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When juggling work, a social life, and the daily stresses of modern life, it can be tricky to find time to research and discover ethical and sustainable brands, despite our best intentions to do so. Instead, we often end up having to rush online or to our nearest high street, and purchase new clothes from fast fashion brands that are convenient, yes, but are also low quality and bad for the environment.
That’s why we’ve compiled a guide of 30 brands for all occasions, so that whatever you’re looking for you can use this list to quickly and easily find a company that suits your needs and has exactly what you want.
Whether you’re in need of a swimsuit for your last minute mini break, or a suit for your new job, look no further – we have exactly what you’re looking for!
Reminder: Why should we be avoiding fast fashion?
Fast fashion is the mass production of clothes cheaply and quickly. Fast fashion brands often use fashion show trends and replicate these designs in large bulk, before replacing them with the next styles at an alarming rate.
The fast fashion industry continues to grow despite the infamously poor conditions for workers, and dire effects on our environment, with the industry contributing heavily to CO2 emissions, water usage, energy usage, and much more.
What makes slow fashion brands better?
Slow fashion is the alternative to fast fashion that is slowly gaining traction as people become more aware of the impact that the fast fashion industry has on our world. It focuses on making products that are ethical and sustainable, putting people and the planet before profits!
They manufacture clothes that are designed to last as long as possible, rather than the throwaway items that we see in fast fashion stores.
Here are our best ethical and affordable, sustainable fashion brands
We have collated our top non fast fashion brands to make the ultimate slow fashion guide full of the most eco-friendly, ethical, high quality companies to support. So let’s begin!
Sustainable Basics Brands
Here are all the places you need to know about, to find those essentials and build the perfect capsule wardrobe.
Outerknown
‘The First Brand Founded on a Total Commitment to Sustainability’
Outerknown is the perfect place to start for all and any of your basics. They cater to both men and women, offering casual wear from jeans to swimwear to their infamous blanket shirts which are a must have item for any wardrobe!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? This brand uses 95% preferred materials in their products and aim to increase even further. They also have a preowned program where you can buy or sell preloved Outerknown items, making them a great affordable option, and reducing landfill waste at the same time!
Size Range: Women’s XS-XXL, Men’s XS-XXXL
Our Must Have Item: Women’s Blanket Shirt, $168
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Pact
‘We believe the planet, and the people on it, should always come first in fashion’
Pact is the perfect option for anybody looking for simple but stylish designs that you can wear everyday. They stock all the essentials you could need, including a great underwear range! Plus this brand is partnered with Fair Trade USA, Global Organic Textile Standard and SimpliZero, so you can look good without feeling guilty.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? This company’s certifications show how much they care about ethical and sustainable production. They even have a Give Back Box where they donate your old clothes to non-profits that need them. We love to see initiatives like this that show a company truly cares about their impact on the world!
Size Range: XS-3XL
Our Must Have Item: Cool Stretch Lounge Pant, $48
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Kotn
‘On a mission to change how things are made’
If you’re interested in knowing where your clothes really come from then this brand is for you! Kotn purchases their raw materials directly from the smallholder farmers who grow them, which is great for Kotn, the farmer, and the customer, ensuring fair wages and high quality products.
With their ‘everyday essentials’ range, you’ll find all your necessary basics easily on their website.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Aside from their comfortable and trendy clothes, we love Kotn’s dedication to investing back into the communities where their materials are grown. They’ve funded the construction of 21 schools in Egypt where they source their organic cotton!
Size Range: XXS-XXL in most items
Our Must Have Item: Nile Rib Cardigan, $88
Location/Shipping: Canada shipping across Europe, Australia, USA, and UK too
Colorful Standard
‘Because getting the vibrant shades you love should not have to compromise the environment’
Colorful Standard is just as the name suggests! It’s a company that creates colourful, vibrant clothing but, unlike many brands, it uses environmentally friendly ways to create and color these bright garments.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Colorful Standard have worked hard to make sure that their products are made ethically and sustainably, accomplishing this by being, as they put it, ‘honest, local and fair.’ They own their factory in Portugal and ship their products directly from their warehouse.
