Sustainable clothing brands aren’t just great to have on your radar for Earth Month, especially if you’re serious about dressing in a more ethical and durable way.
More and more brands are focusing on producing fewer, better quality and season-less clothes that customers won’t grow tired of, thus stopping them from ending up in landfill.
But with so much sustainable fashion around, how to pick the right one, especially when so many are guilty of greenwashing? Here’s a guide to help you.
Sustainable clothing brands
From the sourcing of the fabrics to manufacturing, transport and right down to selling and recycling, there are loads of areas to look at when it comes to sustainability. To be perfectly honest, no brand is fully sustainable yet, but every small step helps to achieve the bigger goal.
Some high-street chains are investing in more durable and sustainable fabrics and recycled packaging, in a bid to hopefully offset the quantity of clothes they produce. Other smaller brands are focused on recycled and sustainable fabrics, and smaller production runs to use less energy. I know not everyone can afford ethical labels, as they tend to be costlier, since the clothes cost more to make than if they were produced in sweatshops. However, there are some affordable brands in the below round-up.
Ethical clothing brands
There is a lot of confusion between the terms ‘sustainable’ and ‘ethical’, and the two aren’t the same. There are different ways to produce ethical clothing, and according to the Ethical Fashion Forum, they fall into three categories, social, environmental and commercial, specifically tackling these issues:
- Countering fast, cheap fashion and damaging patterns of fashion consumption
- Defending fair wages, working conditions and workers’ rights, and supporting sustainable livelihoods
- Addressing toxic pesticide and chemical use, using and/or developing eco- friendly fabrics and components
- Minimising water use
- Recycling and addressing energy efficiency and waste
- Developing or promoting sustainability standards for fashion
- Providing resources, training and/or awareness raising initiatives
- Protecting animal rights
Keep scrolling to discover my favourite sustainable clothing brands – and while you’re here, shop our favourite ethical jewellery brands too.
