We’re talking about sustainable fashion and beauty brands in honor of Earth Day!
Why Sustainable Fashion?
You’re probably heard the term “fast fashion”. “Fast fashion” is defined by clothing that is cheaply made or intended for short-term use. “Sustainable fashion” is actually just the opposite. Also referred to as “slow fashion” or “ethical fashion”, it takes into account the full lifecycle of the product. That lifecycle includes everything: design, sourcing and production process.
Those sustainable fashion companies are also transparent with their practices and supply and shoppers can easily learn and track their efforts. They also source and use sustainable materials, such as natural fibers, recycled nylons, and polyesters derived from plastic, waste remnants, or other innovative fabrics. Being good to the environment also extends to caring for the people making the garments. Conscious brands commit to fair and ethical labor practices. Almost all of these companies have a dedicated section on their website to share their sustainability efforts.
More interested in Sustainable Beauty? Jump to the Beauty Section!
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Best Sustainable Clothing Brands
To put together this list of the top 10 best sustainable clothing brands, we did in-depth research on who was considered the best brands from multiple sites. From there, we compared which brands were on multiple lists. (We’ve listed our sources below). These are the brands that we saw almost everyone raving about.
These companies share different reasons for being on this list. Many are for the materials they use, others also include how they treat their workers. One company even publishes their worker wages on their website. Other companies, such as Levi’s and Eileen Fisher, even have a section on their website where you can buy second hand items. There are lots of reasons to love all of these companies.
We’ve included links to all their sites and then picked a few favorite pieces as well!
Everlane
Everlane is the one company that we saw on pretty much everyone’s list. It had the most “votes” in our research. Everlane focuses on ethics and transparency and prides itself on an entirely transparent supply chain and partners with the best ethical factories around the world.
The brand is popular for its versatile selection of T-shirts, cashmere and leather accessories.
Categories: Women, Men, Shoes, Bags & Accessories
Sizes: XXS-XXXL
Price Range: Avg $20 – $150 (bags higher)
Three Pieces We Liked:
Reformation
They are known for their dresses, especially wedding guest dresses but they’re of substance, too. The extensive collection is made from low-impact fabrics, dead-stock materials, or repurposed vintage wares in sustainable facilities. They have trendy pieces and formalwear also.
Categories: Women’s clothing, shoes and bags
Sizes: XS-XL and 0-12 (standard sizes), XL-3XL and 14-24 (extended sizes)
Price Range: Avg $90 – $280
Three Pieces We Liked:
Outerknown
Cofounded by pro surfer Kelly Slater, Outerknown embraces the laidback California lifestyle while remaining committed to sustainability. The brand is accredited with the Fair Labor Association and uses eco-friendly materials including Econyl (which turns fishing nets and other plastic waste into regenerated fibers), organic cotton, and ocean plastic buttons in the denim.
The brand started out as menswear but now includes women’s clothing as well. Their “blanket shirt” for both men and women is one of their more popular items. Since they are known for men’s swimwear, we’re including a pair below.
Categories: Women’s, Men’s, Bags
Sizes: XS – XL
Price Range: Avg $50 – $250
Three Pieces We Liked:
Patagonia
Patagonia is known for being one of the most eco-conscious companies out there. In addition to using more sustainable materials when it can, it helps you repair your clothes and gear to make them last longer and it has collections that are Fair Trade Certified and Bluesign approved (which means the supply chain is closely monitored to make sure it’s safe for the environment, workers and consumers). Patagonia also buys and resells its own styles, so you can get credit for bringing in your old Patagonia clothing or buy something pre-owned for a lower cost.
Categories: Women’s, Men’s, Kids, Baby, Outdoor Gear
Sizes: XXS-XXXL
Price Range: Avg $40 – $250
Three Pieces We Liked:
PACT
All the cotton garment from Pact are certified organic by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard). This means that entire manufacturing process follows organic guidelines. They are also Fair Trade Certified, which includes ethical factors like wages and working conditions.
They specialize in mostly cotton basics including pajamas and maternity.
Categories: Women’s, Men’s, Home
Sizes: XS-XXL
Price Range: Avg $20 – $120
Three Pieces We Liked:
ABLE
Able’s mission is to employ and empower women through slow fashion. Providing jobs with livable wages to disadvantaged women and creating ethical working conditions, it strives for positive social impact. The even publish their wages on their website.
They use durable and naturally-occurring materials like leather for their bags and shoes and cotton for their clothes.
Categories: Women’s, Bags, Jewelry
Sizes: XS-3XL
Price Range: Avg $40 – $250
Three Pieces We Liked:
GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE
Girlfriend Collective is loved for its colorful compression leggings, functional sports bras, and other cute separates that fit every body shape and size frin XXS to 6XL!
Categories: Women’s Activewear
Sizes: XXS-6XL
Price Range: Avg $30 – $100
Three Pieces We Liked:
LEVI’S
Levi’s has really worked on its sustainability efforts. In addition to sourcing more responsible materials such as hemp, Tencel, and recycled plastic, much of the denim collection employs a waterless technology to lend that broken-in finish. You can bring your jeans into a store for repairs, customization, or to be upcycled. They also have a secondhand platform on their website.
