Finding dress-code compliant workwear that you actually like wearing is already not easy. Add on top of that that it’s made ethically with more sustainable materials? You might be searching for weeks. Thus this guide to ethical and sustainable workwear brands was born!
Note that there are affiliate links in this guide, which means we may earn a commission if you choose to purchase through one of these links at no additional cost to you.
What Qualifies as More Sustainable Work Clothing?
As with all things sustainable fashion, there are a lot of layers to it!
Secondhand Workwear
First off, repurposing what you have and shopping secondhand is always a good idea. It’s also often more affordable.
But it tends to be quite tough to find something like quality well-fitting workwear from a thrift shop. So you might want to try a searchable marketplace, such as:
- The RealReal (more premium brands and prices)
- thredUP (sells all types of brands). This online consignment store even has a workwear thrift shop collection, making it easier to find items like secondhand trousers, sheath dresses, blouses, and loafers.
Responsible Materials and Production
When shopping for new more sustainable workwear, here’s the criteria I’m looking for:
- Certified — or otherwise guaranteed — organic natural fibers (if using synthetics, then they should be recycled, but I do tend towards natural fibers over even recycled synthetics due to concerns about microplastics and my own skin health)
- Traceability throughout the brand’s supply chain,
- Transparency around their environmental impact with clear goals and progress towards reducing that impact
- A commitment to genuine partnerships with supplier factories and farms, and assurance of fair worker wages
- Prioritization of quality over quantity
- Circularity efforts such as repair programs and resale options
Where to Find More Sustainable Workwear
These slow fashion brands have button-ups and blazers, well-fitted trousers, silky blouses, and sheath dresses suitable for a formal dress code and some sustainable workwear-inspired options for a business casual dress code.
1. Eileen Fisher
Categories: Blazers, Shirts, Trousers, Dresses & Skirts
Size Range: XXS – 3XL + Petites
Price Point: $$$
Sustainability-forward brand EILEEN FISHER is known for their industry-leading circularity practices as much as their elegant timeless clothing. Among the slow fashion label’s versatile garments, there are plenty of pieces that can serve as office attire, like the brand’s TENCEL
Lyocell blazers, silky blouses, linen trousers, and organic cotton collar shirts. Even EILEEN FISHER’s relatively modest dresses could be suitable for a more causal work dress code.
2. Filippa K
Categories: Blazers, Shirts, Trousers, Dresses & Skirts
Size Range: EU 30 – 44
Price Point: $$$$
For over 30 years, Filippa K has been dedicated to crafting thoughtfully designed classics that embody Scandinavian minimalism. Beyond the brand’s dedication to the “less but better” ethos, Fillipa K is deeply committed to sustainability with their traceability and social responsibility initiatives along with ambitious goals (and impressive progress) towards greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Find sustainable workwear in materials like GOTS-certified organic cotton and GRS (Global Recycling Standard) recycled fabrics.
3. Kotn
Categories: Women’s Blazers, Shirts, Trousers | Men’s Jackets, Shirts, and Trousers
Size Range: XS – XXL
Price Range: $$
With contemporary takes on timeless wardrobe staples — like loose-fit trousers and striped blazers — offer an opportunity to add some personality to your sustainable workwear attire.
As the name suggests, the B Corp certified Canadian slow fashion brand uses primarily cotton for their garments. Kotn partners directly with the cotton farms they source from and traceability of their supply chain from the raw materials to the garment’s final stitch.
4. M.M. Lafleur
Categories: Jackets, Trousers, Work Dresses, Pencil Skirts, Sheath Dresses
Size Range: EU 30 – 44
Price Point: $$$
M.M. Lafleur is not necessarily the most sustainable brand on this list, but they do have the most work clothes for women with plenty of suiting options, including tailored jackets and streamlined trousers.
The brand uses some lower impact fabrics including LENZING ECOVERO Viscose and has a resale program to sell or shop pre-loved. However, they do also use a significant amount of polyester, so you may want to check the fabric content of individual products.
