PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and fashion retailer Topshop have teamed up to draw attention to the treatment of exotic animals killed for their skins. The high street store has created a display at its flagship Oxford Street store in London.

The display, which can be seen in the shop's main window today until Monday, 18 March, features a wardrobe with exotic animals spilling out and the caption "Keep Wildlife Out of Your Wardrobe". It goes on to urge shoppers to visit PETA UK's website to sign a pledge never to wear exotic skins.

"Topshop knows that the only place for exotic skins is on their original owners", says PETA Senior Programme Manager Yvonne Taylor. "Through the years, Topshop has set the industry standard for promoting animal welfare, and its latest high-profile display at the heart of London's busiest shopping street will help save many snakes, alligators and other animal victims of the fashion industry from an excruciatingly painful death."

As shown in PETA US' exposé of the exotic-skins trade - narrated by acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix - snakes, alligators and other exotic animals who are killed for their skins are commonly nailed to trees, bludgeoned with hammers and skinned alive. It often takes hours for the animals to die, usually from shock or dehydration. Nice.

PETA and Topshop have joined forces on several previous occasions to make it clear that they oppose the cruel fur and exotic-skins trades. Topshop was recently presented with a PETA-Approved Vegan Fashion Award in the category of Most Stylish Women's Knitwear for the company's trendy cream-and-lime jumper.

For more information visit PETA.org.uk.

Consumers are becoming more aware and concerned about the origins of the products in their wardrobe, and fake fur, cruelty-free fabrics and pleather are fast becoming the go-to materials for those wanting to enjoy the latest fashion with a clean conscience. And everyone from high-street retailers such as Topshop and French Connection to high end designers like Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney are meeting consumer demand for animal-free fashion.

Animal welfare organisation PETA is recognising the best cruelty-free contributions to the fashion world with a new awards - the first ever PETA-approved Vegan Fashion Awards.

The awards mark the launch of PETA's new logo, which designers and retailers can use to identify vegan clothes and accessories that they sell online or in stores.

Check out the 2013 winners below - more information can be found here.

Stella McCartney's t-shirt designs for this year's Red Nose Day have been unveiled.

Reprising her role from 2009, McCartney has given Kate Moss, Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles and Tommy Cooper a red-nosed makeover this year in order to raise funds for Comic Relief.

The t-shirts - all manufactured in Africa using Fairtrade-certified cotton - will be sold exclusively at TK Maxx nationwide from today, with prices ranging from £5.99 for long-sleeved tops in kids' sizes to £14.99 for a fitted women's t-shirt.

Red Nose Day 2013 takes place on Friday, 15 March.

This article was originally published on Shinystyle.tv.

French singer and former flame of Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis, has been revealed as the new celebrity face of H&M's environmentally-aware collection, Conscious. In just released photos, a tousled-haired is Vanessa modelling key items from the new collection, which has been made using organic cotton, recycled polyester and Tencel.

Speaking of the new fashion partnership, Vanessa said: 'I like being part of something like the Conscious collection at H&M. I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe. I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.'

The full collection will be available in H&M stores world wide and online from March

London-based designer Peter Jensen has teamed up with ethical fashion label People Tree for a capsule collection of graphic prints and contemporary shapes. The Dane's designs can now be found on the brand's website. Choose among dresses and t-shirts featuring quirky cat and soldier prints that start from £45.

There is a lot of truth in the saying one man's waste is another man's treasure, especially for menswear label Sir Plus.

The London-based label has made its business on upcycling off-cuts and surplus fabrics into debonair outfits for the modern gentleman. Sir Plus started out in 2011 as a line of boxer shorts made from surplus shirting and silk, and has now expanded into waistcoats, bow ties, jumpers, t-shirts and even women's boxers.

And as all items are produced locally in England, so you can be sure the carbon footprint is low.

We like it when big companies do their bit for the environment and make their products more sustainable - of course in an ideal world all companies would operate as green as possible...

Green is definitely the new black over at jeans giant Levi's, which has revealed its waste

Each pair of Levi's waste

Speaking at the preview last week, global president of the Levi's brand James Curleigh said: "From the beginning, we have designed our products with purpose and intent. By adding value to waste, we hope to change the way people think about recycling, ultimately incentivising them to do more of it."

"This collection proves that you don't have to sacrifice quality, comfort or style to give an end a new beginning."

The brand expect to put some 3.5 million recycled bottles into the waste

"With this collection, we're doing our own small part by taking waste and making something new from it," added Curleigh.

"We don't just want to reduce our impact on the environment, we want to leave it better than we found it. We are committed to making products in ways that are good for people and better for our planet."

[via ShinyStyle.tv and Brandish.tv]

We noticed a distinct chill in the air over the weekend, and had it not been for the autumn sun we'd frozen ourselves silly on our little walk along the Southbank to the Tate Modern.

Winter is definitely coming and it's time to wrap up warm. We've been big fans of fur coats for a while, but unless its actual vintage we will not be caught dead in a real fur coat. With this in mind we've searched the (digital) high street to find the best fake fur coats around this autumn. Whether you want to dress like a snow leopard or a cuddly teddy bear, here are our ten favourites... so far.

You might have seen the posters on bus stops or overheard people joke that the panda made them do things...

The Panda Made Me Do It is a campaign by WWF that encourages people to take action and do something positive for the environment; feel inspired and become part of the wonderful world and work of the World Wildlife Foundation. WWF has devised a number of simple actions that people can do to really make a difference to the environment as featured on wwf.org.uk/doit.

