Top Ethical Clothing Brands For Eco-Friendly Shoppers

Top Ethical Clothing Brands For Eco-Friendly Shoppers

This is a Movement, not a Moment

By Yashasharee Samant

Marc Jacobs famously said that clothing is part of self-expression and that there are hints about who you are based on what you wear. More recently, in the scope of our changing world, the “make” of the apparel is as important as the collars and colors. No one has the intention of parading around in a garment that was made by someone’s suffering or dragging out a garbage bag full of last season’s clothes wondering the kind of environmental damage the cycle of “fast fashion” is causing.

Ethical and sustainable fashion have been in conversation for some years now. Yet, as a practice, we don’t see it blowing up as much as it should be. One of the reasons behind this could be a lack of public awareness. While retail stores have racks of cheap clothes and big fashion brands are constantly bombarding the public with heavy advertising along with discounts, the smaller more indigenous brands that have been consistently making ethical and sustainable efforts towards bringing great apparel are sidelined.

First, everyone needs to understand the meaning of ethical clothes shopping. Without diving into a history or ethics lesson, allow us to simply help you navigate the field on this one. Ethical fashion is when everything from the design, manufacturing, and distribution of the garment or accessory was done in an honest and sensitive way. The material was sourced responsibly, the conditions and wages paid to the manufacturers were fair, and the final product is the least harmful to the environment or the purchaser.

Here are three US-based ethical clothing brands that are doing some great work. They’re fairly affordable, are based in different regions and also have online stores.

1. ONE432 - Ammar Belal, a professor at Parsons School of Design, started this brand to introduce handcrafted apparel and footwear to America.ONE432 shares 50% of its new profits with its artisans and elementary schools in rural Pakistan. They are raising the standard of equality, transparency, and responsibility within the fashion industry. 
   
2. Everybody.World - Based out of Los Angeles, this clothing brand uses 100% recycled cotton to create gender neutral basics for all. Not only have they pledged to reduce waste during manufacturing, they are also conscious about the working conditions and wages of their workers and ensure everyone is compensated fairly.
   
3. United by Blue - This Pennsylvania-based apparel brand has put the planet first with their dedication to the use of sustainable materials, zero plastic policy and the use of ethical manufacturing. They have taken their commitment one step forward by pledging to clean the oceans one pound at a time. Sporting any outerwear apparel from this brand suggests that you care about the planet and people just as much as they do.  
  

D.O.B is committed to helping us all become more ethical clothing shoppers. Understanding the history, defining the terms of sustainability and identifying and offering brands who are leading the cause is our passion and purpose.

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