Dear Santa,
I’ve been very good this year. Exercising loads, eating well, and I’m trying to change my habits at home. While I love to shop local, sometimes I just can’t get what I’m looking for in my neighbourhood. So I’ve done a bit of holiday research and discovered some amazing shops online that source ethically produced and sustainable goodies. I hope this wish list will make your job a lot easier this year!
Love,
A Shopper with a Conscience
1. Fjordlife (Canada)
Vivian Graf knitwear (Credit/Fjordlife)
Launched in 2016, Toronto-based Fjordlife is an online clothing and lifestyle shop for ethically sourced womenswear and natural beauty products.
Customers can shop for ethically sourced womenswear and natural beauty products, as well as follow the Fjordlife blog that features inspirational women and events. All items are carefully vetted for environmental and social conscious criteria. The clothing products are made with high-quality craftsmanship and sustainable materials, and the beauty products are free from harmful chemicals.
My wish list: The 100 per cent natural Herbivore Botanticals Coco Rose Body Polish and a Bare Beach bathing suit made from recycled plastic bottles.
2. AllTRUEist (Canada)
Give Hermès a run for its money with the super chic caramel tote bag (Credit/AllTRUEist)
Montreal-based AllTRUEIST is the first specialty boutique to become official partners of Humane Society International to help raise awareness about animal cruelty.
This online fashion store’s mission is to find great fashion designers that help counteract the harm for which the fashion industry is notorious.
Alltrueist taupe watch (Credit/AllTrueist)
Each designer is carefully vetted and must pay fair wages, provide a good work environment, and focus on animal well-being, human rights and/or environmental sustainability.Instead of shopping by the usual category, you can shop by one (or more) of the five AllTRUEist values: vegan; people; the environment; wellness; and craftsmanship.
3. A Boy Named Sue (HK)
Proving that ethics and aesthetics are not mutually exclusive (Credit/Boy Called Sue)
This Hong Kong company doesn’t just want to sell you responsibly produced clothes—it wants to create a meaningful dialogue to make sure every consumer and industry player is a thoughtful participant. And by creating its own “Eco Dictionary”, founders Sam and Tania want consumers to be able to make informed and wise choices about what they purchase. Conscious is an advertisement-free magazine that explores the possibility of a sustainable world.
A Boy Named Sue is “Where aesthetics meets ethics”. Kit your house out natural and contemporary designs with Kahoko textiles, handmade in Kenya’s rural Rift Valley. All weaves and knits use 100 percent natural fibres.
Blue linen is the new black (Credit/BoyCalledSue)
This means products are renewable, biodegradable and can be used without depleting or harming the environment.
My wish list: Lisa linen blue trench coat for a sophisticated city look over the dreamy digitally printed Partimi dress made with reconstituted cellulose from beech trees.
4. Coconut Matter (HK)
Incredibly versatile coconut oil can be used for skin care, body scrub and make-up remover
Coconut Matter offers loads of eco-friendly Christmas gifts, promising “Gifts less ordinary” and “Less waste Gifts” as its mantra. The company ships internationally, which is especially great if you happen to be shopping from the North Pole. The Coconut Matter website is full of recipes, skin tips and healthy living ideas.
Smell deliciously clean (Credit/Coconut Matters)
And in case you’re unclear, despite all the news extolling the virtues of all things coconut, the website provides an “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Coconut Oil”. You’ll wonder how you ever did without a jar of Coconut Matter Wild and a plastic-free tube of tinted lip balm in paper Eco Pushup packaging. Free global delivery for order of US $250 and above.
My wish list: Super moisturising cocoa chocolate coconut oil soap made with cold-processed virgin coconut oil and essence. And it comes in a super-handy fibre carry bag for on-the-go clean.
5. Package Free (USA)
This Brooklyn-based store sells package-free bulk products like soaps, deodorants and detergents. The online shop ships plastic free, and it requires all shipments from wholesalers to the Package Free Shop to come 100 per cent plastic free as well, or it won’t put those product on the shelves.
Founder Lauren Singer is a zero-waster blogger and lifestyle guru living in New York City. She began her zero-waste journey back in 2012 and documents it in her Trash is for Tossers blog. Her partner Daniel Silverstein is an expert on a zero-waste lifestyle, and is founder and creative director of zero waste daniel clothing company.
Zero-waste smiles! (Credit/PackageFree)
My wish list: Beginning to feel greedy now, but there are too many to list! Love the refillable dental floss made from mulberry silk floss and and the fully compostable iPhone dock wooden speaker.
6. Fashion ComPassion (UK)
100% of proceeds are reinvested into the young refugee women in Heshima Kenya’s social enterprise (Credit/FashionCompassion)
Fashion ComPassion is an online and socially responsible marketplace for discerning shoppers. Founder Ayesha Mustafa is considered a leader in sustainable fashion. The three pillars to Fashion ComPassion’s business ethos are bringing sustainable fashion to an online market-place, exclusive events and brand consultancy.
Made by Kenyan artisans (Credit/ComPassion)
This is the place to get high-quality, luxurious accessories, such as jewellery, scarves and wallets.
My wish list: The stunning OBATALA Collerette necklace made from hundreds of glass beads, and the Eri silk handmade tri-colour scarf.
7. Bamford (UK)
Lady Carole Bamford runs an organic farming estate, spa; clothing brand, bath and body range; and pub (Credit/Bamford)
Bamford sells beautiful artisan products made from natural fibres and organic botanics. These products are pure luxury and long lasting: cashmere dressing gowns, alpaca sweaters, essential oil blends, willow room diffusers. Bamford is not a vegan brand, but these are timeless, long-lasting pieces that ensure you won’t be buying and throwing away for a very long time.
Book a class, workshop or treatment at the Bamford Haybarn Spa in the Cotswolds or in the Berkeley, London. Lady Bamford has also been running Daylesford Organics, one of the most sustainable farms in the UK, for over 35 years. Shop online for men, women, bath and body, baby, skincare, home and more.
UK-made (Credit/Bamford)
The catch for these sublime stocking stuffers? Such luxury comes with a price, and you’ll need to convince Santa that you’ve been extra good this year.
My wish list: That dressing gown—oh my. But a double-wick fig-scented candle would also do, thanks!
Other stores, global
- Master & Muse by Yoox
- The Reformation (USA)
- Ethica
- Lux & Eco
- Amour Vert
- Modavanti
- elborne
- Vegan Style
- Biome
- Life Without Plastic
- The Made Good Shop
If Santa’s too busy to check out these sites, you can always do a bit of shopping yourself.
Happy shopping, and happy Christmas!
Written By: Adriane Rysz