Celebrities like singer Beth Ditto show that style doesn't have a size. (Courtesy of Love Magazine)

In Britain, researchers have learned that four in ten women wear a U.K. size 18 (equal to a U.S. size 14) or larger. And we have to imagine that the data would hold true for Americans as well. Yet in spite of recent development like Marc Jacobs announcing a plus-size line, women of size overwhelmingly feel fashionable choices are extremely scarce in the apparel industry.

Grazia magazine reports:

However, larger women have told researchers Mintel that more still needs to be done. Four in ten women size 18 and over say plus-size clothes tend to be less fashionable.

‘Rising levels of obesity mean that plus-size consumers are increasing and these shoppers are looking for improved choice,’ said Mintel fashion analyst Tamara Sender, ‘Given the numbers of not just plus-size women, but also men, these consumers can no longer be considered a minority or niche sector and retailers need to wake up to the potential of this market.’

If finding fashionable plus-size clothing is hard, ethical plus-size clothing is basically an endangered species. But luckily for our readers of size, it’s not totally extinct. Check out this guide to stylish eco-friendly clothing that comes in size XL and up.

• Inspiration for the “Electric Love” rings must have struck Seattle-area jewelry company Grain like lightning, as the first version was the absent-minded result of being bored in an art studio filled with junk electrical wire.
• American Apparel’s upcycled vintage collection, California Select, is full of flirtatious ’50s-era dresses with a modern twist for fall.
• Speaking of dresses, we still love the form-fitting silhouettes of Tesco’s recycled-textile dresses in collaboration with From Somewhere.
• Poland made a bid to become the recycled-fashion capital of the world this spring with the second-annual RE-ACT Trashion Show, featuring exclusively upcycled and dead-stock designs.
• Here’s something for the men: Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale has Timberland boots with a recycled rubber sole and a lining made from recycled PET mesh and organic cotton. Prices go up August 2, so buy now to get 30 percent off these sexy eco-shoes.

Over on Tesco’s U.K. website, The O.C. actress Mischa Barton is promoting 10 bags reportedly of her making.

However, we can’t help but notice the similarities between one of her bags and a design by a favorite eco-designer of ours, Novella Royale.

A key difference between the Mischa Barton Oversized Bowler (£45, or $70.25 in USD, pictured on the left) and the Novella Royale Mister Stud Bowler ($584, on the right) is that while Novella Royale prides itself on its high-quality recycled leather and organic cotton lining, the Tesco bag is made from polyurethane in Asian factories. Boo.

What do you think, E.S. readers? Is the similarity a coincidence or suspicious to you?

In international news today, striking factory workers in Phnom Penh were beaten and tasered by police this week while protesting their low wages, reports the British media.

The Cambodian workers — mostly women — were earned less than £1 per day (or $1.56 in USD) producing clothes in a factory owned by a Malaysian firm that contracts with apparel brands like Gap, Benetton, Adidas, and Puma. Nine workers were injured in the riot.

The Daily Mail writes:

All four clothing and sporting companies linked to the factory have come under severe criticism from investigators for the harsh conditions endured and low wages given to their Third World employees.

Reports by charities such as Oxfam have found that the apparel industry, whether for designer labels or for garments that carry the names of big sporting companies such as Adidas, Nike and Puma, uses and abuses sweatshops.

Oxfam points out that workers in developing countries are paid minimal wages and are often forced to endure long hours in harsh and often dangerous conditions producing some of the world’s most expensive and coveted brands.

It’s particularly unsettling news given that Benetton is so well-known for its marketing campaigns invoking human rights, like the 1998 ad reprinted above.

Want to speak out on behalf of these workers? Sign up to receive the Clean Clothes Campaign newsletter for activism in your area.

From the gross-but-true category, a British company has developed a type of leather made from bacteria grown in a vat of sugary green tea.

The designers at BioCouture then dry the textile biomaterial “leather” and use it to make jackets, shoes, and accessories.

According to Suzanna Lee, BioCouture’s founder, the process can have interesting results:

Depending on the recipe the material can either feel like paper or–more desirably–like a vegetable leather.In testing with dyes we found no need for mordant [a substance used for dyeing fabrics] and an incredibly small amount of dye goes a long way so it’s eco-credentials go through the entire process. We also recycle a percentage of the fermentation liquid.

While I’m not sure I’d ever have an occasion to wear this jacket — it looks more like a Fruit Roll-Up than lambskin — the process is pretty intriguing. Are any of the vegans out there tempted?

