People tree

When I first told my friends and family that I started a blog, everyone just assumed that I was starting a fashion blog. I do love fashion, but by that I mean style, vision and a flattering cut, not so much the retail industry the way it is now. At the point of starting this blog, my mind set was definitely more slow fashion. By this I mean investing in fewer pieces, that would not only go the distance in terms of style but would also wear well. Interesting evening pieces, and good quality daytime basics that can be worn again and again, despite numerous machine washes.

 

I first came across people tree, gosh nine years ago (I still have my first ever dress from back then, and it gets lots of compliments when I wear it), it was around the same time as I discovered Riverford. I honestly can't recall how it came about, but I literally became obsessed. I wanted to have something from every collection. Honestly, I just didn't have the money, so I would save up for a few things here and there, and I would get their goodie box every season (the first one I ever got was £25 and then it went up to £35 before they no longer did them). The goodie box was an amazing purchase for me, I think it was 4-5 items of clothing and one or two accessories. The value of the box was something close to £180, and I have gotten some of my most loved pieces that way. The catch was of course that it is a surprise box, the only thing you could choose was your size. Still it always worked out really well for me.

 

Simeon Farrar for People tree

 

 

So what attracted me to people tree?

• Organic cotton. That was the first thing I was looking for, as conventional cotton is one of the most water dependent crops to be grown. The heavy use of pesticides in the cotton industry keeps popping up in the media, but not much seems to change. And this is just the effects that growing cotton has, let's not forget the manufacturing chemicals used to change cotton into cloth (food for thought).
• Ethical garment production. We are so far removed from the manufacturing side of things, I constantly see people putting down a pair of trousers reduced from £45 to £10 with the words "too expensive". So how much is a good price for something that goes through the process of being made from raw material, to fabric, and eventually garment, where people are involved at every stage of production and all the workers need to get paid? Someone, somewhere is getting screwed, and most of the time these people are farmers (when it is a natural fibre) and garment workers. People tree is a fashion brand that is happy to share their traceability every step of the way, I'm not hearing many others shouting about it from the rooftops.
• Style. Despite all of the above reasons, I'm not sure if I would have bought anything from people tree back in the day if I didn't like the look of the clothes. We live in a society where first impressions are everything, and if you want to be taken seriously you have to look the part (ok maybe if you are some sort of genius, you might get away with things, but I bet even then it isn't easy). Also like I said, I love fashion, and at the time when I first came across People tree, I wouldn't dream of missing an issue of Vogue. The garments are beautiful: the fabric, the prints and there are so many styles to choose from. I'm not even going to pretend that every single cut looks great on me, but there is enough choice that I'm able to find something that works with my body. I remember being very excited about their first designer collaboration, and I'm ridiculously happy that they are still doing those.

Palm leaf bangles

 

Now to the matter of price and sizes. In the ladies range (they do clothes for the fellas too) sizes are between 8-16. So not everyone will be able to find something from the clothing range, however if you still want to support ethical fashion, they have a fab range of accessories, jewellery and even notebooks. Prices are high, if you are on a budget, they always have something in the sale section with quiet a few things being half price or less. I still have a bunch of basic t-shirts that are close to 7-8 years old, and they look good, practically new. I don't wear them every single day but fairly often, and they stood the test of time when so many others had to go. So if you are looking to hang on to your clothes for longer, this is a good brand to go with.

 

I was just having a quick browse, and here are the few things that I like from their current collection: an easy to wear day dress, gorgeous and slightly more formal day to evening dress, super cute owl ring. From the sale section: long cardigan with an interesting colour pattern, obsessed with these palm leaf bangles, a frilly Jersey top that seems to be named after me.

 

Why didn't I become a fashion blogger? Lots of reasons really, and none of them have anything to do with the size of my wardrobe (I'm super awkward posing in photos for starters). For new clothes I tend to shop at few places, and for awhile it could have looked like a people tree catologue, and as much as I love them, I don't think that would be a great blog to read. I also like to pick a few things from my wardrobe and wear them to death, some of my most loved clothes no one would be able to get anywhere anymore, because I have had them for years. Style and quality, flattering cut, these are the things that are fashionable to me.