BUBBLE Design Offspring London is Not the Only Child!
Give Me Candy All About Ana Ljubinković's Latest London Collection
In This Issue News Chinese-British Designer Lulu Liu Calls Young London Designer's to Open a New Pop-Up Shop in the City
Eastern European Fashion Offspring Here comes Anna October
Give Me Candy! Serbian Designer Ana Ljubinković Tells Us What She Wants
From VOGUE to VINTAGE Former Editor of Vogue Online Abigail Murray Introduces Us to Her New Life all Around Vintage
High End Fashion on the High Street Market What Is that 'Massluxe' all About?
MAKE UP Your Mind What the Testing-Ban Is Really About
Fur Trade?Are We Really Wearing Dog?! Not Only Loves Goes Through Our Stomach Try Out 3 Delicious Spring Recipes
A Different Pop-Up Shop of London's Young Designers to Open in the City Fashion designer Lulu Liu has called all aspiring and creative colleagues based in London to take part in the long in advanced planned opening of the Pop-Up shop. Their latest collections and designs will be presented and are ready to sell. The store will be opened by the beginning of May in London, but fur a couple of weeks only. The exact address and attending labels will be published soon.
After the successful Press days last week, London can now watch out for some blooming fashion offspring including Chinese designer Lulu Liu. The new pop-up shop is going to launch in West London where different fresh and innovative London-based labels will be showcasing their latest collections. Lulu Liu, the young designer and inventor of that idea was born and raised in China but later moved to England to study fashion design at the London College of Fashion. Immediately after her graduation in 2010, she launched her own eponymous LULU LIU. Now, not only being a fashion designer but also a working mum, she successfully manages to take care of her duties in both her family and work life. “I really wanted to open a Pop-Up shop all the time. Since London is a really expensive place to be for a kind of new label like LULU LIU, I thought: why not getting more amazing new talents in and having an even bigger venue?”
Designer Lulu Liu
LULU LIU, who serves customers from all over the world as, for instance, Abu Dhabi, Russia and the US is aiming at further expanding her brand on the global level. Her designs are famous for being bold, having a little edge but still remain wearable. She loves using luxurious materials and fabrics such as pure silk, fur, leather and chiffon. “I want women to wear my pieces because they are chic, feminine, edgy and of high quality. I think it is important to experience how nicely great fabrics feel on your skin and make you change in the way you walk and act.”
The charming designer has just recently showcased her AW 2013/14 collection in London and Paris and will definitely be worth visiting in the new shop. “You can really be excited, and so are we, because we're planning some cool events and hope to have a good time together. I cannot say much about the other designers yet, but we will announce who is going to showcase their pieces as soon as everything is definitely set.� If you're interested and don't want to miss out on unique It-pieces you should go to the LULU LIU website, www.Lulu-Liu.com and check for the latest news and updates. Tickets for the grand opening of the venue, including champagne reception and snacks will be available soon. Who knows, you might get a chance to meet the next Lagerfeld or Stella McCartney.
Ana Ljubinković
Give Me Candy! by Sina Troll
Serbian designer Ana Ljubinković has everything it takes to become the world's next great fashion couturier: a lot of creativity, colourful imagination, strong ambition, incomparable craftsmanship and great talent. Her designs are unmistakably and unique. Sculptural silhouettes, bold colours, sweet patterns and heavy embellishments go hand-in-hand with feminine shapes and a playful mixture of patterns and fabrics. Just recently, during London Fashion Week, she presented her 'Never Forever' mini-line, which she exclusively created for the International Showcase event with two colleagues, George Styler and Ivana Pilja. “It was great to find out what London people, passers-by, fashion lovers and fashion professionals think of Ana Ljubinkovic as a label. The reactions were really positive and everybody was surprised about the creative energy of Serbian designers.” As it was the first time for Ljubinković to introduce her pieces to the UK audience, she picked the best elements from both her previous S/S 2012 and A/W 2012-13 collections and combined them into one.
Inspired by candy colours, her London collection features printed satin, arabesque shapes and depicts on a fairy tale-like world, “wishing to grab a cloud from the sky, to paint it and put it back up as transcendental understanding of the essence of the universe. To me, the focus of the collection is on the arabesque - shaped forms inspired by amours”. Ljubinković's pieces reflect the young designer's ability to visualise her inner world as well as surroundings in every item. Self-reflection, imagination and self-knowledge are required from her smart audience to understand them. She wants to stand out from the rest. “I am different because my own imagination sets my 'trends'. That's how I know that my work won't be compared to someone else's designs. That is very important to me. Still, creativity is the only thing that counts.” Still, being a Serbian fashion designer isn't always easy. Born and raised in the capital, Belgrade, Ana Ljubinković had to face many great changes, politically and personally. “Growing up in Belgrade was exciting in many ways. During the 80s, it was a very cool town. The people were very happy and life was peaceful. The future seemed great but during the 90s, a complete political disaster happened.” That was when the protests, war and revolutions against the Slobodan Milosevic regime took place.
“I have to say, when I was in high school, even I became part of the huge protests here in Belgrade. I guess, that that's a different kind of experience than other people have at that age. Also, the NATO bombing of 1999 was a crucial event. Looking back, luckily nothing bad had happened to me, my family or closest friends but our country got damaged deeply on each and every level. Our people's hope was completely ruined and unfortunately until today, we still live under unstable conditions and remain being a poor country.”
