Lizzie Loves...Going Green

OVER the last year or so I have started to think more carefully about the clothes I wear -well to be honest I have started to feel guilty.

I love shopping and nothing thrills me more than a bargain but recently my retail highs have been tainted by doubts over where and how my purchases were made.

In the past, walking into Primark would cause my heart to beat faster at the prospect of cramming as much stuff into my basket as possible.

I rarely bought anything full price, avoided charity shops and flitted my cash away on cheap, unneccessary garments.

However, several things have made me think twice about my shopping habits.

Firstly, I have actually found some great items in charity shops, after getting over my fear of the old person smell I associate with them.

Secondly, I have watched documentaries about child labour and terrible working conditions in developing countries.

And thirdly, I have written features about Fairtrade and ethical comapanies, striving to sell lovely, reasonably priced clothing, while protecting the environment and the rights of those who produce them.

Companies such as The Earth Collection, which has a store in Bowness-on-Windermere, Kendal's Betty and Babs, and Cherchbi -a luxury accessories company selling high quality items designed and manufactured in the UK.

The feature I wrote on Kendal's latest vintage shop Revival also brought home the importance of investing in garments made to last, rather than those that fall apart after a couple of washes.

Yesterday, I once again felt ashamed of the contents of my wardrobe.

For a feature in the Christmas issue of Limited Edition, me and the Gazette's chief photographer Mark Harrison travelled to Lazonby, near Penrith, to meet Victoria Stapleton, the owner and founder of Brora.

The company specialises in top quality Scottish Cashmere and tweed and all of its products are made in English factories and mills.

Meeting Victoria, who was brought up in Cumbria, and has a gorgeous home in the Eden Valley, was really inspiring.

With shops all over the country, over 60,000 mail order clients and customers that include Kate Moss, Prince William and Daniel Day Lewis, her business is a great success, yet she remains committed to her original aims of producing well made clothing at the most affordable prices she can.

Clothes with a rich heritage; clothes that celebrate the 'best of the UK'; clothes that look and feel amazing.

Sat across from her in my New Look boots and Primark top I felt embarrassed.

For years, I have pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind but in a year of career changes, maybe it's time to address the skeletons in my closet too.

My current financial position has already prompted a commitment to making do and mending and charity shopping -so perhaps the timing has never been better.

In Green is the New Black, an eloquently written guide to changing the world with style, fashion journalist Tamsin Blanchard gives lots of helpful hints for the fashion conscious with a conscience.

She also quotes Rogan Gregory -the co-founder of organic denim specialists Loomstate Jeans- and, for me, his words really sum it up.



"It's a luxury to feel guilty because most of the world is just trying to survive."



The book was a birthday present from my friend Vanessa and for months it sat unopened on my bedside table, as I buried my head in the sand and stocked up on cheap bargains.

However, I finally started reading it the other day and it has strengthened my resolution to adopt a more ethical attitude.

I know I will never be perfect, I am still going to shop in some high street shops and there is no point getting rid of the clothes I already have, but from now on I am definitley going to try harder.