As much as we love the on-trend, affordable styles that our favorite fast-fashion retailers have to offer, the truth is that cheap clothes do come with a high cost—to the environment, that is. The good news is that while it was once tough to find eco-friendly fashion options that weren't unattractive or expensive, more and more brands are changing their ways, proving that shoppers don't always have to sacrifice their style or budget for a smaller footprint. Ahead, we're highlighting the 10 brands that are making the biggest strides toward a more ethical industry, whether that's by using recycled fabrics, removing plastic from packaging, or selling pre-loved garments from their own labels. From Everlane to Outdoor Voices, keep scrolling to discover which sustainable brands are the best and shop a top-selling piece from each. Opening image: @aday
Did you like our 10 Best Sustainable Brands? Then we think you'll love our 10 Must-Have Essentials For A Capsule Wardrobe, too!
February 7, 2020
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The Rankings
ADAY Turn It Up Pant
THE BRAND: ADAY is all about seasonless staples—classic, high-quality pieces that work no matter the weather or occasion. The brand encourages shoppers to recycle old ADAY styles by gifting them to a friend, and when you do, you'll receive a store credit (which we recommend you put towards these Rank & Style-approved pants).
Outdoor Voices 7/8 Springs Leggings
THE BRAND: The Insta-worthy bra-and-legging sets at Outdoor Voices are the kind of thing you'll want to wear to both barre class and the bar—they're trendy but still technical. In addition to using recycled fabrics and eco-friendly factories, the brand also distributes reusable totes (which are incredibly cute, BTW) and sends its online orders in 100% recycled paper envelopes and boxes.
Veja Esplar Sneaker
THE BRAND: This French brand makes some of the best simple-but-stylish white sneakers around, and we're pretty sure they're as sustainable as shoes can get. On the website, you'll find detailed info about where the company sources materials, how each item is made, and who makes it. To top it all off, Veja also sells an entire line of vegan sneakers.
H&M Conscious Fine-Knit Sweater
THE BRAND: H&M may not be completely sustainable yet, but the retailer is well on its way with its Conscious Collection. Each item contains at least 50% sustainable materials (except for recycled cotton, which can only make up 20% of a product due to quality restraints), and best of all, prices start at just $10.
Patagonia Better Sweater 1/4-Zip Fleece
THE BRAND: Patagonia is one of the most well-known sustainable brands out there, and for good reason. Besides using eco-friendly fabrics whenever possible, it also buys and resells its own styles and helps repair your clothes and gear so they'll last longer.
Rothy's The Sneaker
THE BRAND: Known for its line of beautiful, comfortable, and washable shoes, Rothy's uses plastic water bottles to create its products. To date, they've diverted over 30 million from landfills. Yes, you read right.
Cuyana Classic Structured Leather Tote
THE BRAND: Cuyana isn't just sustainable because of its eco-friendly clothes and accessories, but also because of its concept. The brand's motto is "fewer, better things," telling shoppers that if they buy high-quality, classic items that won't go out of style, they'll end up buying a lot less.
Girlfriend Collective Black Compressive High-Rise Legging
THE BRAND: Girlfriend Collective designs activewear that's not just for the marathon-running superhuman or yoga pro, but for those that like to work out casually, too. The styles are made with post-consumer materials and come in tons of gorgeous colors (which come from eco-friendly dyes), and they're all available in sizes XXS to 6XL. While the brand once just specialized in leggings, now it sells everything from running shorts to raincoats.
Everlane The Relaxed Poplin Shirt
THE BRAND: Everlane practices what they like to call "radical transparency." In addition to partnering with the most ethical factories in the world and sourcing only the finest materials, the retailer also shares the markup process for each and every garment on the site, from materials to labor to transportation.
Reformation High & Skinny Jean
THE BRAND: Reformation shows shoppers the environmental footprint of each of its pieces, from carbon dioxide emissions to water emissions to waste. Each time you make a purchase, you'll receive an email with the breakdown of the savings for each of these areas. Famous for its feminine dresses and tops, you'd never suspect that they're from a sustainable brand.
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