Finding eco friendly clothes that are comfortable, as well as stylish and sustainable for your wardrobe and wallet, is not as difficult as it used to be. Nowadays, you can find favorite labels from yesteryear along with completely new organic clothing companies. Most brands are now trying to provide some sort of sustainable or green product lines to meet consumer demands. As a result, you are more likely to see new labels and information on organic and eco conscious clothing products, such as the green GOTS label. Learn how to distinguish truly certified organic and sustainable clothing companies from the rest of the marketplace so you can make the right choice for eco safe clothing.
How to Shop for Sustainable Clothing
How to shop ethically made clothing brands is much easier these days thanks to the internet. This allows you to reduce your own transportation related carbon footprint, which is ecologically friendly. Then, as you look for companies offering shipping that offsets carbon usage, you further increase the sustainable aspect of the shopping experience.
You can quickly search for local eco friendly clothing brands based in your nearest big city. Local is best for sustainability thanks to the reduced carbon footprint that is involved in getting your product in hand. For example, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, you want to search for brands in Seattle and Portland.
Someone hunting for sustainable clothing from eco friendly brands in the Southeast would want to start in Athens and Atlanta, both in Georgia. Of course, there are always places to buy sustainable clothing in small towns, as well, but these options are more limited in most locales in the US, particularly in rural communities.
How to Find Certified Organic Clothing
Another indicator that clothing you are purchasing is sustainable is whether it contains certified organic materials. This includes certified organic cotton, as well as the use of natural or synthetic materials that are created using ecologically sound practices. Certified organic clothing will contain 100 percent organic materials including the fabric, stitching, tags, and embellishments.
Organic clothing may also include vegan materials like pleather in place of leather and eco friendly replacements for animal products like fur or snakeskin. To determine that clothing is certified organic, look at the label or contact the company. The sustainable clothing brands that have certified organic products will feature green printed labels stating they are approved by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This includes both certified organic fabrics and GOTS Certified organic cotton fabrics.
Types of Eco Friendly Clothing Brands
Here are several of the subcategories of eco friendly clothes to help you think outside the box about how to find certified organic clothing. There are so many brands and companies now selling organic clothing that it is easier to narrow down your selections before you go shopping. For example, maybe you want to support Black owned sustainable clothing brands or purchase fair trade jeans. You might be interested in androgynous fashion or bespoke clothing brands. Try using some of these terms to find specific fashions and brands that are common and popular in the sustainable clothing industry:
- Affordable ethical clothing
- Organic cotton baby clothes
- Black-owned sustainable clothing brands
- California-based clothing brands
- Eco friendly activewear
- Ethical dresses
- Ethical kids clothing
- Ethical swimwear brands
- Fair trade jeans
- Fair trade purses
- Gender neutral clothing brands, also called gender fluid brands or androgynous fashion brands
- Ethical menswear
- Plus size sustainable clothing
- Slow fashion
- Slow clothing movement
- Sustainable boutiques
- Sustainable clothes
- Sustainable work clothes
You can see a trend here towards slow fashion, fair trade, gender neutral, and ethical brands and collections. The goal is to find products by both big-named manufacturers and small scene designers that are safer for the environment. The ethos behind sustainability means you want to invest the most money on products that are going to sustain you, your wallet, and the environment. This means avoiding fast fashion and trendy labels that are not eco conscious, as they may use raw natural materials sourced in unethical ways and human labor practices that are questionable.
Before purchasing new, sustainable clothes, you should also think about and take a look at used or secondhand clothing options online or in your area.
What Constitutes Recycled Clothing
Recycled clothing is another up and coming concept for eco friendly clothing. Brands that use recycled materials, such as recycled nylon or recycled plastic bottles, are supporting an eco minded ethos. These products are safely repurposed into fabrics and embellishments to be used on clothing for consumers. When you choose a product that is made from 100 percent recycled materials, you can feel great about not using raw natural materials. This reduces the impact on manufacturing clothing from new materials, which is what you want to avoid when going green with clothing.
You should also consider what to do with your old clothes that are past their prime and aren’t worth donating – be it rags for use around the house or even dog toys.
