10 Ethical Fashion Brands: Sustainable and Ethically-Produced Clothes
Sustainable fashion brands have been taking over the world for quite a few years now. That’s why I’ve decided to make an ethical fashion brands list. In the case where you’re wondering what makes a fashion brand sustainable, or what are some good European sustainable fashion brands, you’ve come to the perfect place.
I’ve been into fashion for as long as I can remember. Yet, it is not before a few years ago that ethical jewelry brands or sustainable shoes and accessories have been popping up all over the world. Maybe the movement started with the Stella McCartney sustainability choice in her brand. Or maybe it just started in the same moment where people chose to live a slower life, in terms of food, transportation, and now sustainable fashion brands.
What makes a fashion brand sustainable?
The first question to ask ourselves is: “What makes a fashion brand sustainable?.” It doesn’t really matter that you’re buying all the ethical fashion brands Germany has to offer or the most ethical jewelry brands if you don’t know why, and how to do it. To start with, just because a brand tags its products as sustainable doesn’t mean they actually are. First of all, a sustainable fashion brand is transparent from A to Z.
This means that on their website or in their stores, the best sustainable fashion brands will have pages or available information about their environmental and human partners. They will also have explanations of how they source their fabrics or how they make them (if they do). Of course, now that so many of us are diving into a real sustainable lifestyle, more and more brands practice what we now call greenwashing. That is a marketing and an advertising technique that leads people to wrongly believe a brand is sustainable.
Read the sustainability information and labels
So, how to know if a brand is truly sustainable? In just a few words, you can read all about a brand’s sustainability responsibilities on their website. You can also take a good look at the clothes and shoe labels to understand the fabric used and where the product is made. Just because a product is made in China or India does not mean it is not sustainable. More and more brands partner up with factories in local countries to offer a better standard of living than slow fashion would.
Usually, the best sustainable fashion brands are also priced higher. There must be a true balance between sustainability in the fabrics and the impact on the environment. Ethics, which is how the brand treats its employees wherever they are, must also be top-notch. There cannot be a sustainable label set on a brand that cares very dearly for their employees but pollutes greatly to make their products travel from and to different countries.
10 ethical fashion brands: sustainable and ethically-produced clothes
Now that we know what makes a fashion brand sustainable, it is time for us to discover quite a beautiful number of them. I have decided to make a list of the best European sustainable fashion brands, but not only.
The sustainable Cuyana is part of the list, but I will also talk about the brand Icebreaker sustainability. This ethical fashion brands list is full of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the best sustainable fashion brands. So dive in, and let us know your own favorite sustainable fashion brands!
1. Cuyana: Sustainable and Minimalist Fashion
The sustainable Cuyana is part of our best sustainable fashion brands list because they truly promote a responsible way of dressing. They are a true example of what makes a fashion brand sustainable, with goals clearly set down on a timeline.
For instance, they believe in owning fewer, better things. As such, they promised in 2020 to reach 100% sustainably made materials by 2022. That is why they produce responsibly, in small batches. 96% of the collections stem from sustainable materials. They design and produce with the intention, to extend the life of your wardrobe.
Cuyana really deserves its spot on our ethical fashion brands list. With their absolutely exquisite array of accessories, they’re one of the best high fashion sustainable brands around.
2. Atelier Parsmei: The Incredible Sustainable Fashion Brand
Atelier Parsmei is one of the best sustainable fashion brands today. What makes a sustainable fashion brand is transparency and respect for both humans and the planet. As such, Atelier Parsmei can be included in this ethical fashion brands list.
In this list, some of the high fashion sustainable brands are actually none other than European sustainable fashion brands. Who would have known? The brand focuses on high fashion for kids and women. Their offer is quite interesting since they offer the most amazing designs matching for both ladies and children. I mean, there’s a reason why Atelier Parsmei has been mentioned in Harper’s Bazaar Kids, Hooligans, and Elle. One of the top sustainable fashion brands UK, and an entirely female-led company, Atelier Parsmei is well on its way to reduce the overall fashion waste. In every sense of the term.
3. Icebreaker: Natural Apparel
I couldn’t make an ethical fashion brands list without adding the Icebreaker sustainability. Sustainable fashion brands come into all kinds of shapes and fabrics, and Icebreaker literally aims at breaking the ice. Sustainability is a true principle at the core of the brand that refuses to dress people with plastic on their skin. Their natural and sustainable apparel is inspired by Nature.
Icebreaker’s founder, Jeremy Moon, created the brand in 1995 as a response to overly chemical production processes. Since then, Icebreaker has kept working to eliminate all kinds of synthetic fabrics from the fashion scene. Rather, they prefer working with Merino wool, natural and beneficial for the planet.
4. American Giant: Sustainable Fashion for Men
A single simple idea Leeds American giant to be one of the best sustainable fashion brands in 2021. the American giant sustainability relies on the motto: Make things better, make better things. With simple clothing designs that lend themselves perfectly to everyday occasions, the American Giant sustainability fights mega-corporations big times.
For the company, it is important to be genuine and innovative to go against the current and offer the whole world a better way of dressing. According to the sustainable fashion brand, when you buy American Giant, you are supporting a true movement for the planet, for the local communities, and for durability.
