Hi! My name’s Francesca, I’m a 23 year old, London-based artist and I’m starting on an ethical adventure.

A few months ago a couple friends of mine inspired me to try making some zero waste changes. This means nothing goes to landfill: you aim to recycle, reuse anything you consume, and refuse anything else. I followed their journey with interest, and over time found myself making changes too. The more I became aware of the ethics of my choices, the more buzz I heard around cruelty free products too, especially when it came to beauty.

So, with all this in mind, I’ve decided to create a space where all of these things can come together. Here I will document my journey into the world of zero waste, cruelty free, ethical fashion and beauty. This is a real time documentation of my own endeavours into this, so bear in mind I’m still learning! I’ll be taking you for the ride as I transition my consumer habits, as well as finding ways to incorporate the products I already do have into fashion choices that are overall more ethical. I’m hoping by following my journey you’ll be inspired to start your own, and maybe I’ll provide some useful pointers on the way?

So here are some things you can expect:

• Keep as much out of landfill as possible
  This means recyclable/reusable packaging, products with longevity. No ‘use once then bin it’ type of attitudes. Good quality products that will stand the test of time, upcycling products that are getting on a bit, and finding creative ways to keep things out of the bin!
• Ethical fashion
  No sweat shops. Period. If it’s a new item, know where and when it was made, or don’t buy it. No animal testing. Period. know how it was made and what’s in it, or don’t buy it.
• Products for the everyday
  Not only ethical living products, but also those that just make life easier/quicker/more fun. I’m a normal human being. I live in East London and I’m not exactly ~swimming in cash or free time~ so this is about finding a lifestyle that’s sustainable and attainable on any level.
• Keep as many nasty chemicals away as possible
  Ok I’m no scientist, and I’m not pretending to be. I think ‘chemicals’ is a bit of a buzz word. I mean, technically everything is made of chemicals of some form. But I do want to make more of an effort to know what’s in my products, and keep unnecessary chemicals out of the way. Simple, natural beauty with the best ingredients only.
• Support local
  I’m an English gal, and a lot of zero waste blogs are USA based, so as much as possible I’m going to try and support sustainable and local. If I can reduce the amount of shipping that my product requires, that’s a nice bit of carbon dioxide not in the air. I do travel for work (please don’t hate me for this, I’m human after all! I do pay extra for the carbon offset option though) and when I’m travelling, I’ll also look out for things in other countries that might work for you too!
• Thrift store styling
  This is the one I’m most excited about. I love charity shops (thrift stores, op shops, pick your term) more than most things. I can’t even tell you the amount of times people ask where my clothes are from, only to be told they were £4 and probably used to belong to someone’s grandma. Not only are you helping charities by buying these clothes, there’s a ton of great steals for tiny prices, countless opportunities to be creative, unique pieces and, most importantly, zero waste! One man’s trash is another mans treasure after all. I think a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of charity shopping, or don’t know where to start. Hopefully I can give you some insight, with good examples of what you can find and how can you style it, as well as how to combine it with great brands that go the distance, to create your own effortless, fun, ethical style.

I think that’s about it for now. Like I said this is my own journey, so bear with me. And if you have suggestions or things you’d like to see, let me know!

Stay magic y’all.