Belgrade Fashion Week was founded in 1996 and even though times were critical, there was only one season that had to be skipped. This was during the NATO bombing in March/April 1999. “Serbian people have a strong will and powerful energy. Living and working in Belgrade is exciting and challenging at the same time”, explains Ljubinković. Still today, there are many more difficulties to overcome for young designers. “Serbian designers have to face big obstacles when it come to fashion design. We have a limited choice of materials, a bunch of technological difficulties and only a very small market. So, before I start creating, I must eliminate what can't be produced, what's impossible to make or find in Serbia, and then make the magic out of what's left”, describes the talented designer. Even with all of these things that young, emerging artists and designers have to face, Ana Ljubinković knew that she wanted to become an artist. The fact that she decided to become a fashion designer was a mixture of coincidence and passion. “From a very young age I knew that I was going to be a painter, just like my father. I enjoyed my childhood playing in his atelier. His set of crayons were the perfect toys for me. During my painting studies I had a sketch book especially for fashion ideas. Upon graduation I decided to realise these fashion sketches that I made during my course of studies and I presented my first collection at Belgrade Fashion Week 2004. I guess that I was a painting student who wasn't aware at that time that I am actually a fashion designer, too”, she reflects. After Ljubinković decided to realise her first fashion collection and become a serious fashion designer, some interesting job opportunities came up and the emerging designer become more confident in what she was doing. Back then and also today, this was not the most risk-free decision. Since the war, the Serbian textile industry is underdeveloped and designers only have very small manufactures. The fashion scene often requires aspiring designers to take second jobs as stylists or editor's, for example. Ana Ljubinković was no exception either. She has worked as a fashion editor for the Serbian magazine Prestup and also for the Serbian editions of L`Officiel and Cosmopolitan magazine. “Being an artist in Serbia at that time, or even now is very difficult and unprofitable. I haven't decided to be fashion designer because of this situation, but because of the fact I have same love for art and fashion. So why not choose fashion?” A key moment that made Ljubinković realise that she was perfectly right in the decision she has made was when she finally found her artistic-self. “To me that moment was when I started to do my own cuts. That's when my designs became more sculptural. It completed the circle as an element I was searching for. My designs had become more balanced with an actual shape, colour, pattern and detail. I've created silhouettes by combining these elements while looking for the perfect picture. Every time I learn something new, it makes a huge difference on my design. I'm striving for knowledge.”Her designs are new, bold and sweet and really remind of a fairy tale. A fashionable Alice in Wonderland. Ljubinković wants to make a change and be different. “If the fashion industry is looking for talents, Eastern Europe is definitely an unexplored territory so far. Some treasures will be found here, for sure!”
Eastern European Fashion Designers – A New Generation Marches Ahead: Ukrainian's Anna October is Ready to Take Over the World
During London Fashion Week in February 2013, the Eastern European fashion design offspring Anna October demonstrated that she is ready to conquer the fashion world. After entering the industry by
launching her own eponymous label in 2009, the extraordinary designer has already been named one of most promising, emerging Ukrainian fashion talents by international fashion titles such as American Marie Claire.
How many new Ukrainian, high-end fashion brands or designers do you know when you carefully think about it? Eastern European countries are bringing up more and more aspiring talents that the fashion world better takes seriously. A great change could be detected, not only recently but for the past few years. Eastern European fashion has successfully emerged and brought up some unique and outstanding designers such as Ana Ljubinkovic and, of course, Anna October. Today, in times of social media networking, it is much easier for these young pioneers to, at least, catch up with the standards regarding trends, manufacturing, marketing and design of other leading European fashion designers and brands. They represent a fresh, unconventional and confident breed and do not suffer a lack of craftsmanship, able to change the global fashion market.
Anna October A/W 2013
Now it is time to get introduced to one incredible, new talent: Anna October. Named by her grandfather after The Great October Revolution in 1917, she is a gifted and innovative womenswear designer from Kiev. The young woman sees herself as an artist who creates high-quality garments that remain feminine and wearable. Having her mind full of ideas, she took her first step towards becoming a fashion designer in her early youth. “I started developing my illustration skills by drawing lots and lots of sketches of different dresses and outfits. I have never stopped and continued until I kind of created a small collection in high school, inspired by contemporary architecture”, she reflects. By the time Anna October finished school in 2008, she decided to move to Zaporozhye, Ukraine, in order to take the Technical Education course at the
College of Technology and Design. This was the place where she was able to develop her technical skills when it comes to the creation of garments. As soon as she completed the course, the ambitious woman transferred to the M.B. Grekov Art College in Odessa, to deepen her knowledge and practical skills in designing by studying Fine Art. Looking back at that time, October describes that phase of her life as the key moment in her career. "When I went to study Fine Art, I was introduced to colour studies and it was this that changed my mind. I just fell in love with them because they somehow opened up new possibilities to me, a whole new world. That's when I knew that I want to work as a fashion designer", she explains. Obviously, with the launch of her own eponymous label in 2009, the aspiring talent fulfilled this dream and successfully made her first, serious step into the real world of fashion. Since she has started her own business, Ms October exclusively designs womenswear collections for her label. “My main intention is to spread my ideas and interpretations about women's fashion all over the world”, she describes. David Foley, creative director of Atelier 1, a concept-store located in Kiev, has obviously heard the news and reacted. In 2010, he subsequently invited Anna October to take part in a project called Atelier 1 Collectif, a promising opportunity which she immediately and proudly accepted. The outcome of this collaboration was a stunning capsule collection for an art installation presented in Atelier 1.
