Sustainable clothing has come a long way in terms of style options. You no longer have to choose between respecting the planet and wearing something other than a brown paper bag. (But if you’re into that, that’s cool!) Sustainable clothing companies are increasingly focused on using eco-friendly fabrics, promoting worker welfare, and reducing their environmental footprint overall.
Whether you’re going for effortless Parisian vibes, cuts your grandma would disapprove of, or if you just like to keep things simple, these sustainable clothing brands offer a little something for everyone.
Classic & Chic
Amour Vert is a parisian-inspired sustainable clothing brand. The style of their clothing somehow feels both laid-back and elevated. Think of them as a more sustainable version of Anthropologie or Madewell.
Highlights:
- Buy a tee, plant a tree program
- Small batch production to reduce waste
- Oeko-Tex certified silk
- Uses recycled wool
Everlane has started to take up a considerable amount of space in my own closet. Their clothes are truly for the environmentally-conscious, busy individual who wants clothes that will never go out of style.
Highlights:
- Radically transparent about their factories
- Denim factory recycles 98% water
- Sneakers are carbon neutral
- “Choose what you pay” sales help to keep their excess inventory out of landfills
Brother Vellies’ beautifully-curated collection of shoes and accessories are produced across the globe!
Their prices might come with a bit of sticker shock. However, they are committed to honoring the people who make our clothes and the places they come from. And shouldn’t we be doing that with our wardrobes anyway?
Highlights:
- Vegetable-tanned leathers
- Use of by-product materials
- No sales to ensure quality materials and fair labor practices
Christy Dawn is known for their flowy prints and easy-to-wear dresses. They also produce their clothes in limited quantities using extra (or deadstock) fabrics.
Their one-of-a-kind pieces are worth saving up for if you jive with their style.
- Clothes made from upcycled deadstock fabrics
- Each item has a bio from the person who makes it
- Workers are paid competitively and all have health benefits
Another french-girl clothing brand, Sezane, has made great strides in moving toward a more sustainable approach to their clothing.
Highlights:
Bright & Bold
Photo courtesy of brand
Orenda Tribe makes beautiful, brightly-colored garments from up-cycled fabrics! Founder Amy Yeung believes in creating with consciousness. Her garments are truly lifelong additions to any wardrobe!
Highlights:
- Handmade by indigenous artists
- Sustainable design process
- Clothing made from restored and vintage fabrics
Based in the UK, Lowie offers their own brand of clothing in addition to a curated collection of other eco-friendly brands. Their bright colors and bold prints might give you quirky art teacher vibes!
Highlights:
- Offers free repairs for life
- Certified Living Wage employer
- Reduced plastic packaging by 95%
Flowy, block-printed fabrics are at the forefront of this ethical clothing brand. Matter‘s clothing uses heritage prints made by Indian artisans.
Highlights:
- Natural, artisan-made dyes
- Eco-friendly fabrics
- Uses leftover fabrics for smaller collections
Simple & Effortless
Compared to other sustainable clothing brands, Pact is a relatively affordable option. Their simple, back-to-basics items make great closet staples.
Highlights:
- Fair Trade certified factories
- Organic GOTS certified cotton
- Affordable, sustainable basics
Kotn‘s primary fabric is (you guessed it) cotton. Their clothes are minimal and neutral-toned, which makes them easy to add to any wardrobe.
- Certified B Corp
- Direct trade provides better prices for both farmers and shoppers by cutting out middle-men
- Works directly with smallholder cotton farms to help them transition to organic
California-based brand, Synergy Organic Clothing offers simple tops, dresses, and activewear at a pretty reasonable cost; especially considering how committed they are to ethics and sustainability!
Highlights:
- Certified B Corp
- Fair Trade certified factories
- GOTS certified cotton
- Uses low-impact dyes, which uses less water in production
Eileen Fisher has been a leader in the sustainable fashion space for a long time. They create effortless clothing with sustainability and social responsibility at the core.
