An exclusive designer interview with: Ethical- Emi

In the glamorous world of fashion, we often turn a blind eye to the not so glamorous side of manufacturing and making the stylish clothes that we are so drawn to in shops and boutiques. However, it has often been pointed out that many retailers use unethical means such as low cost labour to manufacture the clothes sold in their shops.
So when I came across Ethical Emi; an online jewellery and clothing store based in the UK and I found it pretty interesting and refreshing that all of the things they sell are made and manufactured in the most ethical way possible. I decided to interview with Ethical Emi Fashion designer; Xander Kostroma their jewellery and new 2011 clothing collection;

Visit at; http://www.ethical-emi.com/

Why ethical jewellery and why fair trade? 

Well, I genuinely believe that every business should be conscious of where/how their merchandise is made. Nowadays, many of us have adapted this “throw away” culture which we cannot continue with. If we don’t take action now who knows what is in store for us in the future?

How would you describe your ideal customer for; firstly your jewellery and secondly your clothing?  

We design for the modern woman of today who is conscious about where she shops, but this doesn’t mean we exclude anyone when we are thinking about our collection. Generally, we design for women aged 18 – late 40’s for our jewellery, and for our clothing we design for the slightly older customer. The age range goes from late 20’s to around the mid 40’s, however at a jewellery fair we attended we sold one of our disc necklaces to an 87 year old lady – who fell in love with the necklace as soon as she saw it!

Tell us a bit about your new 2011 clothing collection. What's your inspiration behind this collection? What kind of style are your designs based on?

We were thinking of “walking with your head held high” when we originally started planning the collection. We wanted to create a capsule collection for a woman of today who walked with sheer confidence. The collection is made up of 8 pieces that can be worn during the day and then glammed up with some high heels and a bit of sparkle at night. We wanted to keep the collection minimal so went for a monochrome colour pallet but added in a dash of purple just for the fun of it!

What is the inspiration behind you current jewellery collection?

The jewellery is designed to be a contradiction to our clothing. We wanted to create quirky pieces that can add a bit of fun to our outfits and show the world that yes, you can be confident when wearing our clothing but also show your inner cheeky side by wearing for example a little camera necklace or statement pair of earrings.

And finally, pick your 5 favourite pieces of jewellery or accessories available on the website?

This would have to be the owl necklace, the teacup & saucer necklace, The Chinese inspired earrings, a double dose of some stacker bangles and the 1940’s inspired brooch.

Verdict:
Clothes; classic cuts with a bit of edge- great for being fashionable in and out of the office. True, it's for women in their late 20's but a little accessorizing ages down an outfit by a long way! My personal favourite is the purple skirt- slimming, sharp and sexy.
Jewellery; Bohemian and chic in its own way. Pretty and detail orientated jewellery is particularly great for bland dresses and plain tops.
Overall; Stylish, Girly and Inexpensive considering the ethical and fairtrade nature of the company!

Shop these items at http://www.ethical-emi.com/