Considering the fact that she aims at expanding her brand on a global level, this was an unique and extremely valuable opportunity for her and her label to gain attention and spread brand awareness across the Ukrainian borders. Her intention about the fashion she creates is “to combine timeless elegance with modern spirit”. These two aspects are evident in all of her collections, sometimes more, sometimes less obvious. The marriage between clear feminine silhouettes that support the female body by creating a beautiful shape and the modern cutting in a combination with precise tailoring that includes exceptional high-quality and distinctive edge, dominate and characterise all of her collections. Also, Anna October re-interprets her childhood memories and education with her creations.
Anna October A/W 2013
“When I was a child, I was kind of a bad kid and my mother would always remind me by saying: Hey Anna, you are a lady. Remember that!”, the designer, clearly amused, describes. The inspiration for her current A/W 2013-14 womenswear collection Present was taken from contemporary culture, colours and emotions. It is expressed through cool, modern cuts, shiny plastic fringes that remind of disco balls and bolt, metallic colours which make each garment look like it wants to be unwrapped immediately. October's clothes all have that little touch of irony, making fashion fun and entertaining. “Present was inspired by the post-Soviet countries' aesthetics and clichés of always giving presents. The title has both meanings, present as literally giving presents and present as a reflection of the present day, time and culture or my personal state”, the young woman says. “The shimmering, glittery bits as well as fringe elements are my statement material for this collection”, Ms October describes. Being a confident woman as she is, she further explains that the fringes do have a personal meaning for her collection. “You know, we have that joke in our country, an expression: 'Orange dress with the poor', which used to be the colour only really poor people wore. Us Ukrainian people always have
something that relates to the poor, in my current line those are the fringes.”
Anna October A/W 2013
In addition to that, the use of classic feminine silhouettes and dark colours on the contrary are supposed to express the sophisticated side of the brand's youthful and light aesthetics. Inspired by formal wear, the shades of black jacquards, wool and leather in combination with plastic fringe details are beautifully presented. “My favourite piece of the collection is the red striped dress called Gallina. It's my mother's name.” Anna October's A/W 2013-14 collection also includes experimentation with different textiles such as graphic jacquard blended with the brand's statement use of fringes and satin
textures. “I like to express attractive feminine silhouettes with more modern fabrics. I do that by combining colours and textures.” Interestingly enough, the most exciting part of producing her collection, to October is the research process. “Research is the most interesting part because you can see photos over photos but you can never have enough. I can never stop. I would keep on doing that all the time because it really captures and inspires me and my work.” Still, to the talented designer, the difficult aspect appears to be the actual design part. “The hardest thing is not the production of the collection but the design of it. This really is the most difficult and timeconsuming aspect.” Being part of this season's Vauxhall Fashion Scout Kiev Fashion Days and also introducing her collection in the Ukrainian Designer's catwalk show, Anna October feels honoured. “It is an absolutely exciting and amazing opportunity for me to showcase my collection here in London”, she describes.
“When I was a child, I was kind of a bad kid and my mother would always remind me saying: Hey Anna, you are a lady. Remember that!”
Asking her about how she would describe herself, October has a cheerful answer ready. “I would imagine me being like a red, shimmering dress with some animal print on it. Still a red dress but blended with some crazy shimmering material. With modern bits and pieces. It just definitely needs to be crazy. I am a crazy lady�. Indeed, this lady is a bit crazy but in a very impressive, inspiring and positive way. Obviously, Eastern European fashion talents are marching on. Serbian designer Roksanda Ilincic who now has relocated her studio to North London, Hackney, can be taken as a successful role model. She can be found on London's Fashion Week schedule as she is showcasing her collections each season since 2005. The first online platform, redmintshop.com that exclusively features Eastern European fashion brands has launched in December 2012. It aims at establishing a fashion social media platform, like ASOS in the UK. We should watch out, Eastern European fashion designers are on their way to have some serious impact on the fashion industry.
Anna October A/W 2013
The Designer Jumble Sale
Abigail Murray Presents: A Fashion Lover's Treasure Chest
In an inconspicuous corner at the beginning of Lambs Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, London, the wonderful pop-up shop of the Designer Jumble Sale invites passers-by to an absolutely unique and exciting shopping experience. In fact, it is a little treasure chest which allows its visitors to dive through the wonderful world of fashion, accessories, shoes and designer history. Once you have entered the room, its whole spirit immediately captures you with its passion, love for fashion and a very welcoming atmosphere. The warm, dusty-orange coloured walls, a beautiful vintage till, wooden communal changing rooms and all displayed garments as well as accessories are arranged in a loving manner and do not make it hard to guess that the Designer Jumble Sale has much more to offer than simply high-end fashion. Shop owner Abigail Murray, former editor at Vogue.com for twelve years, Central St. Martins
