It’s time to leave fast fashion in the dust — with one-of-a-kind designs, quality fabrics, and the assurance your dollars are supporting a more responsible fashion industry, these slow fashion brands are sure to win you over.
Before we go any further, though, I think we need to clarify what exactly slow fashion is…
What Do We Mean By “Slow Fashion?”
Slow fashion is about being more mindful and thoughtful about how clothing (and other fashion items) are being produced, how they’re being purchased, and how they’re being used/worn.
Instead of mass-producing garments cheaply and quickly, slow fashion production is about creating a piece to last by using high-quality materials, transitional designs (i.e. not super “trendy”), and durable construction.
For individuals, slow fashion purchasing habits means buying less, but better. A slow fashion mindset is all about choosing well — it’s about picking well-made items that are built to last and also selecting pieces that fit your lifestyle and body well, to ensure they’ll not only be durable but will actually be useful for years to come.
Adopting slow fashion in your life, though, doesn’t necessarily have to mean spending money — this concept is also about slowing down to appreciate your clothes and closet. Slow fashion can mean wearing what you have as much as possible, mending and repairing worn clothing, or upcycling and DIY-ing.
Slow Fashion vs. Eco-Fashion vs. Ethical Fashion
While slow fashion is a term that’s often used quite generally, it’s important to note that some larger ‘green’ fashion brands use mass-production models to create their organic or recycled clothing to increase output and reduce costs.
Slow fashion companies to me — and the criteria used to select brands for this guide — are brands that produce in smaller batches, make most of their pieces by hand, craft each piece with attention to detail and quality, and ideally, partner with skilled artisans, sewers, and craftspeople (who are of course fairly paid).
Now without further ado, here are our picks for…
The Best Slow Fashion Brands
To be clear: you do not need to purchase from slow fashion brands to participate in slow fashion. However, when the time comes that you want to add a new piece to your wardrobe, you probably want your dollars to go towards supporting responsible brands that are doing things better; that are producing with quality and intention.
You want to invest in pieces for the long-haul — and pieces that have a positive impact. And these slow fashion brands will help you do just that.
Note that 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. Christy Dawn
Feminine and vintage-inspired, Christy Dawn’s dresses are a true dream. And so are their sweaters, jumpsuits, bottoms and every other garment they sell.
Each garment is ethically sewn in Los Angeles or India by makers earning living wages, and is made with regenerative cotton grown by their partners Oshadi Collective in India, organic cotton, or deadstock fabrics.
Conscious Qualities: Eco & Regenerative Fabrics, Ethical Production
Size Range: XS – 3XL + petite sizes
Price Range: $$$
2. Asket
Asket is upping the ante for slow clothing by offering a responsibly made timeless permanent collection that transcends trends.
The brand also details their ecological footprint in their Impact Reports, has 93% product traceability down to the raw material level, and shows the exact cost breakdown of each product.
This slow fashion label also has a care program, repair program, and revival program
Size Range: XXS – XXL
Price Range: $$
3. Kotn
Kotn creates timeless, high-quality essentials with a focus on traceability and social impact. The brand works directly with family-run farms in Egypt to source its premium, long-staple cotton, ensuring fair wages and ethical production. Beyond apparel, Kotn reinvests in the communities it works with, funding education initiatives and infrastructure projects.
Conscious Qualities: Ethically-Sourced Cotton, Direct Trade Partnerships, Fair Wages, Community Investment, B-Corp certified
Size Range: XS–XL
Price Range: $$
4. Solios Watches
Ask any watch owner and they’ll know just how much upkeep goes into maintaining a timepiece, especially when it comes to battery replacements. Fortunately, Solios’ watches will help wearers save on the waste of over 20 quartz batteries within the lifetime of the watch.
If most movements were powered by solar energy like Solios’ watches, 1 billion watch batteries would be saved each year.
Using materials like recycled stainless steel, eco vegan cork leather, and plastic-free packaging, these watches are both as elegant and sustainably-minded as they come.
