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In fashion, the most sustainable thing you can do is not shop, or shop circular styles, whether upcycled or second-hand. By definition, creating any new product creates waste, which means no brand can ever be 100% sustainable. But I’m not here to tell you to cut up your credit cards and leave the trend cycle forever. Instead, it all boils down to nailing down sustainable brands to shop from in order to have the lowest environmental impact.
Sustainability isn’t about doing everything perfectly; it’s about doing as much as you can imperfectly, and there are endless ways to do that. Shopping local is a great way to cut down on transportation carbon emissions and choosing natural fabrics will keep your purchase out of a landfill (so long as you compost it when it’s no longer usable).
When you’re shopping, keep an eye out for fabrics, like Primaloft (recycled insulation used by Free People, Aritzia, Lululemon, and more), Piñatex (a plant-based leather used by H&M and Nike brands), or Unifi’s Repreve (fibers made of recycled water bottles and post-consumer waste). Doing any, or all, of the above is a small way to help fix a huge problem.
“The fashion industry is uniquely positioned to break from the ‘take-make-waste' model of production and showcase what circularity really looks like,” says Nicole Rycroft, the founder and executive director of Canopy, a fashion sustainability consulting firm that helps big-name brands reduce harm to endangered forests. “We can reimagine fashion’s future—one that aligns with the planet’s needs,” she adds.
Because modern society constantly demands us to consume, you can’t eliminate waste entirely, but you can fight it with intentional shopping choices. Ahead, fashion sustainability experts share their top recommendations for sustainable fashion brands worth your support.
Levi's
Levi’s is considered one of the most sustainable brands in the mass retail denim space because of its denim recycling programs, according to Rycroft, as well as their water conservation and recycling initiative. “Levi’s is well known for its pioneering work on water-saving techniques,” Rycroft tells InStyle. Through its partnership with Canopy, the brand is dedicated to “ensuring they’re not sourcing from ancient and endangered forests, increasing their organic cotton integration, and tackling denim waste.”
Levi’s also aims to reduce their greenhouse gasses by 90 percent and shift to renewable energy by 2025. The label also hopes to reduce its landfill contributions to zero and switch to recyclable or compostable packaging in the next five years. They also use Repreve fabric from Unifi—thus far, the textile company has recycled over four billion plastic bottles.
Girlfriend Collective
The athleisure brand has only continued its innovation in this space over the past few years. Today, their clothing is crafted entirely from recycled materials, such as water bottles, fishing nets retrieved from the seas, fabric scraps, and more. Shoppers can even read a sustainability report for each product.
They use eco-friendly dyes and ship the leftovers (often referred to as “dye mud”) to a recycling facility, where it’s used to make paving stones. The brand also encourages customers to recycle or resell unwanted Girlfriend Collective products through various in-house programs.
Patagonia
The brand had a surge in the mid-2010s among finance bros, but don’t sleep on them because of it—their sustainability practices are for real. Patagonia is so forward-thinking, that it’s hard to find an article on sustainable fashion brands that doesn’t feature them (this one included). In the past three years alone, Patagonia has turned over 1,400 tons of discarded fishing nets into gear. They are also leaders in the organic cotton space, through their Regenerative Organic Certified Cotton program.
“We’re lucky to have friends like Patagonia doing great work to move the industry forward,” says Reformation’s Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Operations, Kathleen Talbot. “I find what they’re doing motivating, because they take a super holistic approach to considering their impact, and move past commitments to really do the work.”
Maison Atia
I never thought it was possible to create a plant-based fur that feels real until I was introduced to Maison Atia. Touchable-soft faux fur is their bread and butter, and their entire MA by Maison Atia collection is made from Koba fabric, which is a sustainable fur replacement made from corn byproducts and recycled plastics. Since 2021, the label has exclusively used sustainable materials or upcycled fabrics (like polyester) in their designs. Plus, each faux fur coat helps rescue a homeless pet.
No. 49
Don’t you hate when a company totes its “vegan leather,” only to find out it’s literally just plastic? (So much for cruelty-free.) Well, accessories label No.49 is one of the fashion brands working to change that. Their leather (and I use that term loosely) bags are made from apple pulp, bamboo, and recycled polyurethane.