graduate and mother of two, started the venue for charity reasons. Charming and absolutely passionate as she is, it is no wonder that this, then charity event only, got a huge number of tremendous responses. Friends, mainly from the fashion industry, donated some of their items that they would not wear any longer to the shop and ever since, Mrs Murray hosted the event every London Fashion Week. Having received so much positive feedback, and having won a competition by her landlord, which allowed her to set up a proper store with a month's free rent, Mrs Murray fearlessly decided to depart from the major fashion title VOGUE and fulfil her current dreams instead. “The project was just happening naturally and I am very much a jumping-with-both-feet kind of person. Also, I do believe in grasping opportunities when they come, so it was not scary at all. ”One thing is for sure: every woman is welcome to visit, no matter whether she is a size 8 or 18. “The joy that I get out about the shop is to communicate the right image for craft, fashion, quality, style and womankind. It is a very nice and warm sisterhood feeling in my store", she reflects. At the Designer Jumble Sale, not only the prices range from £5 to £500, but the varied types of customers do too. From curious, picture-taking tourists and desperate housewives trying to hide their latest shopping treasures from their men, to absolutely fabulous fashionistas in search for the new it-piece: every woman can find her personal must-have item here. Mrs Murray is more than
happy to help and find the perfect piece; with a friendly, authentic smile and positive attitude, she sees her responsibility not only in selling just any piece but to sell it to the right woman who appreciates and loves it. “It is important to me that all of my customers go away with a good feeling about fashion. Fashion gets such a bad name. I do not want to just make a sale”, she states. This is what she also always tried to bring across when working for Condé Nast. Amongst other treasures, you might find an adorable Vivienne Westwood shirt, Chanel blouses, Armani jackets, Galliano dresses and Sonia Rykiel knitwear accompanied by this current season's Fendi ankle boots, Marni cuffs, Yohji Yamamoto pants and Pierre Cardin heels, just waiting to fall in love with and taking back home. But it is not only fashionistas who sell their items to the Designer Sale. The most recent seller was actually an older lady who just passed the shop by accident, when making her way to the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Designer Jumble Sale owner Abigail Murray
Find this beautiful cuff from the Marni for asos.com collection at the Designer Jumble Sale £30
project makes me love the Designer Jumble Sale even more.” Obviously, her random as well as regular customers do appreciate this “The lady came the other day and happened to come in for a blouse, with no intention of selling me anything, but by the end of the hour, she had sold me seven incredible Chanel pieces: three jackets, three beautiful blouses, one which was an auction piece of last year's sale, and a gold leather belt.” Whereas other shop owners probably would advertise by displaying particularly those garments of the best-known designer labels, Mrs Murray intends to get the opposite effect from her design-addicted-fashionvictims' audience. The main goal is to make women happy, proud and comfortable about what they are wearing. "I want people to buy an item because they love it and not because it says a particular name or label. The piece needs to sell itself. I want the items to be loved and for women to realise that it's okay to find pleasure in a beautiful
piece. It's not a bad thing to love fashion, it's about having an interest in yourself, in having an interest in the statement you are making about yourself. Everyday.” The ambitious and passionate woman further explains that it is a pleasure to see that most of her customers do not actually know the label they are buying. Mrs Murray's motto for her store 'I love that dress, so I don't care who has designed it' seems to be a great success. As she clearly and very determined points out, she has multiple messages that she is trying to communicate with the Designer Jumble Sale. “One is for the charity sales. I want to remind people that we, even during these times, still need to be generous and optimistic. The fashion-based idea is that people should invest in pieces that have value and will stay with you forever. In addition to that, the sustainability side of things, the recycling and the lack of waste that is involved in this
advanced attitude too and keep visiting the Sale pop-up shop. But more important almost: be bold. It's okay to make mistakes when you are young, excited and full of new ideas because you are the next generation. Try everything while you have the energy and the time to do that.” New items will be displayed every Thursday evening in Abigail Murray's pop-up shop on 70 Lambs Conduit Street, and in the case you are after a specific item, you can always ask. The best way to find out about the latest new pieces is to follow the Designer Jumble Sale on Facebook. Rumour has it that some Prada, Moschino, Lulu Guinness, Chloe & Gucci pieces just left the shop but Marni, MIU MIU and Twent8 have just arrived. Be the first to see them and maybe you are lucky and find your personal treasure straight away.
The Designer Jumble Sale on 70 Lambs Conduit Street
High End Fashion on the High Street Market: Success or Damage? Luxury brand and high street collaborations have gained crucial power and influence on the fashion industry, particularly since the time of recession in the UK in 2008. Swedish retail giant H&M started off in 2004 with the extremely successful capsule collection by the Kaiser himself, Karl Lagerfeld and continued their story with further alliances with Versace, Marni, Comme des Garรงons, Matthew Williamson, Lanvin, editor-at-large for Vogue Japan Anna Dello Russo and la Maison Martin Margiela. Even Britain's Sweetheart Stella McCartney teamed-up with GAP. High-end fashion for high-street prices seems to be a strategic and successful marketing concept for both the luxury brand as well as the high-street retailer. The question whether such marriage is more effective or damaging to a designer fashion brand still remains to be seen. In these times of an economic down-turn, not only in the UK but on a global level, most fashion victims are not able to afford their desperately desired designer pieces because their prices are simply too high for the average person to afford. Of course, there are certain advantages for a brand, particularly young, emerging designers, to make a selected number of products accessible to a wider audience. Their brand awareness rises since high-street chains such as H&M or GAP are already worldrenowned companies and hence certainly support that effect. Still, also the established luxury labels can profit from a 'massluxe' collaboration in terms of company expansion. Due to the fact that the advertised collections can be produced to lower costs because the standard of quality and exclusivity are not as high as for the usual designer piece. Also, a wider, more mainstream range of people are addressed and high-end fashion brands are able to prove their success in other categories too.
