There’s no denying that the new fashion trend isn’t the new color pattern or style. The fashion world is now changing, sustainable and ethical fashion is the new must-haves. The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters, sustainable fashion has the potential of making a significant positive impact on our planet. More and more people are getting conscious of the quality of what they’re wearing.
Looking at Google Trend data, it’s evident the sustainable fashion is experiencing a consistent uptrend in the past five years. There are many brands out there attempting to get it right with sustainability.
In this article, we diligently aim to introduce you to some of the best online sustainable businesses. This list is prepared by analyzing over 100 online sustainable businesses. We’ve rigorously checked every website for three weeks and scored them based on our criteria.
Also, we’re inspired by the new stream of women-funded businesses and in this article, we primarily focus on women funded businesses who are on the frontier of sustainable fashion.
But first, let’s clarify the two terms below and why we need them both.
Ethical fashion ensures that the people working behind the brand are treated fairly. This includes labor policies, worker safety, the right to join a union, and equal payment.
Sustainable fashion is a term mostly used to address the environmental impact of a brand’s products such as reducing the carbon emissions, impact on our waterways, as well as using and disposing of chemicals safely.
We don’t see a separation between the sustainable and ethical fashion. For a business to call itself a sustainable brand, they have to meet both criteria. In this article, by a sustainable fashion brand, we mean a brand that follows both environmentally friendly and ethical practices.
Though there’s a lot of rising sustainable fashion brands, we curated the top 10 stores founded by women. Empowered women who want to change the course of fashion to a different era. It’s no longer just about the looks, it’s all about saving our planet. These women founded stores dedicated their life to their brands and saving the planet.
Before we go further we’d like to introduce first our ECO Metrics. We looked at over 100 online stores who claim to be running a sustainable fashion business and filter them based on these criteria:
And we allocate 1pt to each criterion except the transparency which is given 2pt. The reason for that is a business website is a source for us to check the credibility of their claim. And if the information is not clear or misleading, it doesn’t give us strong confidence that they wholeheartedly pursue sustainable practice.
Now we elaborated each of the categories in our metrics, without further due, let’s check out our list.
Website: https://www.wearproclaim.com
Price: $$
Location: Los Angeles US
Ship to: US, UK, Australia, Canada
Rating: 4 out of 7
What’s unique about them: Bras and other underwear made from ocean plastics.
PROCLAIM is An LA-made brand that promotes body acceptance through one ethical bra at a time. They believe that they can create a product that both benefits the people and our planet.
Cut and sewn in a Los Angeles facility that meets the city and state’s strict labor standards. The lingerie offerings include bralettes, briefs, and reversible bodysuits crafted mostly from Tencel or Repreve, a polyester fiber made from recycled plastic water bottles. Double- or triple-layered, these pieces are equal parts soft and supportive. And while each Proclaim bralette diverts three plastic bottles from landfill, a bodysuit diverts 15. Plus, the packaging is 100 percent recycled and recyclable.
Website: https://wolventhreads.com/
Rating: 7 out of 7
Price: $$
Location: Los Angeles US
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: Activewear and swimwear made from plastic oceans.
A WOC-founded business that creates sustainable activewear and swimwear. Fights fast fashion by offering shoppers better alternatives. Their garments are made with OEKO-TEX certified (verifying no harmful chemicals) recycled P.E.T fabric (RPET), a fabric made from recycled plastic water bottles, and the fabric prints and designs are inspired by nature. Plus, for every sale, Wolven removes one pound of waste from the ocean.
Website: https://samarabags.com
Rating: 5 out of 7
Price: $$
Location: USA
Ship to: worldwide
What’s unique about them: Bags and purses made from vegan leather and their newly developed apple skin leather.
An ethically-made, vegan, minimalist, and functional bag that won’t cost you much. They topped their sustainability game to the next level by using an apple leather material. Made from apple skin, it’s newly developed technology that’s far more environmentally friendly than vegan leather.
We couldn’t find on their website where in the US, they’re exactly located. We encourage them to take their website transparency up a notch.
Website: https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us
Rating: 7 out of 7
Price: $$
Location: US, UK
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: Basic apparel that lasts long and promotes women empowerment. Certified and recognized responsible sourcing on their organic cotton.
Proudly guarantees 365 days of quality made products and confident that it lasts. The company is committed to responsible sourcing, fair trade, and ethical practices across the 15 countries it has factories in, as well as eco-friendly options at every part of the supply chain. They also promote women empowerment by opening doors to women for bigger opportunities like education while working with them. Their products are made from BCI certified and ECONYL fabric made from ocean trash like plastics and nets.