5. Synergy Organic: Ethical Fashion
Synergy Organic is one of the sustainable fashion brands that make Earth spin around ethics. The founder, Kate Fisher, founded the brand in 1993 during her first trip to Nepal. This one allowed her to feel overwhelmed by the unique textiles and fabrics that can only be found in South East Asia. A mere three years later, back in hometown California, she decided to focus on eco-conscious and ethical clothing with her husband and partner Henry Schwab.
Synergy is part of our ethical fashion brands list because of its use of organic cotton and low-impact dyes, as well as the human way of working they offer all their employees. Every person working in making Synergy Organic clothes is well-trained and respectfully treated. This allows us, buyers, to choose purposefully, and act for the world in a genuine way.
6. KINdom: Upcycling Style
If you are wondering what makes a fashion brand sustainable, then KINdom has your every answer. The company is part of our ethical fashion brands list because of all the fair-trade processes they implement in clothes making. Everything in this brand revolves around Nature with a capital N. The materials are sustainable, recycled, natural, reclaimed, and indigenous.
In order to reduce their impact on the planet, KIMdom uses natural cotton labels printed with water-based ink and unbleached hangtags that contain absolutely no plastic. It’s one of the best sustainable fashion brands on the market today because it truly connects human beings with others, and nature to us. Even the packaging is made of vegetable-based bioplastic – there is not one thing KINdom has not thought of to protect the Earth.
7. Stella McCartney: Ethical Fashion
Stella McCartney sustainability is famous around the world. It’s one of the top sustainable fashion brands UK today. It actually came as quite a surprise to the fashion scene when a high-end brand decided to act on what makes a fashion brand sustainable.
Stella McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney, was born in London and graduated from Central St Martins, home of some of the high fashion sustainable brands we know today. Her eponymous luxury fashion house was launched in 2001 and boomed among the European sustainable fashion brands at that time. Her creations are bold, almost androgynous for the most part. Stella McCartney is part of our ethical fashion brands list because of the eco-conscious vision she pours into clothes, perfumes, and even eyewear.
One of the best sustainable fashion brands, Stella McCartney has been awarded quite a few awards, such as the WWD Honours Corporate Citizenship Award in New York or the Green Fashion Award Ground Breaker Award in Milan in 2019.
8. Alternative Apparel
The Alternative Apparel Inc sustainable fashion launched in 1995. It is not one of the totally sustainable fashion brands on the market today. However, Alternative Apparel Inc sustainable fashion really works on designs to make the world a better place.
Once a self-standing brand, it is on our ethical fashion brands list although it was purchased by the Hanesbrands group in 2017. I would say that it is worth keeping an eye on Alternative Apparel to see what they will come up with in the future in terms of ethics and sustainability!
9. Beyond Retro: Upcycled and Reliable Slow Fashion
Beyond Retro is one of the top sustainable fashion brands in 2021 – there, I said it. I cannot imagine a world where vintage and upcycled fashion brands would not exist. If it’s part of this ethical fashion brands list, it is because the vintage institution collects only the best retro-wear. With labels from the 60s onwards, Beyond Retro offers a tremendous array of colorful vintage clothing brands.
Today, this sustainable fashion brand owns stores in Sweden and in the UK, where you can find quite a few addresses in London. I feel like it’s always a great pleasure to find old new gems in vintage shops. The uniqueness of each piece should convince anyone to shop vintage and wear sustainable.
10. Able: Empowerment and Fashion Fairness
The last one on this ethical fashion brands list is Able. The main goal of the company is to employ and empower women as a solution to end poverty. Quality lies at the base of the brand, and they display a true balance between ethics and sustainability.
One of the best sustainable fashion brands today, Able has started out with hand-woven scarves. The team trained Ethiopian women and the sales count reached 4.000 in two months. The game had started, and the company grew from hand-woven scarves to a full-on lifestyle brand.
Today, Able offers plant-based leather bags, jewelry, and a complete line of clothes and shoes. The brand might not be one of the most high fashion sustainable brands today, but for sure, it is one of the most human and ethical jewelry brands. Women working for Able enjoy correct wages that allow them to get their heads out of poverty’s deep waters.
Concluding 10 Ethical and Sustainable Fashion Brands
And there you have it, the complete Fashion Fabrique ethical fashion brands list. What makes a fashion brand sustainable is the genuine will to make the world a better place, whether we’re talking about Dutch sustainable fashion brands or any other European sustainable fashion brands like Stella McCartney sustainability choices.
It is important to understand that every piece of fast-fashion plastic that we wear when we’re not wearing sustainable fashion brands will most probably end up in landfills. The world doesn’t need more trash, now does it? Even influencers like Xenia Adonts have created their own sustainable clothing line, like Attire the Studio. Choose the top sustainable fashion brands UK, choose an American newcomer, the sustainable Cuyana, or the Icebreaker sustainability. Select whatever designs suit your lifestyle. Choose life! And if you love boho fashion, these are the styles you don’t want to miss!
PIN IT: 10 Ethical and Sustainable Fashion Brands
