What does it mean to be a sustainable clothing brand?
Generally, being considered a sustainable business means that care for humans, animals, and the environment are considered at every stage of the supply chain, from how materials are sourced to what happens at the end of a product’s lifecycle. This includes actions like ethical sourcing, safe working conditions, water conservation efforts, offsetting impact, and giving back.
The best sustainable brands are those that are transparent about their business practices. Consumers are now seeking out a sustainability statement that includes where and how clothing is made. Certifications like B Corporation (or B Corp), Fair Trade Certified, and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) instill trust in consumers who can be confident that claims are vetted by a trusted third party.
26 sustainable clothing brands making an impact
If you’re a consumer looking for sustainable fashion, or you’re a clothing brand owner aspiring to implement sustainable business practices, this list is for you.
These best-in-class examples of sustainable fashion brands include eco-friendly menswear, vegan footwear, vintage fashion, recycled swimwear, and everything in between. They’re been deemed sustainable through a number of actions, from reducing carbon emissions to using renewable materials to working with ethical factories.
1. Beaumont Organic
Products: Women’s apparel, babies, pets
Sustainable fashion category: Ethical production
Size range: XS to L
Beaumont Organic partners with trusted factories in Portugal and the UK sharing Beaumont’s belief that workers should be paid fairly and work reasonable hours. And most of the brand’s pieces are made using GOTS-certified organic cotton.
2. Thesus
Products: Unisex footwear
Sustainable fashion category: Sustainable materials, living wage, carbon neutral
Size range: Up to EU size 46
Thesus is a sustainable footwear brand using recycled materials to produce boots and shoes without leather or cruelty. The brand currently offers carbon-neutral shipping and is working toward becoming a Climate Neutral Certified company. Employees at Thesus and its partner facilities all make a living wage.
3. Narah Soleil
Products: Swimwear
Sustainable fashion category: Eco-friendly materials
Size range: XS to XL
Narah Soleigh’s swimsuits are made with fabric scraps, industrial plastic, and abandoned fishing nets woven into a recycled nylon and sewn in solar-powered factories. The company also produces other clothing made from organic cotton. Narah Soliel is an official member of Rainforest Trust, a global conservation charity. Partial profits support the organization’s Conservation Action Fund.
4. Pact
Products: Apparel for the whole family, including maternity wear
Sustainable fashion category: Organic materials, recycling program
Size range: XS to XXL (plus maternity sizes)
Pact’s organic cotton is GOTS certified (using 81% less water and 62% less energy than conventional cotton) and dyed with chemical-free dyes in its fair trade factories. The brand also has a clothing donation program, letting customers use Pact shipping materials to send back gently used clothing for distribution to nonprofits.
5. Organic Basics
Products: Unisex fashion basics
Sustainable fashion category: Organic materials, ethical production, low-impact shipping
Size range: XXS to XXL (women’s)
Organic Basics uses not only organic cotton in its clothing basics but other sustainable fabrics, like Lyocell and recycled wool. The brand tracks its impact across every stage of the supply chain, publishing data on its website for transparency. Across manufacturing and shipping, Organic Basics continually looks for ways to minimize its footprint from safe dyes to biodegradable and recycled packaging.
6. MoEa
Products: Sneakers
Sustainable fashion category: Vegan, cruelty free
Size range: Up to EU shoe size 46
MoEa produces sneakers with “leather” made from corn, pineapple, cactus, and more. For each type of leather alternative, MoEa partners with a producer like Piñatex, a certified B Corp company endorsed by PETA. The company’s pineapple leather saves 264 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, as it diverts leaves that would normally be burned into a new product.
7. Vege Threads
Products: Women’s apparel and swim
Sustainable fashion category: Fair working conditions, social responsibility
Size range: Some styles up to 3XL
Vege Threads is an Ethical Clothing Australia–accredited brand. To gain accreditation, businesses need to meet ECA’s standards for the treatment and fair pay of garment workers. The brand is also a 1% for the Planet member, donating a portion of profits to non-profit organizations. Vege Threads clothing is made with GOTS-certified organic cotton and other sustainable materials
8. Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather
Products: Footwear
Sustainable fashion category: Vegan, cruelty free
Size range: Up to EU shoe size 47
Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather is an Italian-made footwear brand that uses a leather alternative derived from apple waste from the fruit juice industry. The brand produces classic styles like Chelsea boots, cowboy boots, and Birkenstock-style sandals, all using plant-based components.
9. Duffle&Co
Products: Bags and accessories
Sustainable fashion category: Vegan materials
Size range: One size
Duffle&Co uses a mix of pineapple leather and organic cotton to create its leatherlike handbag line. These high end duffles, bags, and backpacks are also made to last. The company’s Repair Rewear program will repair any damages to its products in the first year to extend their life.
10. Public Myth
Products: Activewear for men and women
Sustainable fashion category: Locally made, living wage
Size range: Some styles up to XL (women’s)
Public Myth produces its activewear in a local factory in Vancouver, Canada. This ensures the company can closely monitor working conditions and ensure staff are paid and treated fairly. Public Myth also uses eco-friendly fabrics and natural materials while committing to low-waste production.
11. Psychic Outlaw
Products: Unisex apparel and accessories
Sustainable fashion category: Upcycling
Size range: Ready-to-wear up to 3XL, custom can be made any size
Psychic Outlaw makes handcrafted and bespoke pieces like bomber jackets and midi-skirts using vintage quilts, tablecloths, and bandanas. Reusing materials means the brand is diverting unusable pieces from the landfill, reducing the need for virgin materials, and giving a vintage artifact a second life.
12. Pantee
Products: Underwear and basics
Sustainable fashion category: Upcycled fabrics
Size range: XS to 3XL
Pantee is another sustainable brand using recycled fabrics. The undergarment brand produces its collections using deadstock fabrics (overproduction waste from the fashion industry). The brand launched by making products from deadstock t-shirts before scaling to use deadstock fabric rolls, saving these from possible incineration.
13. Gandy’s International
Products: Men’s and women’s apparel, bags
Sustainable fashion category: Social impact
Size range: Some styles up to XXL
Gandy’s International founders Rob and Paul Forkan turned their own grief into a mission to help others. Their sustainable clothing brand was created in tandem with a foundation that provides meals and school buildings to children in communities of need.
https://www.shopify.com/blog/sustainable-clothing-brands