Taking a look at Jimmy Choo, the brand was able to extend their range of products from shoes only to women's clothes; Stella McCartney launched her first childrenswear line after teaming-up with GAP and Matthew Williamson produced his first menswear collection for his eponymous label after collaborating with H&M. However, the Swedish retailer's creative advisor Margareta Van Den Bosch recently revealed in an official press release that “there won't be another designer collaboration with H&M before November 2013”. Could this be due to the so often criticised low quality that comes with the cheap prices as well as a too limited selection of items and a target group that is hence tired of queuing hours and hours in front of a store? Additionally, when taking a look at the leading fashion companies, neither PPR, LVMH nor Richemont allowed their brands to collaborate with high street-retailers to produce 'massluxe' pieces. Coincidence? In fact, only two of twenty-two luxury brands have participated in collaborations with high street retailers and these are PPR’s Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Heritage brands such as Saint Laurent Paris, Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga were held back. Apparently, since the past collaborations with Anna Dello Russo and la Maison Martin Margiela were not as successful as the previous ones, there has been an obvious change in the world of 'massluxe' fashion. At the moment, the market seems over-saturated with these kinds of collaborations. This change possibly goes along with the still growing power and influence of the internet, its numerous
virtual marketplaces and the 24/7 accessibility through our phones and other mobile devices. It is time for something new. Hearing these desperate requests, Ebay immediately started to market 'massluxe' items, designed to be sold exclusively on their visual marketplace. This was demonstrated very well by the recent collaboration with UK's crazy fashion darling Henry Holland. Inspired by his, then not even revealed 'Rave Nana' A/W 2013-14 collection, he created four pieces, a dress, a shirt, a phone case and tights that were only sold during a set time period. Exclusivity was reinvented since a time limit was set but people did not have to queue and fight for their objects of desire. It was a huge success and quite advantageous for the buyers as they could quickly fill up their shopping basket with House of Holland items to reasonable prices. The only question is: are these 'massluxe' collaborations with either high street fashion houses or online companies in the long-term a pushing and increasing power to support a label or will these alliances be more of a damage to a designer brand? Particularly for emerging brands, the exclusivity that usually constitutes a luxury fashion house will immediately decrease by making the items accessible to the mainstream audience. Those customers that are able to afford a certain luxury label might tend not to support the brand any more due to that. Also, by selling 'massluxe' capsule collections on mainstream online platforms that are usually known for second-hand products, moral issues regarding the brand's values and ethics might come up. Craftsmanship is supposed to be in the focus when it comes to high-end fashion. There is a message that should be intended to bring across and as soon as a mainstream collection will be produced, it becomes difficult to be perceived as authentic and serious. It can also often be seen that these 'massluxe' collections will be re-sold for much higher prices than originally online. Is that the intention of designer fashion, to buy masses and then sell them again? Designer pieces should stay with us forever and thus preserve their exclusivity. On the other hand, by entering the world of high-end and high-street 'massluxe' production, luxury houses and designers address the mainstream market and thus make these alliances relevant to their brand. However, attention should be drawn on the marketing strategy and limitation of the line since these are
financial losses of the label. From that point of view, due to the recession which crucial factors that determine the success or failure and therefore sales and represents the current Zeitgeist, high-end fashion on the high-street market appears to be an appropriate opportunity for both the design houses and high-street retailers. Collaborations on online platforms will probably be offered more often in the future since this whole process requires fewer costs than producing and selling a high-end fashion line.
Animal Testing for Cosmetic Purposes MAKE UP Your Mind
Within the animal rights movement, the term 'cruelty-free' is generally understood as a product that has not been tested on animals by the manufacturer. Since the ban of animal testing for cosmetic purposes finally entered into force on 11 March 2013 throughout all countries of the European Union, the necessity of the use of animals for research purposes is currently a globally discussed and highly controversial issue. Particularly, in terms of ethics, morals and politics. Animal tested personal care products can be found everywhere on the market, from everyday hygiene items like deodorant to luxury beauty products such as perfume and other decorative cosmetics. The reason why living animals have always been used for testing purposes is that most governments,
particularly those in Asia, demanded and hence even legitimised these by law. They were defended as being crucial tests regarding the consumer's safety and health as well as the security of the internal market for cosmetics that are used on a day-to-day basis and are applied directly to the skin. This is why high-end as well as high-street brands are being involved into this issue equally. In the European Union, approximately 184 000 people are directly employed in the Cosmetics and Toiletries industry, which is worth more than 70 billion Euros and thus representing almost half of the global market for cosmetics. Due to these facts, it needs to be kept in mind that a great number of individual lives are also affected by and depend on such great decisions. Still, during the past few
years, a slowly developing but powerful change could be detected in the field of animal research. In 2004, animal testing for already existing products was banned and since March 2009, these kinds of tests of either items or their ingredients are prohibited within the European Union, regardless of whether or not alternative methods are available. Before that in 2004, a shocking number of 8988 animals were reported to be used for cosmetic testing only. Until 2009, the number of those could be reduced to 1510 in 2008 and finally to 344 in 2009. However, it should not be forgotten that animal testing for cosmetic reasons within the European Union has not been stopped yet. Since this great shift in March 2009, these tests have only been relocated outside the EU and approximately between 15000 and 27000 animals were still used for various tests per year. This is a very critical action and can lead to serious doubts concerning the actual scope of the 'testing ban'. Due to the high controversy of this issue, numerous initiatives, organisations and companies such as PETA and The BodyShop have emerged and developed campaigns in order to demonstrate their support of cruelty-free cosmetics production. But even though many brands claim to be 'cruelty-free', it sometimes can be hard to actually find out, which ones really are and which ones might have found a grey zone in the 'testing ban' already. If a product is labelled 'cruelty-free', this does not necessarily mean that it is also vegan. A product
