If you’re a regular reader of ours, I think it’s safe to assume that you dream in green. What I mean is: that you try to follow a relatively ecologically-minded lifestyle. Maybe you shop at the organic grocery store and regularly frequent our humble natural cosmetics company. But being friendly to the environment doesn’t just go skin deep, it also covers what you use to cover up. Shopping ethically doesn’t mean you have to end up wearing a brown potato sack. Sacrificing style for sustainability is a thing of the past, and in this series, we intend to show you just that. Each time we promise to bring you a green solution that will clear your conscience, all while giving you head-turning looks.

P.i.C is a versatile capsule wardrobe that consist of 8 essential pieces of clothing. It’s a little bit like the infamous French Essentials except that the brand P.i.C was born in London, founded by Rhoda Chan and Sarah Brooker. Their idea was to stop overbuying tendencies and instead invest in key pieces. They decided to curate a line of pieces that don’t go out of style, are made of high quality materials in a sustainable and durable fashion and that will, therefore, last you a good long while. Also, all the items fit together and you can create over 50 looks – from chic to elegant to casual to sporty to party-ready – with only 8 garments.
Partners in Crime describes not only the friendship of the two founders but also their shared ambition. With their words: “This is fashion done the new way. And it’s done together, as partners in crime. And that’s awesome.”
[row] [column size=”1/2″][/column] [column size=”1/2″][/column] [/row] During fashion week in Berlin, Sarah was kind enough to answer our questions.

Tell us a little bit about your brand…what’s your grounding philosophy and how did you choose the name?
P.i.C stands for Partners in Crime. The name itself is obviously ironic as what we are doing is the opposite of criminal, we are striving to do fashion the right way. We wanted to create high quality, eco-friendly fashion that does not compromise on style.

What does sustainability mean to P.i.C?
Sustainability, to us, is about creating a capsule wardrobe that is timeless, multifunctional, space saving and with a limited impact on the environment. We like to create thoughtful fashion and believe it’s time to stop overbuying and instead choose stuff you love and want to invest in.

What materials do you use?
P.i.C capsule collection uses fabrics that are locally sourced, sustainable, organic or select stock material. In our debut collection we have used GOTS certified organic cotton, bamboo silk, organic cotton fleece, and organic cotton denim.

Do you still see a prejudice against eco-fashion as lacking style?
I think in general people are still not aware that you can purchase beautifully made, ethically produced clothes and still look incredibly stylish. However the Ethical fashion movement is definitely gaining pace here in London, we are taking part in lots of pop ups this year collaborating with other ethical designers which is a great way to get our brand seen and out there amongst the bigger highstreet brands.

How would you describe your sense of style? Who are your style icons?
My personal style is quite casual, usually involves denim and a very minimal colour palette…also lots of black! 🙂

Do you have a beauty secret?
Not really, although I try to never go to sleep with my make up on and i spend my money on quality brands like Aveda and Liz Earle.
Would you consider yourself as someone who lives a green and conscious lifestyle? Maybe you are vegan, compost, avoid plastics, or you use natural cosmetics?
Yes I try! I am very aware of environmental issues and try to limit my impact as much as possible, although i have a long way to go. I am veggie but not quite vegan…yet!

Could you give any advice on how to choose Slow Fashion and the resist Fast Fashion?
Have a look on our website … we can help with choosing slow fashion brands!

Anything else you want to tell us?
We were aware that people often struggled to find contemporary ethical brands, this is why we created www.P.i.C-style.com. We wanted to offer a one-stop shop where you could go to find all kinds of ethically produced clothes and accessories whilst not having to compromise on style. To build on our P.i.C capsule collection, we added other eco-conscious brands including Denim brands like Mud, Shoe brands like Matt&Nat, Bags, Jewellery and accessories.