Fast fashion is slowly becoming a thing of the past as the gap between price and sustainability is steadily decreasing. As fashion consumers, we need to continue this decline in fast fashion and educate other consumers on how they can shop ethically so we can finally put an end to fast fashion.

In 2021, more and more companies are switching to sustainably sourced or recycled materials and taking other additional measures to decrease their carbon footprint.

Most people have heard of thrifting or thrift themselves which is a great way to dress sustainably, but there are plenty of companies that are taking extra steps to produce new high-quality pieces that don’t degrade the environment or take advantage of cheap labor.

Tentree:

Tentree is a great option for the outdoorsy type who’s looking for simple comfortable clothing that gives back to the environment. Tentree’s commitment is to plant 10 trees for every item sold.

Since 2012, they’ve planted an incredible 53,072,653 trees with a hope of planting 1 billion by 2030.

On top of this, a Tentree sweatshirt takes 74% less water to make than the average sweatshirt in your closet. They offer both men’s and women’s clothing and accessories in a variety of sizes.

Warp+Weft:

Warp+Weft is primarily a jeans company focused on providing eco-friendly denim that uses considerably less water to produce than your average jeans.

A traditional pair of jeans takes 1,500 gallons of water to make, a pair of Warp+Weft jeans takes under 10 gallons. They’re able to accomplish this by treating and recycling 98% of the water they use and getting rid of harmful bleaching processes.

Warp+Weft is committed to designing their products for all bodies, offering many in-between hard-to-find sizes in addition to plus and extra small sizes. They have women’s, men’s, and kid’s apparel and are a fantastic option if you’re in the market for a new pair of long-lasting sustainable jeans.

Rapanui:

Rapanui is a sustainable company concentrated on a circular supply chain, meaning each product is made using materials they’ve recovered from past worn-out clothing bought from them.

If you buy a product and it becomes worn-out, torn, or stained you can send it back to them for free and they’ll remake it into another product to be sold to the next consumer. This closed cycle means their products are constantly being reused.

Additionally, instead of producing in bulk, they make each product in real-time seconds after it has been purchased to ensure that no materials go to waste. They provide men’s and women’s clothing in a variety of different styles and even have an option to make custom apparel straight from their website.

Girlfriend Collective:

Girlfriend Collective’s mission revolves around being completely transparent with their consumers about how and where they source all their materials.

They have a full section of their website dedicated to giving specific sources for where every material is found for every product, and I mean every single product. They’re able to take plastic bottles, fishing nets, and other waste out of our oceans and forests and turn them into comfortable clothing for women of all sizes. They even have a gender-neutral section which I didn’t find on any other company’s website.

If you’re looking for any basics, athletic, or comfort wear Girlfriend Collective is the sustainable way to go.

CHNGE:

CHNGE is your sustainable source if you’re interested in streetwear and is my personal favorite out of the brands I discussed.

Streetwear is an incredibly popular style right now, though there aren’t many eco-friendly companies in a market that is dominated by fast fashion.

By using organic cotton as the base for many of their products, they use zero harmful chemicals or pesticides while saving over 500 gallons on every shirt produced. Additionally, they use 62% less energy, have 70% less acidification potential than conventional t-shirts, in turn, making their t-shirts 100% carbon neutral which is a truly impressive feat.

They offer men’s and women’s streetwear style clothes and have a myriad of different campaigns based around important messages and current events at affordable prices. If you traditionally like to shop at Forever 21, PacSun, or other brands like these, you’ll feel right at home with their selection and know that you’re supporting an eco-friendly company too.