 Cheap and cheerful fashion is starting to look a bit down in the mouth. The days of bragging about snagging a fab dress for a fiver are just about over. 'I don't know how they do it!', we exclaimed, hoping against hope that some magic fairy dust allowed companies to manufacture clothes on the other side of the planet, ship them here and still charge only a few quid.
Now we're outgrowing fairy tales, partly thanks to investigative journalism (such as Panorama's Primark: On the Rack and the pulled-still-yet-to-broadcast The Devil Wears Primark). It's now clear how they do it: by outsourcing to dubious suppliers who  exploit men, women and children. Oh and by buying fabrics from suppliers who put their bottom line before the environmental impact. Take a look at my latest Website of the Week, Fashion-Conscience.com for easy ethical shopping and July's Favourite Find, eco and ethical kids' T-shirts.
If the credit crunch means some ethical threads are out of your price range, don't let me catch you skulking into a sweatshop-stocked shop. Instead, click on my latest feature on MSN UK's Environment Channel, where in addition to the hottest ethical labels (such as ParkVogel, top), I include 'Fashion Footprint' tips for saving your conscience – and your piggy bank.
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