Dani Michel skirt

For all of you back in the UK wondering where all the sun had gone, well it was shining down in Paris at the Pret-a-Porter show all for me.

I was really pleased to see some of our home grown talent over there including, Komodo, Beyond Skin, People Tree and Pants to Poverty.

First off, this Dani Michel skirt was so fabulous that I nearly took it off her right then and there!

Dani takes recycling to its purest form; she makes every piece herself from off-cuts – in fact anything she can lay her hands, to create truly unique one off’s. Based in Paris she is quite used to selling to all over the world. See for yourself at Deshabitsetc.etsy.com or myspace.com/danimichels

Ideocollection.com are very keen on fair trade and organic cotton, and remind me of People Tree. They have a small presence in the UK and actually stock in Brighton at Fair, Queens road. Ideo founder Rachel Liu is really concerned with the effects of  fast fashion and from this Ideo was born. The range caters for men, women and children up to four.

Raffauf rainwear (www.raffasuf.de) from Koln, Germany were horrified when I literally poured a whole jug of water over their rainwear to see if it really was water proof. Bless them. Happily, the water just slid right off! This is what they had to say,

Good materials are essential for great products. Thats why the design is always based on high-quality fabrics such as bee-waxed organic cotton and banana fibres. They are naturally breathable, water-repellent and wind-resistant.

I think the designs are super cool. There is the the classic trench coat right through to a couple more wacky pocketed ones. Price from €220 to €350 (£190-£310).

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Ponshisimo.com sells traditionally handwoven capes and ponchos made from 100% wool and cotton in Equador and Peru. The buttons are very exotic made from materials such as tagua and coconuts.  Ponshisimo works very closely with local producers and fair trade is enormously important to Ute, the founder and the design inspiration behind the label.

Ponshisimo have taken the classic South American poncho to new heights and are introducing a range for men and children for SS10 as demand has been so great.

Eva Zingoni (www.evazingoni.com) took the most fantastic off-cut materials from Italy and France to make up this collection. It has a fantastic range of women’s wear and fashion accessories.

VanMarkoviec.com were pretty fantastic. Polish guys, they manufacture in Poland but buy all their materials in Japan which are totally certified. This silk top was £185.

Check out www.weobra.com. These bags were the most fantastic find. The founder Eden is from New York and spends her time between her home town and the Philippines, where her husband is from. Each individual bag is carefully crafted by artisans based in a studio workshop where her fair trade and social values are in place. The bags are made from natural fibres and the leather that is used is recycled. Super cool!

They say that ethical brands always have a story and this one certainly has. It’s Brazilian and it’s a social enterprise project of the state of Rio de Janeiro called collection Dom. It takes people from the slums and teaches them new techniques and, using banana fibre, embroidery painting on fabrics, macramé and weaving, gives them respect and a social status through work. More at www.sebraerj.com.br

Muun are seriously gorgeous bags made from straw which comes from Ghana. They use traditional weaving methods and are then embellished in a workshop in Paris. They are created by Japanese and French designers. Stockists in the UK include Anna Lizzio, 10 Market Place, Tetbury,  Gloucestershire.

Coming soon: Lupe picks the best from London Fashion Week – Estethica.