5 Sustainable Fashion Brands That Are Paving the Way Forward
Sustainability has become a key factor in the fashion industry, with consumers increasingly demanding eco-friendly and ethical practices from their favorite brands. According to a report from The Roundup, 84% of customers say they will stop shopping with brands or companies that have poor environmental practices. In fact, the majority of consumers (60%) say that they’re willing to pay more for a product that has sustainable packaging.
Despite this, though, many companies still aren’t making changes that would benefit the environment. If you ask us (and read the stats!), brands need to embrace sustainability to reduce their environmental impact or they risk alienating consumers.
What Is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion refers to clothing and accessories that are ethically made, with practices and regulations in place that protect the workers who produce them. Garments are also manufactured in a way that is mindful of the fashion industry's environmental impact.
Typically, sustainable fashion is created with natural and organic materials, like wool, linen, and cotton, grown without chemicals that are harmful to the planet. There are four types of sustainable fashion:
Ethical fashion: This is a moral stance that a company can take to ensure that everyone involved in the production of garments has fair working conditions and pay.
Circular fashion: This is all about reducing waste by recycling materials, aiming to create a closed-loop system where resources are used and reused for as long as possible or in as many ways as possible.
Slow fashion: The opposite of fast fashion, slow fashion considers the processes and resources required to create clothing. It’s mindful, high-quality, considered clothing and accessories.
Conscious fashion: This is more of a branding exercise, aimed to educate consumers and encourage them to embrace sustainable fashion habits in their lives.
Why Does Sustainability in Fashion Matter?
The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters on our planet. Did you know that 10% of greenhouse gases caused by human activities come from fashion? The fashion industry also consumes more than both aviation and shipping combined. It has been estimated that every second, a truckload of abandoned textiles is dumped in landfill or incinerated.
From the way clothes are manufactured and shipped to the proliferation of fast fashion designed to be worn just once or twice, the fashion industry wreaks havoc on the environment. As these statistics reveal just how bad the fashion industry is for the planet, consumers care more and more about the negative impact that fashion is having. Across all generations, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers, shoppers are willing to pay more for sustainably-produced items.
Brands must ensure their practices and beliefs align with their customers.
5 of the Best Sustainable Fashion Brands
Patagonia
Patagonia is committed to using environmentally friendly materials, reducing waste, and supporting fair labor practices. The brand is well known for its repair program, which encourages customers to repair their old Patagonia clothing instead of buying new items.
Their fall 2023 collection was made with 98% recycled materials, and all the cotton used by the brand is grown organically without pesticides. Plus, their Worn Wear program allows customers to trade in and buy used Patagonia gear.
These values aren’t just about looking good in the eyes of the customer, though. The brand lives and breathes sustainability. Their social channels have nothing to do with selling products but instead are dedicated to educating people about environmental issues and advocating for change.
Stella McCartney
Ever since the brand was first created, it has been a leader in the world of sustainable fashion. Their mission statement includes the line: “We stand up and speak up for Mother Earth, our fellow creatures and in solidarity with all humans today in order to protect our better tomorrow.”
Every piece created and sold by Stella McCartney is crafted with sustainable materials—like organic cotton and recycled cotton—and never includes animal products like leather or fur. The brand also has invested in renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint.
Stella McCartney is invested in creating a circular fashion industry and believes that good clothing should never end up as waste. Designing and manufacturing clothing to last and be timeless pushes consumers into embracing the circular economy too.
The brand’s sustainability efforts also extend to people and the community, with efforts that aim to provide desirable jobs, foster people’s skills, strengthen workers’ voices, and advocate for vulnerable groups.
Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher is a fashion brand that is committed to sustainability and ethical practices, known for both its use of organic and sustainable materials, such as organic cotton and Tencel, and its commitment to fair labor practices.
Like Patagonia, Eileen Fisher also has a recycling program that allows customers to return their old Eileen Fisher clothing for a discount on new items, as part of their mission to keep fashion goods out of landfill.
In 2018, the brand launched Waste No More, an initiative that takes material from damaged clothes and transforms them into one-of-a-kind artworks, wall hangings, acoustic panels, and decorative objects, a reminder of the many possibilities that come from embracing circular fashion.
Reformation
The trendy fashion brand Reformation is committed to sustainability and transparency. The brand uses eco-friendly materials and is adamant about reducing waste and water usage while manufacturing garments.
One thing that Reformation does well is to involve the consumer in the sustainability journey. The brand provides transparency in its supply chain, allowing customers to trace the journey of their clothes from raw materials to finished products. Including their customers in this way not only helps educate them about the importance of sustainability in fashion but also builds a strong relationship and bolsters Reformation’s brand image.
Levi's
Levi's is a legacy denim brand that has publicly committed to making steps toward reducing its carbon footprint, with a goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2025.
To do this, they’ve introduced several new practices, which is often a tricky thing to do for an established brand of this size. Levi’s uses mostly recycled water in its denim production, has lowered its factories' energy usage, reduced its fiber impact, and instated better shopping practices.
The brand has also invested heavily in a range of sustainable denim products, including jeans made from recycled plastic bottles.
Marketing Sustainable Fashion
As evidenced by these five successful and sustainable brands, making eco-friendly choices is always a good idea - for your customers, for the planet, and ultimately for your bottom line.
Block & Tam is a marketing agency specializing in luxury brands. If you want to market your sustainable fashion brand to the right audience, get in touch today.
