OK - the word sustainability gets chucked about a LOT, as there is sadly a lot of green-washing going on these days too. I wanted to showcase a handful of the best examples of truly sustainable fashion brands, and highlight how what they are doing not only leads the way, but also sets them apart from everyone else out there.
Let's go.
Rated 'good' on the Good on You app.
From from their conception in 2003 they have been committed to a deeply responsibility way of making their exceptional quality products, and holding transparency forefront of mind in the process.
What I really like about them (as well as the beautiful clothing & the fact their brand is deeply infused with story), is how they are open about the areas where they know they need to do a little better. For me that is true transparency.
Read here about how their B-Corp certification is up for renewal in 2024 - I'll be watching with interested to see if they score even better this year!
Rated 'great' on the Good on You app.
Absolutely beloved, is this one for me, when I had my baby I was both compelled & propelled with some sort of crazy internal creative force to launch my own self-empowerment fashion brand. But if I was going to be putting out designs into the world, they had to be on beautiful, high quality & sustainable garments.
I wasn't in a position to design my own actual garments so I looked to Stanley/Stella tees & sweatshirts to print designs on.
Their website is full of detail about how they support workers in Bangladesh who make their products - read here. I particularly love the fact that you can get to know specific experts on this page - for people who want to print their own designs on gorgeous clothing it's a huge bonus to know you are working with at the other end of the chain!
Rated 'great' on the Good on You app.
Absolutely buzzing with excitement at having found this incredible brand from BRISTOL - my home town!!! And what a story they have. A wonderful example of a brand truly driven by purpose and a resolute refusal to do anything other than respect planet & people. For me, here the magic is how they take their audience along on their journey.
Sam Mabley, co-founder of the brand talks about the brand at the beginning:
"I put up a poll on Instagram and one hundred people put their ideas into a mahusive hat, telling me about their favourite T-shirts.
We then set about making that T-shirt. And that's how we continue design products at Yes Friends - together.
Since that first poll, thousands of you have had your say on what styles and colours you want us to make next. On our collection pages you’ll find our latest ideas and can have your say. Together, we're building the hottest collection of sustainable and ethical clothing on the internet.
We couldn't do this without you.
So that's the story of Yes Friends. Building a brand together, to change the fashion industry. It's been a wild ride and this is just the start."
This is exactly what makes me passionate about working with heart & soul-led people - they are in this thing for GOOD, and to bring their fans along with them on the journey - listening to ideas, opinion and thoughts. It's a together thing and that really makes my soul sing loud!
The Standard Stitch
Rated 'great' on the Good on You app.
Beautiful & stylish fashion essentials where the gorgeous USP here is their accessible sizing. As a short person I've experienced this on a level, finding it hard to get lovely stuff that fits properly. Its wonderful to see a brand really leading with a visible acknowledgement that humans come in every shape and size and nothing should preclude anyone from wanting to dress in gorgeous clobber and look FIRE because it just damn well fits properly!!
Rated 'great' on the Good on You app.
Beautiful, high performance sportswear without a sniff of plastic in the garments! Their community newsletter is called 'The Athletes of Nature' - who doesn't want to be part of that?
Often the world of sport comes under criticism for the unsustainable way in which events are held - I shudder to think about the amount of plastic water bottles which have been used so far across professional sports events - wouldn't it be amazing to see our top-level athletes wearing Iron Roots instead of Nike??
Rated 'great' on the Good on You app.
Armed Angles has an incredibly strong visual language, which is super rare with fashion brands - and this really helps stand them apart and communicate their messaging.
They are using their voice & power, working with climate protection NGO GermanZero to help them reach their goals of being climate neutral by 2035. It feels like a fantastic choice when you want to look stylish and also know that your contribution is fuelling such an important movement.
Rated 'great' on the Good on You app.
There is something about denim that has just made an indelible imprint on my soul! But with much loved brands like Levi's only scoring 'it's a start' on the Good on You app, it's time to turn to brands like MUD to raise their profile to a wider audience.
Their website has a lot of good detail on how they apply the principles of circular economy to their processes, and everything they say is backed up by their B-Corp certification. What is incredibly cool about their production process is:
"Worn out jeans are shredded, cut into pieces and blended with virgin cotton. This is how a new MUD Jeans denim yarn is born."
Your MUD jeans are made from old jeans! Not gonna lie I feel their visual identity could work a lot harder to get this message across to more people but no judging here guys - I LOVE what you're doing and you are important for our planet.
And crucially for the customer, MUD jeans come in a wide variety of colours and styles - and look damn cool to boot...........*adds to cart, don't tell my husband.
In summary, it's reassuring to see that there are some incredibly clever people out there who are not only acting responsibly, but innovating & questioning past production principles.
They are taking their audiences along with them on the brand journey - and it's that which helps to create a 'movement' - an army of brand-fans who will be compelled to stay loyal and tell everyone they know, to help take that message as far as possible.
It's a necessity now, and it's our job as consumers to move away as much as we possibly can from fast fashion.
N.B. All images used in this post are owned by the respective brands I have talked about above - I have used them purely to help illustrate my comments and help take these brands to more people.
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