Expert shopping tips

What does a woman with some of the world’s most stylish ethical fashion labels at her fingertips keep in her own wardrobe? Greenmystyle.com asks Sindhu Venkatanarayanan, founder of online eco fashion boutique DeviDoll.

Sindhu can spot a hot young ethical fashion designer as successfully as Victoria Beckham can spot a photo opportunity. She kindly took ten minutes from her hectic schedule to reveal her favourite items and share her hot picks for the new season, exclusively with greenmystyle.com.

Hi Sindhu, lovely to meet you. Let’s get to it! What’s your top pick for eveningwear?

Well, at DeviDoll we strive to source and promote perennial pieces. In my view, a healthy wardrobe is one that doesn’t need major changes every season. And investing in an eveningwear piece is often, financially, a major thing.

So, the piece I love isn’t from this season but it is by far and away my favourite eveningwear item. It’s the Lupin jacket by AOI. Since the designer only makes one-off pieces I have a Lupin in black with gold, orange and green embroidery…same cut, same cool sleeves and inner waistcoat, just a different colour. I have yet to experience a blah evening of dressing when I put mine on!

(Scroll below the pic gallery for Sindhu’s top picks for casualwear, jeans and more)

Top pick for casualwear?

This bamboo and cotton jersey top by Viridis Luxe. It’s a great colour, a great cut – the pleats in the front and slight A-line cut have saved me even on my ‘don’t-I-look-lumpy-today’ type days – plus it washes really well. What else can I ask for from everyday wear?!

Top pick for organic jeans?
AOKI’s David Jeans are an amazing fit. Only DeviDoll sells them in the UK and so far they aren’t that well known, although I know Alexa Cheung wears a pair of AOKI’s skinny jeans. I love the David because:
1) Butt enhancement par excellence – I mean that. After two kids this is not a small consideration.
2) Not too low-rise…I am past that time in my life when I can wear the 3-cm rise and feel okay. Muffin top is not a look I seek, if you know what I mean, so I look for jeans that are mid-rise and these work for me.
3) Great wash – the raw indigo wash that AOKI has mastered means I can dress these up if I wear lots of black and heels. Perfect for going from office to dinner.
4) AOKI cuts its jeans pretty long and for me this is bonus – I’m 5’10″….I want to be able to wear heels with my jeans and not feel like I am semi-prepped for the floods.
5) I like the back pockets with buttons.

Which eco collection are you most excited about right now?
Hmm… not easy to answer because, as you know, DeviDoll functions a bit like an incubator in that we take on designers we feel are both directional in fashion terms as well as ethically forward, and as such we have followed some of the designers from their early days. As a result, there is a sense of excitement with each of their new collections.

Many of our designers – Mociun, Kelly B, Doie, Deborah Lindquist – fall into this category. In fact, we introduced Deborah to her NGO-supported peace silk supplier, so to see her move more and more into using this fabric is just fantastic.

But if I was pushed I would say Doie’s AW08 collection is supremely exciting for me. Sara Kirsner’s line – she is founder and designer of the Doie label – has developed from its roots in bamboo casualwear to what it is in this collection: sophisticated, tailored, feminine clothing that uses bold colours in striking prints. Sara has such a great eye for contrasts and prints.

For example, her merino jacket is just so right. It’s cute but chic, in its cut, length and inside silk print. Very gimme-gimme! I think with this collection Doie has really come into its own as a top brand in the ethical designer fashion space. Hurray!

Top pick from greenmystyle.com?
Daily eBay. Ohmigod! How smart is that feature idea!! I love it.

Why is ethical style important?
It’s important because ultimately it is about living mindfully and conscientiously. Just like we now think twice about what we put into or do to our bodies – eating organic, avoiding smoking, avoiding too much booze, taking exercise etc. – ethical style is about thinking more deeply about what we are doing to our planet and to other human beings.

It only seems like a choice right now because the debate is just past being nascent. I would compare it to how we thought about smoking 25 years ago. Then, even doctors smoked whilst in their office. As we learned more about the harmful effects, things changed radically. Making ethical choices in fashion is headed in that direction.

If you believe anything about environmental pollution, global warming and the likely future dangers of unchanged energy consumption and fuel pollution, then you cannot ignore the damage from conventional fashion production and manufacturing. Once you recognize this you have to think of fashion and style in different terms, in ethical terms.

If you don’t agree with bonded labour or slavery then you really cannot afford to ignore the working conditions prevalent in certain clothes manufacturing enterprises. It’s that simple. One fact follows another and the result is that ethical style is not just important, it’s imperative.

Why are ethical items often a little more expensive?
The price of ethical items reflects fair pricing more accurately; it is the conventional items that are artificially low rather than ethical ones that are high. But the more people that choose to buy ethically-made fashion, the more it will level out in terms of price. It’s expensive to do smaller runs of items.

Look our for Part Two of this interview: From chickpea facewash to guilty shopping secrets, Sindhu spills the beans on her personal green fashion, beauty and home habits.

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