YOU'VE BOUGHT the charity Christmas cards and are looking forward to an organic turkey. Now, you can complete your fairtrade festive season with a party outfit from Scotland's first boutique to offer exclusively ethical clothes.

Carolyn Manson, whose shop, Bolshie, will be opening in Glasgow's west end in the next few weeks, said: "In terms of food you want organic for your own health, but in terms of organic clothes you want to buy it because it protects the health of the workers who are working with the pesticides and handling the wool.

"Bolshie is about organic, fairtrade, ethical and recycled clothes. I decided to do ready-to-wear as well as made-to-measure organic clothes but I wanted really cool stuff. I've got fairtrade and pesticide-free T-shirts for £10 and I stock No Sweat trainers which are all fairtrade, too."

With the UK spending £30 billion a year on clothes, the ethical clothing market is quickly becoming big business. According to the Co-op Bank, spending on ethical clothing rose by 17% to £273 million in 2003.

Manson's clothes will tonight feature in one of Scotland's first fairtrade catwalk shows. The Fashion With Passion event will exhibit new clothing companies and designers who sell organic, fairtrade or recycled clothes and jewellery.

Among the style experts appealing to consumers with a conscience tonight is Vivien Johnston, a jewellery designer from Glasgow. Johnston's company, Fifi Bijoux, has attracted the attention of department store giant Harvey Nichols, which is in talks with her to design a spring/summer collection for its stores.

Johnston's decision to start up her own ethical jewellery business in September came after years of working with other jewellers and learning about the human rights and environmental issues in diamond and gold mining.

"In India, they have children who are used to cut and polish the stones because they have small hands and good eyesight. The situation in Africa, the politics and how the mines help finance war, made me realise that I wanted to get away from that and start up on my own."

Johnston buys gold from South American co-operative mines where all the profits are distributed throughout the community and invested into education and health projects. The co-operatives also promise to replenish the land within three years to avoid environmental damage.

Johnston said: "Ethical fashion is really beginning to catch on and it's so far removed from that image of the tie-dye, sandal-wearing hippie, this is fashion for people who have the money to spend and want to do the right thing."

With the fairtrade and organic food industries booming, fashion houses have been quick to cash in on the eco-friendly pound. Marks & Spencer's new brand, Look Behind The Label, was launched in April, when it announced all its coffee and tea would be fairtrade, and in July it introduced fairtrade cotton jeans and babygrows into its stores.

Topshop has also joined with two new ethical concessions, Made jewellery and clothing company People Tree, who were invited to sell within the flagship store in Oxford Street in London.

Sarah Hunt-Smith from Kate's Originals, an organic tweed and tartan kilt company in Inveraray, said business is booming since she started up in 2005.

"I thought it was a shame that on other kilts the buckles and straps all came from China. Some manufacturers just seem interested in making the cheapest kilts in the quickest time. I think people are getting ripped off and I saw a gap in the market.

"Customers now don't just want a piece of clothing, they want a piece of history, too. When you buy a kilt from me I can tell you who wove the material, and if it's a tartan I hand-write a bit about the clan's history, and my customers are thrilled."

Fashion with Passion, tonight, 7.30pm at Gilmorehill12 theatre, Glasgow University.