I’m of the belief that once you see something that rattles you to your core, you can’t turn away from it. I’ve always prided myself on being eco-conscious and caring about the future of the world, specifically through our environment, but it wasn’t until recently that I learned how something I love so much (Fashion! Shopping! Clothes!) was contributing so negatively to the impact of the environment. After watching a few documentaries such as The True Cost and Stacey Dooley Investigates that I learned about how much of an impact my purchases were making on something I cared so much about stopping.
To be honest, a huge part of this overhaul and new outlook on my wardrobe has to do with my friend Lindsey. I nicknamed her the “Marie Kondo of my life” as she is the queen of organization and has so much knowledge on sustainable fashion and the eco-fashion trend! She pretty much did a complete overhaul of my clothes back home and has taught me about so many cool brands that are sustainable (her personal obsession is with Ace & Jig). Lindsey came to visit Matt and I this past week and we took a quick trip down to London to visit some amazing sustainable stores and do lots of shopping, which was a total blast! She also was visiting since we’ve decided to partner together for a really special reason that I can’t wait to share with you all in the new year!
I hope you guys enjoy seeing what we bought, what brands we love, the shops we visited, and more! Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see more content like this and what your favorite sustainable brands are!
AIDA
The first stop on our little tour was AIDA, located in Shoreditch. It was a super quick and easy ride on the tube from our AirBnB located in Pilmico (by Westminster Abbey), and it’s a café in the front and shop in the back. When we got there, we immediately sat down in the café and ordered an oreo latté with oat milk and an oat milk chai tea. It was delicioussss. We met up with my friend Cocoa, who is currently living in London, and then popped into the back for a shop around. They have the usual sustainable brands I love like Veja and Rains, but then also had a ton of new brands I’d never heard of (Like Bell & Fox). The only tricky part about AIDA was that the brands themselves weren’t all sustainable as some of them had a specific sustainable line. But, once we did a bit of Googling, we found the brands we’d like to buy from. I ended up getting the cutest pair of Veja sneakers with velcro and the most adorable bucket bag from Bell & Fox (complete with an actual bell on the side!).
Overall, I’d say AIDA is really hip, trendy, and perfect for a sustainable fashion newbie that just wants to start dipping their toes in the water but not taking the full plunge. Oh, and they’re rose tea latté is definitely on my list for the next trip!
HENRI
Our next stop was pretty serendipitous. We’d heard of this brand called Henri (after Henrietta Adams, the founder) but from what we read there were only pop-ups, so we didn’t think we’d get to shop the brand while in London. While we were making our way to the next shop, the sky fell out and started pouring like crazy. We were trying to look for a place to run inside while waiting on an Uber, and I looked up to see Henri right in front of us. We ran in and the sweetest girl, Angela, was working and told us to stay as long as we needed while the rain slowed. I was so excited we just happened upon it, and we had all the time in the world now (since it was still chucking it down outside) to look around. The cute Henri pieces were there along with a couple other brands we quickly fell in love with. Cocoa and Angela talked all things photography (they’re both photography majors and AMAZING, so be sure to give them both a follow: Angela and Cocoa) while Lindsey and I tried on loads of adorable dresses and jumpsuits. Lindsey fell in love with this army green one by REN London.
My favorite moments are the ones that are completely unplanned, and this was no exception. Henri is an amazing place to get really high-end, hand-crafted sustainable pieces that are also timeless and created with the best materials. If you’re looking for something that will last a lifetime and never go out of style, then Henri is your place.
69B BOUTIQUE
Our last visit on the sustainable fashion journey was a quaint boutique in Hackney called 69b Boutique. When researching places to go in London, this was always the first one to pop up. They carry pretty much all the big name sustainable brands, and I felt really confident going in that everything in their shop was aligned with the kind of brands we were looking for. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures while there as by this point we were completely soaked, but I ended up getting my new favorite pair of wellies from a Swedish brand called Tretorn and a People Tree jumpsuit that I can’t wait to wear everywhere. Lindsey also got a super cute sweater and her own pair of Tretorns (lined with the softest fleece in the world!).
69b Boutique is the place to be if you’re fully into sustainable fashion and your wardrobe needs an upgrade.
CONTENT BEAUTY & WELLBEING
It’s also worth mentioning a beauty shop we stopped in called Content Beauty & Wellbeing. Located in the perfect location of Marylebone, Content has anything and everything related to eco skincare. Most of the brands are certified organic and all-natural, and it’s a shop of dreams. It felt a bit like entering Ollivander Wand Shop in Harry Potter. The brands just speak to you, and I spent half an hour just browsing and looking at it all. The ladies working in the shop were so sweet and super knowledgable. In terms of makeup, they didn’t have as many brands as I was expecting (the main ones I saw were Ilia, RMS and Vapour), but still a great range. Overall, Content is a must stop next time you’re in London for all things natural beauty.
Let me know in the comments what some of your favorite sustainable brands are, and I hope this inspires you to swap a few pieces in your closet for a more sustainable alternative! Also, you must try the oreo latte for me. Such a dream!
