The best sustainable clothing brands - how to shop stylish fashion with a conscience

The best sustainable clothing brands prove great style doesn't need to cost the environment. As we become increasingly aware of the detrimental impact fast fashion shopping habits have on the world we live in, the demand for brands that put the planet before profit is growing. 

It's now easier to shop more sustainably than ever as the industry rapidly grows due to consumer demand. While sustainable clothing used to carry a hefty price tag, it's becoming increasingly more price-accessible. Whether you're looking for luxe t-shirts, jeans, or even footwear all can now be updated with slow fashion and sustainable alternatives.

It's no secret that the fashion ecosystem has contributed to the ever-growing climate crisis while compounding existing environmental, labor, and social injustices. The fashion industry produces 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, emitting more than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Not only this, fashion production is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, and washing synthetic fibers causes microplastics to enter our oceans and harm marine life. 

“Sustainability in the fashion industry is not just important, it's vital," says Charlie Bradley Ross, Founder & Director of Offset Warehouse & The Sustainable Fashion Collective. That's why we always turn to the best sustainable clothing brands when shopping for new pieces to add to our closet.

The best sustainable clothing brands as chosen by our fashion team

“With systemic change, the fashion industry can lift millions of people out of poverty, providing them with decent and dignified livelihoods. It can preserve and restore our living planet. Fashion can be a powerful force for good - bringing people together as a source of joy, creativity, and expression.” says Bradley Ross. From up-and-coming labels to well-loved names, these are the very best sustainable clothing brands to shop now. 

If you’re looking to create an eco-friendly wardrobe filled with the best basics, Everlane is your answer. Widely considered one of the best ethical clothing brands, the American clothing brand prides itself on an entirely transparent supply chain and partners with the best ethical factories around the world. 

It aims to use recycled materials, address water use and chemical inputs, and invest in carbon-offset projects, whilst making chic clothing in the process. If you want to master how to dress simple but stylish without reverting to fast fashion, Everlane has you covered - this is your destination for quality basics with a conscience. Think cotton t-shirts, leather totes, smart trousers and the best sweaters with versatile, classic designs. 

ASICS is a brand that is very transparent about its sustainability credentials - always a good sign when shopping the best sustainable clothing brands. 90% of running shoes the brand manufactured in 2021 and 2022 contain recycled material, which is expected to grow in 2023. 

ASICS has previously launched collections like the Earth Day pack, which focused on eco-conscious items including some of the best running shoes and workout leggings, including GEL-NIMBUS™ 23, GLIDERIDE™ 2, and GEL-LYTETM™ III shoes. 

Not absolutely everything on the ASICS website is sustainable, however, they have a handy key system to let you know which items are produced ethically. Look out for the sunflower symbol to easily decipher which pieces are a sustainable buy.

When you think of the best jean brands, the chances are you think of Levi's. The label has become well-loved for affordable jeans and high-quality denim. The purveyor of many of the best skinny jeans, and mom jeans on the market and always on the money when it comes to denim trends. But the brand transcends great-looking jeans; Levi's is at the forefront of sustainable fashion when it comes to denim production, with planet-friendly collections including WellThread, where 100% of materials are recyclable. 

The brand strives to use recycled plastics, reduce landfill waste, and shrink its carbon footprint. Additionally, 50% of Levi's products are now made with the brand's Water<Less techniques, with more than 13 billion liters of water saved as of 2020. We also love that they keep collections small and always have their hero pieces available, tackling the fast fashion trend cycle that leads to significant overproduction and waste.

Brands like Patagonia really understand how to make great ethical outdoor clothing and make some of the best waterproof jackets amongst other stellar items. Once known as the go-to brand for Wall Street bros to stock up on vests (aka the 'Midtown Uniform'), Patagonia has evolved into one of the best sustainable clothing brands in the contemporary fashion landscape, with the climate crisis driving manufacturing practices, supply chain and marketing. 

The American clothing brand aims to reduce carbon emissions and prioritize efficient use of resources by upcycling waste fabrics and old garments into new products that get reused multiple times. To meet these goals, it has spearheaded numerous programs including Worn Wear, an initiative enabling customers to shop for used items in select stores and online.

A cult destination for fashion editors, Reformation is widely considered one of the best sustainable clothing brands in the US and UK, beloved for its on-trend offering that delivers on ethical credentials. From party-ready midi dresses to bridesmaid gowns, every piece is made in Los Angeles, California. 

Reformation partners with industry groups like the Fair Labor Association to oversee on-site social responsibility audits and champions workers' rights. To create a sustainable supply chain, the brand uses low-impact materials, rescued deadstock fabrics, and repurposed vintage clothing. They also list the impact each item has had through production on the website listing. 

Although many of the pieces are on the pricier side, each item is a style staple that you can be sure to wear for years to come. And thanks to the sustainable materials, they will last you significantly longer than cheaper fast fashion pieces. Look no further for spring capsule wardrobe buys.

