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November 22, 2024

The Top 15 Sustainable Clothing Brands for an Ethical Wardrobe

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Shopping for sustainable fashion is one simple way to make a big impact. By choosing eco-friendly clothing brands, you’re supporting a greener planet and enjoying peace of mind with every purchase.

Sustainable clothing brands commit to ethical practices and produce safe, toxin-free clothing—and we’re spoiled for choice. Explore this guide and discover the best environment-friendly clothing to expand your wardrobe and minimize your fashion footprint.

What’s sustainable clothing?

Sustainable clothing is made by ethical brands that apply fair labor practices, reduce chemical use, and use low-impact materials, such as 100% organic cotton and recycled textiles. These companies also promise supply chain transparency to ensure positive worker conditions and fabric sourcing.

This production process is costly, so affordable sustainable clothing can be challenging to find unless you’re shopping secondhand. Businesses that prioritize a steady, careful approach to clothing manufacturing are often called “slow fashion brands,” highlighting a direct contrast to the common fast-fashion model.

The top 15 eco-fashion brands to shop proudly

Eco-friendly clothing companies are paving the way to a more mindful fashion industry. Here are fifteen of our favorite sustainable fashion brands to shop for so you can join this movement.

1. Patagonia

Patagonia is a top provider of outdoor gear and one of the original ethical clothing brands. They started using organic cotton in 1994 and were the first outdoor clothes manufacturer to make recycled polyester fleece from plastic bottles.

These pieces are made to last. Learn to thrift like a pro and extend the life of high-quality Patagonia clothing, keeping it in circulation for years. Find athletic pants, fleece pullovers, and more on ThredUp, starting at $13.99.

  • Featured items: Jackets, pullovers, tops, bottoms, vests, and accessories.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Fair Trade Certified, Certified B Corp, organic cotton and recycled textiles, recycling program.
  • Size range: XXS–XXL.

2. Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher provides beautiful, sustainable fashion, whether you’re looking for elegant basics or a timeless preppy aesthetic. They use organic cotton and linen and offer recycled items and undyed wool clothing. The brand also carefully examines their supply chain to guarantee fair labor practices.

While this company uses top-notch ethical practices, the most eco-friendly option is shopping secondhand. Thrift Eileen Fisher favorites on ThredUp, starting at $9.99.

  • Featured items: Tops, bottoms, sweaters, dresses, jackets, tank tops, and jeans.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Certified B Corp, specific Fair Trade collections, organic textiles, recycling program.
  • Size range: XXS–3XL.

3. Allbirds

Allbirds is leading the fashion industry in innovative materials. They offer footwear made of sustainable, eco-friendly fibers like sugarcane and eucalyptus, and they produce water-repellant shoes crafted from breathable Merino wool. This brand is also proudly carbon neutral and on track to become carbon zero soon.

Enjoy these environment-friendly shoes by thrifting a pair on ThredUp, starting at $11.99.

  • Featured items: Active shoes, flats, hiking shoes, daily sneakers, tops, socks, and underwear.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Climate Neutral Certified, Certified B Corp, natural and recycled textiles.
  • Size range: Footwear sizes 5–11, clothing sizes XS–3XL.

4. Reformation

Reformation offers trendy clothing without the fast-fashion framework. They maintain transparency through the supply chain, ensuring every one of their partners passes a fair labor assessment. They also use renewable materials, utilize deadstock from other brands, and recycle most of their textile waste.

We love Reformation’s feminine patterns and modern cuts—find them on ThredUp, starting at $10.99.

  • Featured items: Tops, dresses, bottoms, jeans, sweaters, jumpsuits, and gowns.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Climate Neutral Certified, renewable and recycled textiles.
  • Size range: XXS–3XL.

5. Nudie Jeans

Nudie Jeans is committed to crafting sustainable denims that last for years. They use 100% organic cotton and recycled fibers, and they prioritize rain-fed fields to reduce water use. They also offer a jean repair service—each year, they revive 60,000 to 70,000 pairs of denims to keep them going strong.

You can help prolong the life of these jeans by thrifting a pair from ThredUp, starting at $21.99.

  • Featured items: Jeans, jackets, tops, sweaters, and dresses.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Fair Trade certified cotton, uses and recycled cotton, repairs.
  • Size range: Jeans waist size 24–38, length size 26–36. Clothing sizes XS–XL.

6. Girlfriend Collective

Girlfriend Collective is one of our favorite sustainable clothing brands—affordable, size-inclusive, and well-made. They’re committed to reducing fashion waste and craft their activewear from post-consumer water bottles and fishing nets. They also provide a recycling program that offers store credit in exchange for worn-out clothing.

Find preloved Girlfriend Collective clothes, from leggings to sport tanks, on ThredUp, starting at just $5.99.

  • Featured items: Leggings, sports bras, dresses, tops, and bottoms.
  • Top sustainability highlights: SA8000 certification, Standard 100 certified fabrics, recycled textiles, recycling programs.
  • Size range: XXS–6XL.

7. Outerknown

Outerknown is a go-to shop for ethical essentials, offering neutral-toned button-downs, sweaters, and trousers. They practice total supply chain transparency, proudly holding a Fair Labor Association (FLA) accreditation and a Fair Trade certification. They also grow Regenerative Organic Cotton, which absorbs carbon and reduces emissions.

Find these outstanding basics on ThredUp, starting at $14.99.

