Sustainable Fashion Brands: Reviving the Art of Design

Summary: While eco-friendly clothing is definitely in the interest of our planet and future generations, it comes with several challenges. But sustainable fashion brands are creating fab designs with limited resources and within the parameters for eco-friendly initiatives. Here are some of the best designs in sustainable clothing. 

Sustainable clothing is a culture and not just a protocol that has to be followed. It envisages sustainable growth for all stakeholders participating in a cause bigger than themselves while making a living. As important as sustainable fashion is to save our planet, it is not as easy to design clothes with limited resources and demand adherence to green guidelines. Yet, sustainable fashion brands have been surprising everybody by not only overcoming these challenges but also coming up with refreshing new designs that are setting the trends every season. 

Behind the scenes of sustainable fashion brands 

Here is a peek into how sustainable fashion brands go about making a difference in the world, one sale at a time. 

• Eco-friendly clothing: Such clothing minimizes the impact of production on the environment by using plant-sourced fabrics and colors. 

• Rooted in the community: Some brands source all their raw materials locally and pump some of their revenues back into community-building initiatives such as schools. 

• Fair wages and fair trade practices: Certified B Corp brands and fair trade certified clothing labels top the list of sustainable fashion brands with fair trade practices. 

• Green packaging: Sustainable fashion brands use packaging made from recyclable and biodegradable materials such as corrugated cardboard and cellulose. 

• Recycling and upcycling materials: Recycling old clothes and upcycling leftover pieces minimizes resource utilization and carbon footprint. 

• Second-hand fashion and rentals: Return options for used clothes with second-hand buying opportunities enhance the life of apparel. 

• Custom clothing and capsule wardrobe:  Customized clothing and lean but versatile capsule wardrobes help reduce wastage and carbon footprint. 

• Giving back to nature: Some brands plant trees for every sale; others clear up ocean debris. Then there are those preventing degradation of the Amazon rainforest. 

Fab designs by sustainable fashion brands

Here are some inspired designs by sustainable fashion brands that have made waves, set the trends, and got the celebs and the masses talking. There are both indie and global brands in the list below who have come up with brilliant designs in a sustainable clothing line. 

1. Stella McCartney 

The owner of this label has banned the use of fur and leather in her dresses. But boy! The vivid designs and colors ranging from ochre yellow to orange, this sustainable fashion brand has managed to conjure a stunning range of knitwear dresses and jackets with eco-friendly dyes and fabrics. 

2. Christy Dawn

From soft pastels to garden prints, this sustainable fashion brand invokes the idyllic beauty of nature in its clothing line, even for plus-sized women and mothers-to-be. It practices regenerative farming through its Farm-to-Closet program. 

3. Damson Madder

Colorful hoodies, jackets, knitwear, or bottoms, this clothing range is fastidious about its use of recyclable and organic fabrics. It is a certified fair trade and ethical manufacturer involved in raising charity for the homeless in the UK.   

4. Eileen Fisher

This label has pursued stunning minimalism in its designs crafted for day and night wear. Its clothes are made from linen, silk, and organic cotton. The ethical brand has also managed to use 100% recyclable nylon in its clothing line.  

5. Patagonia

A pioneer in organic and recycled fashion, this label has surprised everyone with its brilliantly crafted outerwear, sports, and activewear. The entire clothing line for men, women, and kids can be recirculated through its ‘worn-wear’ platform!

6. Outerknown 

When it comes to innovating with sustainable designs, this label beats all hands down. This brand recycled fishing nets to make 100% renewable fiber. They have now introduced trunks made from recycled plastics.  

7. Maggie Marilyn

A B Corp-certified brand, this company designs seasonless and traceable eco-friendly casuals. The brand creates evergreen designs for a lifetime of use to reduce the burden on the environment. 

8. Bethany Williams

If you thought eco-friendly designs were color neutral, think again. This brand has created an eclectic range of printed and knitted clothing with vibrant plant-based and nature-sourced colors. The proceeds of this brand, a winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Prize for Design, go to charity. 

9. Ninety Percent

This sustainable fashion brand reinvented the relaxed daywear and clothes you can wear to work. Their colors are neutral and breathe a raw earthiness into your style. This organic clothing brand gives back 90 percent of its earnings to the community! 

10. Reformation

This brand has managed to create bridal dresses out of salvaged deadstock and upcycled fabrics! This LA-based brand repurposes old clothes for a gorgeous range of sustainable clothing and leisurewear. 

Get going with the best suppliers and materials 

Not just sustainable fashion brands but manufacturers and suppliers are moving towards green clothing. Fashinza is the top choice of environment-conscious brands working to reduce their carbon footprint and provide sustainable livelihoods to their stakeholders. If you, too, wish to make your brand sustainable, Fashinza can get you connected with a global network of suppliers who practice fair trade. Drop a text to Fashinza for sourcing materials for sustainable clothing. We can help you, help our planet. 

Key takeaways

• Sustainable fashion is not just eco-friendly clothing. It goes beyond designing clothes that minimize the impact of manufacturing on the environment. It follows ethical and fair trade practices and engages in community building. 
• A sustainable fashion brand works towards a holistic engagement with nature. These brands have revolutionized design ideas by making trunks out of fishnets, bridal dresses from salvaged deadstock, and bold designs in recycled nylon and plastics!