The Best Eco Friendly Clothing Brands of 2021
As more and more consumers gain awareness of the impact our buying decisions have on the environment, eco-friendly alternatives are coming into the limelight. From Meat Free Mondays to community gardens to upcycled clothing, going green has never been easier or more fun. At Vestiaire Collective, we’ve been participating in circular fashion since way back in 2009 when we realised our friends’ closets were full of gorgeous designer clothes they didn’t wear anymore. We are thrilled the rest of the fashion world is catching on and stepping up their commitments to the Earth. Changing the world of fashion is going to rely on all of us, but especially the consumer who holds the power when it comes to letting brands know we don’t want to wear clothes that harm the planet anymore. These six brands are some of our favourites in terms of transparent, eco-friendly clothing.
Patagonia
It seems Patagonia needs no introduction. Though the brand is known around the world, it was created for a very niche market almost 40 years ago when founder Yvon Chouinard began creating rock climbing gear that he couldn’t find in stores.
Like Vestiaire, Patagonia has championed sustainability in fashion since before it was the trendy thing to do. Considering itself an activist company, the brand has strict procedures for sourcing its down and wool materials. They go above and beyond minimum requirements by taking notice of land-use practices, animal welfare and sustainability. This season, 64% of Patagonia’s fabrics are made with recycled materials and 100% of its virgin cotton is organic. Since conventional cotton exposes water and soil to a tremendous amount of pesticides, choosing organic is an essential step for protecting our ecosystems. Patagonia is without a doubt a global leader when it comes to Fashion Activism. If you need more proof, the brand has announced they’re going carbon neutral by 2025.
Patagonia crafts its clothes to be worn and lived in. True to its mountaineering past, many of its pieces are technical and made for the outdoors and athletic pursuits. Patagonia designs everything to be durable because they know that the longer an article is in use, less water and energy is consumed, and less trash is created. Since Pataognia clothes are so long-lasting they are a great choice to be purchased second-hand on Vestiaire Collective.
Boden
Boden is a company based in the UK that puts conscious production at the forefront of what they do. Not only are they dedicated to good sustainability practices, they are equally as concerned with making sure that their employees and craftspeople are treated ethically.
In order to ensure that Boden’s clothes are as sustainable as possible, they make sure they’re extra durable. Their quality control consists of meticulous testing to guard against things like zipper breakage and shrinkage. Boden knows that one way to put a halt to the harmful effects of fast fashion is to make clothes that aren’t concerned with trends, and are durable enough to last many years. Even if they aren’t designing for trends, their pieces are still super popular. The Dunbar parka from Boden has even been called the most Instagrammable coat of 2020.
Boden is so sure that their Mini coats will last generations that they’ve added space in the coat to write the names of 4 owners. This makes it the perfect item to buy pre-loved on Vestiaire. It’s a coat designed from the very beginning to be circular. And if your coat needs a repair at some point, Boden even has a workshop where you can send it to be mended.
Boden has great plans for the future to improve its commitment to the environment. Things like making their cotton sources more sustainable and crafting all of their swimsuits out of ECONYL— a nylon regenerated from ocean plastic waste. But if you don’t want to wait for years to see these goals come to fruition, we suggest browsing the selection Vestiaire where you can get Boden in an even more sustainable manner by shopping pre-loved.
Reformation
Reformation is definitely one of the cool kids on the scene with their blend of LA street and Parisian style clothing. A sustainable company from California, Reformation has clothes for literally every occasion. Denim jeans? Of course. Yoga pants? Got them. Wedding dress? Yep. Even that. Reformation makes only limited releases of each item to keep production less wasteful. They make everything as low impact as possible, using a lot of deadstock materials and even repurposed vintage clothes.
Reformation voluntarily offsets its carbon emissions and has been climate-neutral since 2015. We are super impressed by the brand’s transparency since they publish quarterly sustainability reports. We would like to see more of this from fashion brands in the future because the more we know, the better we can be as Fashion Activists.
Reformation knows that the cost the planet is paying for fashion is high. That’s why they designed the RefScale that measures exactly how much each of their garments will tax the Earth in terms of carbon load and water usage. It helps you to be a better consumer and make more informed choices when it comes to clothes. But you know what has an even smaller environmental impact? Shopping Reformation pre-loved on Vestiaire Collective. Even companies that acknowledge and address sustainability issues still contribute to pollution and waste, but buying clothes second-hand mitigates those effects.
Reformation has a recycling program for their clothing but another sustainable option to extend the lifespan of clothes when you’re done with them is to resell your items on Vestiaire Collective. It’s your one stop shop for circular fashion.
