Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword or a CSR compliance anymore, but the need of the hour. It’s more important than ever that large, powerhouse brands, especially those in fashion, understand the consequences of their business practices.
Fast fashion has increased this wastage and pollution tenfold. A question that frequently arises is how a brand qualifies as ‘sustainable’. Here, we will cover sustainable fashion brands based on the following parameters: choice of biodegradable materials (fabric), fair labor practices, supply chain, recycling, upcycling, and much more.
Many fashion brands have been turning sustainable in recent times – or at least pretending to adopt sustainable practices, which makes it difficult to identify authentic sustainable brands.
From newcomers to established fashion brands, this list represents a global movement towards conscious creation, proving that style, quality, and environmental sustainability can coexist without any compromise.
There are a lot of brands that are greenwashing online, but here’s a compiled list for you to know the 10 brands that practice sustainability on a regular basis, and are actually trying to make an effort to create an impact on our planet.
Ninety Percent
Based in the United Kingdom, the brand derives its name from the way it conducts its business. Each year, the brand shares 90% of its distributable profits with the people who work to make their collections happen, as well as five charitable causes.
Ninety Percent’s collections consist of pieces that are soft, modern, with tailored silhouettes, and made of innovative materials.
Ninety Percent is a perfect example of a fashion brand that cares about its customers’ preferences and the people who bring their collections to life.
The brand is working towards cultivating a positive culture for all its stakeholders, from artisans to consumers.
House of Marici
Founded on Earth Day in 2020, House of Marici stays true to its roots by championing a circular design philosophy with a special focus on the regenerative mindset.
The name is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘marici’ (translated as ‘Ray of Light’). They are a luxury accessories brand based in London, offering unique designs focused on slow fashion and created only using plant-based materials.
The brand maintains its legacy by getting its products made from the master artisans from Florence, Italy. They recently came out with a new campaign – ‘The Marici Women’ – where they depict women using their products as sustainable, conscious, and most importantly, as a ray of light.
Sézane
This French brand focuses on 100% usability by making sure none of its products go unworn. Sézane, a community-built brand, makes sure the customer receives the best quality product, with its no-intermediary rule.
They launched their philanthropic program called ‘Demain’ (meaning ‘Tomorrow’) in 2018 with the idea of creating an equitable future for all, making sure everyone is able to access the basic fundamental rights like healthcare, education, and culture.
With responsible commitments behind every piece, Sézane is changing the landscape of luxury fashion as we know it.
Reformation
The iconic brand Reformation, based out of Los Angeles, revolves around the idea of sustainability.
Founded in 2009, their main objective is to make sustainable fashion mainstream. Reformation aims to become climate positive by the end of 2025 and become a part of the circular fashion system by 2030.
The company has released its emission numbers on its website for people to keep track of the progress towards their goal of becoming climate positive.
The prices are kept on the lower side with new pieces being released every week, slowly but surely bridging the gap between sustainable fashion and affordability.
The Classic T-Shirt Company
Based out of California, The Classic T-Shirt Company has changed the way regular T-shirts are perceived.
To adhere to its sustainability goals, the company has made sure to only use 100% organic cotton in the making of all its clothing.
Their policies include plastic-free shipping and paying living wages higher than minimum rates to all their workers. The style they aim to bring to the limelight is classic, timeless pieces.
The Classic T-Shirt Company has already hit the bull’s eye with quality and ethical work.
Plant Faced Clothing
Built on the fact that the fashion industry contributes 10% to the world’s CO2 emissions, Plant Faced Clothing has pledged to do everything it can to reduce this number.
As the name suggests, the brand is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. It follows a circular fashion system where every worn-out cloth comes back to the factory to be remanufactured. Plant Faced Clothing has an efficient circular supply chain, which helps them to only manufacture the clothes that are actually worn, avoiding wastage.
The organic cotton used to make their clothes is grown in the parts of Northern India where monsoon reservoirs help in crop growth, saving a lot of water supply. They put the fashion in their sustainable streetwear options with subtle and thoughtful designs.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney, one of the most renowned luxury brands for its unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability, was founded in 2001.
A lifelong vegetarian, McCartney has never used leather, feathers, skin, or fur in any of her collections. Stella is often seen mentioning her late mother and muse, Linda McCartney – a vegetarian and an animal rights activist – for being an inspiration for her brand ethos.
McCartney began her career in the luxury clothing segment as the creative director of Chloe in 1997 and later moved on to launching her first collection from her eponymous fashion house in 2001.
Over the years, the brand has moved on to multiple product lines, including launching the eco-friendly eyewear in 2011 and Stella McCartney kids. In 2018, she also launched Stella McCartney Cares Foundation – a not-for-profit charity organisation with the dual purpose of supporting sustainability and raising awareness about breast cancer.
In line with creating an impact, she released the world’s first-ever luxury handbag made of mycelium and continued her journey of innovation through nature-positive materials in her collection.
So, next time you look for a premium luxury sustainable brand, Stella McCartney should be on your list.
Ka-Sha
An Indian brand making headlines globally for its unique and sustainable ways of making clothes. Using clothing as an expression of hand-craft and celebrating life around through their collections, Ka-Sha functions on the philosophy of recycling, upcycling, mending, and repairing their clothing and textiles with a goal of minimizing wastage as much as possible.
Their collections are not only designed to tell India’s story, but also to be a part of the global narrative. To continue their efforts in leading a sustainable fashion brand, they launched their sister label ‘Heart to Haat’, which is inspired by the indigenous ideologies of reusing, re-purposing, and reclaiming.
They have created an eco-conscious brand that aims to break boundaries and reduce wastage in the post-production stage. The label creates innovative, unique, and beautiful designs using the unwanted textile scraps.
Not just that, they are helping other brands to utilise their post-production wastage to repurpose it into usable products. Ka-Sha is redefining what it means to be a responsible fashion brand.
BEEN London
Marketers often tout how their products can solve a consumer problem. BEEN London flips that narrative, starting with the problem and then working toward a solution. In this case, the issue is impossible to ignore: the environmental damage driven by fast fashion.
BEEN London is doing their part in solving it completely. Their business model is based on reusing the wasted products. They say: “We throw away 99% of what we buy within six months.” That is a clear sign of overconsumption and wastage, which BEEN London is solving by putting in all its might.
The founder, Genia Mineeva, was a BBC journalist who spent years researching the waste thrown around the world and what can be done to solve this problem, until she came up with the idea of BEEN. Run by an all-female team, BEEN London focuses on bringing out the beauty in waste through innovation.
Their impact on the fashion industry and the environment is immense, and we need more brands to create a conscious business model like BEEN London.
Wolven
Based out of Los Angeles, Wolven is redefining the activewear and swimwear category with their sustainable creations. Wolven’s team is working towards reducing the carbon footprint on Earth.
They are an inclusive brand where diversity, creativity, and body positivity are celebrated through their vibrant collections.
Sustainability is at the core of everything they do, which can be seen by their six ‘goals’, namely: Clothing, Climate, Community, Giveback, Circularity, and Intersectionality.
Wolven carefully chooses each of its partners through independent third-party evaluations, ensuring they share the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
The fabric used in making Wolven’s collections is produced from a cellulose fibre derived from beechwood pulp. These fibres are carbon-neutral, and do not need any toxic pesticides, clear-cut farm land to grow, and relatively less water compared to a cotton crop.
They also practice reusing plastic bottles by transforming them into new thread, a non-toxic fabric. From manufacturing practices to delivery, everything is done sustainably at Wolven.