Looking at the prices of eco-minded and ethical fashion brands, you might be wondering: where can I find affordable sustainable clothing?
The first thing to consider is that the most sustainable garments are the ones already hanging in your closet! Wearing what you already have more is the best way to reduce your clothing footprint.
Slow fashion is a mindset and there are so many ways to practice slow fashion without spending money or buying new garments.
And when you do want a new-to-you piece, check out your local thrift store or one of these online secondhand shops first! Shopping pre-loved is a great way to find affordable sustainable clothes.
That said, shopping secondhand is not always accessible or doesn’t always offer what you need, so there may be times that you want to buy a new piece — but without breaking the bank.
While responsible fashion brands will never hit the questionably low prices of fast fashion brands (there’s no way a brand is paying living wages when they charge $5 for a t-shirt), these conscious brands certainly have fair prices for what they are offering.
The reality is that it does typically cost more to source materials in an ecologically responsible way and it will be more expensive to pay garment workers living wages. Consciously-made garments don’t have to cost a fortune, but they will cost more than a latte.
Affordability also depends on how many garments we are buying and how often. For example, while a single garment from a fast fashion brand may be cheaper than one from a slow fashion brand, if you are constantly doing fast fashion hauls the price tags add up.
Slowing down consumption habits will most likely save money in the long run. While garments from slow fashion brands won’t be considered cheap in comparison to fast fashion, practicing the ethos of fewer, better things, and considering cost-per-wear, will make them more affordable.
To learn more about the relationship between price and sustainability, and the realities of affordable ethical clothing, listen to Is sustainable fashion always more expensive? on the Conscious Style Podcast.
Affordable Sustainable Clothing & Accessories Brands
This article features affiliates and partners. As always, we only feature brands that meet high standards for sustainability that we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Best variety: Made Trade
This ethical online curated site has an incredible collection of affordable ethical fashion. From dresses and blouses to jewelry and scarves, Made Trade has it all — with a range of price points too. Not only can you filter by price, but you can sort by value, too: Fair Trade, Heritage, Sustainable, Vegan, USA Made, POC-Owned, and/or Women-Owned.
Size Range: XS-6XL
Price range: $- $$$
2. Best off-price retailer: Oneoff
Oneoff is a sustainable off-price retailer with pieces from some of the most covetable conscious fashion brands, including For Days, Whimsy + Row, and Siizu.
By partnering with these independent labels to source excess or out-of-season product, Oneoff helps slow fashion brands minimize waste while sustaining their business too. The retailer is mindful about working with brands that have intentional production practices to ensure the pieces they sell are truly “leftovers” and are not just from reckless overproduction.
Size Range: XS – XXL
Price Range: $
3. Best for outdoor essentials: tentree
For adventure enthusiasts whose vacation plans rarely involve jet-setting off to a tropical destination for a leisurely getaway, tentree has a range of essentials for all sorts of thrill seekers who live to explore.
From biodegradable jackets to moisture-wicking hoodies, and functional backpacks, nothing feels better than wearing outdoor gear from a brand that cares about the earth. Not only does tentree plant 10 trees for every product sold, but customers also get to track these trees and see where they will be planted through the unique tag present on the item they purchase.
Size Range: XS–XL
Price: $$-$$$
4. Best for basics: Kotn
Kotn has elegant minimalist pieces — from tees to knitwear — made ethically and sustainably. The conscious label works directly with farms to source their cotton, which ensures higher (and more reliable) wages for farmers while keeping prices low for shoppers.
Size Range: XS-XXL
Price Range: $ – $$
5. Best for loungewear: Pact
Pact offers GOTS-certified organic cotton underwear, pajamas, loungewear, and casual apparel for everyone in the family. Their selection of loungewear includes sweatshirts, sweatpants, tees & tanks, and shorts. All of the brand’s pieces are made in Fair Trade Certified factories.
Size Range: XS-XXL
Price range: $
Use code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20 for 20% off
6. Best for undergarments: Organic Basics
Organic Basics is a go-to for finding versatile wardrobe staples — or well, basics. The brand continues to expand beyond underwear and t-shirts though, now carrying a variety of affordable sustainable clothing — from pajamas to denim. All of their pieces are made transparently in factories with third-party certifications using eco fabrics like Tencel and recycled wool.
Size Range: XS-XXL
Price Range: $$
7. Best for swimwear: Londre
If you’re looking for affordable, size-inclusive swimwear that doesn’t pollute the oceans that you plan to swim in, Londre has got you covered. With a wide range of different styles and colors to choose from, Londre creates low-impact, high-quality swimwear in small batches using recycled waste plastic bottles collected from beaches and streets.
Each swimsuit, made in an OEKO-TEX 100 certified factory that pays living wages, contains a minimum of six recycled plastic bottles.