that has not been tested on animals may still contain animal ingredients. Regarding this, Ben Williamson, spokesperson of PETA UK reveals his clear view on animal testing for all kinds of purposes such as cosmetics, clothes and food. Whether or not it is realistic to assume that cosmetic products that are sold in the EU from 11 March 2013 on are cruelty-free, he clearly emphasises the positive change in the way of thinking.“Although companies may still test cosmetics or cosmetics ingredients on animals outside the EU, those products may not be sold anywhere within the EU. This means that if cosmetics companies, including L'Oréal and others, wish to sell their cosmetics products in the EU, they must end all animal tests on those products and ingredients. While this is a hugely significant victory for animals that has an impact around the world, there are still some unresolved issues with how REACH, the world's largest chemicals testing programme, will affect the ban, if at all. Therefore, the best thing that consumers can do to ensure that they are not contributing to cruelty is to continue to buy from companies that have signed up for the Humane Cosmetics Standard by looking out for the leaping-bunny logo.”This huge success against animal cruelty could be reached through putting the testing-ban into force but still, companies often find ways to go around these laws and continue conducting tests based on animals for their items and ingredients. Taking L'Oréal and Body Shop as examples, it is not a secret that L'Oréal, one of the world's largest cosmetic
brands, conducts animal tests in order to re-new their products and ingredients. The Body Shop on the other hand is famous for its campaigns and initiatives against animal cruelty and environmental pollution. However, with their head office based in Paris, L'Oréal bought The Body Shop six years ago. It is not a surprise that consumers now ask themselves what their money is really used for. Ben Williamson does not have such a critical view on this but instead emphasises on the great success and opportunity. “Buying personal-care products from The Body Shop supports the company's strong anti-testing stance which has remained unwavering since L'Oréal bought them six years ago. It sends a strong message to L'Oréal and all other animal testing companies that compassion and profit go hand in hand. Often when conglomerates purchase compassionate companies, the result is that humane products become more widely promoted and sold than ever before and that's been the case here.”Clearly, it could be the case that other large corporations might recognise the expanding market of compassionate consumers who require not only crueltyfree food and clothing but also cosmetics.
“The relationship between L'Oréal and The Body Shop will only bring closer the welcome day when L'Oréal abandons animal testing and embraces kinder, better, more scientifically-accurate methods”, underlines Williamson. The voice of the consumer is a great force that should not be underestimated in terms of reaching a worldwide testing-ban. The consumer can have a great impact on morals and ethics regarding the cosmetic industry. Sooner or later, big cosmetic brands, luxury and standard ones, will need to follow those demands. There have been massive complaints from various companies regarding the appropriate testing of new ingredients after 1991and particularly now, after 11 March 2013.Nevertheless, Ben Williamson sees a strong influence of the public in this case. “The 2013 EU ban reflects the public's conviction that cosmetics cannot come before animals' lives and has been met with support by citizens of countries all around the world.” The sister-initiative PETA India also has its hands full of work as he further explains. “PETA India is currently campaigning for a similar ban on animal tests for cosmetics in India, a campaign which has received support from the Indian Council of Medical Research, so progress is happening elsewhere, too. It is only a matter of time before other countries follow suit. ”Being aware of the news from India, there might be a chance that other countries and governments such as China will be willing to follow in their footsteps as well. Today, Asian countries, particularly Japan and China demand animal tests when putting cosmetic products on the market. Avon, Mary Kay and Estée Lauder, for example, three of the largest cruelty-free companies around the world had to resume animal testing in order to satisfy legal
requirements in China, so that they could sell their products there, too. Here, PETA US is mainly dealing with banning animaltesting in those Asian countries.“When PETA US first learned about the Chinese government's animal testing requirements for cosmetics, the group set to work immediately to find a solution. Thanks to a generous grant, PETA US is now supporting the efforts of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, which is training scientists in China in the use of nonanimal test methods and working with officials to accept these methods. Thanks to these scientists' guidance, China is now in the process of implementing its first-ever non-animal methods for testing cosmetics ingredients.” If a complete testing-ban in China will come into force, this obviously will be a great success not only for PETA but also for all people who do support cruelty-free thinking and production as well. Due to all the work and efforts that PETA and its international affiliates have already done, being a PETA activist, Williamson also sees a critical point “A worldwide ban on animal-tested cosmetics should have happened years ago.” Thinking about the necessity of animal tests at all, particularly when considering the investigation for allergic reactions on human skin etc., the necessity and reliability of the results tested on animals can be questioned. Williamson has a strong and clear opinion on this topic. “Animal tests aren't just bad ethics – they're bad science, because they focus on the wrong species. Rabbits and mice are not little furry humans, and tests on animals have let us down time and time again. Some 92 per cent of drug that pass animal tests fail in people because they either aren't safe or don't work. Nonanimal testing methods are becoming faster, cheaper and more sophisticated all the time and worldwide, governments are investing hundreds of millions in
developing new methods which will really predict what happens in humans.” Nevertheless, not everyone who purchases cosmetics and other products that might be animal tested is willing to put the aspect of buying exclusively non-animal tested items as their first priority. Some even seem to feel more secure when knowing that certain tests have been conducted previously. The price factor is also an aspect that should never be underestimated in times of a triple-dip recession in the UK and more generally the competitiveness on the global market.
