Ethical clothing brands

[Leanback]

I start a new job in January and for the first time in my life I will be living with an above average wage coming in each month. As a result I want to use the extra income to start making more ethical purchasing choices, such as cruelty free make up and buying more from ethical and long-lasting clothing brands than high street fast fashion.

I'm pretty clued up on the cruelty free make up as there is quite an extensive list online, but could anyone enlighten me on ethical but trendy clothing brands.

That's interesting about Benneton. I remember their rather holier than thou "consciousness raising" ads in the 90s. Probably designed to make us forget they were flogging mass produced cheap quality clobber.

I have just heard about Hebtroco which is a trouser factory in Hebden Bridge. They make moleskin trousers which look to be built to last.

Also someone mentioned Celtic in Newquay. These people did make Uggs originally but then sold out to Ugg Australia (I think) and they now make footwear here in Newquay.

Sea salt and Finisterre are two other Cornish clothing makers.

I agree Frugal. Most responsible thing to do is to buy as little as possible. So wearing what you have and looking after it carefully. Next best is buying second-hand/vintage/preloved. Then I guess buying ethically produced items, then quality items produced as close to home as possible in countries where the workers have labour rights and decent pay and so on. And trying to avoid the worst offenders on the high street who outsource production to factories like those in the Rana Plaza building.

With regards to H&M, there’s an interesting overview here: projectjust.com/brand_hm/

H&M seem to genuinely be trying to adopt a responsible approach. They have made a commitment to buying more and more organic cotton until all their cotton in their clothes is organic or sustainable, they produce their Conscious collection and implement a programme that collects and recycles old clothes.

They don’t have any factories themselves, instead using suppliers and factories in mostly developing countries so they can’t absolutely guarantee good labour conditions but they do try very hard to audit suppliers regularly. They also try to support their suppliers in improving sustainability. However, they openly admit (on their website) that as they don’t own factories they can’t decide on how much workers are paid but say ‘We are committed to picking and rewarding partners who share our respect for people and the environment, and who are willing to work with us to improve their practices. We only allow our products to be manufactured by suppliers and factories that commit to our values and sign our strict code of conduct.’

They also signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and are working with other companies and the government there to try and improve safety in the workplace. But according to the article I linked to above, in 2016 (i.e. 2.5yrs after the Rana Plaza disaster) none of H&M’s suppliers in Bangladesh had yet met the safety standards of the Accord.

The other issue is that their business is fast fashion, which is all about producing and shifting vast amounts of clothes as fast as possible to give us wardrobes full of cheap clothes...most of which end up in landfill or being sold to Africa, where huge quantities of imported discarded European garments have killed off any sort of local clothing industry. H&M have also been criticized in the past for not paying corporate taxes in countries where their clothes are produced (this situation has probably changed now). So I don’t really believe that shopping at H&M is ethical. And that is a massive bummer as Cos is definitely my favourite high street store and I am really struggling not to shop there.

Anice I agree that fast fashion isn't ethical.

I've been tracking what I actually wear daily for about a month. I have shockingly many items (70 of them worm so far, and that is probably about a third of my winter wardrobe) and only a handful have been worn 10+ times.

Some of my most worn items are staples from H&M. Bought sparingly, with attention to fiber quality, used until the end of their life cycle and then recycled instore, those items will probably be okay. I've also noticed that super precey items in my wardrobe are probably not worth their high price as I am wearing them much less than I thought.

But buying fast fashion as a weekly treat and wearing each item just a couple of times is not sustainable. I am trying to change by committing to wear each new item (and as many old ones as I am able to) at least 30 times.

Worn not worm 🙈

I'm a very recent Cosvert so I share your pain anice. Mind you, I'd be lying if I said I was giving up high street shopping. I just wouldn't stick to it. But fewer, carefully considered new buys plus unlimited second hand / vintage does feel more achievable, especially if I reward myself at the end of the year with something beautiful, ethically made and ££. I also have a big wardrobe that I could recycle much more than I do.

I buy a fair bit from Howies (Welsh), Braintree and Peoole Tree. Am considering Hiut jeans too. And I agree with investing in well made, high quality items in the first place, which will last and reduce demand on the supply chain and the environmental impact of the waste.

I do think there's a problem with 'investment buying'. There are some stages of your life when it's not an investment at all because your body is changing.

It probably depends on your age but I went through a 'buy less, buy better' phase just as I was hitting the menopause and frankly, I wasted a lot of money on clothes that just didn't look right a year later.

