One big reality that has moved the global environmentalists and every industry is the environmental hazard owing to industries and human lifestyle. Just like any other industry, even the clothing industry has taken up revolutionary steps to adapt and merge eco-friendly fashion trends and promote clothing brands that aren’t fast fashion.
Fast fashion relates to clothing houses producing bulk clothing from new raw materials. Whereas the latest global trend of slow fashion or sustainable fashion relates to recycling materials to create clothing, taking into consideration the environmental factor in every phase of production like chemical emissions, water usage, fabric lifecycle, byproducts, etc. Here we have discussed the popularity of the best slow fashion brands and have also discussed a few top ones that aim to produce fashionable clothing while working to reduce environmental footprint.
Sustainable Clothing Brands: Why Are They So Popular?
According to McKinsey Research 2018, approximately 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions are from the fashion industry. This amounts to the same amount as all the greenhouse gas emissions from the UK, Germany, and France combined. Well, the good news is people are getting aware, resulting in the popularity of sustainable fabrics and eco-friendly materials. According to Depop, a selling platform in acquisition with Etsy witnessed an increased interest in recycled materials.
The study reveals that 53% of consumers of sustainable products consider the use of recycled materials an eco-friendly step. Besides the hike in popularity of organic fabrics or recycled clothing is also due to its pocket-friendly aspect. Cutting of all-new production to use of recycled items. The fashion industry quite wisely termed it as “recommerce.” Digitalization has helped the move further ahead with sites like thredUP, eBay, Poshmark, etc. to sell old or used clothes online. Fashion brands like Eileen Fisher and Patagonia are enhancing the commerce of pre-worn fabrics, under their brand label.
However, clothing brands that are not fast fashion are willing and eager to adapt to the new global fashion trend, are yet to adopt ethical practices all under one roof. Nevertheless, the scale of recycled fabric production is growing aggressively and catching up with the market demand.
Top 10 Best Slow Fashion Brands
Patagonia
This is a California-based slow fashion brand that is one of the pioneers in grounding their efforts to recycled materials and adapting organic cotton in fabric manufacturing. As one of the oldest ethical brands of US, the company stands for fair wages of laborers and picks US-based manufacturing units in North Carolina, Texas, etc. Patagonia trendily boasts and promotes its ‘Worn Wear’ collection and takes a step ahead for Fair Trade. The company takes a unique initiative of not only recycling materials but even revamping worn-out clothes. Its environment-friendly merchandising and manufacturing works are acknowledged by its Fair Trade, and it is also Bluesign approved. Patagonia primarily focuses on a collection of outdoor apparel, activewear, swimwear for adults and children. If you are interested, read more about brands like Patagonia on our website.
Athleta
Athleta is a brand that claims to manufacture its league of Activewear athleisure collections from 60% of recyclable materials like Tencel, recycled polyester, organic cotton, etc. It has an ethnic wear manufacturing unit as well. However, Athleta has gained quite a good response for its collections of loungewear, swimwear, sleepwear, women’s apparel, and activewear. This B Corp Certified brand aims to higher its achievement in the line by using recyclable materials for manufacturing up to 80% of its products. With consistent high performances in every Textile lab test, Athleta takes every bit of care to use environmentally friendly recycled packaging, sustainable and recycled fabrics and collaborates with WRAP-accredited factories. The company’s latest collections for swimwear & activewear are worth checking out.
Quince
With a sustained record of working with Bluesign® & OEKO-TEX certified sustainable materials & factories, Quince deserves a special mention amongst the top 10 slow fashion brands. The company has bagged a recognizable appreciation in the global fashion market with its keen endeavor of using organic Mulberry silk to linen and organic fabric to cashmere. Its unique fashion collection line suits modern sleek daily wear. Quince has also a notable reputation for being transparent about its merchandise collaborations. The Quince Capsules section with a huge and fascinating celebrated collection of accessories, jewelry, adult apparel, etc. The company takes a lead interest in offering fair labor & wages, indulges in eco-friendly packaging too.