Conscious Qualities: Powered by Renewable Energy, Sustainable Materials, Plastic-Free Packaging
Price Range: $$$
5. Oneoff
Affordability is one of the most commonly cited barriers to slow fashion. Oneoff is helping bridge this gap, while reducing pre-consumer fashion waste. As an off-price retailer, Oneoff sources excess inventory from slow fashion brands and sells them for up to 60% off. This helps brands reduce wastage and gives consumers access to responsibly-made garments at more accessible price points.
Conscious Qualities: Sources From Conscious Labels, Helps Reduce Clothing Waste
Size Range: XS – XXL
Price Range: $
6. Banai
If you’re in the market for a unique look that’ll help you stand out while supporting a heritage Indian craft, then you’ve come to the right place. Banai offers an array of timeless pieces that are treated with natural dyes and feature distinctive embroidered patches that have been crafted by artisans from Kutch, Gujarat.
Craftsmanship is at the center of everything that Banai does, so the expectation of receiving a well-made, high-quality item that’s sure to become a wardrobe mainstay isn’t too far-fetched!
Conscious Qualities: Handcrafted, Natural Dyes, Zero Waste, Small Batch production, Pays Fair Wages
Price: $$-$$$
7. Brook There
Founded with ethics and sustainability at the heart of their business, Brook There creates comfy organic cotton undergarments with care.
They keep their production close to home — their undergarments are cut and sewn in a small mill town in Massachusetts and their GOTS-certified organic cotton yarn is even milled and dyed in California.
Size Range: XS – XXL
Price Range: $
Conscious Qualities: GOTS-Certified Organic Fabrics, Domestic Production
8. GRAMMAR NYC
Your classic white shirt just got a major upgrade. GRAMMAR NYC crafts garments inspired by the classic wardrobe staple that are anything but basic.
Conscious Qualities: Uses Organic Cotton, Ethical and Small-Batch Production
Size Range: 0 – 12
Price Range: $$$
9. Valani
Plant-based clothing brand Valani creates feminine slow clothing for lighter living. Valani’s dreamy garments are made from low-impact fibers like hemp, Tencel, and banana viscose. Additionally, the brand uses strategic cutting techniques and reuses fabric scraps to minimize waste.
Conscious Qualities: Eco Fabrics, WOC-Owned, Sustainable Packaging, Gives Back
Size Range: 0 – 12
Price Range: $$$
10. ABLE
Ethical fashion brand ABLE has slow clothing and fair trade accessories made ethically by makers around the world.
ABLE is leading the way for transparency in the fashion industry by publishing their wages.
They have their ABLE Signatures, which are foundational wardrobe pieces like white t-shirts, alongside their pretty blouses, cozy knitwear, and detailed dresses.
Conscious Qualities: Transparent and Ethical Production
Size Range: XS – XL
Price Range: $ – $$
11. Eileen Fisher
Sustainable designer Eileen Fisher has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to earth-minded practices.
Their team produces minimalist slow clothing crafted with care from better fabrics like organic linen, hemp, and regenerative wool.
Conscious Qualities: Eco Fabrics, Circular Model (has take-back program)
Size Range: XS – 3XL + petite sizes
Price Range: $$$
12. Saya Designs
Level up your updo with a bit of help from the wooden hair accessories from Saya Designs. Handmade in Indonesia from waste root wood offcuts left over from plantations, you’ll find a range of hair forks, sticks, slides, and combs for all hair types and textures.
Made from the roots of rosewood, tamarind, and teak, these accessories are designed in natural shapes that are inspired by the flora and fauna in Indonesia and are sure to shower you with compliments every time you wear them.
Conscious Qualities: Natural Materials, Plastic-Free, Recyclable Packaging, Gives Back
Price: $$
13. Tradlands
Rather than following the trends of the moment, Tradlands designs classic, functional pieces that will become wardrobe staples. Many of Tradlands pieces are made with ecologically-minded fabrics like linen and Tencel, too.