5. ASKET
Categories: Men’s Polos, Shirts, and Trousers | Women’s Shirts
Size Range: XS – XXL
Price Point: $$
We love a brand that has sustainability commitments as bold as its’ marketing. As the Swedish brand writes: “the world doesn’t need another fashion brand.” That’s why ASKET is committed to doing less, better. Instead of churning out new styles every season, the brand has a permanent collection so they can obsess over creating the best fit and using the best fibers for those pieces. Now that’s slow fashion. The brand
6. Encircled
Categories: Trousers, Jackets, Blouses
Size Range: XS – XXL (petite and tall options)
Price Point: $$
Prioritizing comfort as much as they do sustainability, Encircled has a “workleisure capsule” that looks dressy enough for the office and feels comfy enough to wear off-duty. The pieces are designed to be effortlessly mixed and matched to make early morning workday dressing a breeze.
The Canadian slow fashion brand crafts their garments ethically in Toronto from ultra-soft lower impact fabrics like LENZING TENCEL Modal and Lenzing MicroModal®.
7. Amour Vert
Categories: Blazers, Blouses, Trousers, and Dresses
Size Range: XS – XXL
Price Point: $$
Many of Amour Vert’s feminine blouses and workwear staples are made with lower impact fabrics, such as TENCEL modal, FSC-certified beechwood fibers, GRS certified recycled cashmere, and GRS certified recycled polyester (as I mentioned though recycled synthetics are not my favorite material). The California-based brand also has a resale program, called ReAmour where you can shop or sell pre-loved garments from the company.
Bonus: CLOECO for Workwear Stockings
For workwear undergarments, a great pair of hosiery is often an essential in cooler weather. However, most tights are synthetic, itchy, and end up ripping after a few wears.
Enter in CLOECO: a sustainable undergarments brand that is redefining hosiery with their comfortable, high-quality, plant-based tights made from TENCEL.
To Complete Your Sustainable Workwear Ensemble:
Sustainable Flats to Take You from Day to Night
The Best Eco-Friendly Vegan Handbags
Fair Trade Jewelry Brands That Shine
The post 7 Best Sustainable Workwear Brands to Elevate Your Office Attire appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
7 Best Sustainable Workwear Brands to Elevate Your Office Attire
Curating a conscious home is a thoughtful process involving much consideration — who made my products, how they were made, and what are they made from — and this guide aims to support you on your journey towards finding ethical and sustainable home decor you truly love.
What is Sustainable Home Decor?
Sustainable home decor includes any home decor that is made in a way that takes into consideration both the makers and the planet. Sustainable home decor will be ethically made using eco-friendly and natural materials. Eco-friendly decor will also be produced using sustainable supply chain practices. This includes using renewable energy and recycled or compostable packaging.
While there are numerous sustainable home decor brands, some of which are featured below, first consider what’s already been made in order to prevent contributing to new waste. Secondhand, used, or DIY home decor options are typically more sustainable than buying new.
What is Ethical and Fair Trade Home Decor?
Ethical and Fair Trade home decor is produced in a way that adheres to Fair Trade standards and is, ideally, Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade means paying artisans and makers a fair, living wage and providing ethical working conditions. Ethical home decor also includes supporting goods made by artisans using traditional heritage techniques and art forms. Many cultures around the world are at risk of losing their age-old artisanal crafts forever in the age of mass manufacturing.
It’s important to note that sometimes a major brand may use an “eco” fiber while still supporting irresponsible labor practices, and excessive production amounts that inevitably lead to a lot of waste. This is not true sustainability in my mind!
Most artisan-made home decor is ethically produced and directly supports the makers. However, it’s important to check if a brand or marketplace is transparent about their business practices to ensure they are ethical or Fair Trade.
Where Can You Find Sustainable Home Decor?
In terms of environmental sustainability, looking secondhand and vintage is always a great first place to look for sustainable home decor.
But if you’ve scoured those options and haven’t found what you’re looking for and/or if you’re looking to financially support artisans and traditional crafts around the globe, this shopping guide is designed for you. You’ll discover many brands with artfully designed and artisan handmade goods for furnishing any space among this list of decor brands.
All of the brands in this guide use natural and/or recycled fibers and avoid the use of virgin synthetics like polyester; however, some brands do use materials that are not the most environmentally-friendly option on the market, such as conventional cotton.
And of course, I wanted to choose brands that followed slow, thoughtful production practices, prioritizing artisan handmade over factory labor and quality over quantity.
So without further ado, here are my favorite small-batch, artisan-made, and ethical home decor brands.
Note that this guide includes affiliate links — as always, we only curate brands vetted for sustainability that we love (and that we think you’ll love too).