Size Range: XS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Organic Oversized Crew, $78
Location/Shipping: United States, shipping internationally
No Nasties
‘We make clothes that make the planet better’
Yes this is a bold claim, but No Nasties puts action behind their words. As well as being fair trade certified to guarantee fair wages for their workers, they use organic cotton and a local supply chain to reduce their CO2 emissions, and offset three times their carbon emissions. They sell a great range of wardrobe staples, pyjamas, nightwear, and beachwear, all at affordable prices!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? 100% organic cotton, 100% upcycled and recycled materials, 300% carbon offsetting. Need I say any more?
Size Range: Women’s S-L, Men’s S-XL
Our Must Have Item: Azul Gold Half-Sleeve Shirt, $42
Location/Shipping: India, shipping internationally
SANVT
‘True sustainability is quality that lasts a lifetime’
SANVT offers modern, stylish clothes that you can feel good in knowing they were made with not just you, but the planet in mind too. This company began with the idea of creating a ‘perfect t-shirt’ that was the best quality it could possibly be, whilst having as little environmental impact as possible. They now offer 20 clothing essentials that can help you create the ultimate capsule wardrobe.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? This company offers an annual impact report detailing their environmental impact and goals, and a comprehensive factory list to ensure transparency about where and how their clothes are made. They have also partnered with EDEN projects to offset their CO2 emissions and support reforestation.
Size Range: XS-3XL
Our Must Have Item: The Perfect T-Shirt, $50
Location/Shipping: Germany, shipping internationally
Sustainable Sportswear Brands
Activewear often uses materials that are really harmful for the environment, but these companies are doing everything they can to find sustainable alternatives, and be more eco!
Girlfriend Collective
‘Good things come to those who don’t waste’
Girlfriend Collective is an activewear brand that focuses on being environmentally responsible, and ethical too. Something we really love is that you’ll never be scrolling aimlessly looking for the perfect sports bra on their site, because you can take their bra quiz for a personalised recommendation of exactly what’s best for you!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? All Girlfriend Collective’s packaging and clothes use recycled materials like old scraps of fabric, plastic bottles, and fishing nets, and reduce landfill waste and water pollution by doing so. They also promote body positivity by using models with different body types to make sure we all feel represented when we shop.
Size Range: XXS-6XL in all products
Our Must Have Item: Compressive High-Rise Legging, $88
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Groceries Apparel
‘Groceries is transparency’
Groceries Apparel uses organic, recycled, and non-toxic materials to create sustainable activewear that looks great and is fit for purpose. They make all of their own products in LA which gives them complete control over the standard of their products.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? They’ve found so many innovative ways to naturally dye their products rather than relying on chemicals. This includes using avocado waste from their local grocery shop!
Size Range: XS-XL
Our Must Have Item: High-Waist Mini-Flared Legging, $98
Location/Shipping: LA, shipping internationally
Boldwill
‘Combining design, functionality, and sustainability’
Boldwill is a plastic free athleticwear brand that started in 2018 when they decided to find an alternative to the heavy plastic use in sportswear. They use natural materials such as hemp and eucalyptus to create their products, aiming to make the best quality products with as little impact on the environment as possible.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? The company is dedicated toward enacting practical change, taking part in projects such as The Ocean Cleanup.
Size Range: Women’s XS-XL, Men’s XS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Athletic T-Shirt, $56
Location/Shipping: Netherlands, shipping internationally
Sustainable Outdoors Gear Brands
For those that love to explore the outdoors, these are the perfect brands to support so you can enjoy the natural world in comfort and style, without harming it.
Patagonia
‘Outdoor apparel guaranteed for life’
Patagonia is a personal favourite of mine and it could be yours too! They have been paving the way for sustainable clothing consumption since their conception in the early seventies. Patagonia would rather you didn’t buy any clothes from them unless you need to, promoting the idea of owning a few really high quality items that you buy when necessary rather than thoughtless, throwaway purchases. But when you do need a new coat, climbing gear, or backpack, Patagonia is definitely a reliable, ethical and trendy sustainable option.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? They’ve been donating 1% of their sales irrespective of profits, or 10% of profits depending on which is higher, to environmental organisations annually since 1986. In 2022, this changed, and they will now be donating all their profits that aren’t put back into the business.