So how can you get your paws on a The Panda Made Me Do It t-shirt? Just commit to do an action set out on wwf.org.uk/doit to unlock the exclusive tee. Once you've taken some positive action for the environment, inspired by WWF's work, then you can proudly wear the t-shirt as an environmental 'badge of honour'.

Personally, I adore pandas so have been in love with the campaign ever since I spotted it - I even Instragrammed a photo of the poster on the bus stop (tragic I know but it's all spreading the word)

As part of the campaign the WWF has released this video showing that all is fair in (environmental) love and war... And if in doubt, just say: The Panda Made Me Do It.

We love a good find here at Hippyshopper HQ. Today we came across this fine piece of clothing, the Aegis Parka, which has an integrated air quality sensor and built in respirator to protect against toxic urban environments.

The concept was thought of by Erik De Nijs and Tim Smit, who work for Dutch company Nieuwe Heren.

The Aegis Parka, which takes its name from the shield of Zeus, is currently only a prototype, but its designers hope that a clothing brand will snap up the idea.

Even though it sounds like something out of the future, we'd love this to hit our local stores!

[via PSFK]

To celebrate all things British this year, with the Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics, firmly putting the isles on the map - and to support The Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund - Matches has collaborated with some of Britain's most notable London-based designers to create a collection of exclusive t-shirts.

Erdem, Holly Fulton, the designer and illustrator behind cult magazine 'Herself', Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Illincic, Jonathan Saunders, JW Anderson and Mary Katrantzou have all designed unique t-shirts for the charity project, with the latter three offering menswear tees too.

Ruth Chapman, CEO of Matches Fashion, says, "As a London based retailer with a wide range of International clients, we wanted to celebrate London in 2012 and asked some of our most creative and innovative British designers to partner with us on this project, which also gives something back to our city. I'm very proud of this beautiful collection of limited edition t-shirts and that with the proceeds we can support The Dispossessed Fund to fight poverty in London".

The t-shirts are sold exclusively at Matches stores and online for £60.

In modern day society, I think we can safely say that more of us are being diagnosed with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or food allergies. This could be because of improved methods of diagnosis or a change in our lifestyles and diets. However, despite their condition, many might not carry around a note to inform hospital staff in case of emergency.

So here's a novel idea - a collection of bracelets and pendants, engraved with essential medical information. Launched by ICE Gems (In Case of Emergency) the range comprises a wide variety of modern jewellery for women, men, teenagers and children in materials such as leather, cord, gold, silver and stainless steel.

All pieces feature the recognisable Star of Life, which will alert emergency personnel about the condition you or a loved one may have, and you can have contact details or medical instructions engraved onto the jewellery item free of charge for added reassurance.

Visit www.icegems.co.uk to view the full range and prices.

We love the environment and we think nothing is better than to come across fashion brands that do the same. No doubt we live in a throwaway society of which many fashion labels are guilty of fuelling hungry consumerism in people where we end up looking for the next trend or piece of clothing as soon as we've got one. But then there are brands like Lost Property of London.

The brainchild of Katy Bell, Lost Property of London takes abandoned fabrics and lovingly transforms them into fashionable yet very practical upcycled bags. No surprise that green fashion queen Livia Firth is a fan!

The bags are created using as many eco design principles as possible, making each item from recycled materials and by hand. We're definitely sold and will be putting this on our birthday wish list! Check out the gallery below to see more of these exquisite bags.

Prices start from £120 and are available online from www.lostpropertyoflondon.com.

Modern day life often pushes our stress levels to the max. And after a day of juggling work with school runs and other commitments, it is no wonder that many women turn to yoga to chill out - and shape up!

If your mum (or wife) is a yoga bunny then we're sure she would appreciate showing off her Eagle and Downward-facing Dog with some new yoga gear.

Any yogi will tell you that good clothing is important when practicing, as it can be extremely difficult to let go of those stressing thoughts and meditate (while trying to bend like a pretzel) if your top keeps on slipping up.

This is where bamboo clothing comes into the picture. Fabric made from bamboo is incredibly soft, follows your body contour perfectly and is luxuriously comfortable. Not only that but bamboo clothes also absorbs and evaporates sweat in a split second, so you won't feel all sweaty and gross.

UK label BAM, a leading name in the world of bamboo clothing, makes a fantastic range of eco-friendly and ethically made bamboo wear for a wide range of activities. It is the softest of fabrics and feels like a snug hug, which would only increase the benefit of the yoga sessions. We were sent a vest top to test, and loved is so much that we ended up wearing it all the time, not only to the gym!

BAM is available from www.bambooclothing.co.uk with t-shirts from £22.50 and leggings from £25.00.

Now the yoga mummy wouldn't be found without her own yoga mat. If her current one is looking a bit tatty, perhaps investing in a new luxurious eco mat would put a smile on her face as she's saluting the sun. Pick one up one from John Lewis for £35.00.

Bob Carlos Clarke

Terry O'Neill

If you like photography and eco fashion then the collaborations between ethical t-shirt company Collective and iconic photographers, the late Bob Carlos Clarke and Terry O'Neill will be just your thing.

The limited edition 100% organic cotton t-shirts feature iconic prints by the two photographers that will look great during the summer months.

Available from www.wearecollective.com for £60.