Categories: Women’s, Men’s, Kids
Sizes: Starts at Women’s 23″ waist, up to plus sizes
Price Range: Avg $20-$150
Three Pieces We Liked:
EILEEN FISHER
Eileen Fisher is a luxury brand who is also a leader in sustainable fashion. The company takes a full lifecycle approach meaning it looks at everything from the fibers, to the dyes and finishes, to ethics during the production process, to repairs and waste at the end of the cycle. The clothes are fairly expensive but under their Renew website, they back and resell their own label’s gently worn clothing and you can get it for an excellent price.
Categories: Women’s inc. shoes, bags and accessories
Sizes: XXS-3XL and 0-28
Price Range: Avg $80 – $350
Three Pieces We Liked:
ATHLETA
Did you know that Athleta uses sustainable materials such as recycled fabrics derived from plastic bottles and nylon fabric scraps for 60% of its clothing? On top of that, the company is B Corp Certified, meaning it meets strict social and environmental standards.
Categories: Women’s, Girls, Bags & Accessories
Sizes: XXS-3XL
Price Range: Avg $$50-$100
Three Pieces We Liked
BEST SUSTAINABLE FASHION SHOES – ALLBIRDS
We are both on onboard with Allbirds. We both have multiple pairs and wouldn’t trade them for anything. Besides being sustainable, they are amazingly comfortable, The Tree Runners are made with Lyocell, a regenerated cellulose fiber that follows a closed loop production process, creating less waste. The brand also uses other sustainable materials like recycled water bottles for the polyester in the laces, recycled cardboard that makes up 90% of the packaging, sugar cane in the foam sole and castor bean oil in the insole.
OUR FAVORITE ALLBIRDS
We also have to give a shout out to Cariuma. These are the green sneakers that Dianne is wearing that are also sustainable (and have a cult celebrity following!)
BEST SUSTAINABLE FASHION BAGS – CUYANA
The concept behind the brand is “fewer, better things”, They feel if you buy good stuff that’ll last, you won’t need to buy as much. It’s mostly known for accessories/bags, but it also sells timeless clothing. And while it’s not cheap, there’s great value for the amount of use you’ll get from its garments. While leather is not regarded as a sustainable material because of its extensive environmental impact to produce, it does last longer, keeping it out of landfills.
Three Bags We Liked
Sources: We used a lot of information from articles from both Good Housekeeping and Oprah Daily. I would click on these links for more detailed information and additional brand recommendations.
The Best Sustainable Beauty
We’ve talked about clean beauty products and brands before, but have you heard of green beauty? And did you know they’re different things?
Clean beauty products don’t include potentially harmful ingredients. But green (and sustainable) beauty products put more of a focus on production, and being environmentally friendly. Whether it’s the formula or the packaging.
It can feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be! Don’t feel like you can only use sustainable or clean beauty products. Even adding a couple into your routine where they fit can help to make an impact on our environment.
There are a couple accreditation groups I looked at to find these sustainable brands.
B Corp’s certification process includes environmental performance, among other factors that ensure a business holds themselves to a high standard.
Ecocert certifications highlight environmentally friendly and socially conscious businesses and brands.
Here are some of the brands that passed these certification requirements, and are helping to contribute to a better tomorrow!
Krave Beauty
Krave Beauty is skincare brand, developed for anyone and everyone. Their focus is on finding the products that work for you, rather than what’s trendy at the moment.
On their website, they have a list of what their packaging is made of, and if it can be recycled. Which is really helpful when you’ve used up the last bits of product!
Aveda
Did you know, since 1999, Aveda has raised more than $69 million for global and local environmental organizations? They’ve also provided clean water to more than 1.5 million people, and work to protect local watersheds.
Plus, Aveda suppliers are held to high social, ethical and environmental metrics.
Sunday Riley
Sunday Riley follows a zero waste oil process. Throughout the oil pressing process for their products, the 90% of byproduct is ground into a seed powder and put into various nutritional supplements, plant protein forms for animal and pet use.
Sunday Riley is also plastic neutral, and practices carbon offsetting!
Elemis
The mission at Elemis is to become the most sustainable premium British skincare brand, with a focus on protecting and restoring biodiversity, making a more positive impact on the climate, and empowering our people and communities for a better future.
Tata Harper
At Tata Harper, they believe in sourcing the best and sustainable ingredients for their products. They don’t overproduce products, to prevent them from sitting too long. Some products are even available in refillable packaging, so you’re not just throwing out empty containers!
And this is just some of what they do throughout their manufacturing process to continue their sustainable brand!
Kora Organics
Kora Organics is climate neutral certified, which means they work to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by balancing those emissions so they are equal (or less than) the emissions that get removed through the planet’s natural absorption.
Plus, they source organic ingredients and use recycled, recyclable, refillable, or biodegradable materials whenever possible.
Interested in more sustainable fashion and beauty? Check out our Instagram Live tonight, Aprill 22nd where we’ll talk in more detail.
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