Ethical & Sustainable Fashion Brands
Ethically made clothing doesn't have to be unfashionable. It's time to spotlight some of the best ethical and sustainable fashion brands around!
BRAINTREE
"At Braintree, we thoughtfully design women’s organic clothing that fits perfectly and feels great. Discover our contemporary collection of organic clothing from sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics, including bamboo, hemp, organic cotton." - braintreeclothing.com
- Vegan - No, not entirely. Be aware that they use wool and leather in some of their pieces. They do have a Vegan Clothing section, however, which makes it easier to avoid these materials. Vegans may be concerned by this section of their Environmental Policy: "Animal and animal derived materials used in our products are only sourced from purpose-bred animals and never from wild-caught or endangered (CITES) species. " - a policy that shows their lack of understanding that breeding animals for their bodies or by-products is wrong - as well as their Animal Welfare Policy: "Freedom from pain, injury and disease. Appropriate prevention and/ or rapid treatment methods are employed to ensure animals are kept comfortable and free from ailments. " which ignores the necessary pain involved in killing an animal for its skin. Whether you, as an ethical vegan, choose to support their vegan products is entirely up to you. As sustainable clothing is still difficult to find, I am open to the possibility of supporting their vegan items (which have been certified by PETA) and have therefore included them in this list.
- Fair Trade - Yes. See their Code of Conduct for more information.
- Sustainable Materials - Bamboo, Hemp, Organic Cotton, Tencel, Modal.
- Transparency - Very transparent. They have a wealth of information about their manufacturing and supply chain available on their website.
- Selection - Women's clothing, Men's clothing, socks, and accessories.
- Good For - Fans of colour and pattern, and a looser more relaxed fit. Also great for finding sustainable socks and underwear!
ETHLETIC
"Exploiting nature is wrong. And unnecessary." - ethletic.com
- Vegan - Yes! From their website: "Our respect toward life includes animals. Our sneakers make do easily without animal based ingredients and are 100% vegan. In addition, we only use raw materials from farming areas that don't compromise the animal habitat through monocultures and overexploitation."
- Fair Trade - Yes! From their website: "Ethletic sneakers don't just feel good - they make others feel good. The people wearing them. And the people making them. We see to this with fair pay, good working conditions, and voluntary premiums for social projects. Trade, as we understand it, is based on trust and appreciation. Our employees in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, and Germany share a common goal: to make shoes that are bought because they are attractive, hip, modern, and comfortable. And because they were produced under humane conditions. Ethletic isn't a compromise. It's a real alternative."
- Sustainable Materials - Organic Cotton and Natural Rubber from sustainable plantations. No pesticides or toxic chemicals.
- Transparency - Very transparent. They have a wealth of information about their manufacturing and supply chain available on their website.
- Selection - Sneakers, loafers, ballet flats, flip flops, and slippers.
- Good For - Anyone who needs warmer weather shoes. Meaning everyone.
FAIR TRAINER WHITE CAP HI CUT CLASSIC 17 JUST WHITE | JUST WHITE | FAIR DECK CLASSIC 17 URBAN GREY | FAIR TRAINER BLACK CAP LO CUT COLLECTION 16 BLACK WITH WHITE PINSTRIPES | JET BLACK | FAIR TRAINER WHITE CAP HI CUT COLLECTION 16 WHITE WITH BLACK PINSTRIPES | JUST WHITE | FAIR TRAINER WHITE CAP HI CUT CLASSIC 17 JET BLACK | JUST WHITE | FAIR TRAINER BLACK CAP LO CUT COLLECTION 16 NUDE | JET BLACK
KOWTOW
"For a long time, many of our consumer habits have appeared to have no consequence. It is now quite apparent that there is an imbalance in standards of living throughout the world which is fuelled by the Wests' continuing short changing and exploitation of labour markets in the so called third world.
We don't believe anyone who is truly aware of what is going on in the world would want to turn their backs and support a slave trade economy.
Being into clothes we decided to do something about it. Certified organic, fair trade clothing that is ethically and sustainably made from seed to garment.
Thank you for believing in what we do."
- Vegan - Yes, from what I can tell they don't use any animal products.
- Fair Trade - Yes! From their website: "
“The World Health Organisation estimates that 20,000 people a year die in developing countries from pesticide poisoning, and a further 3 million people suffer chronic health problems”
Kowtow only uses 100% fair trade certified cotton, as certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLOI) and the benefits are:
- The Fairtrade guaranteed minimum price covers the costs of production and provides a sustainable livelihood for Kowtow cotton producers.
- The Fairtrade premium enables co-operatives to fund projects that benefit the organisation and wider community: business and agricultural training; drilling bore holes for clean water; building schools and clinics.
- Kowtow fair trade producers benefit from advance payment and long-term relationships with buyers.
- Kowtow fair trade producer groups are democratically run and respect the rights of farmers and farm workers.
- Fair trade production standards encourage sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment."
- Sustainable Materials - Organic Cotton.
- Transparency - Very transparent. They have a wealth of information about their manufacturing and supply chain available on their website.
- Selection - Women's clothing.
- Good For - Anyone who loves minimal or androgynous style.
Did you find this post helpful? I'm always doing research into sustainable brands and would be happy to do more posts like this in the future!
Until next time,
