Ethical Fashion

Emily Best runs Bochica, a clothes company providing affordable, ethical and fairtrade clothing. In this interview she tells us why she set up the business, the issues surrounding ethical clothes and what alternatives there are.

Why did you decide to set up your business?
I always knew I wanted to have my own business and although I loved my job at This Morning at ITV I knew it was time to take the plunge, so in August 2008 I left to concentrate fully on Bochica.

I once was a fan of the cheap fashion that now dominates our high streets but it wasn't until I went travelling in India a few years ago that I changed my mind. I'd been to a market in India where I saw a family selling items of clothing with a well-known high street label in them. I remember looking at the people selling the clothes and they looked so poor. Obviously I have no proof that these people made the clothes but it did prick something in my conscience and when I returned home I started looking into ethical and fairtrade fashion. There is definitely something not quite right if you can buy a pair of jeans for £8... someone pays the price.

One thing I was keen to emphasise was the need for affordable ethical clothing. Before we came along there wasn't anyone concentrating on affordability in the ethical sphere and I feel very strongly that if we are ever going to change the mindset of people it will be nigh on impossible to convert them to ethical fashion if a dress costs £300.

So how much more expensive is ethical clothing?
Some of the products are naturally more expensive but we say that not only will people get highly stylish fashion, they will also not look like clones of everyone else on the high street. Plus our prices are attainable and not out of reach for the majority of people. The affordability of the brands we carry is paramount for Bochica.

How do you find ethically sourced fashion?
The brands we choose to use at Bochica have to illustrate a firm belief in fairtrade and utilising sustainable fabrics. The brands we feature have various certifications to show their commitment to fairtrade and sustainability such as using IFAT registered factories and Soil Association approved organic cotton. We are under no illusion though as to how difficult it can be to overcome the red tape and gain organic and fairtrade status. Until there is a global standard set it will continue to be difficult for ethical fashion to move on.

So what are the benefits of organic cotton?
There are loads of good reasons to use organic cotton... here are just a few:

• Cotton farming uses 20% of the world's chemical pesticides and insecticides, thus being harmful to the people who farm it. It's a very dirty crop in terms of the chemicals that are sprayed.
• According to the World Health Organisation 20,000 deaths occur in developing countries every year from pesticide poisoning. Many of these are linked to cotton production.
• Pesticides reduce biodiversity and soil fertility and contaminate water courses and ground water. Organic farmers use natural pesticides which usually contain a mixture of chilli, garlic and soap. This keeps pests off the crops, but does not destroy their natural predators - which survive to control their numbers naturally.

Are there any alternative fabrics to use?
There are a few alternatives that are currently used by some of the designers we carry at Bochica, such as hemp, bamboo and recycled polyester. I'm always keen to hear about new technologies and designers utilising sustainable fabrics.

Has the market been hit by the recession?
Without question, yes, but as we are not even a year old we have nothing to compare this year to. People certainly don't have as much spare cash as they once had. However, this is a good thing for us as our unique message and vision for Bochica is that you can be ethical and it won't break the bank.

I also like to champion young designers who are trying to make their world in the ethical fashion business. They have it pretty tough so I like to support them and offer a platform for their designs via the site.

For more information on Bochica products have a look at their website www.bochica.co.uk/

Editor's note: If, like me, you wondered what Bochica means... he is the South American god of morals who taught his people to respect their fellow man.

photos (c) Bochica 2009