That’s so kitsch! Ethical brands like Joanie Clothing

The key to building a truly sustainable wardrobe is to find pieces you’ll want to wear forever. You know, something in a timeless style, that’s unique enough to always score you some serious compliments on your style.

I’ve always loved styling outfits that have a nod to the pin=up style of the 1950s and 1960s, and I’m not the only one. Vintage reproduction and rockabilly-style brands are big business these days, with one of the most popular in the UK being Joanie Clothing.

I’ve long loved Joanie, and I was even lucky enough to attend one of their blogger events back in 2017. However, as I’ve increasingly switched my focus to ethical fashion, I had to wonder: how ethical is Joanie clothing?

In this post I’ve analysed Joanie’s ethics and sustainability policies to help you as a stylish shopper make the right decision for you. I’ve also provided a round up of some other quirky UK clothing brands that offer something a little kitsch and cool. These are brands like Joanie Clothing who offer that fun, retro feel, and are working to be more ethical.

**Note: this is an updated post from 2017. Both the sustainable fashion scene and my blog has changed a lot since then, so I wanted to give this content an overhaul to reflect this **

Joanie Clothing

What’s the vibe?

If you’ve not come across Joanie Clothing yet then where have you been, girl?! I was lucky enough to attend a festive event with Joanie’s hometown of Manchester back when I lived there in 2017, and I’ve been in love with the brand’s unique, quirky cool kitschiness ever since. 

For those unfamiliar with Joanie Clothing, they offer vintage-inspired clothing for the modern woman, drawing inspiration from the designer’s great aunt, Joanie. The original Joanie is described as: “a glamorous woman who tapped and twirled her way through the fifties and sixties. She was always well-turned out with perfectly coiffed red hair” – sounds like my kinda woman!

I’m wearing Joanie Clothing’s popular Golden Girl jumper here, as made famous by Holly Willoughby (although I wore it first, promise!). As well as these cult favourites, Joanie releases quirky limited releases each season.

Best for…

Babes of all shapes and sizes! One of the things I love most about Joanie is it offers all its clothing in size 8-22, or size small to extra large. On the brand’s site you’ll find all its styles photographed on models in a variety of sizes, so you can see what each piece looks like on different body types.

A note on sizing: I’ve found Joanie to be quite roomy, so no need to size up if you’re unsure! I’m absolutely HEARTBROKEN to have missed out on the copper-coloured Cilla jumper because the medium was too large. Seriously, if anyone can sell me a Cilla jumper hit me UP!

How ethical is Joanie Clothing?

Initially I was cautious of Joanie’s ‘made in China’ labels, but a little more research reveals a more positive outlook (FYI ‘made in China’ is no longer synonymous with ‘made in sweat shops’. It’s confusing I know, and I’ll cover it in a future blog post). Currently 80% of Joanie’s suppliers are BSCI audited (Business Social Compliance Initiative) and REACH compliant (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), and the brand is actively working for this to be 100% by the end of the year. However, accreditations don’t mean much without a transparent supply chain, so I hope Joanie decide to publish more detailed informations on who makes their clothes.

Materials-wise, Joanie is making the switch to organic cotton, with several products already fabricated using GOTS-certified cotton. The company does still use materials such as polyester, but promises its currently working to use more sustainable fibres, such as recycled polyester and bamboo. As a fan of their designs, I look forward to seeing how Joanie and its sustainability efforts continue to develop, although I wouldn’t strictly class it as an ethical brand as it stands.

Sugarhill Brighton

What’s the vibe?

Looking for more funky, kitsch-inspired sweaters? Look no further than Sugarhill Brighton. I was a huge fan of Sugarhill as soon as I stumbled upon it on Instagram. Rainbow patterns, hand illustrated prints, and an overall quirky aesthetic – what’s not to love?

Like Joanie Clothing, Sugarhill Brighton is a brand that’s well-known for its colourful, intarsia jumpers. As well as its fabulous sweaters, you’ll find rainbow jumper dresses too, perfect for all seasons! Personally I’m smitten with anything featuring a star or animal print, and Sugarhill offers a wealth of this type of clothing.