  • Featured items: Tops, bottoms, outerwear, jumpsuits, dresses, and loungewear.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Fair Labor Association certified, Fair Trade certified, Bluesign approved factories, organic cotton.
  • Size range: XXS–3XL.

8. Lemlem

Lemlem is a sustainable Black-owned brand known for their striking maxi dresses and swimwear. They prioritize recycled textiles made from post-consumer bottles and ocean waste, locally sourced African cotton, and biodegradable packaging. Lemlem also uses their leftover fabric, repurposing some of it into accessories and sending the rest to sewing schools.

Find Lemlem’s colorful, inspired designs on ThredUp, starting at $8.99.

  • Featured items: Dresses, robes, swimwear, jackets, tops, and bottoms.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Responsibly-sourced and recycled textiles, biodegradable packaging, repurposed scrap fabric.
  • Size range: XS–XL.

9. Naadam

Naadam is the best place to find luxurious, sustainable cashmere clothing. They promise ethical treatment for animals and fair wages for herders in their supply chain. They also guarantee that each item is crafted from 70% recycled cashmere and 30% virgin materials sourced directly from their herders.

  • Featured items: Sweaters, cardigans, outerwear, sweatshirts, dresses, tops, and bottoms.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Natural and recycled fibers, direct supply (no middleman).
  • Size range: XXS–3XL.

10. Everlane

Everlane is a popular ethical clothing brand, offering elegant basics, semi-formal pieces, and business casual looks. They display total transparency into their supply chain, product impact, and carbon emissions. This brand also strives to reduce chemicals in their cotton and uses recycled, renewable materials whenever possible.

Encourage a circular economy and keep Everlane’s sustainable products in motion by thrifting them on ThredUp, starting at $6.99.

  • Featured items: Tops, bottoms, sweaters, jeans, jackets, dresses, activewear, and outerwear.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Bluesign certified, Oeko-Tex certified, organic and recycled materials.
  • Size range: XXS–4XL.

11. Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi produces warm, long-lasting outerwear and sports gear. They make an impressive 96% of their items with deadstock, recycled textiles, and responsibly-sourced fabrics—and they’re on track to reach 100% soon. This awesome outerwear brand is also carbon neutral and works with Fair Trade certified partners to guarantee fair working practices.

Score some colorful, durable Cotopaxi clothing on ThredUp, starting at $21.99.

  • Featured items: Jackets, windbreakers, vests, sweatshirts, tops, and bottoms.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Certified B Corp, Climate Neutral Certified.
  • Size range: XXS–XXL.

12. Amour Vert

Amour Vert provides especially luxurious sustainable clothing. We want to highlight their 100% recycled cashmere, made from overrun stock and garment samples, and their recycled sateen, which strives to keep synthetics out of landfills. Amour Vert is also a great source for sustainable leather jackets.

Thrift Amour Vert treasures for less on ThredUp, including wrapped tops, dresses, and skirts, starting at $8.99.

  • Featured items: Tops, bottoms, sweaters, dresses, jackets, and jeans.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Recycled and natural textiles, small batch production, recycled and compostable packaging.
  • Size range: XXS–XXL.

13. Cuyana

Cuyana is the perfect choice for anyone who wants sustainable, chic minimalism. They use responsibly sourced cashmere and alpaca wool, organic cotton, and recycled plastic. Cuyana also makes products out of Leather Working Group (LWG) certified leather, so you can snag an eco-friendly designer bag.

Find luxurious Cuyana items, like soft cardigans and billowing blouses, on ThredUp, starting at $25.99.

  • Featured items: Dresses, leggings, sleepwear, outerwear, bags, and wallets.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Bluesign and Oeko-Tex certified collections, Leather Working Group certified leather, responsibly-sourced and organic fabrics.
  • Size range: XS–XL.

14. Outdoor Voices

We love Outdoor Voices for comfortable activewear you can wear at the gym, to a coffee date, or lounging at home. They practice positive, sustainable behavior, using recycled polyester, nylon, and woo. We love their Seamless collection, which minimizes fabric waste by crafting each piece out of a tube to reduce cutting and sewing.

Thrift this beautiful, ethical athleisure wear on ThredUp, starting at only $7.99.

  • Featured items: Tops, bottoms, dresses, leggings, bras, tank tops, and sweatshirts.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Recycled and organic materials, reduced textile waste.
  • Size range: XXS–3XL.

15. Tentree

Tentree makes high-quality, sustainable clothing for you and your little ones, offering essentials and a cozy kidswear collection. They use organic cotton, recycled polyester, and their own unique blends—like Tencel, which is made of wood pulp and uses 99% of water used in production.

Find these earthy basics on ThredUp, starting at $14.99.

  • Featured items: Sweaters, jackets, tops, bottoms, leggings, hoodies, dresses, and sweatshirts.
  • Top sustainability highlights: Carbon Neutral certified, SA8000 certification, organic and recycled textiles, reduced water use.
  • Size range: XXS–XXL.

Discover environment-friendly clothing on ThredUp

Shopping for ethical brands helps you feel great about what you’re wearing—and you can find these options at more affordable prices on ThredUp. Nothing’s more sustainable than thrifting secondhand clothes, keeping them out of landfills, and preventing unnecessary production.

Browse a range of brands and zero in on your favorite designers, or try our Improved Search feature using targeted phrases like “Outdoor Voices soft casual leggings.”

Looking to elevate your sustainable shopping habits? Encourage a greener planet by thrifting everyday essentials and occasion attire on ThredUp.