Fashion News – May/June 2018

Keep up to date with all the latest trends and news in the fashion world.

90s Child

The ‘90s have had a major impact on fashion over the last four years – from baby doll dresses and band tees to tattoo chokers and oversized plaid shirts, there’s something very grungy and nostalgic about the trends of the ‘90s. Lately, ‘90s-styled velvet has been making a comeback, and dresses, jackets and shirts crafted from this material are the perfect pick for the colder months.

Be A Conscious Consumer

Fashion giant H&M have been making strides when it comes to creating more sustainable fashion. The H&M Conscious Exclusive creates accessories and clothes out of waste and they’ve recently released their 2018 collection. The newest collection features some new sustainable materials – recycled silver and ECONYL, which is a fibre created from fishnets and nylon waste. The pieces prove that style and sustainability can go hand-in-hand.

The collection is available exclusively at H&M Sylvia Park.

Branching out

By now you may have already heard of Allbirds. They’re a start-up business known for their shockingly comfortable sneakers created from merino wool, and now, a pair of sneakers made from trees. The aptly named “Tree Collection” is a thinner soled boat sneaker with more breathability than wool. The textile used in the shoes is spun from Eucalyptus fibre and features two styles of shoe – the Tree Runner and the Tree Skipper.

Check out the website here.

Keep It Ethical

It’s been five years since the Rana Plaza Factory collapse in Bangladesh which killed over 1,100 workers but unfortunately according to a new report by Tearfund many fashion brands are still not doing enough to protect their international workers. Tearfund’s Ethical Fashion Guide Aotearoa New Zealand graded 114 companies representing 407 brands from A – F based on worker rights, policies and practices.

The key findings from the 2018 report:

• Three of the highest scoring companies in the report were Kiwi companies.
• Common Good, Ice Breaker and Freeset were the top performing NZ brands with an A+ grade.
• Kathmandu and Kowtow also scored highly in the A range.
• The lowest rated NZ brands were K&K, T&T and Trelise Cooper, all of which did not participate in the study.
• NZ companies scored a median grade of B- unchanged from 2017.
• The international average rating is C+