Fashion is an important form of expression. But In today’s current climate crisis, it’s crucial to know what the clothes you’re buying are made of and how they’re being made. It can make you feel 100% better about your choices if you know that what you’re buying is ethically sound. Here are four fashion brands that use sustainable, ethical practices:
People Tree
Founded in 1991, People Tree has had the same mission for three decades: to make its products with the highest ethical and environmental standards from start to finish. The London and Tokyo-based company’s first drop of products met the Global Organic Textile Standard certified by the Soil Association, and People Tree was the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organization product label. Its collections feature organic cotton, lyocell and responsible wool, made by hand weaving, hand knitting, hand embroidery and hand block printing. With its range of women’s clothing, the brand has a lot to offer.
Alternative Apparel
This brand looks to be sustainable in multiple ways. First, it uses oxo-biodegradable mailer bags and has a vendor recycling program. It also uses organic cotton, low-impact dyes, biodegradable fabric softeners and washes its clothes with reclaimed water. Every year, Alternative Apparel conserves 2,100 trees, 400 cubic yards of landfill, 860,000 gallons of water and 120 tons of CO2. The brand sells men’s and women’s clothing, along with bags and other accessories.
Patagonia
Patagonia has worked for almost 40 years to support grassroots activist organizations to find solutions to the environmental crisis. It also partners with Worn Wear, which celebrates repairing garments and eventually recycling them when they’re beyond repair. Typically, Worn Wear uses hemp as an alternative, natural fiber comparable to linen. The brand also uses organic cotton, lyocell and recycled wool, polyester and nylon.
Reformation
Reformation is based in Los Angeles and has been deemed by Allure to have redefined the definition of sustainable fashion. Reformation uses five different categories of fibers. A, natural fibers that are rapidly renewable, plant-based and have a potential for circularity; B, fibers that are almost all-natural or recycled fibers; C, fibers that are better alternatives to most commonly used fibers, but not as innovative; D, fibers that require certifications for raw material cultivation, animal welfare, traceability or wet processing; and E, fibers that are too environmentally or socially intensive and don’t meet sustainability criteria.
The company’s goal is to use 75% of A&B fibers and less than 10% of E fibers. They also invest in environmentally friendly companies and programs, such as the Brazilian Rosewood Amazon Conservation Project and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The site has everything for women from clothes and shoes to wedding attire, all while being environmentally conscious.