Sue*, a young woman at the age of 19 regularly purchases luxury as well as high street cosmetics. Going out, enjoying life and meeting people; Ann represents the lifestyles of most young girls and therefore, decorative cosmetics and perfume are a great part of that. “To me, being so young also means not being able to afford spending too much money on perfume, decorative cosmetics and other things. When I buy them, I do not primarily care about whether what I purchase is animal tested or not. The aspect I mainly care about is the price factor”, she explains. Jo Ann*, a woman in her 30s always very carefully looks out for the 'bunny logo' that indicates that no animals were used for the items she needs. She is also a regularly buyer of decorative cosmetics and creams. “I am a vegan. To me this is not only decision, it is a lifestyle. I love animals and I think that it is our duty to protect them. Animals are living beings like you and me. Could you live with the thought that one of these adorable creatures had to die because you needed something
that had to be tested on them”, she determinedly explains. Here, two voices that probably both reflect the way of thinking and opinion-making in today’s society on the topic of animal testing are represented. Sue* purchases products for good value and has never really thought about where her cosmetics come from and how they are actually developed and produced. Since many people, younger and older ones, do not know about the fact that even though something says it is cruelty-free it does not necessarily mean that it does not contain animal ingredients or that these have not been tested on animals. Jo Ann* sees a major mistake in the way companies act, especially with their packaging and tags. “Companies, brands and suppliers should write on the packages of their products clearly that animal tests have been conducted. It is similar to the horse meat scandal. People should and want to know what they get when the buy something. Then everyone can make up their own minds whether they want to purchase items or not.” On their official UK website, L'Oréal states that since the testing-ban in Europe went into force, they do not longer conduct tests there. Still, “the EU Ban does not provide the solution for how to evaluate the safety of ingredients without the need for animals. If L’Oréal must resort to animal testing, it’s to ensure consumer safety and only when there is no alternative way to predict an adverse effect.” Even though the company claims that because of their “30-year investment into alternative testing strategies, […] L’Oréal was able to end all animal testing for products as early as 1989, without making its products any less safe”, they also mention that regarding new ingredients that are regularly used, “for some of [them], there’s still a small gap between
what the replacement tests can help us predict about the ingredient and what we need to know to ensure its full safety, for example when predicting the ingredient’s potential for skin allergy. For these reasons, the Group still needs to resort to some animal testing, which today represents “less than 1% of its safety assessments”. Here, the question about the impact of the EU wide testing-ban as well as the change it can make but also the limits this law has are clearly demonstrated. Simply relocating animal tests is obviously not what such a ban intends to reach.
leaping bunny logo
In the end, every person needs to decide for themselves whether or not morals and ethics do play an important role regarding their consumer behaviour or not. Why caring about animal-testing in the cosmetic industry when there are many more in the fields of medicine research, fashion production and food? Does that make a change? A highly discussed topic. Buying cruelty-free and non-animal tested cosmetics and other products only or taking the price segment as the driving force of purchasing items, both are aspects that can have an incredibly strong influence on everyone's lives. With the European-wide testing-ban that came into force on 11 March 2013, a great change in the cosmetic industry can be seen and numerous animals can be protected from tortures and pain. It is also a question of brand morality whether they have been using animals for their purposes and also indicated that in articles about their products or not. Similar to the just recently discovered horse-meat scandal, one thing is very clear: as a consumer, you want to know what you get once you buy a product and you want to know what is actually in it. Why always accepting what the cosmetic giants dictate and not critically thinking about the statement we make about where and what we buy and whom we support?
*names changed by editor
Furry Fashion News: Fur Trade?! Gasification caused by carbon monoxide, electric shocks, neck fractures or the injection of poison. These are not killing procedures from World War 2 and especially not themes you would relate to fashion. But in fact, they are regulations that are recommended by the Council of Europe in terms of fur production for the fashion industry. It has just recently been detected by investigators from The Human Society that garments that were labelled as 'faux-fur' have turned out to be real instead. A Chinese breed of dogs is mainly used to make our furry fashion favourites. Even designer Marc Jacobs, who has two bull terriers himself, has produced some garments for his Marc by Marc Jacobs collection that contained dog hairs. This happens all in the name of fashion. Be aware that after reading this, you might want to sort out your closet again.
Now that we have already read about the testing-ban against animal cruelty, a fur-ther topic still remains a current issue. Fur or faux fur? This question has been a highly controversial topic ever since real fur became more than a necessary piece of clothing to keep our Neanderthal ancestors warm. Fur is fashion and either being for or against wearing it, it has always lead to heated discussions. But if we eat meat (well, hopefully organic) and enjoy wearing our favourite leather boots, does it really matter whether we wear fur or not? Aren't we by that involved in this cycle anyway? Having this great debate in mind, still another issue that, by surprise, this time affects both wearers and opponents equally, becomes relevant. Referring not only to the morals and ethics, the aspect of labelling, whether 'faux' actually is what is supposed to be, 'artificial', unfortunately needs to be questioned critically. The fact that, similar to the recently revealed horse-meat scandal, products have been 'mislabelled', either on purpose or not, is not even the most infuriating part of the story. The shocking bit is that for 'fake' fur, real dog and cat hairs are being used, but mainly Chinese raccoon dog's, as The Human Society releases. The simple reason: in this case, real fur is just cheaper to produce than what we actually pay for, highquality fake fur. Would you want to wrap your little beloved puppy all around your body? China has much developed during the past few years. The World Society for the Protection of Animals International, an international alliance of animal welfare, has already that great nation to be the largest fur producer in the world. According to the British organisation Respect for Animals, more than 55 million animals are either bred and killed in fur factory farms or trapped in the wild for their fur, without having taken the number of rabbits into consideration and an estimated number of two million dogs and cats are killed every year for fashionable fur pieces.
