Want to live more sustainably? Your wardrobe might be a great place to start making a few changes!
I recently wrote an entire blog post about the impact fast fashion has on the environment and how it is destroying the planet and causing many ethical issues.
Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the whole world.
So choosing to consume clothes more mindfully and in a more sustainable way truly makes a big impact.
And the good news is that everyone can do so.
We can limit our purchases by using what we already have in our closets over and over again.
Getting clothes second-hand is another option we have that is incredibly eco-friendly!
But sometimes, we need to buy new clothes, for one reason or another.
Thankfully, we can avoid supporting fast fashion brands by embracing slow fashion and choosing to invest in clothing made by ethical and sustainable brands.
Here are 20 sustainable clothing brands that will help you build a more eco-friendly and ethical wardrobe.
These brands sell thoughtfully-designed clothes that are better for the Earth and its people.
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What is a sustainable clothing brand?
A sustainable clothing brand is a brand that has taken major steps to minimize its environmental impact as much as possible.
It usually makes its products with eco-friendly materials such as linen, hemp, organic cotton and Tencel.
Recycled fabrics, like recycled nylon, recycled polyester and recycled cotton, are also great materials as we are reusing them and turning them into new products.
Some brands even use deadstock fabrics, which are leftover materials that would have otherwise been discarded!
A sustainable clothing brand usually colors its clothing with non-toxic, low-impact dyes.
It can also minimize its waste during the production process by recycling water and reusing offcuts to create new pieces.
Plus, third-party certifications are a great indicator of how green the brand is.
Look for certifications such as Oeko-Tex, GOTS or Fairtrade.
Brands that are B Corp certified are some of the most ethical and sustainable brands out there!
An eco-friendly brand should also be size-inclusive and very transparent about its whole supply chain, disclosing who makes its products, how and where.
Its products should be of high quality and designed to last for many years.
Finally, a brand cannot be sustainable if it is not sustainable for people.
The company should pay its workers fair wages so that they can live decently.
Garment workers should be able to afford food, decent housing, healthcare and education for themselves and their families.
The brand should also offer them healthy and safe working conditions.
The following 20 brands are all ethical and sustainable, so you can feel good about supporting them! I highly recommend each one of them!
20 sustainable clothing brands for eco-conscious people
1 – Amour Vert
For: Women
Categories: Dresses, Tops, Pants, Loungewear, Shoes, Accessories
Amour Vert creates beautiful pieces using sustainable fabrics like Tencel, organic cotton, and rescued cotton waste fabric.
They are all made in California in limited quantities to avoid unnecessary waste.
The brand works directly with mills to make sure its fabrics are of the highest quality and that they will stand the test of time.
Amour Vert also plants a tree for every t-shirt you buy!
I love that the brand has a resale marketplace where you can get all your favorite pre-loved styles at affordable prices.
Thanks to this cool initiative, clothes are kept out of the landfill and they can be worn for many more years!
2 – Outerknown
For: Men & Women
Categories: Tops, Sweaters, Pants, Dresses, Accessories
Outerknown has a large selection of clothes for both men and women that are all designed with style and sustainability in mind.
The brand uses eco-friendly fabrics such as GOTS-certified organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Plus, many Outerknown pieces are made with pre- and post-consumer textile waste.
For instance, if you are on the lookout for a sunhat, the brand has some cool models produced from recycled fishing nets!
Outerknown works with Fair Trade Certified factories and it was accredited by the Fair Labor Association in 2015.
3 – Organic Basics
For: Men & Women
Categories: Underwear, Bras, Socks, Tops, Sweaters, Dresses, Bottoms, Accessories
Organic Basics is your go-to website whenever you need to stock up on new underwear and basics for your wardrobe!
The styles are simple and timeless, and they are made with biodegradable, recycled, renewable and/or low-impact fabrics only.
The Danish company regularly donates part of its profits to environmental organizations.
It even co-created the first regenerative, organic cotton farm in Turkey, thus supporting the development of healthy soil and waterways.
The brand is also a certified B Corporation and a member of 1% For The Planet, and it completely offsets its carbon footprint!
4 – Warp + Weft
For: Women, Men, Kids
Categories: Jeans, Jackets, Jumpsuits, Underwear
Warp + Weft is a family-owned company that has been producing jeans for three decades.
It creates its own denim from scratch and uses it to design clothes for the whole family.
Jeans are one of the most water-intensive clothing pieces: we usually need 1,500 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans.
Yet, Warp + Weft uses less than 10 gallons, and it recycles 98% of the water it consumes!
The brand sources its cotton, Lycra and Tencel from the United States, and dyes its denim using high-quality European dyes.
It also does not bleach its jeans as it is very unsustainable to do so.
5 – People Tree
For: Women
Categories: Dresses, Tops, Sweaters, Bottoms, Underwear
As a pioneer in fair trade fashion, People Tree sells ethically and sustainably made clothing and accessories for women.