Vetta
Vetta is a USA-based fashion brand that works with a mission to evolve slow fashion and create thoughtful and chic fashion clothing. Vetta is highly-popular for offering excellent capsule wardrobe pieces. It is worth checking out the long-lasting, sustainable material fabricated five-piece capsule collection from Vetta, which allows you to wear 30+ innovative outfits. Vetta also has a mesmerizing collection of individual wear. The brand primarily focuses on women’s apparel, crafted from sustainable, recycled, and deadstock materials. Vetta takes up every possible measure to minimize carbon footprints, with its LA-based partner factory fetching 70% of its energy from solar power. Most of the accessories required for ornamenting the garment are also manufactured in the US.
People Tree
People Tree is a UK-based brand that passionately works for fair wages and improved working conditions with focused wardrobe collections based on sustainable and ethnic fabric and fair trade. Moreover, you can have no complaints about the environment-friendly standards maintained by the company as it was Fair Trade Certified. The primary materials used for creating an extensive range of undergarments, tops, dresses, activewear, and sleepwear with Tencel Lyocell, etc. People Tree is a PETA-approved vegan brand, which uses essentially low-impact dyes and biodegradable materials. The company has a legacy of 20 years of working with fair trade workmen and farmers. Among the hottest collections of People Tree are cotton sundresses, yoga wear, and jumpsuits. The company ships globally.
Boden
Boden is one of the renowned British brands celebrating fashion for over 30 years now. Known for its ethical production, Boden has a beautiful collection for an entire family. Shopping for adults to children is quite fun at Boden, knowing that all their materials are responsibly sourced from sustainable materials. The company also takes care in packaging the products using recyclable material. The company creates exclusive men’s, women’s, and children’s wardrobe collections.
Fair Trade Winds
Fair Trade Winds is the US, Washington based ethical fashion brand. It is a Fair Trade Federation member, which means you can be sure about the sustainable, eco-friendly, and recyclable fabricating methods it adheres to. The company ensures its all policies and manufacturing units work in close coordination with all fabric artisans, keeping into consideration fair wage parameters. Every piece of fashion wear at Fair Trade Winds reflects pure creativity, thoughtful art of fashion, and unique style.
Tentree
Certified after the strict standardization methods of B Corp, Tentree has been approved to be B Corp certified. Tentree has an innovative wardrobe collection that is ethically crafted with a strong root to earth. Well, the company propagates a unique mission of celebrating green life on earth, and thus they promote ‘one buy, plant ten’. The brand has already gone the extra mile of thoughtful merchandising by planting more than 61 million trees to date. The collection the brand showcases include fashionable and comfortable, climate-friendly wear for both children and adult. Besides, the company aims for planting a billion trees by 2030.
Columbia
Columbia stands apart from brands that are not fast fashion in their unique way. Columbia is one of the handpicked brands of the fashion industry which takes over the charge of the entire supply chain to ensure comprehensive sustainability. One of its hit collections is Outdry Eco jackets, which are thoughtfully crafted from recycled plastic bottles. The brands ensure to be environment-friendly by eliminating dye work to save 24 gallons of water to dye per jacket and secure exclusive use of a water-repellant finish, eliminating PFCs, which produce toxic chemicals. It works vigorously to spread its ethnic practices by working with vendors who are mostly Bluesign certified, which calls for efficient use and conservation of water, energy, and eco-friendly waste removal.
Polo Ralph Lauren
The Earth Polo, one of the most famous picks from Polo Ralph Lauren collections of fashion wear, exhibits the level of ethnic practices it adheres to. The Earth Polo uses recycled water bottles to acquire synthetic fiber and also uses eco-friendly dye, which refrains from the use of water in the application process. Even though this might be a single product, however considering the brand popularity and product demand, the company estimates saving a landfill of approximately 170 million plastic bottles by 2025. The company also publishes its genuine efforts and reports to support the facts promoted. However, this brand has a lot of fame for formal and casual men’s wear.
Final Thoughts
No initiative is small when you intend to do good for the environment we all depend on. Perhaps responsibility and humanity together need to showcase a small initiative to nature as a gift. The fashion industry today is evolving faster, it is establishing deep roots of ethnic fashion with both big and small sustainable clothing brands. Luckily, Gen Z seems to be aggressively interested in participating in minimizing carbon footprints from the lap of Mother Nature. If you feel like a pro fashionista and want to have your share in contributing to green earth, shop from slow fashion brands and keep up with the Gen Z trend.
