017.

Karolina Zlotkovska, beauty and fashion analyst at Euromonitor International comments, “The decline in the British pound sterling, following the Brexit vote in 2016, was beneficial for fine jewellery retailers in the immediate aftermath. With a cheaper currency and plenty of stock, jewellery could be sold with a preserved margin to foreign customers happy to seize the opportunity.”

The Euromonitor research has been released to coincide with the International Jewellery London trade event, current held at Olympia, Kensington, (2-4 September 2018).

India set to overtake US as second biggest market for fine jewellery

The top 5 countries or economies – notably  China, India, US, Japan and Hong Kong - account for 70% of worldwide jewellery spending according to research provided by Euromonitor International and are predicted to reach a staggering US$331bn by the end of 2018.

The country that brings Bollywood to the world, is now set to be a leading market for serious bling.
Photos: Illamasqua India Fashion Week London 

According to newly released figures revealed at the International Jewellery London trade fair (September 2 - 4 at Olympia, Kensington), India is set to overtake US as second biggest market for fine jewellery by the end of 2018, while China remains the biggest market in the world for fine jewellery.

Fotoulla Michael, Head Of Sales, International Jewellery London (IJL) said:  “This research shows that the Indian market for fine jewellery has grown enormously over the last five years.

“There has been news in recent months about increased appetite for platinum, diamonds and also coloured stones, alongside the more traditional demand for gold jewellery. India’s growing domestic market will have a huge impact on worldwide jewellery trade,” said Michael, adding that Indian designers, manufacturers and gem dealers are welcome to the International Jewellery Week in London this session.  They include Kohinoor, Karats & Carats, Videotron Gems & Jewellers, Spectrum Jewels and Lotus Gems.

Jewellery industry expert David Brough, concurred that India is a vast and growing market for luxury, notably for diamond jewellery. “Advertising campaigns in India led by groups such as the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), are bound to increase demand by the country's increasingly affluent consumers for diamond jewellery in the coming years," he said.

The figures from market research experts at Euromonitor International, highlighted that the Indian fine jewellery market will be worth USD $62.8bn,  $4billion more than US retail spend which will reach $58.6bn, by the end of 2018.

The US market for fine jewellery has grown by 12% over the last five years (USD $52.2bn in 2014) but the Indian market has increased by a phenomenal 74% over the same period (USD $36.1bn in 2014).

China remains the biggest market for fine jewellery, with sales reaching USD $86.3billion and is expected to reach USD$92billion by the end of this year.  Overall Chinese market has grown by over 21% in the last five years.

More than 550 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors from over 50 countries are expected to attend the International Jewellery London trade fair.

ROICA™ Joins Première Vision Paris - Smart Square

Come September 19, 20, and 21, 2018, ROICA™ will set up camp at Première Vision Paris -  Smart Square -  where their experts will discuss responsible innovation and well-being.

This season, ROICA™ will showcase their Eco Smart family that offers 2 responsibly-made yarns: a GRS (Global Recycled Standard) version 3 certified yarn and the world’s first yarn awarded Cradle2Cradle Material Health Gold Level Certificate and Hohenstein Environment compatibility certification.

On display in the Smart Square, a 800-sq. m. area dedicated to shed light on a new generation of values combining creativity, innovation and sustainability, is a  unique  range of ROICA™ Eco-Smart family based fabrics, the world's first responsibly made premium stretch fibers creating ROICA™ smart yarns that offer sustainable solutions with impressive certifications:
- Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified by Textile Exchange - ROICA™ constructed with more than 50% pre-consumer recycled content.
- Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Gold Level for Material Health product and ingredients - ROICA™ yarn evaluated throughout the supply chain for lower impacts on human and environmental health. Striving toward eliminating all toxic and unidentified chemicals for a safe continuous cycle. Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certificate - ROICA™ proudly breaks down without releasing harmful substances.