Its collections feature eco-friendly fabrics such as organic cotton, Tencel Lyocell, linen and responsible wool.
People Tree also colors its clothes with low-impact dyes that are free of harmful azo chemicals.
Each piece is crafted by small artisans who use traditional skills like hand knitting, embroidery, block printing and hand weaving.
People Tree is a licensee for the Fairtrade Foundation and a Guaranteed Status member of the World Fair Trade Organization.
6 – Cozy Earth
For: Men & Women
Categories: Pajamas, Loungewear, Shirts, Bottoms, Dresses, Socks
From beautiful lounge clothes to luxury bedding, Cozy Earth has everything you may need for feeling cozy and comfy at home.
Its high-quality fabrics feel incredibly soft and smooth to the touch.
The brand makes its clothing from bamboo viscose, which has temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking properties.
Ideal for those hot summer days and nights!
All Cozy Earth products also come with a 10-year warranty against pilling, discoloration and shredding.
They are all 5-star rated by almost all the brand’s customers!
7 – Encircled
For: Women
Categories: Tops, Bottoms, Jumpsuits, Dresses, Jackets, Accessories
Encircled designs its pieces for outfit repeating.
They are stylish, yet timeless and versatile, making them the perfect clothes if you want to build a capsule wardrobe.
Encircled focuses on quality, size inclusivity and small-batch production.
This female-owned company is a certified B Corporation that makes its clothing locally.
Its factories are located less than 60 km from its Toronto headquarters!
Encircled also uses sustainable fabrics like linen, organic cotton and Tencel Lyocell.
They are all Oeko-Tex certified to ensure they are 100% safe to wear.
8 – KENT
For: Women
Categories: Underwear
KENT is one of the most sustainable underwear brands you can find on the market.
From thongs to basic bikini briefs, the brand’s underwear is plastic-free and 100% compostable. Once you put it in the compost bin, it disappears and returns to nature in only 90 days!
KENT’s underwear is made from 100% GOTS-certified organic pima cotton, which is very smooth and strong.
Not to mention it uses 87% less water and generates 45% less CO2 than conventional cotton!
The company sources its cotton from a Peruvian farm that is a B Corporation and certified by the World Fair Trade Organization.
And its final products are made in a family-owned factory in California.
9 – Colorful Standard
For: Men & Women
Categories: T-shirts, Hoodies, Shorts, Socks, Hats, Sunglasses
Colorful Standard sells comfortable clothes for women and men, all available in more than 50 colors.
The brand produces its clothing in Portugal using either organic cotton or recycled merino wool.
The wool is certified by the Global Recycled Standard and it is made from recycled wool sweaters.
Colorful Standard also uses dyes that are Oeko-Tex certified, meaning that they are free of harmful chemicals.
Striving for zero waste, the company upcycles its leftover fabrics into furniture fillings.
Plus, all its labels and packaging are made from recycled materials.
10 – Girlfriend Collective
For: Men & Women
Categories: Workout Clothes, Leggings, Sports Bras, Swimwear, Accessories
Girlfriend Collective specializes in selling women’s activewear while prioritizing ethical manufacturing and recycled fabrics.
It also has a collection specially designed for men.
The brand only uses recycled materials in its clothing.
For instance, Girlfriend Collective’s compressive leggings and bras are produced from recycled plastic bottles, and its LITE leggings are made with recycled fishing nets.
How cool is that?!
The company also makes its t-shirts and tank tops with cupro, a delicate fiber that is left behind by the cotton industry.
All Girlfriend Collective’s clothes are certified Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex and colored using eco-friendly dyes.
11 – tentree
For: Women, Men, Kids
Categories: T-shirts, Sweaters, Hoodies, Dresses, Pants, Underwear, Jackets
The name says it all. In partnership with different environmental organizations, tentree plants 10 trees for every product you buy.
So far, the brand has helped plant more than 77 million trees!
tentree has a large selection of clothing for adults and children, and many pieces feature cool designs and logos inspired by nature.
The company uses some of the most sustainable fabrics you can find, including Tencel, hemp, organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Whenever you choose to buy something from tentree, you are supporting a certified B Corporation that is entirely climate-neutral.
12 – Pact
For: Women, Men, Kids, Babies
Categories: Tops, Sweaters, Pants, Sleepwear, Dresses, Underwear
If you’re looking for good-quality wardrobe basics, I highly recommend Pact!
It sells beautiful pieces for each member of the family, as well as maternity clothing and baby clothes.
Pact makes its products using GOTS-certified organic cotton and chemical-free dyes.
They are produced in Fair Trade Certified factories to ensure garment workers are paid and treated fairly.
The brand ships its clothes in recycled, recyclable and biodegradable packaging.
It even offers you a free shipping label that you can use to send gently worn clothing to partner charities.
13 – ASKET
For: Men & Women
Categories: Tops, Knitwear, Bottoms, Jackets, Underwear, Swimwear, Accessories
ASKET designs clothes that stand the test of time. That way, they can be worn forever and stay out of the landfill for as long as possible.
