Draft:Sarah Ratty

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Sarah Ratty - Early Life

Sarah Ratty (born 30 September 1964) is an English fashion designer and promoter of sustainable fashion, having set up her fashion brand Conscious Earthwear in 1990.

Ratty's first collection was bought by the Victoria and Albert Museum and shown at the influential Street Style Exhibition in 1994 alongside Alexander McQueen. It was also featured initially in the I-D magazine's Tomorrow People exhibition in London and Florence in 1992. Featuring a coat and skirt outfit made from re-worked cream Arran knitwear indigenous to the UK. Saved from landfill by Oxfam Wastesavers in Huddersfield. This was worn over a black column patched velour skirt and long sleeve top with hand embroidered stitch detail, made from “Green Cotton” by Novotex, a pioneering Danish Company which was the first to successfully loop its manufacturing operation and used the effluent to heat the factory by turning it into bricks in 1992. Recognised for her role as a pioneering conscious fashion designer. Creating collections from post-consumer waste, recycling and upcycling fabrics from pre and post-production waste. Working with innovative materials from organic cotton to hemp linen, recycled polymers and denim waste materials.

Early Life and Education

Ratty was born in Brighton to Pauline and Peter Ratty, one of three daughters. Her interest in fashion was influenced by her best friend Tatiana, whose mother ran a chain of boutiques in the south lanes, and her own mother, a fashion historian and lecturer at Brighton College of Art.

Ratty pursued a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Bristol, but withdrew from the course after her father suffered a stroke filling out her grant papers. In 1987, Ratty was awarded FW Magazine's Student Designer of the Year. She continued training part-time, including pattern cutting, fine art photography, film editing, web design, hotel interior design, and sustainable business from institutions including City Lit, London, BMICA, Brighton University, Cambridge University, and Chelsea College of Art.

Career in Fashion

Early Work in Fashion PR

Ratty began her career in fashion public relations at Lisa Nelson PR Unlimited in South Kensington in 1988, where she worked on accounts with clients such as Adolfo Domingues, Charles Jourdan, Dolce & Gabbana, Lee Jeans, and Reebok. She later worked as a fashion styling assistant at Options magazine and alongside photographer John Swannell. Prior to that, she was a model for photographers Donna Trope and Glenn Luchford. Styling the WarChild Fashion Show featuring Vivienne Westwood. ??

In 1989 and 1990, Ratty worked as a designer at sportswear brand Sun and Sand based in the West End on Newman Street with manufacturing in the midi region near Montpelier in the South of France with retail outlets in Fenwicks on Bond Street. In 1990, she worked part-time with streetwear brand 21st State on a range of new-age clothing and t-shirts sold at Hyper Hyper and Kensington Market featuring motifs promoting peace and love as part of the emerging global movement for freedom and peace and equality, which became the foundation for the Rave music scene.

Conscious Earthwear in Vogue

Conscious Earthwear (1992–2002)

In 1992, Ratty followed her own strong belief in the need to be eco-conscious and founded Conscious Earthwear, a streetwear brand focused on conscious fashion to fill the gap. Launched at Interseason, the brand hit the market with sales internationally in Europe in boutiques and high-end stores such as Browns South Molton Street, Harrods and boutiques in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Conscious Earthwear collaborated with other brands, such as upcycling denim with Levi's, featuring in the opening of their flagship store on Regent Street in 1992. The brand also featured in publications such as [[I-D|i-D and Vogue and exhibitions, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum's London Street Style Exhibition (1994). The Jam exhibition at the Barbican and Brazil 1995/6. The brand developed a global following, and Conscious Earthwear was the poster child for the Uk Cool Britannia Campaign with runway shows in both Tokyo in Japan selling to high-end stores Isetan, and in Australia with shows in Sydney and Melbourne where Sarah was featured on TV and in Australian Vogue. A regular participant in fashion weeks in London, Paris, Milan, and Tokyo, the brand sold its first collection to the legendary Browns on South Molton Street and Harrods, and later Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge with a concession at Selfridges on Oxford Street from 1998 to 2000. Worn by a celebrity following its modern sportswear aesthetic appealed to young London musicians and was worn by bands from All Saints, Cher, to Steps famously featuring in their 1998 Heartbeat Christmas Special. Photographer Rankin also featured the clothes of singer Macy Gray in his book Rankin Works.

Conscious Earthwear in the Victoria & Albert Museum’s London Street Style Exhibition (1994).

