Sustainable clothes and fashion are definitive features of how Gen Z wants to dress. Eco-friendly clothes are one of the hippest fashion trends which is sustainable and ethical.
The Gen Z are becoming more and more conscious about the impact they have on the health of the planet. They have become more conscious about their purchases and are actively making changes in their daily life to have a more sustainable impact. This translates into buying products which are made from ethical sources, are cruelty free and are not made in an exploitative environment.
The Gen Z are influenced by documentaries like the “True Cost” which shed a light on the ill-practices that are evident in the fast fashion industry. Today, we are going to look at how the fast fashion industry is killing the equilibrium of the planet. We will also discuss the brands that are bravely putting up a fight against the unsustainable trend of fast fashion.
Why Choose Eco-Friendly Clothes?
The world makes more than 100 billion pieces of clothing each year. However, the worrying trend is that only 2% are recycled or made of sustainable materials. Not only is that an issue, the fashion and apparel industry has been accused of being a highly unethical industry when it comes to the treatment of its workers and polluting the surrounding environment.
For the climate-conscious Gen Z, the good news is that there are a lot of brands that have taken up the burden of making the planet a little better by manufacturing more sustainable clothes. The Eco-friendly practices in the fashion industry could range from using sustainable materials, trying to lower the factory’s carbon footprint or paying their workers fair wages.
The brands taking the sustainability route might be on the pricier side but understand that unlike regular labels these brands do not intend to model themselves for fast consumption. They are meant to have reliable quality and be sustainable for the planet in the long run. But before you even consider giving these brands a shot, trying to prolong the life of what you are already wearing or even buying second-hand cloth from a thrift shop, down the road, will always be the better solution.
The Philosophy of Eco-Friendly Fashion
Over the last 3 decades, clothing has fast become a disposable commodity. For a lot of people, not much thought goes before buying new clothes and it has almost become a daily event daily. Thanks to fast fashion and the internet it is now cheaper, easier and faster to shop for the latest trends at the click of a button.
A highly popular global phenomenon, fast fashion has its advantages like increasing affordability and accessibility. It’s highly popular for a lot of reasons. It offers many advantages for consumers.
Unfortunately, the overproduction and over consumption of clothes made in this manner are very detrimental to the environment as a whole. Waste generate due to fast fashion and the throwaway culture is piling up in our landfills and polluting our surroundings.
Fast fashion not only destroys entire ecosystems it also endangers animal lives, and the health of our loved ones. It releases toxic and hazardous chemicals into the environment. It also is responsible for the percolation of harmful plastic microfibers and causes large-scale deforestation. It is now reported that a newborn baby has as much plastic in its lungs as an entire credit card! The fact that it causes global warming, and air, land, and water pollution has long been established.
On the other hand, Eco-friendly fashion exists to solve the grave issues created by fast fashion and its widespread consumption. It encourages a sustainable and more careful way of consumption. It asks brands to produce eco-friendly clothes which can decrease the environmental impact on their customer’s wardrobes.
Sustainable fashion’s philosophy is to ask consumers to be the driving change in the fashion industry. Consumers choose the clothes that they can buy, the brand that they support and associate with and to which cause their money goes. Consumers have the power to create more awareness of the problems facing the world and make more responsible buying decisions. This would ultimately force companies to switch to a more sustainable, eco-friendly and green approach.
13 Eco-Friendly Fashion Brands for a Life-Altering Closet
Founded with the benefits of the consumers, farmers, and the planet in its mind. Pact, an eco-friendly fashion and sustainable clothes brand claim that its collection of organic clothing uses up to 81% less water than its competitors. The brand’s organic cotton clothing avoids the use of toxic chemicals often used in fast fashion. Pact’s lounge wear and sleepwear are made with the most sustainable cotton and are engineered for all-day comfort.
The company not only claims to be sustainable but also partners with sustainability certification organizations like Fair Trade USA, Global Organic Textile Standard and SimpliZero to ensure their products, and processes are up to the highest green standards.
Based in the Byron Bay area, Afends is one of the sustainable clothing brands which leads the way in organic hemp fashion and is pushing sustainability through its line of clothing. The brand focuses on producing timeless fashion made out of the most sustainable fibers which have the least amount of impact on the environment. The USP of Afends is its packaging. Since 2014 the brand has been producing packing material made out of corn starch which is 100% compostable.
Afends ensure the use of only renewable energy in its supply chain to reduce its total carbon footprint. Its use of eco-friendly materials limits the number of chemicals, water and wastewater used in the production of its collection.
