DETOX isn't just for January!

A new investigation by Greenpeace shows that our children’s clothes are riddled with toxins. It’s not just the cheap brands that are effected either.

Hazardous chemicals are lurking in children’s clothes and shoes made by major brands, including Disney, Burberry and Adidas. This is according to a new investigation released today by Greenpeace.

Testing was carried out on products sold by 12 brands across the industry, including American Apparel, GAP, Primark and Nike for the report “A Little Story About the Monsters in Your Closet”. The findings revealed levels of hazardous chemicals in clothing made for children, who are particularly vulnerable to their the effects.

Chih An Lee, Detox Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia, said: “This is a nightmare for parents everywhere looking to buy clothes for their children that don’t contain hazardous chemicals. These chemical ‘little monsters’ can be found in everything from exclusive luxury designs to budget fashion, polluting our waterways from Beijing to Berlin. For the sake of current and future generations brands should stop using these monsters.”

Among the results, one Adidas swimsuit contained higher levels of PFOAs than permitted in their own Restricted Substance List, while printed fabric on a Primark children’s t-shirt contained 11%phthalates. Once released into the environment, many of these chemicals can have adverse impacts either on human reproductive, hormonal or immune systems.

When the Detox campaign first launched, people power forced brands like Zara and Levis to go toxic free. We can do it again.

>> Visit the Little Monsters website to find out how to put the pressure on brands to Detox

Happy New Year!

Another New Year's Eve celebration still to come.... 

                                                                                              more trend info at allsmallthings.net

Chinese New Year is on Friday, January 31, 2014. It marks the start of the Year of the Wood Horse in the Chinese zodiac.

the year of the Wood Horse 2014. If you are interested in where the tradition comes from and what it is based upon, we will look into that, too!

2014 is the Year of the Wood element - the Wood Horse - so to be in harmony with the energy of the year and befriend the ruling Wood Horse energy, it is recommended to wear the colours of the Wood feng shui element - all shades of green and brown.

In addition to Wood feng shui element, you can also wear the colours of the Water and Earth elements, because these two elements support the Wood in its growth and well-being. So, colours blue and black (Water element colours) as well as all earthy tones (Earth element) are also good in the coming year of the Wood Horse 2014.

You can wear not only clothing, but all sorts of accessories in the green-brown colour scheme, such as jewelry, belts, scarfs, etc. To make it even more powerful, you can choose jewellery with natural crystals and stones with the presence of Wood energy, such as green jade, agate, green tourmaline and malachite.

Also good are crystals and stones with the presence of Water element energy - such as turquoise, aquamarine, pearls, kyanite, lapis lazuli and moonstone. Or, go for black colour ones, such as black obsidian, black tourmaline or black onyx.

Are there colours that are best to avoid in the New Year, or at least for the New Year celebration? Yes, for sure. Least favourable colours in 2014 are the colours of Fire and Metal feng shui elements, respectively all whites and grays, as well as purple, orange and red colours.

However, because Horses are considered to have the energy of fire, it is OK to wear accessories in Fire feng shui element colours.

More Chinese New Year blogs to follow.....

FASHION CUFF-LINKS 2013 

 CUSTOMISED BY AST

EMULATING CURRENT DESIGNER TRENDS 2013

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 unique chic - you can't get 'just anywhere'

 MORE CUSTOMISED, REVIVED & PRELOVED THINGS CLICK HERE

AST (All Small Things) always strive to offer quality goods with practical use and that unique chic  - you can't get 'just anywhere'.

We sell furniture, artwork, mirrors & decorative items for your home.

All recycled, revived, restored, customised, reclaimed, pre-owned and preloved items.

Vintage and contemporary tables, chairs, storage and more!

Buy low-cost, clothing & accessories for men, women and children.

Great quality dresses, skirts, tops, trousers, coats, suits, office wear, shoes, boots, bags, jewellery, belts and scarves.

Designer to high-street, antique and unique.

Re-fashion your home & yourself with a 'not so easy to imitate' style that changes with the seasons.

Our ethos is about ethical buying with trends in mind. A conscious spending choice for you and your family,  essential items sold at realistic prices EVERYBODY can afford.

It's environmentally & purse friendly to shop with AST!

We are a trend-inspired company and members of the ethical fashion forum & fellowship member. Which means we are recognised for our contribution to helping sustain fashion.

We won't compromise on quality or style with our interior & apparel collections.

What's more, if your looking for something specific?

We can help source it...

