It’s probably becoming clear that here at ANTITHESIS we love bringing you new ways to make your commuting life better. With it currently being Commute smart week we wanted to share what makes our dark and frosty morning commute a little brighter this winter!
Commuting to and from work is can be a bit of a chore regardless of how much you love your job. With the dark, wet and windy season upon us as well our commutes are getting just that little bit more miserable. However, the 11th of November saw the start of Commute Smart Week where their annual campaign was launched to help raise awareness of the better ways in which we can make those dreary Autumnal commutes both a bit easier and more enjoyable.
Many of you out there will probably be nodding your heads in agreement with us that it can often be pretty dull sitting on a train, tube or bus in the early hours of the morning with very little to do except turn to your smartphones, free paper or other magical means of maintaining consciousness at the crack of dawn. With your morning sanity in mind ANTITHESIS is here to share a little gem of an ethical fashion blog Magnifeco, which has helped keep us entertained everyday this week on our way to work.
Magnifeco is filled with wonderful daily ethical & sustainable fashion advice as well as other great tips on life and style. Its thoughtful, honest and fashion forward content has made Magnifeco a topnotch bookmark on our morning trail. It’s a delightful blog with charmingly written posts to make catching up on ethical style news both entertaining as well as insightful. Deep in a fever of admiration and wanting to know more about the people behind this great ethical site, ANTITHESIS recently contacted the creator behind Magnifeco, Kate Black.
When we told her about our quasi-commuting-obsession and the fact that Commute Smart week happened to be on the horizon we decided it might be an idea to have a clash of cultures and see how our ANTITHESIS offering fairs over the week with one of her busy London contributors. Magnifeco’s commute smart review of the ANTITHESIS collection can be found here.
In the meantime we’ve caught up with Kate for your reading pleasure, because she’s responsible for a great start to our day; she’s exactly the kind of forward thinking, straight talking, driven modern woman that inspires us at ANTITHESIS; and because we love celebrating people making a positive difference in the fashion industry! Here she is in all her glory.
Magnifeco’s Kate Black
Tell ANTITHESIS a little bit about you, where are you from? What are your passions?!
My name is Kate Black, I’m a Canadian living in Boston. I’m passionate about ethics and aesthetics…the two ideas that drive Magnifeco- the digital source for eco-fashion and sustainable living.
What motivated you to start Magnifeco and what inspires you to write?
As a vegetarian, I was always conscious about what I put in my body, but not about what I put on my body. Eco-fashion entered my consciousness around 2007-2008 when mainstream magazines (like Marie Clarie and Vanity Fair) were publishing their green issues. Ethical fashion really resonated with me, but it was hard to find. I was living in Tokyo at the time and just started trend-hunting and writing about great eco and sustainable designers from around the world that were available online. People liked and the site started to grow – we are now read in 140 countries!
If you had to choose 3 of your favourite ethical fashion brands, which would they be and why?
There are so many great British ethical brands. Because of the support of Estethica, Eco-Luxe and Pure, ethical fashion is thriving in the UK. One of my favourite brands is People Tree and the vision and drive Safia Minney has; pairing contemporary designers with her fairtrade co-operatives. People Tree’s clothing is stylish and affordable. Izzy Lane and her sheep sanctuary are inspiring; creating great knits and wovens all form her own flock. Also love Beyond Skin and their gorgeous, vegan shoes.
How do you think sustainable fashion brands are faring in a world full of fast fashion?
I think it’s difficult. Everyone agrees the fashion industry needs to change; it’s toxic and harmful as it is. But I think consumers have been too focused on ‘value’ in the form of dollars and cents and changing that perspective to place value on environment, people (who make the items) and longevity. You’ve made some great strides in the UK with brands like GoodOne and Reclaim To Wear collaborating with TopShop. It’s great to see the integration of ethical fashion in with fast fashion; makes it easier for consumers to compare price/style and ethics in one place
You already contribute to sustaining our environment by advising your readers on ethical clothing brands, but are there other pieces of advice you like to give your readers?
I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe. The idea of pairing down the number of pieces it takes to be and feel stylish is great for the pocketbook and the environment. When your wardrobe is made up of 10-12 pieces it forces you to really look at the quality of the items, to look at accessories and to explore swapping and sharing. Buying less is a great start to having a more sustainable wardrobe.
Well, we hope dear reader, this might be the beginnings of a beautiful relationship! If you haven’t been to the Magnifeco blog as yet – as we’ve become used to saying this Commute Smart week – “get on your bike, you never know what your missing out on!”
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