One more feather in Afends cap is that it does not use fur, leather, exotic animal skin or hair. It only uses eco-friendly wool certified by Responsible Wool Standard.
Based in The Netherlands, MUD Jeans is one of its kind sustainable and fair trade-certified denim brand. It seeks to satisfy the principles of the circular economy along with sustainable fashion. Their Jeans are made from 40% recycled content, with the material being derived from previously discarded jeans.
Over the years, Mud Jeans claims to have saved 300 million litres of water and over 12000 pairs of jeans from ending up in landfills. Because of the brand’s efforts in recycling and sustainable production, they have avoided generating over 700,000 kilos of Carbon Dioxide! They also run a one-of-its-kind “Lease a Jeans” campaign, for a monthly fee of $9.95 users can lease a pair of jeans from them and send them back to the company for recycling.
The next brand on our list is a popular household name with millions of owners across the globe. Founded in 1853, Levi’s is a clothing brand popularly known for its high-quality denim jeans. Over the decades it has been worn by everyone from Presidents to even cowboys.
Levi’s has long been committed to sustainable fashion and providing an eco-friendly experience to its customers. The brand tries to create products last a lifetime. Levi’s plans to optimise its production process and reduce its water usage by a whopping 80% using its patented Water<lessTM technique.
The next brand on our list is a popular household name with millions of owners across the globe. Founded in 1853, Levi’s is a clothing brand popularly known for its high-quality denim jeans. Over the decades it has been worn by everyone from Presidents to even cowboys.
Levi’s has long been committed to sustainable fashion and providing an eco-friendly experience to its customers. The brand tries to create products last a lifetime. Levi’s plans to optimise its production process and reduce its water usage by a whopping 80% using its patented Water<lessTM technique.
Boody promotes itself as the first underwear brand in the US to be given a B Corp certification. Boody is all about easy-to-wear clothing which its customers love lounging in. The material used is comfortable, breathable and soft to the touch. Boody uses sustainable FSC-certified bamboo sourced from sustainable and eco-friendly farms in Asia, helping sustain thousands of livelihoods in the developing world.
Boody comes with a range of certifications including the highly sought-after Oeko-Tex, PETA Vegan, the Fashion Forever Green Pact (FSC) and the ECOCERT certification.
For Gen Z who love eco-friendly fashion, Reformation offers a trendy and sustainable experience which will last long after the fashion season is over. Based out of Los Angeles, the brand creates products only from top-quality sustainable and recycled materials. Unlike its competitors, this sustainable clothes brand goes to great lengths to ensure that its products are manufactured in a fair-wage environment.
Each item sold by Reformation comes with a detailed description of its environmental impact.Reformation is already a climate-neutral brand and aims to be a climate-positive brand by 2025!
ABLE had humble beginnings. It started off as a small clothing brand selling handwoven scarves, made by women coming out of Ethiopia’s prostitution industry. It does not believe in commercial money-minting like the regular corporates. ABLE’s philosophy is to use the profits for creating opportunities for marginalized individuals, especially women in order to end cyclical poverty.
ABLE believes every woman is strong, creative, important, worthy and unique in her own way. It keeps these traits in mind while designing its line of clothing, jewellery, apparel, denim and shoes. It partners with women across developing countries in Asia and Africa to manufacture and source its products.It is a certified B corp company and practices fair labour and equal pay practices. It ensures that it delivers eco-friendly fashion with a focus on empowering women from marginalized communities.
Tentree is one of the few sustainable clothing brands which caters to the needs of the entire family while practising sustainable sourcing and production. But wait! there is more as part of its commitment to give back to mother nature, Tentree plants 10 trees for every item purchased by a customer. Tentree has already planted 70+ million trees to date and is pursuing an audacious goal of planting a whopping 1 billion by 2030!
With its roots in Canada, Tentree is ethically manufactured with supply partners spread across the globe. Tentree focuses on making cosy and snug eco-friendly clothes including t-shirts, cardigans, dresses, and jackets made from sustainable fabrics like Tencel, hemp, and certified organic cotton. Tentree focuses on minimal carbon footprint and maximum comfort for its customers, it has something for everyone who is looking to make an impact one step at a time.
Tentree also allows its customers to purchase a subscription plan. Through this Tentree will plant trees on the subscription holder’s behalf and give them a chance to offset the carbon generated from their lifestyle. With Tentree, our sustainable shoppers cannot go wrong.
