illustrator

As much as algorithms seem to be driving a lot of the Instagram community up the wall recently – yes, we all know, it was a far better place when posts appeared chronologically – for me personally, it’s actually fast becoming one of my favourite platforms for a multitude of reasons. So today, to mix things up from my usual content, I thought I would share some ways to enjoy ‘IG’ as much as I am as well as a few recommendations of who you should be following…

 @CELINECELINES (SLOW FACTORY) // @EZRA_W_SMITH // @BEHAVEBANDANA // @STORIESBEHINDTHINGS // @UNWRINKLING // @OCEANGENERATION

Your vibe attracts your tribe…

Especially when you’re introducing yourself to sustainability and ethics, you can become bogged down in the nitty-gritty of it all and often what you really need is a nice, healthy dosage of positivity! 

Following individuals on Instagram who spread positive messages about good work being done is a quick and easy way of educating yourself without feeling like the world is facing impending doom. 

@unwrinkling (also known as Whitney Bauck) is one of my favourite Instagram users. Her day job is focusing on sustainability with her journalistic work so she merges the two, highlighting new initiatives and innovations whilst still being relatable and sharing imagery which would be fit on any other Insta-page. She introduced me to G-STAR RAW’s latest work and for that, I am very grateful.

@storiesbehindthings is an account run by Jemma and Ella who focus mainly on vintage fashion and opening up discussions with their followers about different sustainable and ethical topics. If you’re into perfectly coordinated themes and being introduced to new brands; definitely give them a follow.

@celinecelines (Céline Semaan) is the founder of The Slow Factory and is one inspiring woman. Not only does she head-up The Slow Factory #FashionActivism brand, she is also a sustainable advocate all round, being an ambassador for the Global Fashion Exchange and founding The Library. She’s a joy to follow and you all need to learn more about her.

@KNOWTHEORIGIN // @PO_ZU // @GOODNEWSLONDON // @GSTARRAW

Learn more about where your clothes come from…

In my opinion, you can trust a brand when they’re openly transparent and by that I mean, more than just sharing their list of suppliers on an interactive map.

A lot of ethically focused brands will share behind the scenes information and stories about where their clothes come from and how they were made, especially on social media. Even if you haven’t ever bought from the brand, it’s one way to understand how what you wear, becomes just that. You end up getting the answer to “Who made my clothes?” before you’ve even asked it. 

@knowtheorigin‘s Instagram is a great example of this. They often share information about their travels to their garment factories as well as videos and photos to go alongside it. Know The Origin was essentially built around the idea of transparency so they’re a good place to start if you want to follow a t-shirt from factory to finished product.

@po_zu will forever be a favourite in my mind especially if you like behind the scenes of the photoshoot variety.

Don’t forget, if you want to discover more ethical brands (even if you just want to browse their Instagram feed), my brand directory is a great place to start.

FASHION REVOLUTION X TOLLY DOLLY POSH GIFS

Saving and GIFing…

Other than following, you can also use Instagram in a variety of other ways to gain inspiration and spread the ethical message further than just your own mobile device.

Saving photos to your Saved Collections can help you decipher the sorts of styles and outfits you’re into. This allows you to work out what looks you’re still appreciating after you’ve double-tapped to give a post a like and scrolled on.

This will help the next time you’re in the mood for shopping or the next time you’re on the hunt for something new, as you’ll be able to work out more easily what might last for a long time in your wardrobe. To save a post (without anyone knowing, don’t worry) click the bookmark flag under a picture.

Making use of Instagram’s new GIPHY GIF feature is something I would advise too. Was this just an excuse to plug my stickers again? I hear you cry? Possibly, possibly. Searching terms such as ‘ethical fashion’ or ‘@tollydollyposh‘ when you’re picking something out for your next Instagram Story, is always a good call.

I can also now announce that I’ve designed a few GIFs for the wonderful @fash_rev, some of which you can see above. I’ll also be releasing a few more in the lead up to Fashion Revolution Week in April, so watch out.

Make sure to give me a follow @tollydollyposh, if you haven’t already.

How do you use Instagram for sustainable inspiration? Who should I be following? Let me know in the comments!

Let’s get straight into it… I love iPhones. My whole family do really, they’re handy, they are a nice size, but most of all, you get to make them look all pretty! I have an iPhone 3, which is very slow and weary at the moment, and I do like giving a bit of loving care with a case, but seeing as it was Mother’s Day not long ago, I gave my mum an iPhone case! She used to have a glossy one which was chipped and broken, and was getting a bit tired, so I decided that she needed to change it up! Case-App allows you to add any pictures you like, text you like, and shapes etc that you like to a case! You can put a couple of pictures or just one, it’s up to you! It’s Fashion for your iPhone!

My mum or ‘Mama Posh’ is a very artistic person, and is also a former Mulberry accessories designer (Pretty cool, huh?), but at the moment she does illustrations including this one above! I thought it would be really nice if she could showcase her work in a different way, and it looks great! The finish is matte but parts of the detailing are a bit more shiny, which creates a more ‘textured’ feel. The colours are perfect and came out just how I wanted them to! I also added a short message at the bottom which I think adds and even more personal touch. (If you want to know what EGOS means, well, you can’t, it’s a secret! Mwah ha ha ha) You can add what ever colour font you’d like and choose from a selection of different coloured backgrounds like the green at the bottom.

It fits really well and you can be sure that it won’t come off! That was sort of a problem when I tried it on Papa Posh’s iPhone, as it took a bit of fiddling, but I don’t think that is a major issue. As you can see the sides are plain white, which I wasn’t quite sure about, but looking at it now, I think it makes it look a bit smarter than having coloured sides. It doesn’t have any protection on the front, which I like as it means you don’t have to worry about it getting dirty, or it fading where you hold it. Overall it looks really nice and this is what my mum said about it….

”I think it is exceptionally good quality and the detailing on my design is fabulous. The colours are exactly how I’d like them, and it is great seeing what my illustrations would look like on a phone. I think it is well worth the money, and I would rate it 10/10. Well Done Case-App!”

That is all true, she actually said that all! I would totally agree, it is really a good quality case, and I am so glad that I decided to give it to her, as it put a smile on her face! I think it would be a really good present for anybody, and even a nice treat for yourself, and your iPhone! You can get a Case-App Personalised iPhone Case for any iPhone 4/4s or iPhone 5 from the Case-App store! Plus… it’s free delivery! AND, you can get 20% off with the the code ‘TOLLY’ at the checkout! 

(This is a * marked review. I am very grateful that Case-App gave me an iPhone Case to review. All opinions are 100% honest, including the mini review by Mama Posh! ‘We’ wouldn’t lie to you – would we? I wish Case-App the best of luck this year.)

If you believe I deserve it please nominate my blog as the ‘Best Teen Blog‘ in the Company Style Blogger Awards. Use the URL: http://www.tollydollyposhfashion.com Thank You.