Sustainable Clothing Brands

I wanted to create this list of sustainable and ethical clothing brands for a long time to be a resource to all who are striving to change their habits around fast fasion and the modern cycle of overconsumption. Every time we need (or let’s be honest, want) a new garment,  it’s easy to fall into a spiral of research, wanting to only invest in pieces that are made with sustainable practices. This process can be overwhelming, disheartening, and most of all discouraging. That’s why I put this list together (for myself, as much as for all of you) to take the guess work out of shopping ethically and sustainably.

Here you’ll find a directory of brands with links *some of which are affiliate links* I’ve come across that meet my standards of being ethical and sustainable; I realize that is subjective but this is my blog, so I make the rules. Below the directory is an outline of what each brand is doing to be ethical and sustainable. I encourage you to save this post to a favorites tab in your browser so you always have it. 

This list is always growing as I learn of more brands, so keep checking back as it will be ever evolving. I am always on the hunt for more sustinable brands, and if there are brands I’ve not yet added that you’d like to see on this list please contact me and let me know!

Classic fashion and accessories for women

• uses recycled/repurposed shipping boxes.
• low waste leather, jewelry, and denim production.
• uses recycled silver for jewelry and recycled cotton for clothes.
• sources materials from ethical/sustainable vendors.
• uses environmentally friendly alternatives to hash chemicals and prufies water used in denim production.
• cotton is produced at a zero-waste and GOTS certified facility.

Shop Able here* and learn about their sustainable practices here. 

Fair trade accessories and home decor

• items are handmade using traditional techniques that preserve cultural heritage in the areas in which they are made.
• fair trade certified.
• works with marginalized communities to help them become economically self sufficient.
• high focus on humanitarian causes and philanthropy.
• ETHICAL

Shop here* and learn about their ethical practices here. 

Comfy basics for men and women

• uses recycled cotton and GOTS Certified 100% organic cotton.
• uses hemp fibers in their fabrics.
• uses TENCEL™ Modal fibers in their fabrics which are extracted from naturally grown beech wood by an environmentally responsible process.

Shop here* and learn about their sustainanable materials here. 

Fashion and loungewear for women

• items are made in limited quantities to eliminate excess waste.
• they plant a tree for every tee shirt bought.
• uses sustainable and renewable materials such as TENCEL™ Modal, ethical wool, and Mulberry Silk  which is highly renewable, non-toxic, and has a low water footprint. 
• packaging is made from recycled materials, is compostable, and uses soy based ink.
• items are made in California which means smaller carbon footprint for those living in the U.S.

Shop here* and learn about their sustainable practices here. 

High quality clothing and accessories for women

• uses small family run vendors with emphasis on fair labor conditions.
• raw materials are sourced close to the factories in which the clothes are made. A tight knit supply chain minimizes carbon footprint of a garment.
• most of their products are made with environmental certifications for sustainability (70-90%)
• by 2022 they committ to using 100% sustainable sources materials.
• products are made in small batches to minimize excess waste.
• offers repair services for well loved and worn garments to extend its life.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable practices here. 

Timeless high quality basics for women

• created a clothing take back program, where they buy or take back old/worn designs and use the fabric to remake them into new designs, reducing clothing waste.
• increasing use of regenerative fibers, which support biodiversity and restores the land.
• create non trendy, timeless designs that are meant to be worn for many years, reducing clothing waste.
• offset all of their electricity in their stores and offices.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable practices here. 

Everyday fashions for women and men

• strong emphasis on using ethical factories with healthy working conditions and fair wages.
• non trendy, timeless designs, meant to last.
• transparency across the supply chain so people know exactly what they are paying for.

In my research I wasn’t able to find much about sustainability practices, rather Everlane is focused on transparency and ethical factory conditions, which is still pretty cool and worth celebrating. Shop here* and learn about their ethical practices and transparency here. 

Activewear and loungewear

• tees and tanks are 100% cupro, a fiber made from waste the cotton industry leaves behind.
• yarn is made in a zero-waste, zero-emission facility.
• bras and leggings are made fromrecycled post-consumer water bottles.
• some leggings are made from recycled fishing nets and other waste using ECONYL® yarn.
• their manufacturing operation adheres to super strict regulations that keep factory employees well-paid, safe, and living healthy lives.
• fabric is dyed with eco-friendly dyes and the wastewater is cleaned and cooled before it is released.

Shop here* and learn more about their recycled fabrics here.  They also get bonus points (in my book) for featuring a variety of body types and skin colors across their marketing. Inclusivity and diversity for the win!

Basics for men, women, and home

• uses direct trade from independent and family owned farmers, cutting out the middle men ensures better prices for customers and higher wages for farmers.
• going 100% organic cotton within the next 5 years.
• helping small farms setup systems to go organic so they aren’t left behind.
• fair and equal pay in factories.
• cotton used is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable and ethical farmining initiatives. here. 