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Many Eco Fabrics
Size Range: XXS – 3XL
Price Range: $$
14. Covry
If you’re in the market for a new pair of sunglasses or looking to update your outdated prescription frames, then Covry has you covered! Using sustainable materials like plant-based acetate that come from cotton and wood pulp, their diverse range of eyewear is a far cry from any of the flimsy plastic or metal frames you’re bound to find in the market.
When it comes to eyewear, one size doesn’t fit all, which is why Covry eyewear boasts of an Elevated Fit® that has been designed to rest easy on all face shapes and sizes. No more headaches from tight frames.
Conscious Qualities: WOC-Founded, Natural Materials, Plastic-Free, Size Inclusive
Price: $$$
15. OhSevenDays
OhSevenDays is a sustainable slow fashion brand that creates gorgeous pieces out of would-be waste. While the label used to source from middlemen deadstock fabrics, the brand now sources certified organic and recycled fabrics directly from mills, which enables better transparency.
Their zero waste misfits collection features imperfect pieces for lower price points.
Conscious Qualities: Sustainable Fabric Sourcing, Intentional Production
Size Range: XS – XL
Price Range: $$
16. Kayu
Beach-ready accessories you just might want to wear all year long, Kayu creates straw bags and hats that’ll mentally transport you to a tropical destination, even if travel is not on your cards.
Using natural straw and raffia, Kayu’s bags and hats are handcrafted using time-honored techniques by artisans in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Ecuador, who earn a living wage. Their bags come in a covetable range of shapes and sizes to suit all your needs.
Our suggestion? Don’t just restrict these beauties to the beach, make like a chic Parisian and use them to store a baguette or bouquet of flowers next time you’re taking a stroll down the farmers market.
Conscious Qualities: Natural Materials, Fair Labor, Zero Waste
Price: $$-$$$
17. Santos by Monica
If you’re the kind of person who needs to carry your essentials at all times, then look no further. Santos by Monica’s handbags come in various deceptively spacious shapes and sizes, ranging from mini shoulder bags to XL totes.
Available in sculptural shapes and bold colors, even the tiniest bag seems roomy enough to hold at least four to five of your essentials.
Their vegan leather handbags are made using a cactus-based biomaterial and are lined with organic cotton.
Conscious Qualities: Biomaterials, Zero Waste, Small-Batch Production
Price: $$$
18. Not Perfect Linen
As the name implies, this conscious fashion brand produces garments made from linen! Linen is a favorite fabric in the slow fashion community because of its lower environmental impact, versatility (thermo-regulating so it works in cold and hot), and natural beauty.
Conscious Qualities: Eco Fabrics, Made-to-Order
Size Range: XS – XL + custom sizes
Price Range: $$
19. Brother Vellies
Shoes made with a soul, Brother Vellies is keeping traditional African crafts alive through their range of luxurious yet timeless footwear. Handcrafted using vegetable-tanned leathers, recycled tire soles, and hand-carved wood, their styles will take you from corporate hour to cocktail hour seamlessly.
If you’re looking for something to compliment their covetable range of shoes, Brother Vellies also offers a collection of small handbags and belts that are sure to transform even the most basic look.
Conscious Qualities: Fair Labor, Better Materials
Price: $$$
20. Apse
An appealing brand for sartorial minimalists, Apse creates unisex jewelry that doesn’t disappoint. From delicate rice pearl bracelets to subtle pendants that were made for not taking off, Apse creates its gorgeous pieces using recycled metals and responsibly sourced stones.
All of their jewelry is handcrafted on a made-to-order basis to eliminate excess inventory and waste, so expect to be patient with your orders when you shop with them.
