PHOTOGRAPH BY KRIS ATOMIC50
Fashion firstInher regular column on trying to dres better – in an actual ethical kind of
wa – fashion features director s ooddelves into sustainable jewelleryTHINKING FASHIONThe‘clothes swap’ event
was a big trend a few
years ago. Now, it’s back
and cooler than ever,
thanks to champions like
Stories Behind Things
influencer Jemma Finch,
who helped launch The
Big Clothes Switch in
collaboration with WeWork
in London last month. ‘Clothes
swapping is the most sustainable
way to update your wardrobe,’
says Finch. ‘You bring clothes you
no longer love and trade them in
for “new” second-hand, vintage
and branded pieces. We’ve
partnered with Who What Wear
UK to offer brands a sustainableJEWEL PURPOSEAsanyone who has ever met
me knows, the one thing
guaranteed to get my heart
quivering is a new bauble (or
three). But in sustainability
terms, it’s a poser. Workers’
rights issues surround the
miningprocess for all types of
stones, and the environmental
impactof mining gold – and
worse, silver – is monumental.
Mining silver is incredibly water-intensive and the chemicals used
ingold refining (mercury, for instance) are often disastrously toxic.
Theanswer, like so many things eco, may lie in reusing what we’ve
already got, which means recycling. New jewellery brand Kinraden
(which means ‘kindred’) was started by Danish architect Sarah
Müllertzwith this aim. ‘We have plenty of metal. Working with
upcyclingis the most sustainable choice you can make. I don’t
think it’s necessary to draw out any more resources from the earth.’
The great thing about gold or silver, she explains, is you can melt
it to use again. Müllertz founded Kinraden while working as an
architect. She quit in 2018 to concentrate on her passion for
sustainablejewels, and sourced a female-run supplier based in
Bangkok,where a lot of jewellery production takes place (including
Pandora’s, which earnt cred for switching to recycled-only metals
for every piece last year). Müllertz has also developed a way of
using wood instead of stones. Her designs use leftover Tanzanian
mpingo pieces from musical instrument production, which are cut
into onyx-like ‘stones’ and ‘named after’ Emily Dickinson poems.
We love the To The Land ring and Our Lips earring (both above).SWAP I TFivemore of our favourite
eco-friendly jewellery brands01.PIPPA SMALLThe original pioneer of ethical
jewels,Pippa Small travels the globe from Kabul to
Myanmar to support mining communities and
sourceFair Trade gold. We adore the new My Tribe
collection,tiny 22ct gold figurines made in India by
a master craftsman (above).02.PHINEThese fabulously chunky 80s-inspired
pieces by London-based Danish designer Elina
Faurschou use only recycled metals.- BARSuper cool, minimalist lines made from
gold-platedrecycled silver, all locally cast and
hand-finishedin London using natural processes
instead of chemicals in the studio. Hurrah!
04.PASCALE JAMESOne half of the design duo,
Christopher James, is a former zoologist who
photographed ocean life forNational Geographic.
The bespoke London-based label offers sculptural
pieces made from recycled scrap silver.- EMMA AITCHISONThis young British jeweller
sources materials in the UK where possible, using
Fairtrade gold and silver, and as many recycled
elements as she can. One per cent of profits goes
to environmental charity, 1% For The Planet.
01
020305alternativefor their over-
produced and dead stock lines.
It feels great to be diverting
perfectly new clothes that
may have ended up in landfill
or burnt.’ Find the next swap at
@storiesbehindthings – or host
your own at home. Prosecco and
pals bearing cast-offs, ahoy!04.