Summary: People are embracing sustainable clothing brands that align with their thoughts and ideals. New brands like allbirds and Vitamin A have emerged with sustainability as their philosophy. Older brands like Nike and Eileen Fisher are not too far behind in their efforts to make their clothing and accessories clean and green.
People are now looking at brands that are not just fashion-forward but also have to match their sustainability ethos. A sustainable clothing brand has to fulfill a laundry list of things like providing fair wages to workers, better working conditions, a green supply chain, investing in renewable materials, providing transparency in what goes into their clothing and accessories and a lot more.
Merely adding ‘sustainability’ into the tagline is not enough; greenwashing is being called out.
We have carefully researched and listed the top 20 sustainable clothing brands that are doing their bit for the environment and people. If you’re looking at introducing a sustainable clothing brand to your wardrobe, look no further, we have you covered.
1. Patagonia
Patagonia is a leader when it comes to sustainable and ethical fashion. Their initiatives of 1% for the planet, worn wear(free repair for torn Patagonia clothing) to giving grants to environmental groups there is no stopping for Patagonia.
2. Eileen Fisher
Classy designs and high-quality fashion items aren’t the only reasons Eileen Fisher is known for. Their brand philosophy Circular By Design is at the core of their creations.
3. Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is one of the well-known sustainable clothing brands well known for its highly fashionable items. They are known for their focus on renewable and recyclable materials, fur-free fur and vegetarian leather for their products.
4. Reformation
For Reformation, sustainability is at the core of everything they do. They publish the totals of all the resources they saved, used and offset.
5. Everlane
Everlane has etched itself as one of the radically transparent sustainable clothing label . Their initiative to reduce their carbon footprint through a transparent supply chain, and sustainable materials has found many brand loyalists.
6. Allbirds
Allbirds well known for their sustainable shoes is walking the talk of conscious fashion. They have managed to reduce their carbon footprint in 2021 by 12% as compared to the previous year.
7. Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman is a premium fashion label that works with pre and post-consumer waste. They are Climate Neutral Certified.
8. thredup
thredup is a sustainable clothing brand that is solving the landfill problem and increasing the shelf life of clothing. They give a new lease of life to gently used or second-hand clothing through their marketplace.
9. H&M Conscious
Fast fashion giant H&M has been undertaking massive efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Apart from purchasing H&M eco-conscious clothing, people can drop their used garments at the H&M store(the first retailer to do so) and avail store credits.
10. Levi Strauss & Co.
The famous denim brand is at the forefront of sustainable fashion. They were ranked No.3 in the Business of Fashion Sustainability index(2022) and some of their denim styles are now made from recycled materials.
11. Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
America’s favorite clothing brand is also a sustainable clothing brand . Most of their products are manufactured in safe and responsible factories around the globe. This means workers get fair wages and a good working environment and their factories follow sustainable practices.
12. Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren has always been synonymous with designer clothing. The brand is at the forefront of sustainability, they have joined hands with WWF’s Noyyal-Bhavani Collective Action Program to ensure water security for people and nature.
13. Gap Inc.
GAP is taking massive steps to introduce sustainability into its clothing. One of their initiatives is to eliminate the discharge of hazardous chemicals within their supply chain which is a huge problem for the fashion industry.
14. Nike
The world’s most loved sports brand Nike is spearheading the greening of sport. Their ‘move to zero’ is an initiative to achieve zero carbon and zero waste to insure the future of the sport.
15. Adidas
Adidas is tackling plastic waste in an innovative manner by partnering with Parley For The Oceans. In 2020, they crafted more than 30 million pairs of shoes with Parley Ocean Plastic.
16. Puma
One of the criteria of a sustainable clothing label is sustainably sourced materials. By 2025, Puma has aimed to source 100% of its cotton, polyester, leather and down feathers from sustainable sources.
17. Timberland
Timberland is very mindful of its sourcing, especially leather. They source their leather from tanneries that have responsible tanning practices. These tanneries work towards benefitting the workers and use mindful tanning procedures for leather manufacturing.
18. The North Face
Outdoor wear brand North Face has undertaken many initiatives to be sustainable. Most notable is - Complete the circle, a product line that’s designed to be recyclable even at the end of its life.
19. Coach
A specialist in leather goods, Coach is a well-known brand among the fashion-conscious. They source their leather from Leather Working Group tanneries (Gold and Silver-rated tanneries). A leather bag purchased from Coach gets complimentary lifetime care.
20. Thinx
Thinx is a period underwear brand at the forefront of sustainable practices. Its manufacturing partner MAS promotes environmental sustainability and has high goals for zero-waste production. They also have programs like Women Go Beyond, which creates opportunities for women.
Accountability toward people and the environment matters for today’s young. Brands are now cleaning up their supply chain and investing in materials that are renewable and recyclable. While some newer brands are able to build these values ground up, the older favorites are not too far behind. Slowly and steadily they’re working towards reducing their carbon footprint without compromising on styles.
Key Takeaways
Brands are investing in a circular fashion to reduce their carbon footprint
They are collaborating with production partners who provide fair wages, good working conditions and sustainable practices
Some brands are also working to reduce clothes going into landfills
If you’re a brand that wants to collaborate with sustainable production partners, explore Fashinza . It is a tech-enabled manufacturing platform for fashion brands. It uses AI and data science to deeply connect suppliers and fashion brands.
Speak to an expert today at Fashinza .