10 sustainable fashion brands (that really are sustainable)
1. Underwear — Organicbasics
This Danish brand knows how to make comfortable underwear with sustainability integrated into every process from design for quality, and durability to the selection of fabrics and the working conditions in their factories. As Organicbasics is a BCertified corporation (read more about BCorps here), you know that they can be trusted.
Ps. they even have a low impact website designed to reduce the electricity usage of its visitors(!)
2. Basic wear — The Classic T-shirt company
The Classic T-shirt Company makes exactly what the brand name promises — classic sustainable t-shirts with long or short sleeves to a reasonable price. Their organic cotton fabrics are prewashed to prevent shrinking and to reassure a good and lasting fit. Quality, local and ethical production as well as longevity, and durable design lay the foundation of this Californian t-shirt company.
3. Activewear — Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective was created with the purpose to be as transparent as possible and every part of their processes has been thoroughly assessed for sustainability. GC is all about treating the garments with the respect and care that they deserve through good fit and thoughtful design. GC is certified with both SA8000 — meaning that their factory workers have fair working conditions, are well-paid, and live safe and healthy lives — as well as Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex which reassures that the fabric used in their garments doesn’t contain harmful substances.
4. Fun wear — House of Sunny
House of Sunny is fun and fair. Founded by Sunny Williams in Hackney in East-London in 2011, House of Sunny design elegant yet quirky high-quality tailored 70's luxury garments, created to last through both changes of seasons and trends. The brand takes an active standpoint and pride in designing and working against fast-fashion, and with sustainability integrated into everything from design to customer purchase. House of Sunny use vegan leather, recycled materials, and in order to reduce waste, they work with carefully calculated placements of the prints on their garments. They are also providing an extremely detailed overview of the measurements of each garment, providing the customer with a better understanding of the right fit and to reduce the number of returns and transports.
5. Classic wear — BITE
BITE describes themselves as “A modern sustainable fashion brand”. Founded in Stockholm and London in 2016, BITE design modern yet classic luxury womenswear with the philosophy to only design garments with a purpose and with materials that have the lowest possible impact. To fulfill this vision, they solely use quality materials that should last a lifetime, and design garments that never go out of style.
6. Office wear — 17h10
Founded by two colleagues Amélie and Caroline, 17h10 is a Paris-based brand focusing on women’s tailoring. 17h10 offer both ready to wear and customized sized costumes for the perfect fit. Designed in Paris, produced in a family-owned factory in Portugal solely using the finest Italian silk, sustainability is present throughout the value chain.
For all francophones that are interested in starting their own business, tune in the two co-founders’ podcast “Commencer” where you get to follow the successes and setbacks on their start-up journey.
7. Shoe wear — RAFA
REFA is an LA-based brand focused on local craftsmanship, quality, and timeless design of luxury footwear. Their sandals, pumps, and suede boots are available in many different colors, and customers can even customize their own color-combination after their own individual preference. All shoes are handmade in a local LA-workshop using ecologically-friendly materials and processes. Bonus points for their smart, yet simple, sizing-chart that can be downloaded and measured against your foot to measure the exact fit and to reduce the number of transports and returns.
8. Leg wear — Swedish Stockings
Swedish Stockings produce quality pantyhose and hosier made out of recycled yarn from pre- and postconsumer waste. They exclusively work with zero-waste factories, powered by solar-energy and they purify the water used in the dying-process. Customers are also invited to support their mission to clean up the Hosiery industry via their “Recycling Club” where Customers who send back three pairs of synthetic pantyhose (of any brand!) will receive a 10% discount code on their next purchase.
9. Jeans wear — Nudie Jeans
Nudie Jeans claim to tell “The naked truth about denim” and take the lead in the jeans industry and become the most sustainable denim company. This Swedish brand was founded in Gothenburg in 2001 and today, all Nudie jeans produced are made out of 100% organic cotton. Nudie is reselling used jeans, offer free jeans-repairs, and in 2019 they even launched a “recycled capsule collection” — completely made up of recycled jeans. Nudie is a member of FairWear Foundation which certifies sustainable and fair working conditions for workers throughout their supply chain.
10. Used wear —
The tenth and last brand on this list is any brand that has already been used by someone else. Buying a used garment, and so extending its lifecycle, is better than buying any other new garment — also from a sustainable brand. By doing so you’re not exploiting more resources from the earth as you instead are reusing resources that already have been added to the system. Used clothing can be found all over the internet, just go on eBay, Etsy, Vestaire Collective, or Instagram.
To find more ethical and sustainable brands, Good On You evaluate and rates ethical fashion brands and DoneGood is a search engine for ethical brands.