Anything at all such as:

furniture

household things

appliances

clothing & accessories

Local sellers, great prices.

Have something you want to sell?

We can help with that too! Call us

Freecall 0808 178 7148

Text 079488 34269

Email enquiries@allsmallthings.net

All Small Things (AST) Ltd

allsmallthings.net

Power in our purses, people!

Hi I’m Lyndsey Latarche, a tiny molecule in this world and part of the ethical fashion movement - i love recycling!

"Globally, ethics within any industry should be see-through!"

Do we want to see? Not as consumers or manufacturers but as individual managers of our own lifestyle and beliefs?

I get the impression from some that "I should be living in a shack beside the river Thames, boiling water to drink",

Because I believe in 'recycling stuff' & 'ethical fashion'…

I’m frowned upon for using a mobile phone because I’m supporting 'new' products....

From my point of view, without new there wouldn't be a continual supply of 'preloved items', so my business reviving furnishings wouldn't last long! 

The point.... "Action doesn't have to be extreme to be effective"!!!

Unfortunately, there is a 'throw-away' attitude when it comes to fashion & furnishings which causes unnecessary waste.

But for those savvy spenders with trends in mind, we see a huge shift of money-conscious people wanting great quality items for less. The upside, re-using, reviving and recycling are now becoming a more popular way to buy or style ourselves and homes.

"With re-fashioned old complimenting new trends, creating a not-so-easy-to-imitate style is the most environmentally-sound choice anyone can make!" 

It positively reduces the strain on non-renewable world resources.

Supporting ethical causes and choosing to alter the way we spend - at least for some of the things we buy - and view the power to purchase as a vote more often, our actions will impact on "the negative practices being exposed currently by companies we hand cash to everyday";

"Why invest in businesses that don't bother to invest in their people?"

Life is a choice...probably at least for those reading our blogs today.

We can recognise and acknowledge that mine, yours and everybody's daily actions in the western world, impacts on global industries.

There are people (animals too) who suffer at the expense of our buying habits,

"Collectively, lives can be substantially improved by us ALL!"

Businesses, consumers and everyone else in between can make small changes to contribute to sustainability and commit to raising those industry standards and practices.

"Ethical fashion it's not just trendy.It's a whole new sustainable future..."

Efforts to create awareness for Ethical Fashion Issues knows no limits!: At 4am on a chilly Thursday morning, six women cli...

Efforts to create awareness for Ethical Fashion Issues knows no limits!: At 4am on a chilly Thursday morning, six women cli...: At 4am on a chilly Thursday morning, six women climbed began their ascent of the  Shard . They had no permission, but they did have a mis...

Tattoo Couture

Tattoo Couture

There’s no time like the present to consider a first or subsequent tattoo.

Legendary tattoo genius Ed Hardy has imprinted his style on the fashion scene -Inspired by the youth of America, vintage, Hollywood stardom and motorcycle tattoo culture - now the likes of David Beckham are wearing his clever clothing.

As well, Peter Andre models the vintage tattoo designs, there’s a buzz in the air… and the hum of needles too!

Ink is king right now, we see celebrities regularly flashing their tats in the pap’s direction!

But like most things tattoo habits trend and how do you ‘get it right’ first time?

Popular styles and images change through eras.

So what kind of tattoo stands the test of time?

Actress Eliza Dushku, appears to have it right with a double-headed eagle on her back. A simple design yet visually eye-catching and unique.

While singer Hilary Duff has the tattoo reading "Let it Be".

Perhaps consider a portrait, increasingly a more popular trend. Sylvester Stallone has a detailed picture of wife Jennifer Flavin on his shoulder surrounded by three roses for his 3 daughters, whose middle names are all Rose.

 

Infamous Pete Doherty put an interesting slant on the traditional child’s name tattoo, by having it written in his son Astiles own handwriting.

It sounds simple, be true to yourself and your own style. Unlike fashion that is discarded each season, body art is about styling your individuality; we create our own imagery perception rather than adorning ourselves in others’ fashioning.

If you are finding it hard to decide on exactly what kind of tattoo you want it’s worth submerging yourself in the industry if even for a day. Tattoo Jam, an annual event promises to be the most exciting and talked about Tattoo event of the year. No doubt there will be oodles and doodles of inspiration there. It could be the perfect place to show off your tattoo collection, or maybe even to start one.

Seasonal/current Ink info/images

Halloween, these images do the talking! (images from http://girlshue.com)