Conscious Qualities: Slow Fashion, Recycled Materials
Price: $$-$$$
You May Also Want to Check Out:
Conscious Brands with Easy Breezy Linen Clothing
Organic Cotton Fashion Brands You’ll Feel Good in and Good About
What is Plant-Based Fashion? Plus, 3 Eco Vegan Fabrics to Know
The post 20 Best (Stylish!) Slow Fashion Brands That’ll Help You Leave Fast Fashion in the Dust appeared first on .
20 Best (Stylish!) Slow Fashion Brands That’ll Help You Leave Fast Fashion in the Dust
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Dandelion Energy CEO Dan Yates On How Geothermal Leasing Could Transform Home Heating and Cooling
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Return to one of our most compelling interviews of 2025. Amazingly, the same Congressional bill that gutted residential clean energy tax credits also led to a major breakthrough in financing home geothermal systems. Dan Yates, CEO of Dandelion Energy, explains how the Big, Beautiful Bill introduced changes that, for the first time, allow third-party leasing of residential geothermal systems. He shares why this policy change could help ground-source heat pumps grow the way leasing helped rooftop solar. Geothermal heating and cooling is four times more efficient than a furnace and twice as efficient as air-source heat pumps. Yet only about 1% of U.S. homes use it because the upfront costs for new geothermal systems have ranged from $20,000 to $31,000. The new leasing model means new homeowners can get geothermal systems for just $10 to $40 per month on a 20-year lease, which is usually far less than what they save on energy.
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Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on December 29, 2025.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Dandelion Energy CEO Dan Yates On How Geothermal Leasing Could Transform Home Heating and Cooling appeared first on Earth911.
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The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 — 56 years ago — and, goodness, how the world has changed since then. We’ve come a long way since the days of burning our trash and pumping our gas guzzlers with leaded gasoline. In honor of those 56 years, here are 56 important changes and milestones since the first Earth Day.
Legislation
The U.S. government has led much of the environmental charge, starting with the implementation of the EPA (1) in July 1970. Later that year, the Clean Air Act (2) targeted air pollutants, followed by the Clean Water Act (3) in 1972 and the Endangered Species Act (4) in 1973.
Some lesser-known national laws included the Safe Water Drinking Act (5) in 1974, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (6) in 1976, the Toxic Substances Control Act (7) in 1976, the National Energy Act (8) in 1978, and the Medical Waste Tracking Act (9) in 1988.
In some cases, states have led the charge. Oregon passed the first bottle bill (10) in 1971, Minnesota’s Clean Indoor Air Act (11) was the first law to restrict smoking in public places (1975), and Massachusetts required low-flush toilets (12) for construction and remodeling in 1988.
Green Innovations: The Early Years
In order to comply with all the laws from the 1970s, we needed new technology to ensure consumers could adhere to the new standards. Consider:
- The “Crying Indian” PSA debuts in 1971 (13)
- Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) gets banned in 1972 (14)
- The energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb launches in 1973 (15)
- Cars begin displaying fuel economy labels in the mid-1970s (16)
- In 1975, all cars are manufactured with catalytic converters to limit exhaust emissions (17)
- Chlorofluorocarbons are banned from aerosol cans starting in 1978 (18)
- The first curbside recycling program begins in New Jersey in 1980 (19)
- In 1986, McDonald’s switches from foam to paper food containers (20)
- Mercury is removed from latex paint in 1990, providing a viable alternative to banned lead paint (21)
- Earth911 launches the first U.S. recycling directory in 1991 (22)
- Energy Star certification debuts in 1992 for appliances and electronics (23)
- The U.S. Green Building Council begins in 1993 (24)
The Political Movement
The Green Party (25) launched in 1984, which was just the beginning of green issues entering the mainstream. One Percent for the Planet (26) was founded in 2002 to challenge businesses to donate to environmental causes, and the ISO 14001 standard (27) established environmental management. Companies are now facing pressure to allow employee telecommuting (28).