The former is gaining traction in the industry, as a low-waste way to create leather-like fabrications. “Fruit leather is a great example of using agricultural byproducts to create low-impact materials,” Rycroft says. “Alternatives like fruit leather reduce the environmental impact of traditional leather, which is a significant driver of deforestation and pollution. It’s an exciting and scalable solution for sustainable fashion.”
Reformation
Reformation has long toted the slogan: “Being naked is the no. 1 most sustainable option. We’re no. 2.” And, with 98 percent of their materials being recycled, regenerative, or renewable, it’s a mantra the brand operates by. Reformation constantly rolls out new eco-friendly innovations, with some of the most recent including 95% recycled cashmere yarn and a Poshmark collab that allows customers to re-list their Reformation buys with one click. They also work with Canopy to ensure none of their materials are sourced from ancient or endangered forests.
Talbot says this is all part of a larger long-term initiative. “We are focused on two really ambitious goals,” she tells InStyle. “The first is becoming climate-positive by 2025, which means we’ll remove more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit. The second is becoming fully circular by 2030, which means we will no longer make new clothing from new materials. We’ll minimize our use of virgin materials and have a recycling solution for the products we make to keep [them] in the fashion system.”
Re/Done
Re/Done was literally founded on the concept of reuse and recycle. The company first started out selling upcycled Levi’s, but in the years since, has evolved to all kinds of products. Today, their sales inventory is over half upcycled and recycled. In addition, they also refurbish leather jackets and other garments and have found a way to turn old car tires into sandals.
Allbirds
Like Reformation, beloved sneaker brand Allbirds is striving to reduce its carbon footprint and reducing it to nearly zero by 2030. To accomplish this goal, the company is focusing on regenerative agriculture, renewable materials, and responsible energy, in order to address each stage of the production process. They even include a carbon footprint breakdown for each product. Their best-selling Tree Runners, for example, have a carbon footprint of 4.52 kg CO2e are made from sugarcane-based and castor bean oil-based foam, and feature shoelaces made from recycled plastic bottles.
“At Canopy, we’re proud to support several innovative brands that are making strides in sustainable footwear, including Allbirds,” says Rycroft. “These companies are making strides in protecting the world’s forests by reducing their reliance on materials that drive deforestation and supporting low-impact alternatives.”
Loti
I’ve been wearing this brand for years and it’s about time others were let in on the secret. Loti is a modern fashion brand that specializes in elevated, zero-waste basics. According to the brand's website, the label was "founded with the dream of ending textile waste culture.” As a result, Loti only uses deadstock materials, which they source from cotton and alpaca factories in Peru. As a result, their products are 100 percent circular—and 100 percent chic, I can confirm.
Ganni
Both Rycroft and Talbot recommend Ganni, an editor-loved Danish brand if you’re looking for stylish statement pieces made with the environment in mind. Ganni has a set goal to reuse, upcycle, or recycle 100 percent of its excess waste by 2025. They also work with a lot of organically grown and recycled fabrics—their faux fur, for example, is made entirely out of recycled polyester.
"Through its partnership with Canopy, Ganni is prioritizing the scaling and adoption of low-impact alternatives in its viscose and cellulosic textiles,” Rycroft says. “They’re moving fast and are unafraid to try the new and untested.”
Anonymous Copenhagen
Buying animal leather is widely discouraged by environmentalists, as well as animal activists, but I’m a realist and I know not everyone lives by the same rules. (I get it! Sometimes it’s just really hard to pass up a beautiful bag.) So if you are going to shop for real leather, Anonymous Copenhagen is the way to go. The Scandi-based shop specializes in ethical leather handbags and shoes made from food industry by-products. If you do end up buying, just be sure to treat your leather regularly—with the right care, it can last you decades to come, thus cutting down on future consumption.
Matt & Nat
In a world of greenwashing, Matt & Nat is committed to doing real good—quietly. Save for a few lines on their homepage, you’d hardly know that nearly everything on their website is recycled. Once you dive into the product descriptions, however, you’ll start to see what they can do.
Their leather goods are made from recycled windshield glass resin and feature a lining that’s made from plastic bottles—in fact, the brand recycles over 9 million of them annually. Their sunglasses line, too, is made entirely from recycled materials—the frames, the lenses, and the temples.