Outerknown led the sustainable fashion bandwagon before it became trendy. Not surprisingly, the environmentally-friendly brand has a laundry list of bragging rights, which have earned our trust. It actively invests in employees through Fair Trade USA and guidelines put forth by The Fair Labor Association (FLA), which holds brands to strident and equitable international labor standards. 

Outerknown sources organic, recycled, and regenerated fibers and materials, and promises to repair, replace, and recycle its S.E.A. Jeans to keep them out of landfills. Historically, the brand has promoted successful campaigns that further its mission, such as its debut of ECONYL clothing, a process of turning fishing nets into endlessly regenerative fibers. 

Driven by a mission to make fashion an ethical environment with fair opportunities, ABLE is dedicated to providing training and employment for women to help them break out of poverty. Since launching, the Nashville-based brand has expanded from hand-woven scarves made by craftswomen in Ethiopia, into a full-scale lifestyle brand offering some of the best tote bags, apparel, shoes, and jewelry. 

Every piece is made by partner communities in Mexico, Brazil, India, and Ethiopia as well as in-house in Nashville. You can find a lot of information about the brand's sustainable practices on its site, as well as its ethical supply chain and social impact. For timeless bags that are also extremely high quality, look no further.

Dedicated to utilizing sustainable fabrics, AllBirds uses recycled bottles, castor bean oil, recycled cardboard and wool ethically sheered from merino sheep. It also uses BIO-TPU, an innovative renewable polyurethane. Not only this, the environmentally friendly clothes brand also measures, reduces, and offsets each product's carbon footprint meaning it's 100% carbon neutral. It has also pledged to cut its carbon footprint in half by 2025, taking it to zero by 2030. 

Founded in 2020, Allkind is quickly becoming one of the best sustainable clothing brands in the UK, offering 100% vegan footwear made from leather alternatives including cotton, microfibre, and natural rubber. Committed to using only eco materials, the brand uses recycled and recyclable fabric at every opportunity, from soles to shoe boxes. It also partners with carbon neutral initiative, Ecologi to offset carbon emissions by taking part in tree planting programs and rainforest protection. Plus, 5% of profits are donated to PETA and The Rainforest Trust. Each covetable style is designed in Britain and handmade in Spain.

A premium activewear label with sustainability at its core, Olly Olly & co. uses regenerated ocean waste, such as discarded fishing nets, to make its luxe leggings and sports bras. The brand's strict ethos ensures every step of the manufacturing process is sustainably and ethically focused - nothing has been untouched, including its use of non-toxic dyes and stamps inside garments to reduce the fabric waste of clothing labels. Every piece is made in Portugal, in a factory that strictly adheres to European Standards of Labor.

Based in Brighton in the UK, ILK + ERNIE is an ethical, female-led brand making a splash in the sustainable fashion arena. The sustainable fashion brand specializes in creating garments from off-cut materials from straight-to-market retailers, which would have otherwise ended up in landfills. 

Every season, ILK + ERNIE purchase, recycle and re-use unwanted fabric and transform them into beautiful, fashion-forward pieces. Doing so saves on greenhouse emissions and the millions of liters of water usually used to produce fabric. If you’re looking to shop sustainably and invest in garments with longevity, then ILK + ERNIE is your one-stop-shop for quality, comfortable and sustainable clothes. The brand’s vision is to see every woman wearing clothes that not only turn heads but also positively affect the environment.

Respecting people and the planet are at the heart of People Tree, the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organization product label in 2013. Not only are their pieces high quality, but also ethically made.

As well as creating timeless pieces in lust-worthy prints, collections are made using organic cotton, TENCEL, Lyocell, and responsible wool with traditional artisan skills and low impact dyes. It also has an admirable moral compass by being a huge advocate for fair wages, good working conditions, and gender equality as well as creating employment in rural areas thanks to utilizing niche skills in designs, such as hand weaving and block printing. 

Baukjen has long been on our fashion radar for its classic, relaxed styles, but it's the brand's use of sustainable practices that we really rate it for. As well as 85% of its collection is made from responsible fibers (a percentage it is intent on growing), the brand uses plastic-free, biodegradable packaging, and offsets its carbon emissions. 

In fact, it currently captures more carbon than it emits. It even offers a rental service for customers to loan products for a period of two weeks to reduce the desire for fast fashion. Plus, it donates at least 10% of its profits to charity each year and operates with a strict code of conduct across its supply chain.

Having only launched in 2020, Omnes might be the new kid on the block, but it's certainly not one to be ignored. Named after the Latin word for ‘all’ (because we are all responsible for protecting the planet together), the brand focuses on creating thoughtfully made clothing with style-factor. With pieces hitting under £100, it's one of the best affordable sustainable clothing brands around. 

Pieces are made using quality fabrics that are grown, sourced, and manufactured responsibly. For the brand's launch collection, everything was made using FSC (The Forest Stewardship Council) certified viscose - a renewable plant-based fabric that fully biodegrades. Omnes is also exploring upcycling off-cuts of fabric and deadstock into accessories to avoid anything going to waste.