This is due to a missing law on animal protection and the extremely low costs in fur production. Not even legal requirements nor any agreed farming or killing methods of animals have been put into force, which would at least release these poor creatures from a long way of suffering. The main market of fashion production has obviously relocated from Europe and North America to China and also Russia during the last decades. According to sources from the German initiative gelabelt against “those animals that are used for fur production in China get skinned alive, poisoned, beaten to death or thrown into boiling water.� This really is textile production to lowest costs but maximum profit, including maximum ethical and moral doubts. ln the end, dogs' and cats' hairs often end up on hangers, being mislabelled as 'faux fur'. In Europe, there is no law that requires real fur to be labelled as such. It is rather misrepresented by having a wrong label attached to it. Therefore, it really is down to customer to find out if an item contains fake or real hairs. Particularly because of the good quality of some 'real' faux furs, it can be tough to distinguish the fake from real ones. However, since 2006, the production and trade in dog and cat fur is banned throughout the European Union and the United States. With these regulations, Trading Standards Institute , representing Trading Standards professionals in the UK and overseas, has gained authority to investigate, seize and forfeit mislabelled goods should they be found on sale anywhere in these areas. Unfortunately, from soft toys to fur trims on clothes or shoes, cat as well as dog fur can be found in EU countries all the time. Statistics that feature the number of animals killed due to fur production each year are notoriously difficult to get hold of. Also, it needs to be kept in mind all published figures regarding fur trade may not be accurate and require critical viewing. In the end, everybody has to decide for themselves whether or not they like to wear fur or faux fur. Still, it should not just be accepted that the industry does not label these two completely different garments as what they really are. We all want to know what we are wearing. What else can we learn from it? When wearing real fur and other fashion pieces, we should carefully think about what we buy and rather have a great selection of favourites that we can wear forever than piles which, sooner or later, end up in the bin.
Real or Faux? With real fur being sold as faux fur, consumers as well as retailers should really check fur-trimmed products in order to ensure that the material used really is fake. If you really want to know whether your jacket and new shoes really only feature fake hairs, there are three tests that you can do to find that out. The first would be to check the base of the fur for skin or fabric. The most obvious sign of animal hair is the leather or skin base. Usually, it should be white or nude-coloured but there are fairly high chances that it has been dyed before and it therefore has the same colour of the fur. Fake fur can be identified if the thread-work backing from where the hairs emerge is visible. A further part you can check on is the tapering of the tips of the hairs. Particularly thicker guard hairs of animals often seem to taper to a point. For non-animal hairs there usually is no tapering at all. Finally, if the piece already belongs to you, you could also do the burn test. If you carefully burn some hairs and they have a similar smell than burned human hair, you can be very sure that it is real fur. Faux fur is made from acrylic or polyester which definitely do not smell like human hair when they get burned.
Spring's Culinary Delicacies Comes spring, comes food. We have taken this opportunity to introduce 3 blooming recipes that you can easily prepare and enjoy. Bon AppĂŠtit!
Dijon Glazed Salmon Recipe (serves 4)
Ingredients
Cooking Instructions Preheat the oven to 180°C.
4-8 ounce salmon fillets 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 Tablespoon strong Dijon mustard ½ Tablespoon olive oil ½ Tablespoon honey
1. Whisk glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 2. Pan sear salmon in a little bit of olive oil until sides are golden, approximately 2-3 minutes. 3. Place salmon in an oven safe dish and brush with glaze. 4. Season with cracked pepper.
salt
and
freshly
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.
Coconut-Shrimp Salad (serves 2) The taste of spring ... Isn't that all we need?
Ingredients
10 whole shrimp, peeled & de-veined ½ cup shredded coconut 1 egg white Sea salt 8 ounces rice noodles 1large purple carrot 1 small, thinly sliced cucumber 2 large radishes 2 handfuls mixed greens ¼ cup fresh mint leaves ¼ cup Thai basil leaves ¼ cup fresh lime juice ¼ cup cane sugar 2 tablespoons fish sauce ½ minced garlic clove ½ teaspoon crushed chillies
Cooking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. 1.
Use beaten egg white and coconut to coat your shrimps.
2.
Place shrimp on a sheet pan lined with coconut spray coated parchment paper
3.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until shrimp is opaque and coconut starts to colour.
4.
While shrimp is cooking, blend lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, garlic and chillies in a small bowl.
5.
Fill bowls with lettuce and rice noodles.
6.
Place shrimp and prepared vegetables over noodles and pour the sauce on top.
Cherry Tomato, Cress and Bean Salad (serves 2)
Ingredients 225g frozen broad beans 120g frozen peas 250g halved cherry tomatoes 1 bunch watercress 200g drained and torn tub cherry bocconcini 125ml extra virgin olive oil 60ml white balsamic condiment 130g basil pesto
Instructions 1. Cook the beans and peas in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Then, drain them under cold running water
2. Remove the outer skins from the beans and put the peas, tomatoes, watercress and bocconcini all in a bowl. Mix the extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic and season everything with salt and pepper. Toss the dressing above the salad, add a little bit of pesto. Now enjoy your healthy salad!
Bibliography Fig. 1. Spring. (2012) [image] At: http://inspiringtheeverydaydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/radish-sedum.png (Accessed on 15.04.13). Fig. 2. Coconut-Shrimp Salad. (2012) [image] At: http://inspiringtheeverydaydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/coconut-shrimpsalad.jpg (Accessed on 15.04.13). Fig. 3. Salmon Dijon. (2012) [image] At: http://inspiringtheeverydaydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/salmonsalad2.jpg (Accessed on 15.04.13). Fig. 4. Cherry Tomato, Cress and Broad Bean Salad. (2011) [image] At: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/26315/cherry+tomato+cress+and+broad+bean +salad (Accessed on 15.04.13).