Size Range: XXS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Women’s Nano Puff Insulated Hoody, $289
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Ecologyst
‘Restoring harmony between people and the planet’
Ecologyst clothes hold ethics and sustainability, as well as aesthetics, at the heart of what they make. Their outdoor range feels sleek and modern, and you will definitely turn heads during your hike dressed in their clothes!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Ecologyst are a part of the ZQ program, which is all about ensuring social responsibility, traceability, and quality materials. They visit their factories annually to ensure these expectations are met, as well as ensuring their workers receive a living wage.
Size Range: XXS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: The Ventile Mac Coat, $625
Location/Shipping: Canada, shipping internationally
Coalatree
‘It’s our passion to bring elements of the outdoors and the city life together.’
Coalatree is truly passionate about bringing people outdoors and making sure they have all the essentials to do so! They actually started out as an organic farm that decided to make its own workwear. They use recycled and repurposed materials such as recycled polyester and old plastic bottles to make most of its products. They’re a great choice for anybody looking for affordable, long lasting, outdoorswear.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Coalatree is Fair Wear certified, which means that they have to pay their clothes makers a living wage.
Size Range: S-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Camper Hooded Jacket – $159
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Cotopaxi
‘Adventure inspires us to see the world and make it better.’
Cotopaxi makes fun, colourful, and practical outdoor clothing that will make you stand out in the best way! Their vast range of packs, including backpacks, duffel bags, hip packs, and hydration packs mean that whatever activity you’re doing they have something for you.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? 1% of revenue goes to the Cotopaxi Foundation, which distributes money to different non-profit organisations to support communities in Latin America. We also love their dedication to making sure their clothes makers are well treated, which you can read about more on their website.
Size Range: Women’s XXS-XXL, Men’s S-XXL, Kid’s XS-XL
Our Must Have Item: Kapai 1.5L Hip Pack – Del Día, $35
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Finisterre
‘Born For The Sea, Built For The Adventure’
This brand is the perfect choice for those that love to surf and want to make sure their hobby doesn’t negatively impact the environment! Finisterre was created to produce ‘exceptional products in a more responsible and transparent way’ and they’ve certainly succeeded! They have a wide range of men’s and women’s surfing gear, and outdoor clothing that looks good whatever the weather.
Plus for those on a stricter budget, they also have the Finisterre x Reskinned program where you can buy preloved items that have been reconditioned to make sure they’re still a great quality product.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? Something great about this company is they are B corp certified, for which they are assessed based on five key areas: environment, community, workers, governance, and customers. When they recertified in 2021 they received a score of 93.2 (the average score of that year being 50.9) which they explain in more detail on their website.
Size Range: US Sizes 6-22
Our Must Have Item: Women’s Nieuwland 2e Yulex¨ Long Sleeve Swimsuit, $175
Location/Shipping: UK, shipping internationally
Ethical Menswear Brands
Often the fashion industry focuses on clothing for women, which can make it difficult to find sustainable men’s options! But we want to make sure everyone can find the clothes they want, so we’ve compiled a few of our favourite male clothing brands and men’s apparel collections.
Taylor Stitch
‘Products that wear in not out’
Taylor Stitch will have you feeling ready for any occasion, from a weekend walk to an important work meeting! They have a great range of menswear, spanning the essentials like shirts, tees, shorts, jeans, and jackets, to the finer details too with their collection of accessories.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Taylor Stitch takes pride in the fact that they make products that will last you a lifetime, and use recycled or regenerative fibres to do so. They also have a ReStitch program where they buy back worn clothes to refurb and resell them. Reducing waste and promoting circularity really is at the heart of what they do.
Size Range: XS-XXL (36-46)
Our Must Have Item: The Long Haul Jacket, $298
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Suit Supply
‘Don’t just fit in, find your own perfect fit’
For those searching for the perfect suave suit for a special occasion, look no further than Suit Supply. Whether you’re wanting something for work or a wedding, this ethical brand has got you covered! They also offer custom made suits, so that you can have more control over the design of your clothes to ensure the perfect look and fit!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? They have produced a sustainability report which details how they are tackling issues surrounding their carbon footprint and environmental impact, as well as how they are progressing to make sure their workers are paid a living wage.