Things really developed after the release of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (29) in 2006. NBC debuted Green Week (30) in 2007. Carbon offsets (31) alleviated corporate green guilt. Bisphenol A (32) made us all question plastic purchases. Hybrid vehicles (33) generated tax credits and gas savings. Plastic bag bans gave rise to a reusable bag (34) craze. Fracking (35) and the Dakota Access Pipeline (36) were two of the most hotly contested news stories of the decade, at least until the 2016 election.
Green Tech: The Next Wave
In the past 10 years, emerging green tech has made eco-friendly a way of life, including:
- LED light bulbs (37)
- Portable solar panels on backpacks and watches (38)
- Plant-based plastics (39)
- Motion sensor lighting (40)
- Faucets with automatic shut-off (41)
- Low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint (42)
- Recycled plastic clothing (43)
- Ride-sharing mobile applications (44)
- Natural cleaning products (45)
- Biodiesel engine vehicles (46)
- Food waste composting (47)
- Portable air purifiers (48)
- Europe’s Green Deal introduced global recyclables shipping regulations to reduce pollution in low-income nations (49)
- Corporate borrowers headed toward $500 billion in bond financings for the renewables transition (50)
- President Biden rejoins the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office. (51)
The Latest Five: 2022–2026
The pace of innovation has not slowed. Five more milestones have reshaped the environmental landscape since that 51st Earth Day:
- The Inflation Reduction Act (52), signed into law in August 2022, became the largest climate investment in U.S. history, directing roughly $370 billion toward clean energy tax credits, EV incentives, methane reduction, and domestic clean manufacturing. Analysts projected it will drive more than $4 trillion in cumulative capital investment over a decade and put the U.S. on track for a 40% emissions reduction by 2030. Sadly, many of its key provisions have been defunded or eliminated by the Trump Administration.
- The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (53), adopted by 188 governments in December 2022, set the most ambitious biodiversity protection commitment in history. Its headline “30×30” target calls for conserving 30% of the planet’s land, freshwater, and ocean areas by 2030, a goal that would require doubling current protected land coverage and quadrupling marine protections.
- America’s first commercial direct air capture plant (54), opened by Heirloom Carbon Technologies in Tracy, California in November 2023, marked the arrival of atmospheric carbon removal at commercial scale on U.S. soil. The plant uses limestone to absorb CO₂ directly from the air, with the captured carbon injected into concrete for permanent storage. In May 2024, Climeworks activated the world’s largest direct air capture facility, the Mammoth plant in Iceland, with a design capacity to remove 36,000 tons of CO₂ per year.
- Solid-state batteries (55), a next-generation alternative to conventional lithium-ion technology, moved from laboratory promise toward commercial reality between 2022 and 2026. Unlike liquid-electrolyte batteries, solid-state versions are less flammable, achieve higher energy density, and degrade more slowly. In early 2025, Mercedes-Benz began road-testing a prototype EV powered by a lithium-metal solid-state cell that extended driving range 25% over comparable liquid-battery models. Multiple automakers and cell manufacturers now target commercial production between 2027 and 2030.
- Perovskite and tandem solar cells (56), a new photovoltaic technology that pairs conventional silicon with thin perovskite layers, pushed solar efficiency into territory once considered theoretical. By 2024, tandem cells in laboratory settings exceeded 34% efficiency — well above the roughly 22% ceiling of standard silicon panels only a few years ago. manufacturers in Asia and Europe began scaling pilot production lines. Because perovskite cells can be printed on flexible substrates, they open the door to solar surfaces on buildings, vehicles, and everyday objects that conventional panels cannot reach.
The past 56 years have been huge when it comes to saving the environment. Expect more to come, including a resurgent EV industry, nuclear fusion, regenerative agriculture, restorative forestry, and more, as costs and the cool factor improve.
Editor’s Note: Originally published on April 18, 2018, this article was most recently updated in April 2026.
The post 56 Environmental Innovations in the 56 Years Since Earth Day Began appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/eco-tech/eco-friendly-innovations/
This week’s quotation is from Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States: “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”
Earth911 inspiration posters: Post them and share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
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