Yorkshire ethical fashion brand Conscious Apparel gathers friends to showcase SS23 collection in York

York-based ethical fashion brand Conscious Apparel stayed home for its artfully beautiful fashion shoot, as founder Sylvia Schroer tells Stephanie Smith. Pictures by Deborah Stevenson.
Stephanie Smith
By Stephanie Smith
Published 9th Jun 2023, 08:00 GMT

Before she gathered together her team of models, Sylvia Schroer decided to come up with a description of the woman that she and Conscious Apparel co-founder Karin Barter envisage wearing their clothes. “She is a free spirit. Nobody tells her what to do,” says Sylvia. “She doesn’t follow fashion, she sets her own. She is probably well-travelled, and she is quite creative.”

This description fits both Sylvia and Karin themselves. The friends first met many years ago on a bus travelling to India and then teamed up for more adventures, taking in Iran, Pakistan and Syria.

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They lost touch but reconnected in recent years and found they still shared interests, especially for ethical fashion. Sylvia’s mother, Irmgard Chapman, had been a fashion entrepreneur in the 1960s and 70s. After her death in 2013, Sylvia began working at popular ethical fashion boutique Maude & Tommy in York. When it closed in 2019, she decided to start her own business and invited Karin, who had recently retired from teaching, to join her.

Ruth wears green velvet coat by Afterlife £180, dip dye New York Dress by Cofur, £125, and handchiffon scarf by Nila Rubia, £48, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.Ruth wears green velvet coat by Afterlife £180, dip dye New York Dress by Cofur, £125, and handchiffon scarf by Nila Rubia, £48, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.
Ruth wears green velvet coat by Afterlife £180, dip dye New York Dress by Cofur, £125, and handchiffon scarf by Nila Rubia, £48, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.

Sylvia lives near Rowntree Park in York, where she also practises acupuncture and cranio-sacral therapy and is a Chinese herbalist. Karin recently moved from Epping to Malton to be close to family – and that means customers will, when the house is ready, be able to visit for actual try-ons and fittings, bringing personal service to their mainly online brand. Sylvia says: “People love the experience of shopping and they like to try things on. It’s great fun dressing women and saying, why don’t you try this style, and getting people into clothes that they might not have thought about wearing.

“When you are getting older, you can be invisible. We want to wear clothes that reflect who we are. We don’t want to disappear.”

Karin and Sylvia work with designers and manufacturers to create timeless pieces - printed floaty dresses and skirts, jackets of all lengths, dressing gowns, scarves - using sustainable fabrics including bamboo silk, organic cottons, velvets and hemp. Brands offered include Nila Rubia, a British company that makes clothes in India including hand-blocked prints; Afterlife Projects, based in Kolkata; Cofur, a Danish brand that makes upcycled sari products, and India-based Yavi.

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To showcase the latest Conscious Apparel collections, the home of artist and jewellery maker Ruth Claydon of Moth + Magpie (which collaborates with and is stocked at Conscious Apparel), in the Leeman Road area of York, became a beautifully atmospheric location. Ruth also styled the backdrops using her own work. “She had just done open studios so she had all these beautiful paintings on the walls and the house looked amazing. The models were channelling this creative spirit,” Sylvia says.

Trisha wears Ruby dress £109 and Chiffon scarf £48 by Nila Rubia, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.Trisha wears Ruby dress £109 and Chiffon scarf £48 by Nila Rubia, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.
Trisha wears Ruby dress £109 and Chiffon scarf £48 by Nila Rubia, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.

Ruth makes jewellery collections exclusively for Conscious Apparel, using salvaged and found treasures and artefacts. She can often be found mudlarking on the banks of the River Thames.

Some of the shoot pictures were taken in Ruth’s kitchen because photographer Deborah Stevenson wanted to capture and play out the juxtaposition of luxurious, beautiful clothes being worn to do the housework. Sylvia says: “That really reflects what we are trying to say. You can go to a wedding in that outfit, and you can make your dinner, and be totally comfortable.”

Karin was taking a well-earned holiday when the shoot took place but Sylvia modelled some designs, alongside a team of friends and Conscious Apparel wearers. Holly Firth-Davies recently retired from her role as a social prescribing link worker, referring people to a variety of organisations, counsellors and social groups, helping them make decisions to improve their health and wellbeing. She says her desire for beautiful clothes started with the patterns and fabrics of her mother’s dresses in the 1950s, leading to a lifelong love of vintage.

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Jen Dring is a York-based artist working under the name Who Do You Say I Am. She chooses clothes to work in harmony with her life, meeting the practical demands of her roles as artist and mother.

Sylvia wears dip dye Goa dress £125 and New York gilet £99, both by Cofur, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.Sylvia wears dip dye Goa dress £125 and New York gilet £99, both by Cofur, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.
Sylvia wears dip dye Goa dress £125 and New York gilet £99, both by Cofur, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.

Originally from America, Renee uses her passion for dance in her work with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) York, part of an international missionary organisation, based at the Barnabas Centre (Deborah Stevenson is also YWAM York’s photographer and social media curator). Renee dresses with flair and confidence, combining her unique finds in unusual ways to create her brand of timeless style.

Trisha is an aspiring analyst, a former York student who has embraced the city’s fashion while also cherishing her heritage from Northern India. She likes to mix clothes bought in York with treasured pieces from her homeland. “Trisha's style serves as a reminder that fashion is not just about following trends but also about personal expression, cultural appreciation, and celebrating individuality,” Sylvia says.

Ruma (Trisha's mother) is a Christian Evangelist from India, a wife and a mother who believes that style should not come at the expense of comfort. Sylvia says: “Her fashion choices seamlessly blend elements from pan cultures, creating a harmonious and unique wardrobe that reflects her personal taste and values.”

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Conscious Apparel future plans including working with a company in India on a collection using upcycled and recycled sari silk. They often collaborate with suppliers on designs. Sylvia designed the gold jacket featured here, working with Afterlife. “I love antique gold. It goes with so many colours,” she says. “And I love a jacket that looks like it’s worn already.”

Renee wears reversible kantha stitched Anju coat by Nila Rubia £150, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.Renee wears reversible kantha stitched Anju coat by Nila Rubia £150, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.
Renee wears reversible kantha stitched Anju coat by Nila Rubia £150, all from Conscious Apparel, picture taken in York by Deborah Stevenson.

Elegance, luxury, not trying too hard and, most of all, free-spirited approach to life and style. It’s a heavenly blend.

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