It has a permanent collection of staple pieces for both men and women.
One of the main reasons why I recommend this brand is because it is incredibly transparent!
For every clothing item, you get to learn about all the locations where it was made and how much each step of the production process has cost.
You can also send back your old clothes to ASKET: the company repairs or recycles them so that they can be reused again and again.
14 – Able
For: Women
Categories: Tops, Bottoms, Dresses, Jackets, Sweaters, Shoes, Accessories
In the beginning, Able was selling scarves made by women who were coming out of the commercial sex industry in Ethiopia.
Now, the company creates all kinds of high-quality clothes, shoes and accessories crafted by women from all around the world.
Able’s clothes come with a lifetime guarantee and they are made with sustainably-sourced fabrics.
The brand works with partners who minimize their waste by reusing their leftover materials and recycling the water used in the production process.
Able also allows you to try its clothes for a week before purchasing them, which is great if you’re unsure about certain pieces!
15 – Thought
For: Men & Women
Categories: Dresses, Tops, Bottoms, Knitwear, Coats, Loungewear, Socks, Underwear
Thought creates its collections with care, making style, timeless design and responsible sourcing a priority.
It sells a wide variety of clothes for both men and women, from loungewear to more dressed-up models.
The brand uses eco-friendly, natural and recycled fabrics such as hemp, Tencel, organic cotton, recycled wool and recycled nylon.
Some clothes are even made of Seacell, a breathable fabric made from natural seaweed!
Thought also ships its products 100% plastic-free, using packaging made of paper and cornstarch.
Plus, all the garment labels are produced with FSC-certified recycled paper.
16 – MATE the Label
For: Women, Men, Kids
Categories: Tops, Bottoms, Loungewear, Jumpsuits
MATE the Label is a sustainable clothing brand that makes women’s clothes in Los Angeles.
It also recently launched an entire collection of basics for men and kids.
The brand uses sustainable materials like linen, organic cotton and Tencel.
All the clothes are non-toxic and free of harmful substances such as formaldehyde, pesticides, carcinogens, or endocrine disruptors.
MATE the Label is climate-neutral certified and a member of 1% For The Planet.
It is also very transparent about its supply chain and carbon footprint.
I love that each piece is knitted, cut, sewn, dyed and packaged within a 17-mile radius of the company’s headquarters!
17 – Boody
For: Women, Men, Babies
Categories: Loungewear, Sleepwear, Activewear, Underwear, Bras, Socks
Created for women, men and babies, Boody’s clothing consists of easy-to-wear pieces that are designed with comfort in mind.
The brand makes its products using viscose derived from organic bamboo, an incredibly soft and breathable fabric.
The bamboo comes from FSC-certified forests and is produced in a closed-loop system, meaning that water is recycled and solvents are captured and removed.
Boody recently became B Corp certified, and it ships its clothing in recycled or compostable packaging to minimize the environmental footprint of its products.
18 – VETTA
For: Women
Categories: Tops, Bottoms, Dresses, Jackets
VETTA is not your typical ethical and sustainable clothing brand.
The company offers small capsule collections of five items, and these are so versatile that they can make 30 different outfits.
That is a month’s worth of outfits!
You can also buy each piece individually, but what I like about them is that they are all super easy to mix and match with other fashion pieces.
Not to mention you can wear many models in multiple ways!
VETTA primarily makes its clothing using organic cotton, Tencel and deadstock fabrics.
The products are either made in the USA or in Fair Trade certified factories in India and Peru.
19 – GRAMMAR
For: Women
Categories: Shirts, Dresses, Tunics, Accessories
GRAMMAR designs elegant, timeless pieces that last for years.
Its white shirts are the perfect addition to any minimalist’s wardrobe!
But you can also choose from a great selection of gorgeous dresses, tops and tunics.
The brand’s clothing is made using 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton that is ethically sourced from India.
To reduce the environmental footprint of its supply chain, GRAMMAR chooses to make its products locally and in small batches.
They are all individually produced by talented artisans and craftspeople in New York City.
20 – Jackalo
For: Kids
Categories: T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Dresses, Shorts, Pants, Accessories
Jackalo is a family-run company that sells comfy, long-lasting clothes for kids between 4 and 14 years old.
This sustainable clothing brand is very transparent about where and how it makes its products.
Jackalo’s clothes are produced using GOTS-certified organic cotton, and both the cotton farming and the production process are fair trade certified by Fair For Life.
Striving for zero waste, the company also allows you to send back any outgrown Jackalo piece in exchange for a $15 discount on your next purchase.
The brand then repairs those clothes and offers them for resale, and it recycles any clothing item beyond repair.
Hello Eva,
It’s very interesting. You wrote a lot of exemples. It’s useful in everybody’s life. Thank you !
Kate
Thanks so much Kate, I’m happy you found this list of sustainable clothing brands helpful! I truly love and recommend each one of them!