Ganni
Ganni has charmed the world with its delightful and creative items. In recent years, it has become one of the world’s best selling fashion brands. It’s quite a feat for the small Danish company, but it’s obvious their work is exactly what the world needs right now. The quirky designs favour bright colours and bold prints, so wearing Ganni can’t help but make you smile. Ganni has a very loyal fan base called Ganni Girls who have been wearing these looks all over Instagram. Don’t be mistaken though, Ganni is no trend. The brand takes the longstanding and respected tradition of exquisite Scandinavian design and infuses it with a fresh youthful spin. We appreciate how they bring a bit of playfulness to everyday looks.
Based in Denmark, which is often named the world’s greenest country, this company has a big commitment to environmentalism. They even have a Responsibility Team whose mission is to ensure Ganni make the best environmental choices they can. For Ganni’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection, 45% of their textiles were either organic or recycled. And, they’ve recently launched a low-impact collection called Ganni Software made of recycled Ecolife yarn.
Ganni designs are easy to wear and approachable. It can give you a boost of confidence knowing you are in one of the most sought after brands. For those moments, when you want to have a light-hearted look that also has a light impact on the environment, look no further than Ganni. Vestiaire can help you find the perfect Ganni item for your next pre-loved purchase.
Gabriela Hearst
Gabriela Hearst is a sustainable luxury company with uncompromising quality that is guided by strong principles of sustainability. For the Fashion Activist who wants to wear high-end luxury goods but are concerned about the impact on the environment, Gabriela Hearst is the designer and brand to look at.
From the start, the company has made efforts to put the planet first whether that means increasing supply chain transparency or setting its goal to eliminate entirely the use of virgin resources by 2022. Her Spring/Summer 2021 collection that was presented at Paris fashion week was carbon neutral and, amazingly, made of 60% deadstock material.
Each piece is crafted with longevity in mind. For Gabriela Hearst, every design has a purpose and a function and everything is made with an attention to detail and careful construction. Her collections take time to make, but every item lasts many years, even generations, to become timeless vintage clothing. It is the difference between trend and tradition. The durability and quality make them great pieces to purchase pre-loved on Vestiaire.
Some of Gabriela Hearst’s most beloved pieces are handbags which are made in limited quantities to prevent production waste. Therefore, if you have your heart set on a Gabriela Hearst bag, try browsing our pre-loved selection on the app. It’s your best bet for buying one of these exquisitely made bags that have the very highest quality leather.
Madewell
What if we were to tell you that your favourite pair of jeans has a dirty little secret when it comes to its environmental impact? We’re sorry to have to tell you this, but jeans production is wreaking a lot of harm on our beautiful Earth. Over two billion pairs of jeans are manufactured every single year. This requires tonnes and tonnes of chemicals and over two thousand liters of water. Per pair. And not to make this situation seem too bleak, but jeans are also made of cotton, which is one of the most water and pesticide dependent crops around.
But don’t despair. There is a better way to shop for jeans. Buying pre-loved jeans is the number one best way to acquire them so that gently used jeans don’t pile up in a landfill, but get to have a second life.
One of our favourite makers of denim jeans is Madewell. At Vestiaire Collective we like to take a layered approach to consciously consuming clothing. Buying pre-loved is the first and most crucial step. Next is to prioritise buying pre-loved clothes from companies with a sustainable mission such as Madewell.
Three years ago Madewell launched a collection of eco-conscious denim. Many of Madewell’s styles are Fair Trade certified and they hope to make 90% of their denim Fair Trade by 2025. That’s a big year for Madewell sustainability goals. They’ve also pledged to have 100% sustainably sourced materials, and zero plastic. Currently they are at about 60%. Moral of the story? If you want some of the most sustainable jeans possible, be sure to buy Madewell pre-loved through Vestiaire Collective.
Even though the fashion industry is still full of practices that are bad for the environment, being a Fashion Activist has never been easier. Thanks to progressive companies like these, there are plenty of options that you can feel good about supporting. These brands aren’t in it just to sell clothing. They are led by strong convictions that taking care of the planet is everyone’s responsibility. And they envision a world where fashion doesn’t come at such a high environmental price.
Each of these brands has a completely different aesthetic, so no matter what kind of fashion you like, you can find a great look for you. What eco-friendly style suits you best? Fun and flirty with Ganni, active outdoors with Patagonia, luxury designer with Gabriela Hearst, casual cool in Reformation, or London chic in Boden? Or maybe you just want a dependable pair of Madewell jeans. These days, sustainable companies are as varied and diverse as our community of Fashion Activists.
The best way to obtain your next clothing item from a sustainable company is through Vestiaire Collective. Even the best practices for sustainable production require the use of land and water resources, though these companies try to minimise it in a variety of ways. For the truly committed Fashion Activist, buying pre-loved clothes and accessories from Vestiaire Collective is the only way to shop guilt-free. It’s an easy and rewarding way to help out the planet without sacrificing the fashion that you love.