The back-to-school bug always bites us around this time of year, even though our years of stocking up on No. 2 pencils and L.L. Bean backpacks are well in the past. But that doesn’t stop us from eyeing beautiful boots, heavenly coats, and adorable office supplies.

Near the top of our list this year is British label Mulberry‘s absolutely stunning laptop cases. They’re designed with the Apple MacBook dimensions in mind, but any notebook computer will likely fit (just take your own measurements to be certain).

Crafted from vegetable-tanned natural leather, these laptop cases come in 13- and 15-inch sizes and a plethora of rich colors, both cheerful and classic. Each case features a secure lock and a slip pocket to hold important files. And Mulberry’s commitment to quality means they will last until your machine is obsolete (and likely well beyond that as well).

Bayswater Sleeve for 13″ MacBook, £350 at Mulberry.com.

As Mark Woods, Debenhams’ creative and visual director told the Daily Mail:

‘As a responsible retailer we want to help customers make the most of their beauty without bombarding them with unattainable body images.

‘Our campaign is all about making women feel good about themselves – not eroding their self belief and esteem by using false comparisons.

‘Not only does it make sense from a moral point of view, it ticks the economic boxes as well. Millions of pounds a year are spent by organisations retouching perfectly good images.

‘As a rule we only airbrush minor things like pigmentation or stray hair and rely on the natural beauty of models to make our product look great.

Those retouched waists are always so obvious, anyway, since much of the time they are ergonomically impossible.

This, by the way, follows Debenhams’ well-received test run putting U.K. size 16 (U.S. size 12) mannequins in its shop front this past February. Progressive forward momentum, we say.

(via The Cut)

London Jewellery Week just wrapped up on Sunday, and to commemorate the fabulous flash of this glittering event, the Guardian published its guide to buying feel-good baubles.

Among the newspaper’s picks for the event’s best designers, many of whom were new to us:

First up, April Doubleday. She gets her inspiration from the coastline of Devon, where she is based, and FS particularly likes her glass collection(pendants from £75). Avasarah, a rather fabulous online ethical jewellery shop, has its own range too, with some excellent prices. This sweet hummingbird disc is made from 100% recycled silver, and is manually produced (no heat or chemicals involved). You can add on charms, but we think it’s nice just as it is, and for a bargain £29 too. More natural inspiration – but with a rather fabulous twist – can be found at Leblas, where this recycled silver and spearmint enamel pendant (£160) is a great combination of wearable yet distinctive. Note: the spearmint is not edible. Alas.

Over at CRED (the host for the ethical section of the show, no less), we’re in love with this gorgeous pendant by Annabel Panes. Inspired by Nepali designs, it’s handmade from 100% recycled silver by the Harigni Cooperative in Nepal (£85 for silver, also comes in gold).

Call us squirrels, but we’re suckers for pretty, shiny things — especially when they come with an ethical stamp of approval.

URTH Ethical Spearmint & Silver Pendant, £175 at Leblas.com.

If you don’t recall our love for U.K. skincare and body line The Organic Pharmacy, here’s the short list of why its offerings are majorly covetable: Devotees include Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna; each product balances an organic ingredient list with take-no-prisoners effectiveness; and those with sensitive skin will be like a kid in a candy shop — there’s even a line for expectant mothers and babies.

So that’s why we’re so pumped that the U.S. website is offering 25 percent off every purchase through Tuesday, June 15. Just enter coupon code DAYCAN25 during checkout — and be sure to select your country at the bottom to get U.S. prices. Free shipping on orders over $100 to boot!

Rose Hand & Nail Balm, $37.95 at TheOrganicPharmacy.com.

Nick Robertson, chief executive, said the move was the latest by Asos to provide its customers with the sorts of clothes they typically already had in their wardrobes, from high street staples to designer labels and vintage fashion.

“We have 7.5m fashion-loving customers coming to the Asos website every month and I want them to be able to recycle their wardrobes among each other,” he said.

The exception: Luxury goods will be excluded due to the high counterfeiting risk. The program will debut later this year to tap into the growing eco-conscious market.

Asos is known for its affordable yet stylish house brand of clothes (like the lace minidress shown here, which retails for £18 and yes, shipping is available internationally), as well as a few upper-crust offerings by brands like See By Chloé, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and McQ by Alexander McQueen. This initiative will mark the company’s first foray into the eco-sphere. What a great concept!