When did Equa open? Equa opened in September 2005 as the first independent women's wear boutique in London whose buying policy was open and transparent ensuring that our collections are made in a Fair Trade and ethical environment and in the most environmentally friendly way. One year later in October 2006 Equa launched the Online Boutique at www.equaclothing.com. BACK TO TOP |
What makes Equa an ethical women's wear boutique? Equa has an open and transparent buying policy. We ensure that all of the labels that we buy from meet our minimum standards which is that all of the collections we buy from have been produced in a fair trade environment. We also put great emphasis on environmental sustainability and actively promote the use of organic cotton and other alternative more environmentally friendly fabrics such as Hemp, Linen and Bamboo. BACK TO THE TOP |
What does Fair Trade mean? The Fair Trade Foundation define Fair Trade as 'a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers and workers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system'. Fair Trade enables development and ensures a better deal for farmers and workers in the Developing World: - Better Prices - Improved Working Conditions - Environmental sustainability - Fair terms of trade - Sustainable commodity prices BACK TO THE TOP |
What do you mean by 'ethically made' We make a distinction between fair trade and ethically made products. We feel that fair trade as defined above should not be applied to clothing that is made in the developed world. As stated by the Fair Trade Foundation's definition of fair trade, it needs to be a strategy for poverty alleviation in Developing countries. Where we state that our clothes are ethically made, this ensures that the production meets the criteria of fair trade in terms of employment rights. Where the collections are made within the UK this is labelled 'ethically made' if production can trace back the garment to its source and verify that there has been no exploitation or violation of human rights during the production process. Where a garment has been ethically made there will also be other ethical criteria linked to it such as the use of organic cotton, or other naturally grown fabrics such as bamboo, soya or hemp that have all been ethically sourced. BACK TO THE TOP |
What are the different ethical certifications lined to clothing and the fashion industry? Certification in the ethical fashion industry is still in its infancy and much is self regulated by designers who have open and transparent supply chains, for small designers it can be financially unviable. There are a number of different ethical certification bodies that certify the fashion industries production process, but due to the long supply chain of fashion production there is not yet one body that certifies the whole fashion chain. BACK TO THE TOP |
What do you mean by organic cotton? Organic cotton is cotton that has been grown without the use of fertilisers or pesticides. Cotton is a very polluting crop needing a high volume of fertilisers and pesticides, the cost of these chemicals can be up to 60% of production costs for the farmer (PAN, 2007), financial strain on farmers in the Developing world can be great leading to social problems such as depression and frequently suicide. Health impacts on small scale farmers is also significant, training in the application of these chemicals is lacking, and as many farmers in the Developing world cannot read the instructions this often leads to the misapplication of the chemicals in an unsafe way. The heavy use of pesticides and fertilisers can lead to loss of biodiversity due to the intensive nature of the farming. PAN point to the Aral Sea in central Asia as an example of an environmental disaster caused almost single handed by the farming practices of conventional cotton. Organic cotton production helps to improve the physical, economic and social environment of all involved in the production process. Organically grown cotton helps to maintain the biodiversity of farm land, fertilisers and pesticides do not find their way into local water supplies, rivers and lakes. Farmers do not spend large amounts on fertilisers and pesticides or on large farm machinery. Employment opportunities increase due to the labour intensive method of farming. Potentially lethal carcinogens are not present in clothing that we wear everyday. BACK TO THE TOP |
Why aren't all your products organic? First and foremost Equa is a Fair Trade company. All of our products have been made in a fair trade environment. This was the principle under which Equa was founded. However we are well aware that being ethical needs to be much more than just this, which is why we buy collections that use organic cotton and other naturally grown fabrics. About 90% of the cotton we sell is organic cotton certified by either the Soil Association or SKAL. The Fair Trade Foundation, The Soil Association or SKAL and we are striving to make this 100%. We ensure that our products are clearly marked when it is organic by using this label: BACK TO THE TOP |
What is Peace Silk and Wild Silk? The silk industry is known as sericulture and is a vast international industry. Conventional silk is made from the cocoons of the mulberry silk worm. The cocoon is made from a sticky fluid that the pupae produces that, when it comes into contact with air, solidifies and becomes a strand of silk. The silk cocoon is made up of around 1000 yards of silk fibre. If left to its own devices the pupae will live in the cocoon for around 16 days at which point it will dissolve a hole in the cocoon and emerge as a moth. Silk farmers do not want this hole in the cocoon, so the cocoons are harvested before the 16 days is up, and the cocoons are boiled therefore killing the pupae before it emerges as a moth. The cocoon is then dried and silk workers brush the cocoon and unravel the fibre, this produces the raw silk fibre. Peace silk is where farmers allow the moths to emerge from the cocoons and then harvest the damaged cocoons and salvage as much of the raw silk as possible from them. The fibre is no longer one continuous thread and is therefore spun in a similar way to cotton or hemp. Peace silk is not as strong and has a difference appearance and feel to regular silk, however due to the spinning process many believe that it creates a more textured and softer fabric. Wild Silk is produced from a different caterpillar than regular silk, and it is produced in a similar way to peace silk - the silk caterpillars are allowed to complete their life cycle. The silk is a different texture and colour and the silk strands are shorter. There are also social issues related to the production of regular silk. In India there is a great problem with child labour, where families send their children into bonded labour as a way of paying off debt. Children are often involved in the boiling stages of production and are not provided an protection from the boiling water and chemicals their are forced to work near. To read more about silk production in India see this report from Human Rights Worldwide: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/india/ BACK TO THE TOP |
