It’s about sustaining sustainable fashion. So ethic is Australia’s first ever not for profit Ethical Fashion Store, it aims to sustain sustainable fashion by giving the right kind of market and support it needs. And very soon it is coming to India.

A high-end fashion boutique for the green-at-heart, retailing the best designers from across the globe in Ethical Fashion, it aims to fill the void for an outlet supporting ethical high-end designers. Contrary to the common belief that Ethical Fashion is about hippies and "brown teeth" or sweat shops, SO ETHIC aims to bring to the world a fresh new look that is both trendy and chic being at par with high fashion runway garments throughout the world.

And the Indian twist to the whole story adds with So Ethic also exclusively importing and distributing for AHIMSA (TM) Silk fabrics from India.

Australia’s first ever Not for profit high end Ethical Fashion Store, All profits from the store are used to source ethical products and fabrics from rural areas that will in turn be sold at So Ethic. This ensures a regular cycle is created for ethical products while giving them the right sort of market and visibility.

Each item sold at So Ethic has been made with by designers who follow an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which is socially and environmentally conscious. Some of the designers with So Ethic are Samant Chauhan, Anuj Sharma and Padmaja Krishnan from India; Kate Tailyour, Lesley Mobo and UNIDOT Sunglasses from the UK; Auralis Studio and Beau Monde Organics from U.S.A; Como No from France; Etrican from Singapore; Steinunn from Iceland; Bibi Russell from Bangladesh; Charlene O’Brien of Ecologika Luxe from Australia.

Ethical Fashion is a generic term that can mean many things. For SO ETHIC, Ethical Fashion is a holistic concept that refers to all fashion products that have been created in such a way as to contribute to a healthier and more equal world. There are several criteria used to differentiate products in the store. Some of them are, vegetarian, ethically produced, craft/artisan, custom made, Fair Trade Certified, organic, recycled and vintage.

Among the few names that click with the mention of a cohesive destination of Indian fashion and luxury is Aza. Launched in 2005 by Dr. Alka Nishar, Aza Fashions Private Limited, is a veritable museum of India’s best design czars.

Each Aza store focuses on luxury and offers a wide range of couture, diffusion and pret collections along with an emphasis on “Occasion-Wear”, a must in a country that is always in a celebratory mood! The stores’ Couture lines include collections by Anamika Khanna, Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal, Sabyasachi Mukherji and Varun Bahl, to name a few. Aza’s diffusion and pret repertoire includes designs from other stalwarts in Indian fashion, including Anand Kabra, Kiran Uttam Ghosh and Rajesh Pratap Singh.

Delhi houses two stores from its offering one at the Crescent, near Qutab, and the second amidst the high fashion street of South Extension. Considering the fashion concentration in India the house offers its outlets to Mumbai, which also has two store one at Altamount Road and the other at Kemps Corner.

The spirit and essence of high fashion and absolute indulgence is kept alive with constant celebratory affairs like the summer carnivals, winter festivals which are the most talked about parties of the city attended by the crème de la crème. Dr. Alka Nishar says, “Aza is an experience and it is a fashion destination with it its roots in the varied cultures of India.”

Aza, South Extension: The store sprawls over an area of 5000 sq ft, keeping upto to the repute of being the abode of ethnic luxury; it offers a wide range of couture and prêt collections along with an emphasis on occasion wear. The store couture lines includes collection by Anamika Khanna, Rohit Bal, Manish Malhotra, Sabya, Varun Bahl to name a few. And the prêt and diffusion line includes collectons from other stalwarts like Anand Kabra, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, and rajesh Pratap Singh. Aza South ext. also offers accessories by Malaga, Crimson and Stoffa. The store is a recent addition Aza’s catalogue opening only this year.

Aza, Crescent: This store is an abode of wedding affairs with all the well acclaimed Indian designers wedding collection form the crux of the merchandise on display. And the latest addition to this store is Aza Men. The high-end couture, multi-designer outlet has brought its first menswear collection to the city with the opening of their stand-alone store at the hub of Indian wear. The first Aza Men, was launched in Mumbai in November 2007 creating an indelible mark on the fashion industry with the success of the brand. It offers latest collections from celebrated designers such as Rajesh Pratap Singh, Arjun Khanna, Digvijay Singh, Gaurav Gupta, Krishna Mehta, Lalit Jalan, Manish Malhotra, Vivek Karunakaran, Varun Bahl, Vijay Arora, Rocky S, Vikram Phadnis, Zubair Kirmani, Sanjay Hingu and Sabyasachi.

Dr. Alka Nishar says, “It has always been that wedding has all the attention diverted to the bride and her family whereas the groom and his family would go neglected. Now we have taken an overall care and offer luxurious fashion for both the bride and groom. Hence the Aza, Crescent can be called one stop wedding destination.  ”

Looking after your leather in the Monsoons is never easy.

How often has an unexpected shower left you fretting over a wet leather bag? Do you stop carrying your leather bags every time the monsoons hit town?

Well worry no more, because we have a couple of heavy duty myth breakers on how to take care of your leather. As we spoke to Leather aficionado and Founder-President of Hidesign, Dilip Kapur, share across some of his tips for leather care during monsoon:-

Getting your leather bag wet is not such a huge issue especially when it’s a vegetable tanned leather bag. Natural oils and extracts from barks & seeds replace the original fats in the hide giving a unique look to vegetable tanned leathers with deep colors, good body and long lasting strength. This age old natural technique also ages your leather bag beautifully. Rain water just becomes another natural element and the leather reacts the way all natural things do – it lets the water evaporate on its own.

That’s right the next time your vegetable tanned leather bag catches a few drops of rain or a bit of that heavy shower, just empty it out and leave it in an airy dry place for a few days or in an air-conditioned room which would actually be the best way to dehumidify the bag. Never leave your bag near a heater or under direct sunlight, because it will dry out the natural oils in the leather, leaving your bag looking dull. In the long run this could make the leather hard and develop cracks on the surface.

Yes, like your skin your leather needs moisturizing too. You should buy an appropriate cream or wax for your leather bag that contains natural oils that seep into the leather and nourish it. Most products available in the market give a gloss to the surface but do not nourish the leather.

After drying the bag, a light rub with a little bit of the cream and a soft cloth will moisturize your leather bag and replenish its natural oils. During the monsoons a light rub every other day will keep your leather supple and prevent the growth of fungus. If you’ve already started giving your bag a light rub, you’ll notice by the time you finish that it looks as good as new.

 Lastly always store your leather bag in a cloth bag to protect it from dust and moisture especially in a humid environment.