Size Range: Customizable for the perfect fit
Our Must Have Item: Off-White Striped Havana Suit, $999
Location/Shipping: The Netherlands, shipping internationally
Ministry of Supply
‘Sustainability through science’
Ministry of Supply is a sustainable clothing brand specializing in business and business casual apparel designed to perform. This is not your typical dry clean only apparel! Whilst they offer men’s and women’s apparel, their selection of menswear is exquisite.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? Ministry of Supply is transparent about where their clothes are made. Not only this, they are also Climate Neutral certified, and they have a take back program to extend the life of their clothes.
Size Range: XS-3XL
Our Must Have Item: Men’s AeroZero° Dress Shirt, $140
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Vustra
‘Threads of Change: Look Good, Feel Good’
Who says that sustainable men’s clothing can’t be vibrant and fun?! Well Vustra is certainly bringing a sense of fun into this industry with their funky patterns and colourful shirts. However, they also have lots of great essentials in more neutral patterns for when you want to blend in a little more with the crowd.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? As part of their admirable mission to make clothes with the lowest socio-environmental footprints as possible, Vustra is dedicated to using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, hemp, and alpaca wool.
Size Range: S-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Tropical Floral Print Shirt, $90
Location/Shipping: USA, international shipping
Loungewear Slow Fashion Brands
So you can relax knowing you’re supporting honest, environmentally friendly companies…
KNOWN SUPPLY
‘We are humanising the apparel industry’
Known Supply is all about ensuring that those making your clothes are just that: known. They have a great array of different collections with striking patterns for everyday or special occasions, but what we really love is their loungewear!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why? The makers of Known Supply products sign the tags of the clothes they’ve manufactured so that you know exactly who’s made the products you purchase! Three out of five of their factories are FairTrade and they conduct worker surveys in all of their factories to ensure good working conditions.
Size Range: XS-4XL
Our Must Have Item: Bruno Sweater Pant, $118
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
MATE the label
‘Your Sustainable wardrobe awaits’
MATE is a company that uses non-toxic, natural, organic materials to produce simple, comfortable, and ethical products. All their clothes are gorgeously designed, but their loungewear is a cut above the rest in our opinion. They also have a men’s range and kid’s range so that all the family can look and feel their best! There really is something for everybody with MATE the label.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? MATE is a part of 1% for the planet! By being a member of this, they commit to donating 1% of their annual sales to environmental non-profits and organisations. Yes that’s right, every single year!
Size Range: Women’s XS-XL, Men’s S-XXL, Kid’s 0/6 months – 6/7 years
Our Must Have Item: Alpaca Long Cardigan, $348
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Pangaia
‘We are here to give back more than we take’
Labelling themselves first and foremost as a materials science company rather than a fashion brand, Pangaia works to develop new and improved ways to solve environmental concerns within the fashion industry. They’re a really cool, very modern brand that are always working to improve themselves and their products.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Pangaia are incredibly transparent about their factories and supply chain, and have shown that the majority of their workers are paid a living wage. They use organic and recycled cotton in their products, and also research and experiment with better materials such as regenerative fabrics.
Size Range: XXS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: 365 Midweight Snap Button Hoodie – Moss Green, $145
Location/Shipping: UK, Shipping internationally
Sustainable Occasionwear Brands
Here are some options for when you have that big event coming up but nothing in your wardrobe that suits the occasion!
Scotch & Soda
‘Embrace self-expression everyday’
Another brand bringing colour and pattern to the slow fashion industry is Scotch & Soda! Their range of womenswear, menswear, and kidswear is full of style and fun. Their website says that they are inspired by their home city of Amsterdam and its individuality to create designs that really allow people to express themselves.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? Scotch & Soda are doing lots of great things to ensure they are environmentally friendly and socially responsible! One thing to highlight is that they promote circularity with Scotch Select, their rental program which allows you to rent three items at a time until you want to return them and rent more.
Size Range: Women’s XS-XL, Men’s S-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Asymmetric Jumpsuit, $238
Location/Shipping: The Netherlands, shipping across Europe including Germany, France, and Italy
Whimsy + Row
‘Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good’
Whimsy + Row has some of the most elegant and timeless designs in this guide. Their clothes are great for everyday, but they also offer a lot of statement pieces that would be perfect for your next birthday night out, work party, or wedding.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Silver
Why Do We Love Them? This brand runs their business with sustainability in mind. They produce locally to reduce CO2 emissions, and to combat overproduction they work using a waitlist model to minimise waste.
