SIKA and you shall find.
We can't get enough of Sika's gorgeous Ghanaian colours and prints

Once in a while you come across a label that really stands out from the clothes rail, so to speak, for both its style and substance. Sika has been quietly attracting a cult following amongst ethically-minded fashionistas and celebs including Jamelia and Louise Redknapp for some time now. The label's founder, Phyllis Taylor, uses vintage fabrics sourced from Ghanaian markets to make her fabulous creations. Think full-skirted dresses in vibrant shades of emerald green and peacock blue, with bold, graphic floral prints, and quirky skirts and shirts with a retro twist. All pieces are hand-made by local seamstresses in Ghana using traditional techniques such as tie-dye and batik and the income received from their sale goes back into the local community.

Not content with making the coolest frocks on the block, Sika have also joined forces with Soul of Africa to design sandals which are hand-made in Ghana from the same distinctive printed fabric as the clothing. The two styles are named Aya and Asaba (which mean ‘not afraid' and ‘to come back again' in the traditional Ghanaian dialect Twi).

All manufacturing profit goes directly to the upkeep and schooling of young orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS. .

Eco-chic never looked so good.

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The Wish List. Our pick of the week's most desirable things - and they could all be yours.

Sika's African print shirt dress has been a bestseller this summer and it's easy to see why.

10 Best Fair Fashion

With big names such as Stella McCartney and Katharine Hamnett, hot boutique labels Annie Greenabelle and Sika Designs, and well-known favourites like People Tree, ethical fashion is where it's at. The choice is now so great, and the styles produced (from skinny jeans and prom dresses to perfect tees and killer heels) so on-trend, there has never been a better time to align your sartorial and ethical stances.

Spellbinding vintage look of West Africa.
The rich and diverse culture of Ghana in West Africa is the inspiration behind Sika's spring/summer collection, Spellbound.

Mixing vintage West African textiles with contemporary designs, Greenwich-based designer Phyllis Taylor has created a wearable, feminine and unique range of clothes.

The Spellbound collection includes Batik printed full-skirts, tie-dye asymmetric dresses, printed shirt dresses, wide-legged denim trousers, backless maxi-dresses, empire-line dresses, playsuits and wrap tops.

Key colours are emerald and turquoise mirroring the natural elements of the West African landscape.

All Sika collections are produced in Ghana, and each fabric is sourced from local markets and hand-made using age old methods such as wax prints, tie-dye and batiks.

The Stylista's Green Guide.

No hemp smocks or hand-knitted pullovers here, just eco-chic 'It' buys - green but totally gorgeous. Who knew?

1. Sika's Hot Frocks
Locally produced fabrics, handcrafted in Ghana - Sika's new line of prom frocks and playsuits are to die for, proving eco-chic really has gone glam.

L'Afrique, c'est chic.

African style hits London's streets.

Sika Designs, run by Phyllis Taylor, is the matriarch of the Afri-print fashion scene. It carries a line of high-end frocks and has an impressive client list that includes Jamelia, Angie Le Mar and Louise Redknapp. All the fabric is sourced from Ghanaian markets and made in Ghana by local seamstresses.

Sika's customer base stretches way beyond London's African community to women of all ethnicities and ages. Their customers are united, says Taylor, by a 'love of print', as well as a 'wear it and be damned' attitude.

'Londoners mix things up', she says. 'You can wear what you want and no one will stare, so people feel comfortable to be themselves and not conform. That's why African print clothes have been embraced so quickly. They're beautiful and different, and that's what fashion-conscious Londoners want.'

Season in the sun.

Western designers are often timid when it comes to colour and prints - but this season we're falling in love with African style.

My Lust List.

We are crazy for this new label produced in Sika designer Phyllis Taylor's native Ghana. The ‘Spellbound' shirtdress is top of our wish list.

Tribal prints rule in the urban jungle for summer.

….What has got us yet more excited is the new collection by Ghanaian Phyllis Taylor 's label, Sika. She sources fabrics from markets in Ghana and gives back to the community by making sure all of the production takes place locally. The results are not just wearable but desirable, too. Shirt dresses - in aqua tones, full skirted, with sculptural puff shoulders and cinched or bow waists – worship the female form, while classic capes come in terracotta-toned prints and a pencil skirt is paired with a forties style blouse printed with leaves and blooms….

Christmas Gift Guide

Sika Shirt Dress.
These beautifully made African-print dresses will never date and look great day and night.

Styles

Runway Africa, at the French Embassy features a fashion show of styles by rising African designers like Sika.

Well adorned.
Natural hairstyles and great accessories make excellent bed fellows. Irene Shelly checked out the hot new stars at the Adornment Show.

Get Shirty.
This lovely shirt dress in a Ghanaian print is the creation of Phyllis Taylor of Sika Designs. Shirt dresses are big news this summer and this one is cute! Sika works closely with local traders using traditional fabrics such as tie and dye, batiks and wax prints and produces and clothes in Ghana .

Culture Club.
When it comes to culture, London 's bubbling pot of transculturals are mashing it up and doing it their way.

This week's most wanted.

Unique handmade prints (picked up in African markets) plus contemporary 1950s shape equal a serious style statement. Check out Sika, the newest cool contender in London 's style arena. The queue for this curvaceous number is already forming, so log on asap for more Goldcoast and Wonderland collections.