We catch up with the Ethical Pests

So, what comes after Blood, Sweat and T-shirts, and how are these two twinkly-eyed loves planning to change the UK high street? Clare Saxon meets the Ethical Pests.

Clare writes:

It is Ethical Fashion day, and at the V&A, Stacey and Tara who took part this year in BBC Three’s Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts, are demonstrating green fashion by being slickly restyled by Elizabeth Lasker, of the Ethical Fashion Forum.

She lifts up the skirts they are modelling and drapes them simply around their arms and necks, leaving them looking ready for the catwalk in volumous tops and skinny jeans. In one swift flick of material and the clasp of a safety pin the point is physically proven; why throw away old clothes when you can rework them into something you would pay £50 for on the high street?

After the seminar is over I caught up with the re-vamped pair and asked them for top tips on being ethically fashionable and why it matters to them.

Stacey and Tara returned from their heart wrenching, eye-opening trip to India to a country big on trends and obsessed with fashion, but learning exactly how high street clothes are made has obviously changed their perspective on buying. Tara and Stacey now front the Ethical Pest Initiative, an eco-consumer brand which promises to give you the information you need to be an ‘ethical pest’ and question everything you buy.

Tara says she has a ‘fire in her belly’, and a constant passion to change the way herself and everyone else shops. She recommends buying gorgeous classic pieces from vintage boutiques, restyling everyday items into trendier garments from flea markets and making use of end-of-the-roll materials to invent new products, as she does with her own fashion brand Tara Starlet.

But it’s just not that easy for some of us, who don’t have the time, skills or patience for that kind of shopping. When I ask them which high street shops they think are ethically and environmentally sound, they both nod enthusiastically when Stacey mentions Zara, and both have a lot of glowing praise for GAP.

I am very pleasantly surprised by this, because as a teenager I would hand out flyers outside GAP warning people against buying from a company who employed children and used sweat shops. But the girls ensure me GAP has changed most rapidly and drastically since then, and actually go above and beyond what other brands are doing in the face of ethically produced fashion.

Tara recommends checking out eti for a list of the state each company is in regards to their fair-trade, eco and ethical standing. Stacey tells me to still use my own initiative though, as although Primark are on the list, this doesn’t mean they are playing completely fair, and most companies are promising to do things which are ambiguous and are only making very gradual changes, some of which will take up to ten years.

Stacey and Tara’s trip to India left in them a desire to open up our eyes when it comes to not just ethical or environmental standards but fair-trade and the actual materials used. They have many more tricks up their organic cotton sleeves.

Although it is easy to try and be ethical in our consumer choices, it is all far too easy to question the facts charities shower us with and become complacent in our morals, because we haven’t seen the crisis with our own eyes. But experiencing un-ethical working conditions is one thing that the girls have had burned onto their minds forever, and are now able to share with us.

One particular image that will stay with Stacey for the rest of her life was the rescue centre for illegally employed child labourers. Seeing the tiny children who might have sewed your top together is something the average consumer has not experienced but, as Stacey reminds me, we should try not to ignore.

As Tara and Stacey giggle and reminisce about their experiences and their future plans for eco-fashion world domination, it reminds me that fashion should still be fun. This is why we should take a leaf out of the girls’ book, and before throwing away old clothing, think who might have made it, who might make your replacement, and restyle it instead of chucking it. And of course, if you buy on the high street, learn to recognize industry eco-standards and make an informed and conscious purchase.

Links:

Keep up to date with Stacey and Tara, and find out how your favourite shop is doing on the green front at: www.eti-ten.org/ethicalpest.html

See Tara’s fashion line at: Tarastarlet.com and www.myspace.com/tarastarletboutique