Highlights:
- Wool is certified to Responsible Wool Standard
- Supports regenerative agriculture, which helps to mitigate climate change
- Bluesign certified dyes
- Uses eco-friendly and recycled fabrics
- Created Waste No More, which turns extra fabric scraps into art
Outdoorsy
Patagonia is a paragon example of what sustainable and ethical clothing should be. Their clothes encourage wearers to enjoy the great outdoors but they’re also made with intentions to protect it!
- Worn wear take back program and second-hand shop
- Uses certitications like the Global Traceable Down standard, Fair Trade, Bluesign, and FSC
- Cotton grown using regenerative agriculture
Tentree is on a mission to plant A LOT of trees — 1 billion of them by 2030, to be exact. Their earth-first clothing is a chance to directly contribute to mitigating the negative impacts of climate change.
Highlights:
- For every item you buy, Tentree plants ten trees
- Climate+ packages offer an option to buy your own carbon offset pack
- Certified B Corp
Cotopaxi is an outdoor clothing brand that advocates for conscious capitalism as a tool to end poverty.
Highlights:
- Certified B Corp
- Fair Trade certified
- Cotopaxi Foundation awards grants to programs that help to eliminate poverty
- Offsets carbon emissions from shipping
Finisterre is a UK-based clothing brand born out of a desire to create sustainable clothing for people who love the sea. They’ve grown past their surf shop days and now offer a wide range of outdoor apparel.
Highlights:
- Certified B Corp
- Organic cotton
- Avoids all single-use plastic in their packaging
- Publishes information about their factories
United by Blue is all about keeping our oceans healthy by doing major trash cleanups. They also began as a surf shop, but have since expanded their clothing lines to anything and everything you could need for your outdoor excursions.
Highlights:
- Certified B Corp
- For every item purchased, United by Blue can remove 1 pound of trash from the ocean
- Goal to remove all single-use plastics from supply chain by spring 2020
Athletic
(or Althleisure, up to you)
Ecoalf believes that recycled and upcycled materials are the best path forward for creating a circular economy. By using materials that are already in the waste stream, Ecolaf doesn’t rely as heavily on using more natural resources.
Highlights:
- Uses ocean waste and other recycled materials to clean up the planet
- Recycled materials limits the need for using additional natural resources to produce their clothes
- Shipping materials are plastic-free and only made from recycled paper
Girlfriend Collective keeps you looking good while also keeping plastic out of landfills and the ocean. Their size-inclusive, colorful assortment of leggings and activewear will keep you feeling cute and comfortable during your workout (or if you just want to lounge around).
Highlights:
- Each pair of leggings is made with 25 upcycled plastic water bottles
- Oeko-Tex certified
- Factory workers are paid a fair, living wage
Organic Basics is focused on making staple intimates, tees, and activewear designed to last. They’re tracking their environmental footprint in their impact reports and are always looking forward to continuously improve.
Highlights:
Groceries Apparel traces everything that goes into their activewear and cozy basics from farm to factory. They also manufacture their clothes in their own Los Angeles-based factory, where they can closely monitor and ensure the welfare of their workers.
Highlights:
- Only uses recycled and Fair Trade ingredients
- Factory workers receive living wages
- Uses vegetable dyes for some of their garments
- Eco-friendly and recycled fabrics
Mate the Label definitely errs more on the side of athleisure in this category. Their tees, joggers, and matching sets are the perfect compliment to a chill day at home; and yet they also feel sophisticated enough to wear out and about!
Highlights:
- Organic GOTS certified fabrics
- Low-impact dyes, which means they use less water
- Locally manufactured to reduce carbon footprint
The clothes you choose should be a reflection of your own personal style. And these brands offer an opportunity to do just that without sacrificing ethics and sustainability.
By investing in and being more intentional about the clothes you choose, you’ll also be more likely to keep them longer — which means you’ll also be helping to keep clothes out of landfills!
Do you have any favorite sustainable clothing brands? Let us know in the comments!
