Shopping sustainable can be kind of tricky, not even going to lie. As I become more aware of the impact of the clothing industry on the global climate AND people’s livelihoods, I’ve been doing a bit more research when it comes to wearing things that are made sustainably, and the efforts I can take to be more sustainable. Below are 5 sustainable fashion brands to shop that I’ve had the pleasure of working with, shopped on my own, or both!
ABLE: Which is where the jeans in today’s post are from (gifted). The brand focuses on providing livable wages for their factory workers, specifically focused on women. They take it a step further and publish these wages right on their site, giving full transparency. That’s a bold move. One that I can most definitely respect.
EVERLANE: I’m a big fan of Everlane’s denim, and once I found out that they participate in an ethical production process, I was pretty much sold on the brand. I own two pairs of jeans from them, one of which I shot a few months ago, and a pair of low block heels. They focus on finding the best factories around the world, and share the actual costs and markups of their products.
NISOLO: I was gifted a pair of boots from the brand a few years ago and loved how durable they were. All their producers receive beyond fair trade wages, healthcare, and are in a healthy working environment. What I like most is that women have been impacted the most by Nisolo’s production. They have documented a 173% increase in income compared to previous employment.
NAADAM: I recently became an ambassador for this brand whose primary focus is on democratizing cashmere through reduction of their carbon footprint, paying their herders 50% more to invest in the vaccination and healthy breeding of their goats, and investing their time into non profit work, including planting over 2000 trees in a space they are calling Naadam Park. The pieces I’ve received so far from the brand have been on constant rotation.
THREDUP: Sometimes, shopping sustainable can be more expensive, and if you do not have much disposable income, then this can feel daunting. Don’t feel pressure if you simply cannot afford it. Besides shopping, another way to practice sustainability is upcycling. ThredUp (who I worked with on this post) buys like new clothing and closely inspects before selling them. The act of reusing an item (i.e. not creating something new) is a sustainable act!
Until next time…
All Photography by Kristen Ashley
