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Ethical fashion brands please

59 replies

PurpleNailVarnish · 01/01/2019 19:37

As the thread title say; I'm looking for recommendations for ethical fashion brands.

This year I'm going to try to reduce the amount I buy but I will need to buy some clothes this year, both formal workwear and informal clothing. In order to reduce my spend anything I purchase must be good quality.

By ethical I mean:

  • Treatment of workers - doesn't have to be a workers collective or similar although yes please to those too but treat staff ethically and pay all workers a good wage.
  • Sustainable.

And preferably:

  • No cruelty to animals - I eat meat and wear leather shoes but I'm looking for garments produced with no cruelty.
OP posts:
veganrunnergirl · 03/01/2019 11:13

For workwear, I love Thought and People Tree - my style is very feminine and girly so I wear a lot of pretty skirts and dresses, I'm not super tailored - I think that would be harder to find.

I've got some Po-Zu shoes, although they tend to be better at casual clothes. Also Wills Vegan Shoes, Beyond Skin for vegan shoes made ethically in the EU. I bought a bag from Charlie feist last season which is vegan and made from recycled plastic.

I have a couple of tops from Komodo, which has a smaller collection.

For casual clothes I like Rapauni and Veja and Ethletic for trainers. I like Seasalt organic cotton tops.

I also look for second hand clothes, I quite enjoy rummaging in charity shops/vintage, but I'm lucky as to where I live. I'm quite intrigued by Oxfam Online for second hand.

lifebeginz · 03/01/2019 11:18

i don't know much about specifically ethical brands but do agree with the second hand buying as opposed to new production. You can usually find some great bargains if oyu take the time to look.

Also try and consider biodegradability of clothing :)

PurpleNailVarnish · 03/01/2019 13:22

Floisme I didn't think you were being judgy - you're right, second hand is best and I do try, for me it's easier for casual wear. A requirement of my work is that I dress formally, finding second hand formal clothes in excellent condition is rare, I've looked and I will keep looking.

John Smedley is a great idea.

I'm sorry about your Dukes experience thefirstmrsdewinter, hopefully you will find a good alternative.

OP posts:
Mercurial123 · 03/01/2019 14:14

The cotton story for tshirts, great quality and not too expensive.

I love Izzy Lane their knitwear and coats are amazing quality

&Daughter but only in the sale or from Yoox

Ifionlyknewthenwhatiknownow3 · 03/01/2019 14:31

I saw a clothing brand mentioned here before Christmas and thought it looked interesting, more daywear than party stuff I was looking for at the time. They had some lovely cord pinafores. I can't remember what they were called. Something and something or something & something?? Does anyone know please, thanks

veganrunnergirl · 03/01/2019 14:45

Was it olive?

viccat · 03/01/2019 16:03

Lucy & Yak for the cord pinafores maybe, ifionly?

PurpleNailVarnish · 03/01/2019 17:45

Incidentally, I'm also looking for an ethically produced leather handbag. I can look up the ethical credentials of larger brands and check DeMellier but if anyone knows a brand ie smaller I'd be grateful.

OP posts:
Ifionlyknewthenwhatiknownow3 · 03/01/2019 22:52

No, not Lucy & yak, or olive, thanks. Sorry, just realised I didn't mean to post my question on this thread, I'm hopeless, sorry OP

thefirstmrsdewinter · 03/01/2019 23:19

Thanks op. Sad The real shame of it is that the Dukes safari style fit me really well unlike 90% of shoes I try on so I fear I could be tempted back with a deep discount (more than the 20% off in current sale). Not sure why I said they were made in the UK, I think I meant in the EU (Spain).

wonderwooman · 03/01/2019 23:23

Patagonia
Howies

GrungeSponge · 04/01/2019 00:29

I recently purchased a pair of dungarees from here as well www.carriercompany.co.uk .

Thinking about it, I probably heard of above company from S&B!

tubspreciousthings · 04/01/2019 01:02

@PurpleNailVarnish I've given up trying to find ethical leather and now just buy vegan leather bags.

I often bang on about mia tui bags, but I love mine

PurpleNailVarnish · 04/01/2019 06:41

@Ifionlyknewthenwhatiknownow3
your question was relevant and I appreciated your contribution.
Thing is I'm finding that sourcing genuinely ethical clothing and accessories is a minefield, I've got loads of questions about brands and products, if you don't ask them you don't know. I'd still like to know which brand you were thinking of Smile

thefirstmrsdewinter I have trouble finding shoes that fit so I'd go back to Dukes too. Spanish leather is usually lovely quality and good craftsmanship.

Patagonia and Howies are both a good shout wonderwooman I own clothes from both of them and they are good quality too, their clothes last.

Ah dungarees GrungeSponge thank you for suggesting carrier company. Personally I wish I could wear dungarees, unfortunately I'm 5ft tall so I either look a) like a toddler b) like I'm pregnant or c) like a children's television presenter from the 70s. I genuinely envy people who can wear dungarees and style it out. I'm sure the stylish people on this thread look fab in dungarees.

