5 Sustainable Brands You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
If you’re looking to get more involved in sustainable fashion and buying clothing items that don’t exploit workers, degrade the environment, or operate under unsafe factory conditions, consider checking out these sustainable brands. While conscientious shopping is often more expensive and requires a little bit of time and research, the pay off is great when you can wear clothes that will last a long time and know that no one suffered for their production. In an age of fast fashion and excessive clothing hauls, dip your feet in the world of sustainable fashion to start making a positive difference.
1. Everlane
Everlane is not only a sustainable brand but also one focused on transparency for consumers. They showcase the exact factories where their garments are made and explain each of the markups. All of their factories are also audited and scored to ensure the quality and ethics of each production facility are up to par. They have a wide array of clothing options including outerwear, shoes, accessories, and, of course, clothes. Plus, both their men and women’s clothing options are simple enough to wear season after season.
2. Reformation
Reformation is a particularly environmentally conscious brand. They use a “Refscale,” to calculate the environmental impacts of any particular clothing item, assessing for things like water usage, waste produced, and carbon dioxide emissions. They also invest in green infrastructure and offsets to further minimize their impact on the environment. The best part? Their pieces are beautiful and come in sizes from 0 to 24. You can read about their sustainable practices on their website, which not only delves into who they will buy from, where they will source material from, and what kinds of factories they’ll operate in, but even talks about the recycled furniture and pens they use in their offices. Talk about attention to detail!
3. People Tree
This sustainable brand from the UK focuses its efforts on treating people right. The company is Fair Trade Certified which means it adheres to strict working condition and quality wage standards and has made a public commitment to maintaining them. The clothes themselves are also largely sustainable, made from organic cotton and low impact dyes. Unlike some brands, they have a really wide range to choose from including undergarments and loungewear.
4. Athleta
Sustainable brands aren’t just limited to basic t-shirts and plain pairs of pants. Athleta is an activewear company that offers leggings, swimsuits, and sports bras that perform as well as other top athleisure companies. However, more than 60 percent of their materials are sustainable. Organic cotton and recycled polyester are used in manufacturing which always takes place in Fair Trade Certified factories.
5. Cuyana
Cuyana is a sustainable clothing company that uses smart business practices to cut down on their environmental impact. They use factories that are close to the source material to decrease transportation costs on the front end of manufacturing. Also, on top of their beautiful clothing collections, they offer amazing accessories like bags and shoes, and all of their products are built to last. Check out their leather totes, alpaca sweaters, and playful tops. They also partnered with H.E.A.R.T., an organization that helps victims of abuse. By selecting “Lean Closet” when you check out, you will be sent a linen bag to fill with clothing items you no longer need. They pay for you to ship it back, and you get $10 off your next Cuyana purchase. Clearly, their brand is about more than looking good, it’s about doing good, too.