Activewear for men and women

• use of sustainable materials such as fabrics made from recycled PET(Polyethylene terephthalate),  ethically-sourced wool, recycled wool,  and cotton certifiefd by Better Cotton Initiative.

• use of packaging that is both recycled and recyclable such as reusable totes in lieu of paper or plastic bags, 100% recycled paper envelopes/recyclable boxes and replacing poly bags (the plastics that protect clothing in-transit) with paper alternatives.

• goals: eliminate all waste from community events, with 90% landfill diversion, launch clothing take-back and repair programs, and increase use of  fibers from recycled sources seasonally.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable initiatives here. 

Organic cotton basics for men, women, children, and home

• uses organic cotton.
• partners with fair trade factories.
• carbon offset for all shipped items.
• all packaging is recycled and recyclable.
• plastic packaging is biodegradable.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable initiatives here. 

Fair trade everyday fashion for women

• 93% of People Tree cotton in 2018 was Global Organic Textile Standard Certified Cotton (GOTS) which meets strict environmental and social criteria during processing.
• only uses natural fibers that use closed loop processes such as Lenzing certified TENCEL. 

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable initiatives here. 

Slow fashion for petites 

• Work exclusively with one factory as to ensure a high quality environment and (more than) fair wages and benefits.
• all items are made in the same factory, reducing carbon footprint.
• repurposes fabric scraps into scrunchies and scarves ro reduce wasted fabric.
•  small batch priduction of clothing to reduce clothing waste.
• all items are designed and manufactured in a “slow” process, ensuring high quality to items life spand is longer than the average.

Shop here* and learn more about their ethical and sustainable practices. 

Trendy clothing and accessories

•  suppliers are required meet standards for social responsibility, safe & non-toxic, and better materials.
• transparency: the environmental impact of each garment is calculated and shared on each product page. 
• invests in programs that offset and replace the resources they spend during manufacturing. 
• Net-zero carbon emissions.
• source electricity offsets from wind power. 

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable practices here. 

French fashion for women

• uses eco friendly materials: 63% of silk is Oeko-Tex 100 certified, 86% of cotton is organic, 54% of viscose is FSC Mix certified, 61% of leather is vegetable tanned, chrome-free or metal-free.
• All new models in denim are created using organic and GOTS certified cotton, and the water used during their production is recycled.
  
• Leisurewear is composed of pieces made from lyocell and recycled polyester or GOTS certified cotton.
  
• Cashmere jumpers are composed of recycled fibers that reduce CO2 emissions by 97% compared to conventional cashmere.
• 100% of shipping boxes are now made from recycled cardboard and/or are derived from sustainably-managed forests.
• 100% of their locations are powered by renewable energy.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable practices here. 

High end women’s fashion

• all stores us green energy, sustainable building materials, save water, ensure that waste is recycled.
• vegetarian company: none of their products contain leather, fur, exotics skins or feathers – and none of the glues used in shoes or bags come from animal origins.
• utilising cutting edge technologies to create alternative materials that are more sustainable.
• pushing towards circularity in the fashion industry.

Shop here* and learn more about their extensive committment to the environment here. 

Everyday fashion for men and women

• suppliers and their supply chains must commit to their Environmental Policy.
• source natural, sustainable yarns that use less water, fewer pesticides, and create less CO2.
• upcycle their leftover fabric at source so to reduce waste and create new products.
• 90% of packaging is recyclable
• 90% of items are PETA approved.
• fair trade and GOTS certified teeshirts
• uses organic cotton, vegan clue, and biodegradable garment bags.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable initiatves here. 

Casual comfy loungewear

• uses Lenzing Modal, a fabric that is derived from the bark of beech trees and is biodegratable and compostable.
• use sGOTS certified organic cotton.
• polyeter and nylon used in their fabrics are made from recycled plastic waterbottles and fishing nets.
• their factories use less than half of the water typically usef for a garment.
• 80% of waste water is recycled and reused.
• transparent about their environmental impact.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable practices here. 

Everyday clothing for women

• small batch clothing production.
• consciously sources fabrics.
• responsible manufacturing practices such as living wages for workers, healthy factory environments, and reasonable hours).
• quality garments designed to last.

Shop here* and learn more about their sustainable practices here. 

Casual fashion and home

• uses sustainable sources materials for fabrics such as recycled polyester, Tencel, and Repreve.

Shop here* and learn about their sustainable fabrics here. 

I’ll be honest, their website didn’t go into great detail about their sustainable manufacturing processes or materials. I make a note of this here becuase while it’s worth checking out I am weary of companies greenwashing and making sustinable claims that aren’t substantiated with data and figures on their websites.