Lifestyle & Home: Tips for the Winter weather cyclist

I recently changed jobs and now work much closer to home, swapping a two-hour train journey for a 20 minute bike ride, which is bliss. I get more sleep, have more leisure time, and I'm trimmer and fitter thanks to my new regime. Through summer and autumn riding into work has been a pleasure – and I'm still enjoying it even now its colder, darker and wetter. But I'm finding out that cycling to work during the winter months takes a bit more preparation. All of a sudden it seemed as though I'm permanently wet, cold, and invisible in the early darkness. So begins my quest for warmth, dryness and visibility. I'm determined to stay on my bike and not let the weather put me off, and so I need weapons to help me in the grim battle against the elements.

I had it in my head that the first casualty of bad weather is style, and so was pleased to find some pretty and practical solutions to the wet and the dark. Bobbin's Bikes make some seriously cute hi-viz reflective gear, a brilliant Miss World-style sash, and a cheeky sailor-suit collar, which will get you noticed on your bike – stylish, fun and safe. On Etsy I found sweet reflective bows for helmet, hair and lapel. Slightly more traditional, but still distinctive, are these hi-viz vests from Georgia in Dublin, which kind of put me in mind of a Piet Mondrian painting. Also available from this store is a high waisted, wrap-around waterproof skirt, which doubles as a picnic blanket. Marvellous.

T-cycle do a nice range of t-shirts for women, men and kids, made from re-used fabric and water-based dyes. The long sleeved women's tops look particularly inviting for this time of year. For outer layers, there are some amazing cycling capes available, in reflective tweed, from Cycle Chic and from Bobbin's Bikes an origami inspired cape in recycled-plastic fabric. From my own experience, capes rather than anoraks are the way to go, there's more freedom of movement and you are less restricted as to what you can wear underneath.

It's great to be able to lock up your bike quickly and with the minimum of fuss when the weather is bad, and so I really like the look of these u-lock holster belts made from reclaimed seat belt material. This store, Urban Hunter, also has some cool wallets and bags made from recycled inner tubes, some excellent organic t-shirts, and post-ride natural massage oil for aching muscles. More tough, waterproof bags for bikes made from upcycled agricultural packaging, are available from Organic Bikes: ethical, sturdy, waterproof, colourful, with reflective stripes for visibility, and each one is unique.

Although there are lots of options for keeping your feet dry on your bike, my wellies are more than equal to the task. And if you don't think it's possible to be chic in gum boots, think again! Danish women wrote the book on looking fab on two wheels, and if wellies are good enough for them, they're good enough for me!

Sophy

Forever Fashion: Glamourous Celebrities Highlight disadvantaged West African cotton farmers

It’s a star-studded bandwagon and now they’re on the march. Lisa Snowdon, Andrea McLean, Ali Bastian, Laura Bailey and a dozen other famous ladies have signed up to a major new Fairtrade Foundation campaign to shake up British fashion.

They are challenging Britain’s clothes buying public to help make fashion fairer to improve the lives of the 10 million West African people who rely on cotton for their livelihoods.

Today most West African growers and their communities suffer abject poverty because of unfair global trade rules. Lisa, Mica and Ali want to change that.

The plight of West African cotton farmers will be highlighted in a hard-hitting Fairtrade Foundation policy report launched at a reception in Central London in mid-November.

The report will reveal the billions of dollars in state subsidies given to rich American and European farmers enabling them to undercut the West African cotton industry which cannot hope to offer the same support to its poor farmers.

To show us all just how beautiful Fairtrade cotton can be and how easy it is to swap your look to Fairtrade, acclaimed photographer Trevor Leighton is working alongside hairdressers Darren Ambrose and Errol Douglas MBE, makeup artist Charlie Duffy, celebrity stylists Rachel Fanconi and Cheryl Konteh. Trevor has photographed the celebrities wearing part of a collection of Fairtrade cotton clothing from a range of retailers and brands. The collection of beautiful black and white photographs will be displayed at the fifth anniversary launch event in mid-November. It will then be exhibited in London after which it will tour the 500 Fairtrade Towns and colleges around the country.

The cotton campaign will also be a highlight of Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 (28 February – 13 March), when millions of people will campaign to draw attention to disadvantaged West African cotton farmers. Fashion lovers can look forward to seeing the launch of many new Fairtrade cotton clothing collections, including ranges designed by Emma Watson for People Tree and a range of designer Fairtrade cotton t-shirts for Sports Relief. For more information about activities on cotton in your area, visit www.fairtrade.org.uk .

The global financial crisis has affected the amount of cotton that Fairtrade farmers have been able to sell over the last year as consumers move towards low-priced, fast-moving clothing. But without consumer support, Fairtrade farmers may have little choice but to sell cotton for whatever price they can get. This increases the chances of families getting into debt, leading to a vicious circle of ill health, incomplete education and chronic hunger.