1. Urban Natural
Categories: Accent Pillows, Tabletop, Lighting, Wall Art & Mirrors, Blankets & Throws
Eco-friendly home retailer Urban Natural is on a mission to curate high-quality furniture (and other home goods) built with quality and free of toxic chemicals. Urban Natural carries several sustainable home decor brands, including artisan brands Ethnicraft and Jaipur Living as well as ethically USA-made brands Farmhouse Pottery and East Fork.
2. GOODEE
Categories: Pillows, Lighting, Wall Decor, Planters, Baskets, Blankets, Candles
GOODEE is an ethical marketplace featuring numerous sustainable artisan brands and designers. You’ll find a variety of beautifully crafted home decor goods to suit a wide range of styles. Goodee is a Climate Neutral and B Corp Certified company. They publish an annual impact report so you can easily ensure their business practices align with your values.
Our favorite brands on Goodee are Texidors, Baba Tree, Makaua, and Tensira.
3. Healthier Homes
Categories: Rugs, Lighting, Tabletop, Baskets, Wall Decor & Wallpaper
Founded after years running an award-winning healthy home building firm and publishing a book by the same name (Healthier Homes) this retailer is a go-to online destination for finding non-toxic home goods. The eco-friendly home decor on Healthier Homes is primarily made with natural materials like clay, cotton, seagrass, mango wood, and bamboo,
4. Will & Atlas
Categories: Baskets, Tabletop
Will & Atlas is a women-owned small business making most of their homewares from plant materials like jute, palm leaf, and hogla grass. Their natural fiber baskets are flexile but sturdy built to hold blankets, pillows, laundry, magazines, toys, or just to stand alone as a decor piece. You’ll also find jute coasters and placemats in their tabletop collection.
The brand is committed to ethical practices, partnering with nonprofit fair trade artisan groups in Bangladesh and craftspeople in the U.S. to build long-lasting production relationships.
5. Ten Thousand Villages
Categories: Baskets, Pillows, Throws, Candles, Wall Art, Planters & Vases
Founded 80 years ago, Ten Thousand Villages is the original fair trade store. Throughout the decades, the nonprofit business has continued their commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, as well as sustainability.
As a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization, with artisans around the world from under-resourced communities. Most of the products they carry are made from recycled, upcycled, and natural materials.
6. MagicLinen
Categories: Curtains, Kitchen Linens
Linen is an exceptional material for home decor — there’s a reason we say “kitchen linens!” It’s natural, beautiful, and is often high quality.
I purchased a set of linen curtains from Magic Linen one year ago and they remain one of my favorite home decor pieces. The fabric they use meets the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, meaning its been tested for harmful substances.
7. Passion Lilie
Categories: Pillow Covers, Table Linens
Passion Lilie is a fair trade fashion and lifestyle brand with ethically made home decor, too. The Fair Trade Verified brand has handwoven cotton blankets, organic cotton kitchen linens, unique ornaments, and hand-dyed throw pillow covers.
Each piece is made by Passion Lilie’s partners in India who pay living wages and ensure a safe working environment. Beyond this, the brand supports efforts to enable artisans to continually develop their skills and creates opportunities for community development.
8. 54kibo
Categories: Throw Pillows, Wall Hangings & Artwork, Mirrors, Baskets, Rugs, Lighting
A destination for modern African artisanal decor, 54kibo curates a stunning selection of ethically made home decor. The pieces on 54kibo are made with time-honored techniques using locally sourced materials with rich histories. The designs are exceptional, but the stories behind them make the pieces beautiful additions to your home beyond the surface.
9. The Citizenry
Categories: Baskets, Planters & Vases, Tabletop, Wall Decor, Mirrors
The Citizenry partners with artisans around the world, ensuring safe conditions, fair wages, and offering grants to their artisan partners so that they can expand their businesses.
Their online collection features small-batch artisan-made home goods made from locally-sourced and natural materials like palm leaves and indigo dyes.
More Sustainable Home Guides:
Sustainable Furniture Brands to Furnish a Conscious Home
Best Eco-Friendly and Zero Waste Kitchen Products
Easy Swaps for a Low Waste, Sustainable Bathroom
The post 9 Beautiful Places to Source Ethical and Eco-Friendly Home Decor appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.