8 Eco-Friendly Clothing Brands I Used to Renew My Wardrobe
After going back to the office this year, I analyzed my wardrobe for the first time in months, since I barely used my clothes while working from home during the pandemic. Taking a step back during this time made me see it from a new perspective–sometimes a little distance works wonders. I noticed some clothes were so worn-out they made me look faded too. When I made some calculations, I realized some of my clothes were 10 or 15 years old, probably why some were starting to fall apart. Anyhow, most didn’t suit me anymore, as they had been picked out by my teenage self, that was a bit enthralled by fast fashion’s promising affordability and lack of long-term compromise with one style.
I admit I kept some of the garments because I always try to extend their lifespan, first by fixing them (you should always try to mend your clothes, not just throw them away), and then at least by wearing them as pajamas. I don’t feel aligned with fast fashion’s discarding culture, so I cling to my clothes until I truly must let them go. A few of the pieces that were in bad shape were moved to the cupboard where my cleaning products are stored, so I could use them as rags, while I separated others in a bag to take them for recycling. What was in good shape I either kept or gave them to my sister. I’m talking about letting go of very few pieces in my closet; I kept at least 90% of what I already own.
To start building a new wardrobe, little by little, I decided to invest in a few pieces that were versatile enough to be used in several ways, and timeless enough that I could beat the current 15-year mark and used it for many years to come. Considering how important it is for fashion to be sustainable, my idea is to start incorporating new eco-friendly garment–second-hand or new–when an old one has achieved its life expectancy.
For this investment, I chose ethical fashion brands and sustainable fabrics. These are the 8 ec0=o-friendly clothing brands I used to upgrade my wardrobe.
THE SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING BRANDS I USED TO GIVE MY WARDROBE AN UPGRADE
Photo by Mat Porporato
pixie mood
I love Pixie Mood’s style, but most of all I love the fact they’re a completely vegan brand. The bag in the picture is made from cork that is sustainably harvested from oak trees in rural Portugal and made by removing its bark while allowing the tree to continue to grow, and it’s 100% natural. Because of Pixie Mood’s eco-conscious approach towards fashion, they use recycled vegan leather made from recycled plastic bottles. The packaging they use to ship their products is biodegradable and corn-based and are also committed to caring for workers and safety rights.
Photo by Mat Porporato
lanhtropy
My favorite local fashion store, as they’re located in Key Biscayne, FL, Lanhtropy sells linen clothing, my favorite sustainable fabric, and they use eco-friendly treatments. This company promotes a slow fashion business model by offering high-quality garments that are long-lasting. Lanhtropy is partnered with a family-owned production house in Vietnam, in which they assure ethical manufacturing practices. This black jogger pant is one of my favorite pieces in my closet, as I can dress it up or down, and they’re very comfortable for traveling, spending many hours in the office, and for those summer days in which I go from being inside with the AC to going outside with 100 degrees.
Photo by Mat Porporato
seaside tones
I think I discovered this sustainable brand by chance on Instagram. They caught my attention with their basic but impacting Baltic linen garments, which are all ethically made in Poland in several small facilities. This natural and durable fabric is a great eco-friendly alternative to plastic materials like polyester. Most of Seaside Tone’s products have been selling for years, staying far from the fast fashion model in which new collections are brought every month. They also use compostable plant-based bags to ship their products.
Photo by Mat Porporato
nu-in
I discovered this brand maybe a year ago. The prices were a bit lower back then, and I liked that they offered affordable sustainable clothing, but they’re still a great eco-friendly option to buy some basic pieces that can multiply your outfits, and their prices are still very competitive. I was struggling to find wool-free sweaters, until I saw Nu-In’s vegan sweaters, mostly made with recycled fabrics. This one is made from 50% recycled cotton and 50% recycled polyester, and I love to wear it both buttoned and unbuttoned, either with denim or dresses. They ship in a 100% compostable and degradable bag, and the product carton is 100% FSC paper–an international non-profit organization that promotes sustainable forestry, and secure social rights for the workers. Nu-In doesn’t do sales, to avoid supporting overconsumption, and they are an entirely vegan brand.
Photo by Mat Porporato
back beat co.
Since I moved to Florida, I stopped wearing socks to bed, but I still use them a couple of days a year, mostly when traveling and the two annually cold days we have here. Back Beat Co. uses low impact fabrics, which are either recycled or sustainably farmed, considers important that their employees have good working conditions, ships using recycled paper mailers, and makes everything in house in LA. These socks are made with organic cotton and add some color to my closet, not to mention they’re incredibly comfy.
Photo by Mat Porporato
tamga
I finally decided to buy myself this cute pajama, instead of just using old clothes to go to bed, and I’m obsessed with it. It’s ethically made in Bali with LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fabric and eco-certified dyes. This fabric is made from renewable and sustainably managed wood pulp, uses 88% less water than mainstream viscose, and is fully traceable, which means that no old growth forests are cleared to create it. Tamga pays living wages to their workers, packs their products in biodegradable bags made from cassava starch, and donates 1% of every purchase to S.O.S. and O.I.C.’s re-forestation work in Sumatra.
Photo by Mat Porporato
pact
A great affordable sustainable brand, Pact sells organic cotton products, which avoids water waste caused by regular cotton. They also take care of the water by not using harmful pesticides and fertilizers. These products are made in a fair-trade certified factory, to make sure their workers have safe working conditions and fair wages, and they use carbon offset shipping. I replaced some of my old synthetic undies with these organic cotton ones, which are not only great for the environment, but are also way better for your body!
Photo by Mat Porporato
patagonia
I was looking for a training t-shirt that offered SPF, so that I could ride my bike during those burning summer mornings in Miami (and any time of the year, really), without worrying about sun burning my skin. It’s a recycled polyester product, and the sewing is Fair Trade Certified™, which means that people who made it earn a premium for their labor. This product also meets the Bluesign® criteria, so you know no harmful chemicals were used in its manufacturing. Patagonia is a brand that is well-known for their sustainability measures. They pledged 1% of their sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment, and they also have a very environmentally impactful initiative, which is Worn Wear. Through this program, people can buy used, trade in and fix their gear, to fight against overconsumption and disposability in the textile industry.
Have you ever bought anything from these ethical and sustainable clothing brands? Are there any other eco-friendly brands you would add to this list?
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Hi, I’m Melina,
I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.
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