As the name suggests, Sugarhill is based in Brighton and the seaside vibe definitely permeates through sibling creators’ Pawel’s and Aleks’s designs. Think fun, layerable pieces in a light and bright colour palette.

Best for…

Everyday style with a difference, perfect for women of all ages. It’s no secret I don’t do ‘basics’, but even maximalists like me need good separates to make our wardrobes go further. Sugarhill is perfect for this. While the bright colours and fun prints keep the pieces youthful, Sugarhill’s silhouettes are super flattering, which means its clothes will look good on a woman in her 20s, 30s, 40s… and above!

Not only are the designs really wearable, but they are extremely high quality. Organic cotton is a mainstay for the brand, meaning its jumpers are tees are soft, comfortable, and breathable too.

How ethical is Sugarhill Brighton?

The brand follows a ‘People, Planet, Profit’ mindset. It subscribes to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ITI) Basecode, which focuses on people-focused suppliers, including the provision of a living wage. However, the individual factories are not identified, which is an important aspect for brands to prove to consumers their garments are as ethical as they claim to be.

There is some organic cotton on offer, which is great, Most of the designs are made from viscose, which is promoted as a ‘sustainable’, natural fibre. In fact, viscose is often NOT sustainable so I’d love for Sugarhill to explain if this is EcoVero, or another type of viscose that only uses wood pulp from sustainably managed sources.

Additionally, Sugarhill Brighton has created its own ‘Wear & Care’ range, where £5 from each specially designed item goes to a specific charity. To date these have included Born Free, Rainbow Trust, and Plan International UK.

Harkel

What’s the vibe?

If there’s any brand that really lives up to the word ‘kitsch’, it’s Harkel. Like Joanie Clothing, this British fashion brand is also inspired by vintage looks, with a fun, modern twist. With Harkel, it’s all in the details, baby! Think cut outs, surprise embroidery, unique prints, and fun colour combinations.

The words ‘romantic’ and ‘feminine’ also spring to mind, with whimsical prints and classic silhouettes on offer. The mystical/ starry prints are a particular favourite of mine, as is Harkel’s liberal use of orange and yellow in its colour palette!

Best for…

Seriously Insta-worthy outfits! Not that I am an advocate of buying clothes purely for the ‘Gram of course, but if you’re after something a bit extra that just so happens to photograph well then Harkel should be your new go-to brand. Just look at the brand’s tagged posts on Instagram for fabulous photo inspiration.

Harkel’s quirky separates also make this brand ideal if you’re looking for unusual workwear ideas.

How ethical is Harkel? 

I couldn’t find the brand’s ethical and sustainability policies on their website, so I contacted Harkel for clarification. They were happy to answer my questions (remember, you can always ask a brand, ‘who made my clothes‘?)

First off, Harkel produce their garments in China and Turkey (both of which are often considered more ethical than Bangladesh and Cambodia etc.). Harkel explained its code of conduct to me, which includes a focus on ‘Health, Safety and Welfare, Freedom of Employment, Pay, Working Hours, and Environment’, though the brand is not currently associated with any organisation like the Ethical Trading Initiative. This is a start, but for full transparency I’d like to see the supply chain available for consumers to view on Harkel’s site.

Materials-wise, Harkel does use polyester and non-organic cotton. However, I’m excited to see how this relatively new brand builds on its commitments to ethical and sustainable garment production.

Love Ur Look

What’s the vibe?

Love Ur Look is the only black-owned reproduction brand in the UK. Like many brands in this list, Love Ur Look was created as an alternative to the trend cycles pushed by fast fashion. Instead, you’ll find pin-up inspired clothing and colourful prints

Classic 50s-style circle skirts and dresses are key to this brand. To keep it modern and fun, you’ll also find some fun, novelty accessories available, too. I personally love the quirky and bright jackets, specifically one with the face of Frida Kahlo embroidered onto it!

Best for…

Pin-up lovers of all sizes. Styles are available up to a UK size 24, and silhouettes are designed to be comfortable and flattering.

How ethical is Love Ur Look?