Size range: XS – 4XL
Price: $$
8. Best for jewelry: ABLE
Fair trade fashion brand ABLE began with selling scarves and is now a full-fledged apparel and accessories brand with ethically-made clothing, bags, shoes, and jewelry. In an unprecedented move towards transparency, the brand publishes the lowest wages in their supply chain.
Size Range: XS-XL
Price Range: $$
9. Best for activewear: Girlfriend
Girlfriend is a sustainable activewear brand best known for their sports bras and leggings made from recycled plastic bottles. The brand also has super comfy sweats and unisex outerwear, all made from organic and recycled fibers. Once you’ve worn out your Girlfriend pieces, you can send them back to the brand to be recycled into new garments through their “reGirlfriend” program.
Size Range: XXS-6XL
Price Range: $$
10. Best for sneakers: Thousand Fell
Thousand Fell is a sneaker brand making strides in circular fashion and helping you put your most stylish foot forward at the same time. Combining circularity, style, comfort, and performance, they create recyclable sneakers that never have to end up in a landfill. They turn coconut husk, sugar cane, and recycled plastic bottles into sneakers. And they have a program that will take back your old, well-worn Thousand Fell sneakers, recycle them within the US, and put them into future Thousand Fell Sneakers — plus you’ll get $20 to put towards a fresh pair.
Size range: 5 – 10 (Women’s) and 8 – 13 (Men’s)
Price: $$
11. Best for menswear: No Nasties
No Nasties creates vegan affordable ethical clothing with the intention of not only minimizing their impact, but choosing to actively make a positive impact. They do this by saving water, planting trees, and offsetting their carbon emissions — and sharing this data with their community so that they’re not just empty promises. No nasties keep no secrets about where their clothing is made (fair factories), what it is made from (100% organic cotton), and how it is packaged (recyclable packaging) so that you know exactly how your clothes were made.
Plus, they offer a three-part Circular System that allows you to either resell, repair, or reincarnate your No Nasties garments into a new garment.
Size range: XS – XXL
Price: $
12. Best for men’s accessories: Nisolo
Committed to paying fair, living wages, Nisolo has joined fellow ethical fashion band ABLE in publishing the lowest wages in their supply chain. Beyond wages, the B-Corp also ensures makers work in safe conditions and receive benefits. While Nisolo does not use only eco materials, their jewelry is made from upcycled brass.
Price Range: $ – $$$
13. Best for fine jewelry: Mejuri
Commanding and refined, Mejuri’s range of fine jewelry exudes a striking sense of confidence through its dainty and modern masterpieces.
Crafted using recycled precious metals and consciously considered diamonds, this woman-owned brand has earned the Positive Luxury’s Butterfly Mark certification, which is awarded to brands that demonstrate increasingly high standards in social impact and environmental sustainability.
From everyday earrings to necklaces, rings, and bracelets that emanate an understated charm, you’ll surely find an investment-worthy heirloom here.
Size Range: 4-10 for rings; 6-8 inches for bracelets; N/A for earrings and necklaces
Price Range: $$+
14. Best for outerwear: Patagonia
While largely known for sustainable activewear and jackets, Patagonia actually has quite a selection of clothing as well! The earth-minded brand uses sustainable materials throughout their collections, such as hemp, TENCEL, and organic cotton. Plus, the majority of their products are sewn in Fair Trade Certified factories.
Size Range: XS-XL
Price Range: $$ – $$$
15. Best for denim: Warp + Weft
A traditional pair of jeans takes 1,500 gallons of water to make, but a pair of Warps requires less than 10. Warp + Weft is a family-owned company that has been in the denim business for three decades, using an eco-friendly mill to make each pair. They design their denim for all bodies and offer a range of styles — from skinny to wide leg.
This affordable ethical clothing brand treats and recycles 98% of the water used in production and opt for Dry Ozone technology instead of harmful bleaching practices.
Size range: XXS – XXL
Price: $$
16. Best for button-up shirts: Armedangels
A well-tailored, button-up shirt is one of the most versatile pieces in any trans-seasonal wardrobe and Armedangels has a whole range of affordable sustainable clothing options for you to choose from. For each shirt, you can browse the material breakdown, care instructions, and certifications. They use fabrics made from organic cotton and recycled materials. Plus through their Living Wage Project, they are taking steps to ensure that all workers at the Mergü factory that they use are compensated fairly.
To help make your loved clothes last, they provide detailed care guides and repair tutorials.
Size range: XS – XL
Price: $$
You May Also Want to Check Out:
Organic Cotton Clothing Brands
Hemp: Behind this Sustainable Fiber + Stylish Hemp Brands
Eco-Friendly Dresses for Any Occasion
The post 16 Affordable Sustainable Clothing & Accessories Brands for Accessible Conscious Style appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
16 Affordable Sustainable Clothing & Accessories Brands for Accessible Conscious Style
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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