Website: https://www.haenow.com/content/
Rating: 7 out of 7
Price: $$
Location: USA
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: The first apparel company certified by Fair Trade USA for creating sustainable basic apparel products.
HAE Now stands for Humans, Animals & Environment NOW.
A t-shirt company that believes ethics and social responsibility need not be sacrificed for profit but seen as a pathway to sustainable growth. They also honor worker rights as well as the environment and its inhabitants. The entire product line is sustainable. The products are made of organic cotton grown without pesticides and processed without harmful chemicals. The first apparel company to achieve fair trade certification by Fair Trade USA.
Website: https://maggiesorganics.com/
Rating: 7 of 7
Price: $$
Location: USA
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: Create apparel with classy designs not just for daily use but also for casual wear, all made from organic cotton and wool fiber. The first company to sell clothes with independent certification for new standards in Fair Labor Practices.
One of the longest-standing producers of clothing made with organic fibers in the US. Now the first manufacturer in the world to sell clothing that is independently certified to a new standard for Fair Labor Practices and Community Benefits. The company believes that there is no environmental sustainability without social responsibility. Maggie’s Organics endeavors to be completely transparent with all supply chains, all components used to make materials, and processes in making our products. Maggie’s Organics uses certified organic cotton and organic wool fibers in our apparel, leggings, accessories, and sock product lines.
Website: https://www.bluecanoe.com/
Rating: 6 of 7
Price: $$
Location: USA
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: Stylish and versatile apparel for women in high-quality fabrics that feel good next to your skin, combines beauty with functionality. Made from organic cotton and bamboo materials.
When it comes to purity, Blue Canoe clothing represents the best of the best. Made from hand-picked, certified organic cotton, organic bamboo, and TENCEL™, Blue Canoe garments are luxuriously soft and kind on the environment. Blue Canoe began in 1994 with a clear vision—to create organic clothing made in the USA that would fit the way women really lived. As a women-owned and run company, she knew what our customers were looking for—it was what we wanted for ourselves.
Website: https://www.bamboobody.com.au/
Rating: 6 out of 7
Price: $$
Location: Australia
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: Bamboo clothing designed for comfort and style.
The Bamboo Body is known for creating some of the most luxurious bamboo clothing in Australia. If you’ve ever worn bamboo clothing before, then you will know it’s some of the most luxurious-feeling fabric against your skin. Which is why it makes the perfect basic clothing for everyday wear. The materials are made from bamboo which is FSC-certified and OEKO-Tex100 certified which means the fabric is free from harmful chemicals and residues.
Website: https://tradlands.com
Rating: 6 out of 7
Price: $$ – $$$
Location: US
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: Designs inspired by Menswear to create effortless looks and garments, and they use a slow and sustainable process to do so.
Tradlands is on a mission to make high-quality women’s clothing, inspired by classic menswear. The brand creates effortless looks and garments, and they use a slow and sustainable process to do so. Tradlands pieces are often made with natural fibers and are designed with and by boutique clothing manufacturers around the world—all of whom value ethical and empowering working conditions. Unused fabrics and defected garments are always recycled or donated to women’s organizations.
Website: https://www.peopletree.co.uk/
Rate: 7 out of 7
Price: $$ – $$$
Location: UK
Ship to: Worldwide
What’s unique about them: One of the leaders in Fair Trade and known for their ethical workwear and casual designs.
UK based company, People Tree has been a leader in the Fair Trade movement for years. Their gorgeous patterns are made by in-house designers and are handwoven by Fair Trade groups paid living wages. People Tree also values transparency—clearly listed under their garments are who made each piece and where. PT collections featuring organic cotton, TENCEL™ Lyocell, and responsible wool, are made using traditional artisan skills such as hand weaving, hand knitting, hand embroidery, and hand block printing. Their high-quality ethically made workwear will last you forever and have you feeling confident and comfortable with their flattering dresses, tailored slacks, and elegant blouses.
Looking good does not need to cost our environment. Being a responsible shopper and consumer, choosing only ethical and sustainable products not only can save you a lot of money for quality but you are also choosing to save our planet.
Also, this list features empowered women who topped up their game to bring sustainable and ethical clothing in better style and comfort without harming Mother Nature.
Please send us your comments to contact@v2.bonanza.design and suggestions about sustainable and ethical fashion. This is the first of our series about sustainable fashion brands, stay tuned for more!
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