This post was sponsored by Joon + Co. All opinions and editorial decisions are my own.

Everyone has a different story about their experiences with ethical fashion. For me, although I was shopping sustainably by chance for quite a while, my real ethical fashion awakening also happened to coincide with a reinvented approach to style. Awakening is a good word because, like the sleepy winter mornings that have crept in this November, it wasn’t sudden, but grew slowly and surely. I was already thrifting nearly all of my outfits with the occasional fast fashion purchase, but as time went on I began to consider more things. I first started to think more about who made the clothes, then the impacts their production had on ecosystems, then whether the fibres were natural and biodegradable or not. Instead of finding myself overwhelmed with an onslaught of information I took things on piece by piece, over time constructing a series of requirements for anything I would buy new.

At the same time my attitude to how I styled myself was changing. I was out of study and in the working world, travelling a lot and trying to find my fit. Alongside my love of weird finds, patterns and the occasional bright colours, I was also finding myself more drawn to minimalism. Muted tones, multi-use pieces that could be transformed to different social settings. I moved away from jeans and started buying trousers, I started looking for shoes that weren’t secondhand Nikes. Was this… maturity?!

It’s been a year and a half now and I’m happy with where I’ve gotten to. I’m happy with my curated conscious closet that’s also still a bit out there. I like my maturity and minimalism with a dash of fun thrown into the mix, but it took a long time of figuring out both my personal style and learning the full scale of consequences clothing can cause to get there. That’s why it was so nice to have the opportunity to talk about Joon + Co, a place seamlessly bringing together these two aspects of fashion retail.

These days there are online fashion retailers everywhere you look, providing more style options than ever before, as well as a growing specialised area of the market dedicated to responsible manufacturing and ethical practice. But, as Joon + Co noticed, there wasn’t a lot of overlap between this priority of style or priority of substance. So they decided to create a place that perfectly married the two.

Joon + Co aim to give customers a selected collection of items from clothing and accessories to gifts and homeware that are responsibly sourced and transparent from conception to final sale. Every single item they sell has been thoroughly vetted and meets the appropriate criteria to be considered ethically sourced and socially responsible. They work with a variety of vendors and designers who value community, environment, quality, and of course style. Items must not only meet a strict criteria, but also align with current style, high end quality and design standards, and have a unique fit into their family of beautiful goods. Their designers and suppliers are held to continuously high standards in both their creative and ethical approach in order to keep the company’s vision and offerings thoroughly stunning and truly sustainable.

Joon + Co sell limited quantities of small seasonal and classic collections in order to minimise waste; believing in quality over quantity and selling only the best, not simply the ‘nice-enough’ ethical pieces they can find. They also value strong transparency and understanding the stories and origins of what we own, they believe in knowing where your clothes come from and giving you access to the stories behind your purchases. When you order a piece from them, you also receive a notecard with information, specifically where each item comes from, how it’s made and who made it. You can view company profiles on their website, including which of their specifications are met for each manufacturer, and you can also shop by specific ethical value on their site, including:

• Fair Trade/Transparent pricing
• Vegan/Animal Friendly
• Community/Diversity
• Sustainable
• Local

When offered to review an item from their collection I chose the sustainable Long Player Skirt from Kowtow, a brand I was introduced to in New Zealand last year who I’ve loved ever since. They specifically match Joon + Co’s sustainable and fairtrade sections, let me tell you how.

The skirt is made from 100% FLO certified organic cotton, with buttons at the waistband made in Italy from recycled hemp. The fabric is dyed with GOTS approved dyes which are free from chlorine bleach, toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde and aromatic solvents, whilst also ensuring sustainable use and treatment of water used in the dyeing processes. All of Kowtow’s garments are made in India by organisations that are SA8000®-certified; the leading social certification standard for factories across the globe that helps ensure that workers receive guaranteed minimum wage, social security fund, pension fund, paid holiday leave, sick pay, medical insurance, subsidised lunches, overtime pay, workplace unions and free transport to their workplace. Additionally all of their paper from tags to packaging is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved and recyclable.

When it comes to skirts, I love this one. It’s a wrap design, making it another addition to sustainable clothes with body positivity thrown in. It’s super lightweight and flattering, and I really enjoy how it moves. Its got more ethical credentials than you can shake a stick at, but it’s also stylish, comfortable and versatile. It’s a perfect example of Joon + Co’s ethos, bringing together style and substance and increasing accessibility to clothes that look good and do good. In fact, they even have a lookbook section that helps you see how pieces can fit into full outfits, which is a little touch that I appreciate.

Basically, I’m a big fan of this skirt and an even bigger fan of Joon + Co. It’s a lot to both figure out how we want to dress ourselves and understand all of the nuances that go into making fashion truly ethical, and really great curated marketplaces make that easier than ever, especially ones that are dedicated to sourcing style and keeping things as sustainable and ethical as possible. If you’re looking to expand your closet or make it more conscious, Joon + Co are guaranteed to help you get there.

Until next time, stay magic y’all.

Photos by Yeshen Venema