Ciel Mint Cami Dress Full Review
Posted: 14 February 2008 by Laura Sevier
In its early days, eco clothing suffered from a range of setbacks -- image was one problem, all too often associated with frumpy hemp shirts or drawstring trousers. The feel of the fabric was another, which is perhaps why it got lumbered with the 'sackcloth' image. Hemp may well be one of the most eco friendly fibres on the planet, but wearing it felt, well… like a sackcloth.
But now eco fabrics -- along with eco design -- have entered a new era of sophistication and Ciel is one of the pioneers leading the way. Founder and designer Sarah Ratty says that she only uses fabrics that feel "sumptuous against the skin." Her strength is in innovating with fabrics -- organics, vintage or eco fabrics such as hemp silks, bamboo jersey, and Oeko-tex certified faux-fur -- all the while staying 'hip and luxurious,' and only using azo-free dyes.
This cami dress is made of hemp silk: 60 per cent hemp, 40 per cent silk, which is green mainly because hemp is sustainable, fast-growing and doesn't need pesticides and because the silk is farmed in the traditional, centuries-old Chinese way. We should say, however, that time-honoured technique, nice as it is, is not as green as using wild or fallen silk. But in any case, the fabric is light and summery and drapes beautifully while reflecting the light. It looks and feels luxurious, and, as with all clothes in Ciel's range, the design is contemporary, ultra-cool and yet somehow timeless. It's not surprising that the label has a growing number of A-list fans.
Yet not everything is perfect -- the downside is the price. This sure ain't cheap, fast fashion. Ciel clothes are suited to smart shoppers who appreciate quality clothes that can be worn (and admired) again and again. Ciel's 'future heirloom' range is based on this idea -- modern classics that can be built on each season.
So how ethical is its production? Like all the clothes made by the label, the dress has been manufactured in an ethical way -- Ratty works with all the factories she uses to ensure they comply with fair labour laws. Clothes are stitched locally, near to the Ciel headquarters in Brighton. Ciel is also one of the first carbon neutral UK fashion companies, operating an offsetting programme with Save the Amazon Rainforest Organisation (STARO), which helps to enable the buy-back of large areas of rainforest from the Brazilian government.
Ciel has also recently been rewarded for its efforts on the award front, winning the first Ethical Fashion Award from the 2007 UK Fashion Export Awards, and getting a nomination in 2007 for the Observer Ethical Award fashion product of the year.
Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
