My Favorite Sustainable Brands That Are Worth the Look

House of Sunny

House of Sunny is a ready to wear women’s fashion brand located in East London. They are known for producing just two small, sustainable seasonal collections a year. This allows their design team to work at a slower pace in order to master the use of sustainable fabrics and act upon ethical production methods. Their manufacturing partners overseas are visited constantly to ensure a socially conscious process as well. They do not support the use of fur, leather, skins, or silk to fight against immoral animal abuse in the fashion industry.

Some of my favorite pieces of their most recent collection.

$ - $$

Aesthetic: Feminine, unique, pieces that never go out of style

Reformation

Reformation is a brand that I have been following religiously for a very long time as it houses high quality and trendy pieces that are also environmentally conscious. They produce quarterly reports on sustainability to their website for customers to track the progress of the brand and the positive impact it is making. They are partnered with Brazilian Rosewood Amazon Conservation Project and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) Water Restoration Program that help balance out some resources used. As stated on their website: “in exchange for the emissions, water and waste our clothes used last quarter, we protected 1,000 acres of the Amazon Rainforest from deforestation, contributed 27 million gallons of freshwater to critically dewatered rivers and wetlands in California, and purchased landfill gas offsets.” In addition, their electricity in stores and in manufacturing houses are 100% sourced from wind power suppliers and use LED lighting. Their goal is to create a zero waste production cycle by composting organic wastes and recycling and donating their textile scraps. As of right now, they recycle over 75% of all of their garbage.

$$ - $$$

Aesthetic: Fun, florals everywhere, sexy yet sweet

AMUR

AMUR is a fashion brand that produces high end, every day and evening wear pieces for women. They use certified organic cotton and silk and also incorporate materials like hemp and linen that do not require as much water and fertilizer to produce. The brand also uses regenerated textiles and their waste materials are spun to create recycled fibre that can be used to create other fabrics. In addition, Since the beginning of their brand, AMUR has been dedicated to empowering communities. They partnered with NEST, a nonprofit fair trade organization that supports and celebrates the work of local artisans and craftsmen in India and Vietnam.

Their mission statement includes:

“We believe that fashion is a powerful platform for positive global change—that the way we dress influences the way we live, now and in the future. Sustainability is a process, and we’re learning by doing. Knowing it goes beyond the choice of materials, we’re committed to doing our best, season after season.”

$$$ - $$$$

Aesthetic: Elegant, chic, classic

People Tree

Started almost three decades ago, People Tree was one of the first sustainable brands that created ethical and eco-friendly clothing that focused on being longlasting rather than in style. The company is part of the World Fair Trade Organisation and 93% of the cotton used to produce their pieces are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard.

$ - $$

Aesthetic: Basics, minimalistic pieces

Everlane

Everlane believes in a completely ethical supply chain, from production to customers. Not only do they partner with socially sustainable factories around the world, but they believe in a completely transparent process. They call it Radical Transparency: the brand believes that their customers have the right to be aware of how much their clothes truly cost to make. On their website, they illustrate the price behind all of their products —from materials to labor to transportation— and then they compare their price with a traditional retail markup for that specific product. See for yourself!

Here, one can acknowledge the true cost of a Modern Loafer.

$ - $$

Aesthetic: Classic, minimalistic, everyday use

Outdoor Voices

Outdoor Voices is a men’s and women’s activewear brand that encourages wearers to “get out and do things.” They are not sustainable in whole, but they try to be as sustainable as possible by finding technical fabrics like their recycled polyester and their sustainable Merino wool. By having products that are durable and high quality, Outdoor Voices also fights for a long lasting life cycle of fashion.

$$ - $$$

Aesthetic: Playful, inclusive, comfortable activewear

Sources

Everlane, www.everlane.com/tread.

“ABOUT THE BRAND | LONDON.” HOUSE OF SUNNY, www.houseofsunny.co.uk/about?fbclid=IwAR3_H2D-Sba52AWYBhWiWXjl5yg89nZf_fz-m4HoD4qjtIaKPFTAZe7PIrw.

“About Us.” Outdoor Voices, www.outdoorvoices.com/pages/about-us.

Davis, Jessica. “25 Of Our Favourite Sustainable Brands.” Harper's BAZAAR, Harper's BAZAAR, 20 June 2019, www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/what-to-wear/g19491797/the-best-and-still-chic-sustainable-brands/.

Guide, Staff. “10 Best Affordable Brands For Ethical Fashion On A Budget.” The Good Trade, The Good Trade, 5 Mar. 2019, www.thegoodtrade.com/features/affordable-ethical-fashion-brands.

“Our Story.” People Tree - OUR STORY, www.peopletree.co.uk/about-us.

“Sustainable Practices.” Reformation, www.thereformation.com/pages/sustainable-practices.