Updates: La Luminata Creates Eco Section for the L’Oreal Fashion Showcase Show

I traveled to Cardiff for the L'Oreal Fashion Showcase fashion show, on November 5th at the Coal Exchange Wales.

I was asked to create my own Eco section within the show called 'Illuminate' to reflect my work so far with La Luminata and highlight the great Eco brands and labels that I work with. I selected clothing, accessories and shoes from Rowan Joy, From Somewhere, Terra Plana and Rachel Darbourne jewelry for the twelve models that were set to walk the runway.

With illuminated led globes, bespoke colourful lighting, a fantastic band called Under the Driftwood Tree covering MIA's Paper Planes and a set of gorgeous girls to show off the clothing, the section was a success! I had a great time working on the Styling and Art Direction for this huge fashion show! Just don't ask what time the after-party carried on until...

See my backstage pictures here!

Rachel

Health & Beauty: Organic Blue

If winter finds you lumbering, rather than bouncing out of bed we’ve found a range that might just make mornings more bearable.

Organic Blue’s good-value beauty and mood-enhancing treatments combine natural and certified organic ingredients from around the world.

La Luminata road-tested the zingy Shower Gel and Body Scrub, which certainly put a spring in our normally lacklustre step. Both contain uplifting organic Mandarin and Ginger, alongside anti-bacterial Neem – renowned for its ability to help with skin disorders. The Scrub contains ground peach kernels to refresh the body and banish dead skin cells.

The range also includes a body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, massage oil, muscle rub and mood oils. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, it’s paraben-, SLS-, artificial fragrance- and colouring-free. Available from Waitrose and John Lewis, call 0845 310 441 for your nearest stockist.

Jane Lee

Lifestyle & Home: Sleep tight on a bamboo mattress

Perfect for anyone suffering from allergies or sensitive skin, Relaxsan’s Magnificent Bamboo mattress has a unique, non-toxic bamboo fabric cover.

Bamboo fibre is highly renowned for its hypoallergenic and antibacterial properties, and helps to keep skin fresh by instantly absorbing and evaporating sweat.

The mattress also benefits from Memorex foam, which distributes body weight evenly and increases muscle relaxation for the perfect night’s sleep.

Relaxsan mattresses contain no toxic or non-biodegradable materials. For details visit www.relaxsanmagniflex.com and for stockists call 07989 400 962.

Jane Lee

Lifestyle & Home: An eco fireworks night?

I love Fireworks Night, and will be heading to Lewes this Friday for the usual spectacle of pyrotechnic wizardry. But these kinds of displays are increasingly becoming something of a guilty pleasure, as fireworks release many polluting chemicals as they explode and create toxic litter as they land which can poison the soil and harm wildlife. So what's the solution? These well-loved displays are not going anywhere and provide a fantastic opportunity for people to come together for a bit of "ooh" and "ahh". Going to your local display rather than having your own amateur (and much more risky) show in the back garden helps, council run displays have to stick to much stricter standards of environmental safety, and are generally a lot more impressive than anything you can manage in your back garden. But if you want to have it your way, here are some less polluting alternatives which are also fun and pretty.

Having taken part in a mass release of Chinese Sky Lanterns, I can confirm that nothing beats the feeling of the lantern inflating and tugging at your fingers as it fills with hot air and starts to float up. As you release, it takes off very quickly and goes silently rocketing up into the night sky. After these lanterns became popular, there were concerns about the impact on the environment, and so now a biodegradable alternative is available, Skyorbs, fuelled by candles made from recycled wax from Buddhist temples (a nice touch). If you're looking for a more spiritual 5th November, this could be for you. At the other end of the scale, a hi-tech alternative is an indoor fireworks projector which recreates a display right down to the sounds - perfect if you can't face the cold and the crowds. You can even programme your own displays from the 9 discs included in the kit.

What other alternatives are there? At the moment, not much. In 2004, Disney pioneered air-launch fireworks which don't use gun powder, and 'green fireworks' which produce less pollutants are available but only really suitable for large scale displays due to the cost. Maybe the solution is to ask your local council if they will be using environmentally friendly fireworks (and if not, why not), and to try and 'offset' Fireworks Night by making the rest of the day as sustainable as possible.

Sophy

Lifestyle & Home: Postcarden, send a tiny garden in the post

What an enchanting idea the Postcarden is - a postcard that unfolds into a miniature 3D scene, complete with cress seeds, just waiting to spring into life.

From the humble allotment garden to a Victorian botanical glass house palace, these little gardens are bursting with life and energy. Made with FSC certified card, and featuring a great range of designs (including a mini football pitch, and just in time for Christmas, a starry Alpine scene), these Postcardens are just the thing to give your message a life of it's own.

Sophy