1. Rare & Fair

With elegant draping and feminine detailing, Rare & Fair’s dreamy dresses are certainly eye-catching — and the story behind each piece makes them all the more beautiful. Rare & Fair partners with artisans in Thailand, working closely with village co-operatives and small family businesses. The conscious UK-based brand sources sustainably-grown cotton from small-scale farmers following ancestral agricultural practices and small-scale silk sourced from communities in Thailand using traditional methods.

Conscious Qualities: Sustainable Traditional Fibers, Local Plant-Based Dyes, Craft Preservation, Ethical Production

Size Range: XS-L

Price Range: £££ / $$$

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2. Christy Dawn

Christy Dawn’s dresses are vintage-inspired but totally timeless. Their feminine frocks can be worn as house dresses or semi-formal wear to weddings, bridal showers, baptisms, or other not-quite black-tie occasions. Their dresses are either made from reclaimed fabrics ethically in Los Angeles or from regenerative organic cotton that is sourced in partnership with a small collective in India.

You’ll also find sustainable special occasion dresses from Christy Dawn made with regenerative silk, like the dress pictured here!

Conscious Qualities: Reclaimed or Regenerative Fabrics, Ethical Production

Size Range: XS-3XL (extended sizing collection)

Price Range: $$$

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3. Reformation

Reformation is a leader on sustainability among larger fashion brands, between their climate positive roadmap and better material sourcing (including recycled cotton, TENCEL Lyocell, and regenerative fabrics) to their supply chain transparency, limited production model, and circularity practices.

And the brand is making it easy to shop for sustainable special occasion dresses with their selection features like “Going Out Dresses” and “Wedding Guest Dresses”.

Conscious Qualities: Lower Impact Materials, Responsible Production Practices, Decarbonization Initiatives

Size Range: 0 – 12

Price Range: $$ – $$$

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4. Bastet Noir

Making each piece to order using upcycled materials, Bastet Noir is a zero-waste fashion label. The brand’s sustainable formal dresses and other elegant apparel — including silk jumpsuits — are made by women in North Macedonia. 100% of Bastet Noir’s profits are reinvested into the women’s businesses and their children’s education.

Conscious Qualities: Repurposed Materials, Made-to-Order, Gives Back

Size Range: 4-10 + custom sizes

Price Range: $

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5. AMUR

Standing for A Mindful Use of Resources, AMUR uses earth-minded fabrics including hemp, linen, cupro (a silky fiber made from cotton linter, a byproduct of cotton production), modal, and recycled polyester. AMUR has some seriously stunning gowns that would make for great sustainable prom dresses or black tie-dress code outfits. AMUR could use more information on their labor standards and production practices though.

Conscious Qualities: Earth-Minded Fabrics

Size Range: XXS-XL

Price Range: $$$$

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6. Whimsy + Row

Sourcing lower impact fabrics like TENCEL + cupro vegan silk blend, certified organic cotton, and excess leftover fabric (“deadstock”), Whimsy + Row prioritizes sustainability throughout their collections.

The brand has several designs that would make for perfect sustainable bridesmaid dresses in their wedding collection! And even (vegan) silky dresses in a lovely cream for the bride.

Conscious Qualities: Eco-Minded Fabrics

Size Range: XS – 3XL

Price Range: $$ – $$$

7. BAACAL

Frustrated that brands often stop their size range at 12 despite the average American woman wearing size 16, BAACAL creates conscious clothing for the “true majority”: women who wear sizes 10-22. The plus-size sustainable fashion brand uses upcycled, vintage, and other existing materials for their collections.

Conscious Qualities: Upcycled Fabrics, Small-Batch Collections, Size-Inclusive

Size Range: 10-22 (unique sizing system of 1-4)

Price Range: $$$

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8. Symbology

Symbology partners with women artisans who handcraft beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces. These artisans use traditional techniques such as block printing and hand-embroidery and are all paid living wages. The fair fashion label has striking dresses made with flattering silhouettes and many styles are offered up to size 3XL.

Conscious Qualities: Cultural Preservation, Fair Trade

Size Range: XS-3XL

Price Range: $$

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9. Lahive

Bold and unique, Lahive’s stand-out dresses and other ethical formal wear will make a statement at cocktail hour or a night out downtown. The LA-based brand produces their luxe, textural pieces in small batches using upcycled materials in a factory run by solar power.

Conscious Qualities: Upcycled Fabrics, Renewable Energy, Local Production

Size Range: XS-XL

Price Range: $$$

Browse Lahive @ ourCommonplace

10. LOUDBODIES

LOUDBODIES is on a mission to prove that ethically and sustainably-produced clothing can be accessible to anyone and style knows no size. In addition to offering sizes up to 10XL, the brand also offers customizations free of charge. The brand’s garments are made from low-impact fibers like linen, cupro, Ecovero Viscose responsibly by LOUNDBODIES founder Patricia and two employees.

Conscious Qualities: Eco Fabrics, Size-Inclusive, Carbon-Offset Shipping & Eco Packaging

Size Range: XXS-10XL

Price Range: $$

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11. Hope for Flowers

Hope for Flowers was founded on three guiding principles: the health of people, health of the planet, and equity in profit. The brand uses thoughtfully considered materials for their ethical formal dresses and other apparel like organic cotton, organic linen, and Tencel. Hope for Flowers also sources only from factories that pay living wages and ensure safe conditions.

Conscious Qualities: Black Woman-Owned, Organic & Eco Fabrics, Ethically-Made

Size Range: XS-L

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12. Amour Vert

Translated to “Love Green”, Amour Vert is an eco-friendly fashion label with several sustainability efforts, from using lower impact materials — like TENCEL modal, TENCEL Lyocell, and washable more responsible silk sourced from bluesign® factories — to having their own resale program called ReAmour.

Amour Vert has a collection called “Occasion Ready” with more elevated dresses to wear to weddings, baby and bridal showers, parties, concerts, or other special events.

Conscious Qualities: Organic & Eco Fibers, Non-Toxic Dyes, Circular Brand

Size Range: XS-XL

Price Range: $$

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13. Cécile de Fleur

Elegant, sophisticated, and designed with sustainability in mind, Cécile de Fleur’s eco-friendly wedding dresses are designed to be worn again and again. [Check out our guide to sustainable wedding dresses here.]

The brand’s chic dresses are crafted in New York City using cruelty-free peace silk and intricate French leavers lace, and are colored with GOTS-certified dyes.

Conscious Qualities: Peace Silk, Eco Dyes & Packaging, Local Production, WOC-Owned

Size Range: 0 – 12

Price Range: $$$$

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14. Stella McCartney

Sustainable designer label Stella McCartney utilizes mindful materials like organic cotton, recycled fabrics, and cellulosic fibers for their ready-to-wear garments. The company also uses an Environmental Profit & Loss Statement, which is a “breakthrough decision-making tool” that helps Stella McCartney take a deeper look at their environmental impact, their progress, and the ways they can improve.

Conscious Qualities: Low-Impact Materials, Transparent Reporting, Social Sustainability

Size Range: 0-8

Price Range: $$$$

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15. Valani

Valani’s plant-based clothing is perfect for warm-weather special occasions like spring weddings, summer soirées, and date nights. The vegan fashion brand uses mindful fabrics like hemp, Tencel, and banana viscose (a silky-feeling fiber made out of discarded banana tree stems). Each piece is made in Valani’s GOTS-certified factory that follows socially and environmentally responsible practices.

Conscious Qualities: WOC-Owned, Earth-Minded Fabrics, Non-Toxic Dyes, Eco Packaging

Size Range: 0-12

Price Range: $$$

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