Next on our list of sustainable clothing brands is Whimsy + Row. Los Angeles-based Whimsy + Row is a sustainable fashion and Eco-conscious lifestyle brand that was founded in 2014 with a view to producing clothes with a high longevity and sustainable practices. Whimsy + Row claims their vision is to provide ease and elegance for the modern, Eco-conscious woman.
Their products are developed and manufactured under ethical conditions in Los Angeles. All of Whimsy +Row’s clothing are made within a few miles of the head office, meaning they can visit and ensure sustainable practices are ensured in their manufacturing process. The ethical practices by Whimsy + Row also includes payment of fair wages and fair treatment of workers.
They use only locally sourced, up cycled, and low-impact materials, with a view to creating a high-quality labels that will last its customers for years to come. They only seek out the best eco-friendly certified fabrics to bring out clothes that are as stylish as much as they are sustainable.
Next on our list of sustainable clothing brands is Whimsy + Row. Los Angeles-based Whimsy + Row is a sustainable fashion and Eco-conscious lifestyle brand that was founded in 2014 with a view to producing clothes with a high longevity and sustainable practices. Whimsy + Row claims their vision is to provide ease and elegance for the modern, Eco-conscious woman.
Their products are developed and manufactured under ethical conditions in Los Angeles. All of Whimsy +Row’s clothing are made within a few miles of the head office, meaning they can visit and ensure sustainable practices are ensured in their manufacturing process. The ethical practices by Whimsy + Row also includes payment of fair wages and fair treatment of workers.
They use only locally sourced, up cycled, and low-impact materials, with a view to creating a high-quality labels that will last its customers for years to come. They only seek out the best eco-friendly certified fabrics to bring out clothes that are as stylish as much as they are sustainable.
Founded by Cayley Pater and Andy Ives, Made Trade is the one-stop shop for exquisitely crafted eco-friendly clothes. It is a family-run and woman-owned business and promotes more than 150+ BIPOC-owned labels. Made Trade’s website have all the tools required by a conscious shopper to make a positive impact while they shop online. The brand’s team goes to great lengths to ensure a sustainable fashion experience for its customers. It verifies and vets every single fashion brand for three important traits equity, sustainability, and transparency and ensures a carbon-neutral delivery experience.
Before on boarding, any brand on its platform Made Trade makes them go through a rigorous vetting process. It collects detailed information about the company’s products, manufacturing process, labour treatments, certification of materials, the fair trade status among others.
Right from top labels to up-and-coming sustainable fashion brands Made Trade has them all. The company ensures it spoils its customer with infinite eco-friendly and planet-friendly choices.
MATE the Label comes with the hashtag “Dress Clean”. The company wishes to provide a sustainable fashion experience from “seed to skin”. In downtown Los Angeles, all its clothes are made using only organic, natural and non-toxic materials including 100 per cent linen & certified organic cotton along with low-impact dyes.
It diligently tracks its carbon emissions, and water and chemical use. They have also eliminated all the plastic in their labels and packaging process. They have even developed a brand new activewear label called MOVE by MATE which only uses 8% spandex, and has significantly fewer synthetic fibres than your typical activewear. Mate’s customers won’t ever find non-sustainable materials like polyester, nylon, or polyamide in their products.
Christy Dawn
Last but not least on our sustainable clothing brand list is Christy Dawn. The company says its source of inspiration is Mother Earth herself. Rather than sourcing conventional textiles, this brand works with surplus fabric, regenerative cotton and regenerative alpaca to make products that last a lifetime.It also has an extensive rewards program to incentivize sustainable shopping and eco-friendly fashion. Christy Dawn’s land stewardship program offers its customers a chance to support and invest in regenerative cotton farming and earn rewards and credits on the go.
Recently, it has taken it a step further to invest in regenerative farming practices through its flagship Farm-to-Closet initiative in India.
The Be Zen Take on Eco-Friendly Clothes
Eco-friendly clothes and sustainable clothing brands are the talks of the town. With Gen Z and millennials getting more and more Eco-conscious, the onus now lies on companies to increase their sustainable quotient.
Sustainable clothes are not only good for our surroundings but also for our environment and the planet as a whole. Because remember, we have only got this planet to live and it is our duty to take the best care of it.
The above 13 eco-friendly fashion brands are based out of the United States but most of them ship to all the major international postal addresses. Don’t forget to do your due diligence as a consumer and look for relevant Eco-certifications before you initiate a purchase. We hope your journey towards switching to sustainable fashion is a happy one!
To make things more sustainable and eco-friendly check out our Be Zen chrome extension. It is designed to help make your shopping experience greener this holiday season!