Working as sustainably and ethically as possible is equally important as diversity to Love Ur Look’s founder Ronke Fashola. She visits her factories twice a year to ensure staff are treated with dignity. Like many brands, I’d like to see these factories named so consumers can trace their purchases so the cutting and sewing stage with confidence.

Love Ur Look works with deadstock fabric where possible. The brand also donates to an animal charity in Rajasthan, where its manufacturers are located.

Palava

What’s the vibe?

If you’re a real fan on 1940s and 1950s vintage then Palava is a brand you’ll love! I first came across Palava at Godiva, an ethical fashion boutique in Edinburgh. You’ll find their pieces stocked at independent clothing stores like this, and on the brand’s own website.

Palava’s ethos is to create beautiful, unique clothing that can be passed from generation to generation. More specifically, the company’s real hero pieces are the dresses and skirts, with the hem of each illustrated to tell its own story. So far, these have been based on concepts including the traditional Flying Scotsman train, fireworks over Edinburgh Castle, and classic seaside prints.

Palava actually started out creating children’s clothing, and the brand offers the cutest ‘mummy and me’ designs. Plus, you can buy Palava’s fabric if you’re in the mood to craft your own

Best for…

Pin-up divas and other mid-century vintage lovers, or anyone looking for show-stopping, retro-inspired pieces that will last a lifetime.

I personally love Palava’s organic cotton knits and matching berets – they’re vegan, sustainable, and best of all – fabulous!

How ethical is Palava?

In short: very! In the current climate where we should all be asking “who made my clothes?”, Palava is way ahead of this, with all its designs fabricated in a small, family-run factory on the outskirts of London, or at a knitwear specialist in Turkey.

As well as its UK manufacturing, Palava works on a ‘zero waste’ mentality, and fashions its accessories and fabric bundles from offcuts. Oh, and the brand is also plastic free. Excellent!

Lady K Loves

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A post shared by Vintage Style | EcoFashion (@ladykloves) on Jul 11, 2020 at 12:46am PDT

`What’s the vibe?

This is another vintage reproduction brand, but one with a bit of an edge to it. Interestingly, there’s no pin-up style dresses here. Instead the focus is on separates, offering a more everyday take on 1950s and 1960s fashion. You’ll find circle and pencil skirts, cigarette trousers, cropped shirts, and retro-styled tops and tees. 

The brand’s website states that although it started out focusing on rockabilly girls, they’ve since expanded their rock’n’roll roots to encompass ‘blues to punk and everything in between’ with their designs.

The website is not the most user-friendly, but customer reviews suggest that the clothes are a great fit and high quality. The brand has a cult Instagram following, too.

Best for…

Jeans that Marilyn herself would wear, and figure-flattering tops. You don’t have to be a hardcore retro repro fan to shop with Lady K Loves, but if you have an hourglass or pear shape then the brand’s clothes are cut for you.

Lady K is actually renowned for their jeans, as they are created to be SUPER high waisted (we’re talking jeans with a 12″ rise), and they are cut for fuller hips too. There’s a petite option as well, named after Polly Pocket which I personally love. 

How ethical is Lady K Loves?

This brand prides themselves on their ethical manufacture, stating their famous denim is produced by a factory in India that focuses on using sustainable dyes. The jeans are then sewn in the UK. The woven garments are made in a factory in India that offers its workers’ children school scholarships, and covers their books and other school needs. I’d love to see a more explicit supplier network outlined on Lady K’s website, though.

Fabric-wise, Lady K Loves uses a mixture of organic cotton and deadstock fabrics. The denim made sustainably with processes reducing water consumption & striving for environmentally safe dyes, we think about the fabrics, trims, finishes, aftercare of the garment and staff involved in each process.

What brands have you found recently that break all the fashion rules? Feel free to share them with me on Instagram – @styledbyalicex . Speaking on Instagram, if you’re looking for more unusual and ethical brands to follow then I’ve posted my favourites in this round up post you should definitely check out!

Are you looking for more ethical brand inspiration? My personal styling service includes just that! Contact me for a complimentary consultation now.