DUVET HOG
DUVET HOGInspired by a more sustainable lifestyle, designer Phillippa Barraclough founded new brand DUVET HOG to reduce the environmental footprint of the traditional duvet. With natural resources as their number one priority, DUVET HOG creates ultra-comfy duvets using sustainable and recycled materials. Made in a zero-waste eco-factory, powered by 100 percent renewable energy, ‘The Original’ duvet from DUVET HOG is not only eco-friendly, but cruelty-free, ultra-breathable and hypoallergenic.
In a matter of months, the UK-based brand has prevented thousands of recycled plastic PET water bottles from polluting our oceans and from feeding ever-expanding landfills across the world. DUVET HOG give consumer waste a second life as a high quality, silky-soft fiberfill for their duvets. This transformation of bottles into textile fibres, finer than an eyelash, leave their duvets feeling as soft as a cloud.
DUVET HOG currently offers three warmth options in all standard UK sizes. These are ‘Winter Warm’, ‘Summer Warm’, and ‘All Year Round’, catering to all seasons and tog preferences. Not only are deliveries made using purely recyclable and reusable materials, but all duvets are washable. Throw them in the washing machine and tumble dryer whenever they need a refresh – even the super kingsize ones – which goes hand in hand with the brand’s mission: #SpinMeDontBinMe.
The Swag
The Swag‘After years of hearing people complain about throwing rotten fruit and veggies out, I decided there had to be a better way to make them last longer,’ says Peita Pini, inventor of The Swag, an environmentally-friendly, sustainable, breathable bag, designed specifically for fruit and vegetables to stay fresher for longer.
With fresh produce staying fresh for two weeks longer than it would in a plastic bag, The Swag brings a win-win situation for both the environment and your wallet. By allowing consumers to cut down on food waste, and saving you an average of $1,500 on your grocery bills annually, The Swag is revolutionising the way we store fresh produce. With the full range being 100 percent natural, compostable, and machine washable, it reduces the use of harmful plastics up against food plus reduces single-use plastic ending up in landfill and, eventually, in our oceans, harming precious wildlife.
‘Our Swag Mission is all about giving back. It’s ingrained in everything we do. From giving customers back those extra days fresh produce can last, to acting consciously and thoughtfully in order to make a real difference to the way we live and treat our planet Earth,’ Pini explains, adding that a portion of proceeds from each sale are donated to Destiny Rescue, a charity dedicated to rescuing and protecting children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Laili Lau
Laili LauIn the middle of the biggest shakedown modern civilisation has endured, there is still room
hubs of creativity, finding ways to keep sunnier days in view. On the furthest point south of Brooklyn, where the Atlantic Sea meets the East River, a one-woman-legion spends half of her working day making face masks for the healthcare workers through the New York City Facemask Initiative. Her other half is dedicated to threading collars inspired by the syncretism of two cultural staples: weaved African baskets, and belts that tie closed the Japanese kimonos.
Venezuelan fashion designer Laili Lau takes five hours to carefully create each unique piece. The Obi Shaka Necklaces are a natural extension of her curiosity and inventiveness, as well as an evolution of the clothing line she has produced since 2012. The necklace venture began in 2018 with a string of discarded hanging lines and a visit to a store full of deadstock threads in Brooklyn. Always curious, Lau started weaving knots and twists, overlapping and matching one color with the next, building a mix of aesthetics.
Since the inception of the Laili Lau brand, the concept comes naturally – the epicenter of every piece is maximising every material and minimising waste. The Obi Shaka Necklace was born from a similar train of thought – not only taking parts of two cultures that happened to collide, but turning unused materials into something elegant and luxurious. And although she enjoys making all of the pieces herself, she also likes to put together tightly-knitted teams of like-minded professionals for the photoshoots and audiovisual pieces that accompany each season. Her latest project was shot by Anibal Mestre Wong, modelled by Daphne Zelle, and styled by Beatriz Hollensteiner.
The YES YES Company
The YES YES CompanyWith social distancing guidelines in place, it looks like we’ll be spending a lot more time inside. So whether you’re distancing with a partner or by yourself, it’s a perfect opportunity to make the most of the bedroom and get intimate. Sex and masturbation can boost both mental and physical wellbeing, but to make sure to opt for products that will keep your body happy and healthy.
In 2003, the YES founders realised there was a huge gap in the market for intimacy products that were designed to be hypoallergenic, side-effect free, gentle, and non-irritating. They set out to ‘change the world from the inside’ through a new concept: a certified organic, natural and body-safe range of personal lubricants, intimate washes, and vaginal moisturisers. All YES products are plant-based and made from ethically-sourced ingredients, including their water-based, plant-oil based and anal lubes, as well as gentle intimate washes.
The ingredients used in YES lubricants have long-established track records as excellent skin foods and their Soil Association-certified status guarantees that YES products are natural, unadulterated, and pH-matched to the intimate environment to help protect against irritation and infections.
The YES YES Company’s love for planet earth is reflected in everything they do – creating products that are not just effective but kind to the environment and respectful to humans and wildlife equally.
The Divine Hag
The Divine HagVegan, Earth-conscious, and focused on women, The Divine Hag has become the cult go-to for conscious consumers. Since its launch in 2017, the aromatherapy and home fragrance company has won various awards. Suffering from crippling migraines, often triggered by artificial fragrances, founder Margaret left her career as a surveyor and pursued her lifelong interest in aromatherapy. Her passion for natural products inspired the launch of a range that not only brings a divine scent to the home, but also acts as sensory medicine.
From the very beginning, the company has offered refill facilities, used recycled packaging, and sourced ingredients from ethical producers, the principle of walking the earth lightly being the founding and guiding ethos. Manufactured by hand in Glasgow, skillfully selected blends are combined to offer a natural, hypoallergenic alternative to conventional home fragrance products.
Though all products bring relief from various maladies, the Bliss Sleep range offers a tried-and-tested scent in the form of pillow mists, candles, bath salts, and balms, available individually or in a variety of bedtime ritual sets. The Womb Range, on the other hand, seeks to help those struggling with womb-centric issues. Other popular Divine Hag ranges include Pause, specifically designed for menopause, and Moontime, beautifully blended and perfect for easing premenstrual anxiety.
Betteryou
BetteryouBetterYou specialise in bringing the essential nutrients back into our hectic lives. Being the first company in the world to develop a topically-applied magnesium product and nutritional oral sprays, their commitment to absorption research has allowed them to develop its effective range of pill-free supplements.
In 2019, BetterYou launched The Better Planet Project, marking its dedication to reducing its impact on the environment through switching to environmentally-friendly plastics for its packaging, utilising ocean waste and post-consumer recycling, and pioneering plant-based plastic for future use. Their recycled packaging initiative is responsible for removing over 14 tonnes of plastic from the world’s oceans in 2019 alone.
‘As a brand whose use of plastic is fundamental, we have explored ways in which we can reduce the amount of single-use plastic in our industry,’ said Andrew Thomas, founder and managing director at BetterYou. Through actively campaigning for positive change in the recycling sector and lobbying governments to set ambitious environmental targets, BetterYou strive towards a self-sustaining recycling infrastructure, repairing our environmental impact sooner, rather than later.