Size range: XS-XL
Our Must Have Item: Freya Slip Dress, $218
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Zero Waste Daniel
‘Brooklyn Made. Earth approved’
Zero Waste Daniel is a designer and company who decided to use the materials that other fashion brands had left over as scrap from their own designs to make his own line of gender neutral clothes so that anyone and everyone could wear his clothes and reduce the waste that the fashion industry creates. The designs are quirky and cool, and no single item is the same as the next, meaning that anything you buy is guaranteed to be unique to you!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? Zero Waste Daniel doesn’t subcontract their work at any stage of their supply chain which allows them to easily control the working conditions of their workers, and disclose information about their factory locations, and conditions, as well as their clothes makers. Plus every bit of material used is all upcycled and recycled. It’s amazing to see how such innovation is changing the way the fashion industry works!
Size Range: XS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: The Denim Jacket, $265
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Ethical Underwear Brands
Now for the real essentials! Sometimes even those who try to be environmentally conscious with their purchases compromise when it comes to finding underwear – now you won’t have to!
Organic Basics
‘Everyday essentials, made ethically’
This company, first designed in Copenhagen, can supply you with all your basics! They decided that there was a need for a business like theirs that specifically produces great quality underwear and other products for men and women that are hard to buy second hand, sustainably and ethically to reduce the environmental impact of buying these products first hand.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? 90% of Organic Basics raw materials are more sustainable, and they focus on making their materials plant-based, recycled, recyclable, and organic. This is great to see!
Size range: XXS-XXL
Our Must Have Item: Core Triangle Bralette, $36
Location/Shipping: Denmark, shipping internationally
Subset
‘Essential innerwear you deserve, earth-friendly processes you can trust’
Subset has every style of underwear and bras that you can imagine! So whether you want barely there or full coverage, low or high waist, simple to colourful, they’ve got you. They also have a specific focus on manufacturing their clothes with organic cotton, and in 2022, this made up 92.1% of their used materials. This is great!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? As well as using responsibly sourced materials, Subset is a FairTrade certified company! They make sure that their clothes makers earn a living wage by partnering solely with certified factories, and visit their factories to ensure conditions are safe for their workers.
Size Range: 2XS-3XL
Our Must Have Item: New Keyhole Soft Bra, $62
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Conscious Step
‘Ordinary purchase, extraordinary purpose’
Conscious Step is one of the most interesting business models on this list. They produce socks for different causes, and base their designs off of these non-profit organisations and charities. Then, when you buy these socks they donate to the respective non-profits.
You can buy whatever socks you fancy as and when you want them, or you can subscribe to get new socks each month with their 6 month subscription.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Certified
Why Do We Love Them? Their socks are not only supporting brilliant causes around the world, they’re also FairTrade, vegan, and use GOTS certified organic cotton. To top it all off they’re a part of 1% for the Planet too!
Size Range: S-M
Our Must Have Item: Protect the Planet Gift Box, $44.95
Location/Shipping: USA, shipping internationally
Sustainable Denim Brands
These brands are all gold rated by Eco-Stylist, and are making a massive difference when it comes to producing denim sustainably and ethically!
Nudie Jeans
‘What you do matters’
Nudie Jeans offers all your denim needs and wants in one place. They have a variety of different styles of jeans (as the name would suggest) as well as denim jackets, dresses, skirts, and shirts. Their designs are chic, with a lot of 70s inspired looks!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? Nudie Jeans discloses so much information about their manufacturing, materials, environmental impact such as their water usage and carbon emissions, so that you can be sure that you’re supporting an eco-conscious and ethical company when you purchase products from them.
Size Range: Women’s W28-38 L26-34, Men’s W24-38 L30-34
Our Must Have Item: Holly Western Pants 70’s Blue, $200
Location/Shipping: Sweden, shipping internationally
MUD Jeans
‘Feel good about the jeans you wear’
Whether you’re wanting to buy or rent jeans, MUD has lots of options for you! Their mission is to use circular economy principles to create a denim brand that is less damaging for the planet and fairly produced. There are so many positives to buying from this brand, including the option to lease jeans, and have broken and worn jeans repaired. They really are a lifelong investment!