Top Eco Friendly Clothing Brands for Babies and Kids
New parents who want their baby to start out with the best of the best are turning toward eco friendly clothing brands for infants and kids. This includes 100 percent organic cotton and naturally dyed fabrics, which are considered to be less toxic and safer for the skin of newborns. Eco friendly baby products are also chosen for parents interested in avoiding toxic chemicals in clothing. This includes synthetic fragrances, harmful phthalates, VOCs, flame retardants, lead, and formaldehyde. By using only ecologically safe clothing for a newborn, the child is less likely to suffer genetic and endocrine damaging issues related to the use of these toxins in standard clothing.
There are many 100 percent sustainable baby clothes companies that sell infant products, including these top picks:
- Burt’s Bees Baby GOTS Certified organic cotton pajamas
- Cheeky Wipes disposable wipes
- Colored Organics apparel
- Infantium Victoria vegan designer clothing
- Mini Mioche clothing
- MORI pajamas
- Natural Mama reusable diapers
- Tabitha Eve muslim cloths
Eco friendly clothing brands for kids who are in school and looking for more durable clothing include:
- Cotonly
- EarthHero
- For Days
- Jackalo
- Ligne Noir Enfants Italian knitwear
- Mon Coeur
- Pact
- Sense Organics
- Winter Water Factory
Infantium Victoria and Ligne Noir Enfants were rewarded with an Ecoethic Award in 2020 from Kid’s Wear Magazine. Sustainable back to school clothing for kids also includes zero waste backpacks like Terra Thread backpacks and sustainable pencil cases.
Most Sustainable Clothing Brands for Adults
While kids’ clothing should be made to last for a season or two based on how fast they outgrow items, adults want more sustainable pieces of clothing. Here you are looking at sustainable clothing brands that make slow fashion. Men’s ethical clothing brands also vary from women’s ethical clothing brands, just as they do with fast fashion.
Ethical dresses for women range from ethically made dresses to wear every day, including sustainable summer dresses to those worn once in a lifetime. This includes eco friendly prom gowns and wedding dresses. Fair fashion and formal wear, including fair trade prom dresses and natural fiber formal dresses are readily available from sustainable companies.
Additional labels and fashion designers that are centered on sustainable styles for adults include:
- Eileen Fisher
- Hours New Your
- MATE the Label
- Organic Basics
- Outerknown Apparel
- Pact Apparel
- Patagonia Outdoor Clothing
- Stella McCartney
- Tentree Apparel
To help you find a brand for your first fully sustainable wardrobe, consider these top contenders. I especially love Patagonia’s Worn Wear website – it’s a great place to find good condition used items like the Patagonia organic cotton long sleeve shirts & tops.
Toad&Co
Toad&Co is a US-based store with locations in Freeport, Maine; Golden, Colorado; Glenwood Springs, Colorado; and Chicago, Illinois. The company sells clothing for “trail or tavern” for women and men that is made from eco friendly materials and sustainable fibers. This includes vegan material, as well as recycled fabrics, hemp, organic cotton, Tencel®, and Lenzing Modal. The styles are more Western and outdoorsy but dressy enough to wear to work. Think flannel shirts, flowery short cotton dresses, trucker jackets, and wide leg pull on pants.
They are 100 percent sustainable and use a revolutionary packaging called the LimeLoop Mailer for shipping to eliminate standard packaging materials. After receiving your clothing order, you simply drop the empty LimeLoop Mailer, with a lifespan of 10 years, into the nearest USPS mail box slot to return it to Toad&Co. The company also partners with the Conservation Alliance, Environmental Defense Center, Community Environmental Council, and other regional environmental organizations.
Reformation
Based in Los Angeles, California, Reformation is one of the more popular California based clothing brands. This is also considered a boutique brand as they solely focus on women’s fashion. There is also a high level of design that goes into making the clothing for this brand. Additionally, everything from designing products to shipping them out happens in their factory in LA.
Reformation is partnered with the Fair Trade Association to help maintain their sustainable standards. This is also a climate neutral certified company that provides customers with free shipping and returns. To ensure they are most sustainable, this eco friendly clothing company only uses “low-impact materials, rescued deadstock fabrics, and repurposed vintage clothing.” Other materials that go into their women’s wear also include eco friendly man-made FibreTrace® and TENCEL™ Lyocell fabrics.
Tops, dresses, sweaters, and denim, along with shoes and wedding party dresses are sold by Reformation. You can also find workout tops, activewear sets, Ref Active, leggings, and sports bras from the company. The age range for this fashion brand is limited to younger adult women ranging from college aged to their mid-30s.