February 2022

There are thousands of fashion brands worldwide - from well-known global retailers and luxury designer brands to small, independent ones. With the overwhelming amount of fashion brands worldwide, spotting sustainable fashion brands can be a real challenge. And even more so, what determines whether a brand is sustainable?
We help you navigate your way in the sustainable fashion brand universe!

WHAT IS A SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRAND?

A sustainable fashion brand is a brand that produces its items in such a way that environmental and socio-economic aspects are taken into account along the entire production chain.

However, sustainable fashion is not the only term used in the industry. Ethical, green, slow, and conscious brands and fashion collections are other terms used to describe sustainable fashion, but what are the differences?

Here you find the answers: Sustainable Fashion Terminology →.

how & WHERE TO FIND SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRANDS?

A mixture of proper research and rules of thumb will help you spot sustainable brands.

BRAND DIRECTORIES & RANKING PLATFORMS

Brand directories rank companies’ sustainability practices. Sustainable fashion brand directories can be found on websites, platforms, or personal blogs.
Here, we gathered some examples:

Remake is one of the most detailed fashion brand directories and ranking platforms.
Good on You has a comprehensive directory of brands. Check-out their app.
The Good Shopping Guide is a platform dedicated to brands’ sustainability assessment, comparing many types of consumer goods.
Better Shopper ranks the companies from A+ to F based on five key areas.

RULES OF THUMB TO SPOT A SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRAND

Here are a few tips to find your way through the jungle of promises:

The easiest and most convenient way to shop for sustainable fashion is to check the tag for Sustainable Fashion Certifications →.
Research before going shopping:
- Some organisations publish reports to assess fashion brands’ sustainability performance, such as the Fashion Transparency Index by Fashion Revolution.
- Always compare different sources when researching brands’ initiatives and learning about their production processes.
Browse the web, and ask around in your local community for local brands and producers.
What is the brands’ price range? Ask yourself: Given the production, shipping, and other costs, is it possible for a t-shirt to cost less than a cup of coffee while the person who made it was paid fairly? Buy less, and invest in quality!
Is a brand claiming to be sustainable while constantly organising massive sales or releasing a new collection every few weeks? Overproduction and nudging overconsumption of clothing (even sustainably-designed clothing) are unsustainable - hands off.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRANDS

If you still feel lost in the sustainable fashion world and browsing brand directories seems too much for you, don’t worry! We have researched and gathered several sustainable fashion brands for you.

Sustainable Clothing Brands
Armed Angels, Dedicated, Mud Jeans, Organic Basics, Patagonia, People Tree, Tauko Design.

Sustainable Shoe Brands
Allbirds, Beyond Skin, Indosole, Nae Vegan Shoes, Rothy’s, Veja, Wildling, Will’s Vegan.

Sustainable Accessory Brands
A beautiful Story, Freitag, Maravilla Bags, Mat & Nat, Raven & Lily.

Sustainable Maternity & Kids’ Clothing
Boob, Frugi, Luftabing, Mini Rodini.

In addition, consider the following:

Opt for oversized clothing you can reuse after your body changes.
Opt for neutral tones and patterns for kids’ clothes - the more versatile the items are, the bigger the chance you will reuse them regardless of gender or current fashion trends.
Explore Renting (Maternity & Kids) Clothes →.
Learn about how you can Upcycle → your & your children’s clothing.

sustainable fashion online shops

To make it easier to shop for sustainable brands, some online shops offer a great selection of sustainable fashion brands, all gathered in one place. Here are a few examples:

Avocadostore, Freshlabels, Nordstrom, Zalando (Yes, Zalando. You find a couple of sustainable brands here, such as Filippa K, Veja, or Armed Angels).

sustainable fashion by conventional brands

Still following a fast fashion approach, many conventional fashion brands have started reconsidering their business models, introducing concepts to integrate Sustainability → into their corporate philosophy in various ways. For example, by complementing their range with a sustainable fashion line, using Sustainable Textile Fibres →. Compared to their conventional range, it is the better alternative.