Ciel (2003–2011)

In 2003, Ratty launched her second sustainable fashion brand Ciel, known for its feminine designs made from natural materials such as undyed baby Alpaca from Peru and organic cotton. The brand collaborated on its upcycled Liberty print cotton collection with the retailers Anthropologie, Whistles, and the organic cotton lingerie line for Topshop. Exhibitions included a collaboration between the restaurant Sketch and the Royal Academy of Arts for the show eARTh art in a changing world where Ciel dressed the hostesses for the show. The Craft Council exhibition Well Fashioned in Islington 2006. HRH King Charles Start Garden Party for a difference curated by Vivienne Westwood 2008 at Clarence House London.Featured on the runway at the United Nations Geneva Fashion Show for the launch of the International Year of Biodiversity in 2011, which was featured in Life magazine. Ratty led a panel on the topic "Rise of the ethical consumer" and spoke about the need for change, presenting a paper that laid out the guidelines for the Sustainable Development Goals for the fashion sector.

Ciel was shown at London official Fashion Week at Esthetica, 2006 and at Pret a Porter show in Paris, and Berlin Fashion Weeks. Ratty's designs appeared in various publications, including Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire and were sold at retailers such Nordstrom, Joyce, and Isetan. Championed by ethical fashion advocate Livia Firth after appearing on the same page in Vogue (date). Featured in the book Green is the New Black by Tamsin Blanchard.

Interior Design and Cielshop Interiors

In 2012, Ratty moved into interior design, founding Cielshop, an online store offering eco-friendly home furnishings. Selling initially through Not on the High Street and Houzz. Her collections featured natural materials such as organic cotton rugs, sustainable rattan, and mango wood furniture. Ciel Interior Design gained recognition for projects with Me Hotel's Sky Bar, Decorex Bar, and The Batman (2022). Ratty’s interior design work has been featured in publications such as World of Interiors, Elle Decoration, and Living Etc.

Advocacy and Sustainable Fashion Initiatives

Ratty has been a strong advocate for sustainable fashion, contributing to policy development, public engagement, and ethical standards within the industry. She co-founded and chaired the Ethical Fashion Forum (2005–2011), Joined the Pesticide Action Network Organic Cotton Working Committee and the Organic Cotton Textile Standards Committee in 2005 at Soil Association, which was pivotal to the development of the Global Organic Cotton Standards (GOTS) certification program, which established the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

An active figure in the sustainable fashion industry, Sarah has been invited to moderate discussions on sustainability at major events, including the opening session for the Fashion Africa Conference at City Hall, London, in 2019. COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow (2021). As a direct response to biodiversity loss locally in Sussex, Ratty created the Conscious Fashion Show at Soho House in 2023, planting over 300 trees as a result.

Ratty has worked with several charitable organizations, including the Soil Association and the Environmental Justice Foundation. She has organized charity fashion events such as the WarChild Charity Fashion Show (1992) and the Survival International Charity Fundraiser (1994). Worked behind the scenes with Ethical Fashion Forum Ghana, contributing to the Africa Fashion Exhibition at Victoria and Albert, a museum in London in 2022, and Stitched Art project for charity auction for How We Grow Foundation in Sri Lanka in 2024.

Awards and Recognition

Ratty’s contributions to sustainable fashion have earned her multiple awards, including:

• UKFE Ethical Fashion Export Award, presented by HRH Princess Anne (2006)
• Finalist for the Guardian Environmental Women Award (2006)
• UK Fashion Export Award for Ethical Fashion (2007)
• Observer Ethical Fashion Award (2009)
• British Chamber Awards for Sustainability, London South East (2011)
• Sustainable Business Award, London (2011)

Teaching and Mentorship

Ratty has also shared her expertise through teaching and mentoring. She has lectured at institutions such as UAL London College of Fashion, Central Saint Martins, and Brighton University, with a focus on sustainable design practices. Ratty continues to mentor emerging designers, helping shape the next generation of conscious fashion leaders. Creative Mentor Network, CMN, collaboration with Soho House 2023.

Personal Life

Outside of her professional work, Ratty is passionate about art, music, photography, gardening, and outdoor activities. She advocates for climate action and sustainable living and is fluent in both English and French.

Publications

Ratty’s work in sustainable fashion has been featured in several key publications, including:

• Fashioned from Nature (2018), by the Victoria & Albert Museum, ISBN: 9781851779451
• Eco-Chic: The Fashion Paradox (2011), by Sandy Black, ISBN: 9781906155094
• Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration (2010), ISBN: 9780956409515
• Eco Fashion (2010), by Sass Brown, ISBN: 9781856696913
• Green is the New Black (2007), by Tamsin Blanchard, ISBN: 9780340954300
• Rankinworks (2011), Liz Farrelly, ISBN: 13 978-1861541611