Packaging is made from recyclable cards and even the clothing labels are made from recycled plastic that has been removed from the ocean. With digestible, transparent information detailed on its website, Omnes is an up-and-coming brand that takes sustainability seriously. 

A leader in luxury sustainable fashion, Mother of Pearl is a British clothing brand that has been praised for its ongoing commitment to take accountability for its fashion footprint while creating modern designs that have longevity. 

Using organic and natural materials, social responsibility, respect to animals and low environmental impact are at the forefront of the brand. Transparency is also key, and the sustainable attributes of each piece are clearly labelled on the brand's website, with an option to filter products in accordance with what eco-responsible element is most important to you. 

In the market for ethical activewear? Girlfriend Collective is passionate about making confidence-boosting athleisure from sustainable fabrics. For example, its best sports bras and compressive leggings are made from recycled polyester and nylon, and t-shirts are made from cupro - a fiber made from waste the cotton industry leaves behind. All of the brand's packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable, too. 

Girlfriend Collective also sells a filter that attaches to your washing machine to capture the tiny pieces of microfiber plastics before they enter water streams and the ocean and cause harm to marine life. The brand also carries products up to a 6XL, making them extremely inclusive and one of the best plus size clothing brands to do sustainable products too. 

Beloved by the Princess of Wales French footwear brand Veja has reached cult status thanks to its signature sneakers that hit high on sustainability and style factor. And as it is an ethical brand too, you can have no guilt when indulging.

From material to supply chain, every element of a Veja sneaker is done with the planet's well-being in mind. For example, the rubber soles used for each design are bought at twice the market price to help protect the Amazon rainforest, which is where the material is derived from. Recycled plastic bottles, cotton and polyester are used to create uppers, and innovative leather alternatives are used in the brand's vegan range. 

Why is it important to shop sustainably?

Have you ever thought about how your jeans might impact the environment? They might be an essential, but denim is one of the planet’s worst offenders using an average of 1,800 gallons of water per individual pair thanks to the thirsty raw cotton material, not to mention the synthetic chemical-laden dyes. 

“For years, manufacturers have been producing fabrics and garments irresponsibly: disposing of carcinogenic chemicals, toxic fertilizers, pesticides, and dyes into the rivers and the earth," says Bradley Ross.

“The raw materials and resources we use far supersede the rate at which we can replace them. To put it into context, by 2025, 1.8 million people will be facing absolute water scarcity. Coupled with the devastating environmental effects of irresponsible fiber production, we're talking about the destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems affecting millions of animals and people worldwide.”

Amid dire circumstances, it can seem overwhelming to take action. Investing in better quality clothes that last longer, shopping second-hand pieces via the best online vintage stores, repairing old clothes or recycling by learning how to sell clothes online, and borrowing pieces using dress rental services are all ways we can help lessen our fashion footprint. But another really big step is to shop from environmentally friendly clothes brands that are actively operating in a better way.

Luckily this has also become a high-priority issue for some of our favorite mainstream fashion brands too, with many looking at their own carbon footprint, particularly jeans production.

What makes a fashion brand sustainable?

When it comes to clothing brands, 'sustainable' is often used as an umbrella term that encompasses several aspects. However, broadly speaking, it means approaching design, fabrics, sourcing, manufacturing, and packaging in a way that doesn't harm the environment.

This often also goes hand in hand with ethical practices which encompass social justice, like labor rights, women’s empowerment, fair wages, and working conditions. If a brand is considered sustainable, its values will often naturally overlap with ethical practices.

“A sustainable or responsible brand seeks to minimize its negative environmental and social impact. Every aspect of the supply chain from raw material, to shop floor, to how the garment is cared for once in the customer's hands can be considered," explains Bradley Ross.

Which fashion brands are sustainable? 

The past few years have seen a surge in stylish brands making strides in protecting the planet, including independent labels and slow-fashion retailers such as Everlane, Omnes, and Reformation. 

Brands aren't always honest with their efforts, though, and greenwashing - a term used to describe the marketing spin a brand may use to convey misleading environmentally friendly claims - can often deceive customers into believing it is an ethical and sustainable business. When in reality, it may not be. 

Authentically sustainable brands will have information about their methods and practices on their websites and offer clear insights into the actions they are taking to produce in a responsible way. Look for brands that do the following:

• Use ethically sourced raw materials or upcycle waste and deadstock fabrics.
• Employ energy-saving manufacturing techniques and either have zero carbon emissions or offset them. 
• Endorse supply chain transparency by telling you where garments are made and who made them.
• Have ethical business practices and adhere to basic human rights laws. Look for the Fair Trade certification which means farmers and workers have safe working conditions and are paid fairly. 
• Focus on timeless designs that will last, rather than trendy styles that will date. 
• Use zero waste packaging. 
• Encourage consumers to recycle well-loved pieces with in-house recycling facilities. 
• Take social responsibility, promoting charities and programs that aligns with their ethos, values, and mission to help others.