traditional

I popped along to take a sneak peek at the Environmental Justice Foundation’s Pop-up store on Carnaby Street yesterday. It’s the latest in a series of pop-ups by the EJF, and and it’s fabulous.

Nestled at the end of London’s most swinging street, online the store spreads over two floors, treatment and has been kitted out by Honest Entertainment, who have used only recycled merchandising pieces and props to create a wonderfully whacky space. Huge hand-painted tea-cups swing from the ceiling and the sets are loud and vibrant, the perfect setting for the clothes on offer.

The EJF’s t-shirt project has run for a few years now, with designers getting on board slowly but surely, and it’s these pieces that form the central focus of the downstairs space. The fashionable roster of designers includes GIles Deacon, Luella and Zandra Rhodes, to name a few – all creating their own design in their own style. They’re available for ladies and gentlemen.

I spoke to Larissa from the EJF about the project, who was happy to regale the hilarious story of how the project started. On her first day with the charity, she was asked to market a box of Katherine Hamnett t-shirts. (Hamnett, by the way, is a huge supporter of the EJF). ‘I was photographed wearing the t-shirt to post on an e-newsletter,’ Larissa told me. ‘Me and a colleague, usually found scaling ships in Sierra Leone and arresting pirates, were begrudgingly photographed wearing them.’ Was it a success? ‘No! We didn’t sell one!’

The answer was to photograph Lily Cole wearing the t-shirt – after which, they flew off the shelves, and the t-shirt project was born. I’ve seen a few of the designs in the past, but there were a few I didn’t recognise. I mentioned this to Larissa. ‘We don’t work in seasons,’ she informed me. ‘We don’t encourage throwaway fashion, so we add to the collection rather than replacing it.’

Devon Aoki photographed by Eric Guillemain

Max Rogers photographed by Matthew Eades

On the second floor of the space, there’s a host of eco and environmentally conscious brands, a lot of which we’ve covered in the past. Eco-chic fashion has really come a long way in the past few years, and thank heavens the days of hemp sacks are oh-verrr. You wouldn’t have a clue that these clothes are any different to what you’d find on the high street ,visually; the only differences are that they’re not produced by children forced to work in sweatshops, and the clothing uses totally environmentally friendly fabrics. It’s fashion with a conscience.

Some of the brands up for grabs include our mates at Veja trainers who continue to produce high quality, eco-friendly footwear…

..Beyond Skin, who produce 100% vegan vintage-inspired stilettos, using only the highest quality faux leathers and suedes…

…Worn Again, who work with the big corporate companies and make creative products from decommissioned Eurostar uniforms and retired Virgin hot air balloons, for instance:

…and many, many more. Make sure you pop along to the pop-up shop – it’s great destination for all fashion fans. Keep an eye on the listings section where we’ll feature the EJF’s upcoming events, too.

Written by Matt Bramford on Thursday April 15th, 2010 2:35 pm

Categories ,Beyond Skin, ,Carnaby Street, ,EJF, ,Environmental Justice Foundation, ,Giles Deacon, ,Honest Entertainments, ,Katherine Hamnett, ,Lily Cole, ,Luella, ,Save The Future, ,T-shirts, ,Veja trainers, ,Worn Again, ,Zandra Rhodes

Similar Posts:

• Oxfam Boutiques
• Environmental Justice Foundation’s Pop Up Store hosts Ethical Fashion Social Network Event
• The H&M Garden Collection
• Thomas Voorn b Store installation
• Dem Collective: designed in Sweden by Annika Axelsson and Karin Stenmar