And while I do have things that I've worn for years and years, they're just as likely to be from H&M as from anywhere high end.

It's really not straightforward and this why I struggle with it.

And sorry - I don't mean to put anyone off 'investment buying' if it works for them. I just seem to be a poor judge of what's an investment and what isn't.

Is see your point though Floisme. But it would work for classic bags and accessories that are not obviously this year's fashion, Biker boots, blazers, ballet flats, that kind of thing.
if anyone would like to buy me a large Mulberry Anthony bag to see how long it lasts, I will happily trial it.

If I was wanting to do this, I would probably get something from Ethical Superstore. I have seen a few things I like on there, but they might be a bit boring if you are only 25 or so.

Seasalt don't actually make that much in the UK. You can see which items in a section on their website.

Second hand adds up to being greener, generally. And please don't forget about alterations. You can get stuff you already have that isn't quite the right shape adjusted to fit well (same with a second hand item where, say, you love the fabric but it's a bit big in a couple of places). That is also providing work for someone local - if you don't know how to make them yourself.

Second vote here for Finisterre for casual surfer-type clothes. They don't have a massive range, but it changes fairly frequently, and everything (well, all three items ) I've bought from there have been things I've worn & worn.

Clothes swaps are good too, especially if you don't invite a group of very well dressed women who are all 10 years younger and 6 inches taller than you

I've had some very successful clothes swaps though where everyone has gone home with a selection of new clothes. It's particularly nice when something that sat there just not quite right on you gets worn and worn by a friend (and I've got things that I wear endlessly that came from swaps).

Mudd and water

So right about getting things altered pennycarbonara I quite often do this - dresses that are too short can be made into tops, sleeves shortened, skirts shortened, dresses taken in etc. Often gives things a new lease of life. Bit off topic as not very ethical, but my cousin buys almost all her clothes from the designer bit in TKMaxx and has them tailored to fit by a local seamstress – she always looks fabulous.

I think clothes care is important too as it keeps things looking new for longer. I resell most of my clothes on Ebay once I'm bored with them so I have to keep things in good condition in order to make as much back on them as possible. This means stitching loose buttons, brushing coats, de-fluffing knitwear and never tumble drying any of my clothes. That keeps things looking better for longer and extends their life. It also means that when I give clothes to charity shops they are going to be resaleable rather than being sent straight off to the recycling plant.

The problem with ethical superstore and many other 'green' retailers is that I have to wear fairly corporate attire for work and their stock just isn't suitable. Hence my love of Cos, which is perfect for the office dress code. I might get round it by buying Cos stuff on ebay.

Thanks for the Hiut jeans recommendation BikeRunSki. They look great.

Some really good points here. I like the idea that buying second hand and getting it altered etc can help support other local businesses.

Thanks also for Hiut jeans - hadn't heard of them.

Sadly the only time I went to a clothes swap, there was nothing I liked but it felt rude to say so because they were all work colleagues and I ended up coming away with more stuff I didn't want

I read this in the news and thought of this thread: Up to 3,500 garment workers sacked in Bangladesh following a mass walkout.

According to the article, the factories involved are in an area that supplies 'top western brands such as Gap, Zara and H&M, prompting concerns over supply during the holiday season.'

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/27/bangladesh-garment-factories-sack-hundreds-after-pay-protests

Interesting thread. There was a link on the Parisian thread to an article talking about the difference between materialism & consumerism & a few years ago I definitely found myself caught up in the latter. I love clothes & fashion and made my own clothes as a teenager so good quality fabric and good construction have always been obvious to me but marketing & the lure of fast fashion still did its job & I have cheap items that I bought simply on price. For the last 3 years I have been working on buy less, buy better. It is in no way investment dressing though, I am just making much more considered purchases and buying from much smaller firms & checking them out so I know a bit of their principles. I've always bought a lot second hand anyway but I now concentrate on a small number of brands on ebay.
The cheap overseas manufacture is only a small part of the cost of a garment - Primark & Sports Direct were the only well known firms listed by HMRC at the end of last year as paying less than minimum wage to their UK staff. Cheap cotton has a huge impact on the environment & the people who are involved in picking etc. Its now well known that many cheap parkas supposedly with a fake-fur edged hood are actually made with real fur because that is cheaper bought from the horrors of factory farms rather than making the fake stuff. Etc, etc.