What is Tencel? Tencel is a man made fabric. Most man-made fabrics are generally unsustainable, made using petroleum and do not biodegrade. Tencel however is made from wood pulp cellulose that has been harvested from farmed trees. The production of the fibre is in a closed loop and uses minimal water and energy. The solvent used is often non-toxic and continually recycled during the production process. BACK TO THE TOP |
Your 'vegan' bags are made from plastic - how is that ethical? Matt&Nat are our vegan accessories label that creates amazing non-leather handbags that look and feel so much like the real thing we have customers sniffing the bags to try and work out of they are real leather or not. Matt&Nat have developed some amazing new environmentally friendly fabrics for their new collection including their Carton range that has been made from cardboard that has been naturally treated, and their Fuetre collection made from 100% recycled water bottles. The Japanese Paper PV bags have a lining made from recycled bottle tops. Matt&Nat provide a great end of life recycling service for their bags once they come to the end of their useful like by donating the bags to deserving partners http://blog.mattandnat.com/?cat=4. BACK TO THE TOP |
What are you policies on animal rights? Equa stocks a great collection of vegan products from companies such as Matt&Nat and Beyond Skin, we also sell Peace Silk. Equa is not a vegan company and does sell a range of leather shoes and bags and other products made from animals. Where leather is used we ensure that the leather has been sourced in the most ethical way possible. Equa has a strict no fur policy. The leather shoes from Terra Plana are made using Chrome free and vegetable tanned leather, they also use E-leather, which is a unique blend of leather and textile fibres re-woven and finished so that it indistinguishable from real leather. Our Alchem1st leather bags are made sourced from small farmers in Java, where their workshop is located. It is the highest quality natural hide and is either left natural or coloured with azo-free dyes. BACK TO THE TOP |
How does Equa ensure that the Designers sold really are ethical? Equa takes the responsibility of ensuring that the labels sold are ethical very seriously. All of the designers we sell must complete our accountability questionnaire as a minimum, before we proceed with any order. Where a label does not complete this form or does not complete it to our satisfaction we will not go ahead with the order. On top of this, we undertake in depth research into the company to find out as much as possible about where there production takes placed and what their production policies are and verify everything they have told us in the questionnaire. We talk to the designers and find out about their ethical principles in both the production of their collections and the running of their business. We make it a priority to have a close working relationship with each label and feedback any positive and negative suggestions from our customers. Where we are not satisfied that a label is ethical or if we find out any information that we were not aware of initially we will cease to stock them as soon as possible. Each month on our Blog we will be featuring an interview from one of our designers so keep an eye out for more information. BACK TO THE TOP |
How does Equa as a business reduce its impact on the environment? While we buy from companies that are dedicated to reducing their impact on the environment, Equa also does its bit as an ethical company. - We recycle around 85% or our waste ensuing that everything that is recyclable is recycled. Our recycling company First Mile picks up our recycling once a week from our boutique. - All of our print material is printed by A Local Printer who uses recycled paper and environmentally friendly dyes for their printing. - We do not leave any lights on at night. - We keep our door closed in winter to keep the cold out and our heating requirements to a minimum. - All of the packaging that we provide our customers are recycled or recyclable. Our gift boxes are easy to recycle and our tissue paper is non-toxic recyclable paper. - Our customer carrier bags were produced by Bishopston Trading Company. They are made using Fair Trade Foundation certified organic fair trade cotton and produced in Bishopston's fair trade factory in Southern India. They are reusable and durable. BACK TO THE TOP |
Why should I care about ethical fashion? We are all responsible for the choices we make as consumers. Equa believes that we should all treat one another in a way that we would expect to be treated ourselves. If you would not want to work for less than a living wage for 12 hours a day, in an factory that forces unpaid overtime, where there are no working benefits such as maternity leave or sick pay, and where you have to send your children to work in order to feed your family. If we wouldn't do that why should we expect anyone else to? BACK TO THE TOP |
Why don't you produce a catalogue? Due to that nature of our business and in the interests of reducing unnecessary waste we do not produce a product catalogue. We do understand that this decision may restrict some customers who do not live in London and do not have ready access to the Internet. Our secure online payment gateway, Secure Hosting, ensures that your credit card details are safe and secure, however if you do not wish to order over the Internet you can call us at our boutique during our opening hours (020 7359 0955) and order over the phone, alternatively come and visit us at our boutique in Islington where all of our collections can be seen and tried on. We are open 7 days a week. BACK TO THE TOP |
How can I get involved in the ethical fashion industry? As a consumer the best thing to do is to start asking questions. We understand that it is not easy to buy 100% of your wardrobe from an assured ethical source, partly because there are simply some areas that are yet to clean up their act, but asking questions of the big retailers does make a difference. Question members of staff, who may not know the answers, but they may then ask their managers, who will ask theirs etc, and it will get fed back to head office. Look on their websites, send emails, take responsibility. It is so much easier today to make ethical choices and it doesn't take too much effort, and it doesn't mean you'll be unfashionable. The fashion industry is a high machine and will take a long time to change especially when consumers are not asking the questions and leading by example. We get many questions from individuals interested in starting their career of changing their career and working in the ethical fashion industry. As a student one of the best ways is to volunteer or undertake an internship in one of the many businesses involved in the ethical fashion industry. If you are interested in an internship at Equa please get in touch via email or telephone. BACK TO THE TOP |
Do you sell menswear? Currently Equa does not sell menswear but watch this space! BACK TO THE TOP |