You're right tubspreciousthings ethical leather is difficult to find but it must be out there somewhere, ethically reared meat is widely available so I wonder what happens to that leather? Next time I bump into one of the good local farmers probably in the next day or two I'll ask them.

This whole thread makes me wish I could sew well enough to produce my own ethical clothing. Maybe that's the answer!

OP posts:
Greyhound22 · 04/01/2019 07:12

Thought clothing (was Braintree) have some lovely things. Their Bamboo tights are lovely.

PaulHollywoodsleftbollockhair · 04/01/2019 20:58

Conker and Green shoes sell bags too. Gringo does sometimes. Worth looking on EBay/ Etsy for upcycled leather bags? It depends on what style you are after...

Swiftier · 04/01/2019 21:19

It isn’t possible to get new leather which is produced without animal cruelty - the fact is that a sentient animal was slaughtered just for that bags or those shoes (or food). Obviously some animals are kept in better conditions whilst alive but they all suffer, at the end.

You could look at second hand or recycled leather if you want to keep to leather.

Or consider a vegan leather alternative.

LaBante and Wilby are good for bags.

Will’s vegan shoes are great quality and ensure fair conditions for those that make the shoes. They also do some bags. They carbon offset products.

Beyond Skin has boots and shoes but I’ve found they haven’t lasted as long as Will’s (tend to be dressier styles though than Will’s).

Elvis and Kreusse make bags and accessories from recycled fire hoses and donate a portion of profit to charity. Not cheap but as you mentioned you don’t want disposable fashion well worth considering as an investment.

Toms is another good ethical company for shoes and they have a vegan range.

Matt and Nat have shoes and bags and a lot of stuff made from recycled products.

For clothes People Tree is good. They have some really nice materials and unusual pieces. Free People is another one to consider.

Fashion Conscience is a website with various different brands which may be worth checking out.

For coats and jackets Save the Duck is an option for alternatives to down. I believe Patagonia has good ethical credentials (but don’t quote me on that as I haven’t bought from them) and have some jackets filled with modern materials including recycled plastics.

Hope that helps.

Sadik · 04/01/2019 21:39

What sort of workwear do you need? I think at least some of Skunkfunk's dresses would fit a formal office environment. I do find a lot of ethical clothing tends to a certain aesthetic which doesn't always suit me. (On the casual side I'm very pleased with a couple of organic cotton tops I've recently bought from Monki)

I suspect the problem with ethical leather is the processing - separating out leather from ethically reared animals would mean a whole distinct supply chain.

Applesaregreenandred · 04/01/2019 21:55

You could also have s look at Nancy Dee, UK manufactured using sustainable fabrics. Clothing is mainly dresses.

Floisme · 05/01/2019 10:46

This is a one-off shop but if you live in/near or ever get to London Wall and Jones design and make clothes using recycled fabrics and I believe they take commissions too. Some of the stuff is very theatrical (see photos!) but some of it is perfectly wearable. It's an amazing place - I found it by accident and spent a whole afternoon there.

Applesaregreenandred · 05/01/2019 11:18

You could also have a look at Bibico - small selection, some fair trade, other items made in known factory in Europe

I also recall looking at the Kettlewell website a couple of years ago (the company who does all the coloured clothes linked to 'seasons') and they stated that their clothes are made in a specific factory (possibly Turkey) and that they visit to check standards.

IME Fair Trade and organic clothing went 'mainstream' about 10 - 12 years ago as I bought clothing which was either Fair Trade or Organic cotton (not generally both) from Next, New Look, Tesco and La Redoute. All stopped selling this after a year or two - possibly down to recession. But since that time companies such as People Tree in particular have improved their range making it more fashion conscious and Nomads is also slightly less 'hippy' nowadays with a lot of organic cotton basics.

There was also a resurgence of stores selling Made in Britain clothing - may be around 8 years ago. That's gone again too, although my increased understanding around cheap migrant labour makes me wonder if Made in U.K. Is what I imagined it to be.

Floisme · 05/01/2019 11:57

Hmm yes I think I remember a news item a year or so ago about a clothing factory in Britain being prosecuted for illegal working conditions and pay. It appeared to employ a migrant workforce and they made stuff for at least one fast fashion brand (I won't name them in case I've remembered incorrectly) who wrung their hands and said they had no idea..... So that's a good point that we may be placing too much on whether something is UK made.

PaulHollywoodsleftbollockhair · 05/01/2019 16:35

I think there is a cost to animals and people with the production of vegan leather alternatives. Producing fake leather from plastics etc produces chemicals which impact on marine life etc and causes a suffering of its own. Then there is the issue of environmental impact of how long these materials take to biodegrade.

The more I look at this the least cruel option seems to be re using untanned leather for as long as possible. Leather lasts longer and is repairable. I would love to hear other people’s perspectives on this.

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