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? MUD Jeans works differently to most fashion brands in that they use a circular model to do business. This includes their scheme where they allow customers to return their MUD jeans and they will use and recycle these to make a whole new pair of upcycled jeans!
Size Range: Women’s XS-XL, Men’s W28-38
Our Must Have Item: Easy Go – Used Stone Jeans, $139
Location/Shipping: The Netherlands, ships to England, France, and Denmark too
Outland Denim
‘To Harness The Power Of The Fashion Industry To Uplift Humanity And Heal The Planet.’
This choice is somewhat of a ‘save the best till last’ addition to our list. They are rated excellent for all three competencies of our brand guide, and received a perfect score for transparency. Their jeans are for both men and women, and are stylish and high quality.
Eco-Stylist Rating: Gold
Why Do We Love Them? Outland Denim works incredibly hard to ensure that its workers are treated well and are given opportunities to better their lives, not only by earning a living wage, but also through personal enrichment schemes and upskilling programs. They often employ vulnerable people who offer support to.
Size Range: Women’s 24-34 Bottoms / XXS-XXL Tops, Men’s 28-38 Bottoms / S-XXL Tops
Our Must Have Item: Ren High Flare Jean – Era Blue, $269
Location/Shipping: Australia, shipping internationally
More Non Fast Fashion Brands
Still wanting more? Why not head to our full Brand Guide where we have all the best ethical and sustainable clothing brands for you to discover…
*Article last updated 8/19/24.
Ellie recently graduated from University of Sheffield after studying English Literature. She loves all things related to books and writing, as well as being interested in fashion and art.
6 thoughts on “Your ultimate guide to slow fashion: 30 non fast fashion brands to leave fast fashion behind”
Very good article. More and more customers are more aware and choose more environmentally friendly products. However, I think that one of the top brands that sets trends and is in no way inferior to any of the above-mentioned ones is missing here. Stanley Stella, because I’m talking about them, is a great alternative for those who are looking for quality and at the same time want to care for the environment.
Used clothing is the only truly sustainable fashion.
Hi Michelle, thanks for your comment. Sustainable fashion is a spectrum of better choices (thrifting, shopping sustainable brands, swapping, DIY, renting (for special occasion), etc.) and typically pitting one solution against another isn’t super helpful.
We’ve already covered this topic pretty well in this article: https://www.eco-stylist.com/thrifting-is-a-solution-but-its-not-the-solution-heres-why/
The short of it is, people aren’t going to stop buying new clothes. So solutions that prioritize living wages for clothing makers, more sustainable fabrics, and more sustainable manufacturing are a super important part of the solution too. Making clothes employs millions of people across the globe and less than 5% of clothing makers earn a living wage. Fair Trade fashion and living wage brands help solve that problem. Thrifting doesn’t help that problem. Let’s look at the complexity of each solution instead of claiming one solution is best 🙂
A lot of these places do not have inclusive sizing. Isn’t that part of the problem? How can you make sustainable clothing but not making it an option for everyone?
People go for fast fashion because of the price. They don’t want to, or can’t afford to, pay the prices of the brands mentioned in this article. I have bought fast fashion (not Shein) and I have bought slow fashion., The much more expensive slow fashion items broke down quicker than the fast fashion items. many defective from the start. Clothing is made as cheap as possible now and the $80+ shirt isn’t $80+ quality anymore.
Hi Shannon, thanks for your comment and I’m sorry you had that experience. Which slow fashion brands did you buy from? Quality varies by brand, so you could never accurately say or suggest that slow fashion is worse quality than fast fashion, especially when most people (myself included) have the exact opposite experience. Many of the brands we certify offer lifetime warranties / guarantees, something fast fashion will never offer (for obvious reasons). For example, Patagonia and Taylor Stitch offer lifetime guarantees on all of their clothes, Outerknown offers a lifetime warranty on their jeans, and Nudie Jeans offers free repairs for life on all of their jeans (unlimited repairs).