14 Jan

These 15 Slow Fashion Brands Will Help You Ditch Fast Fashion

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Want to ditch fast fashion, but not sure what the alternative looks like? Meet the “Good” and “Great” slow fashion brands getting back to the roots of clothes making. 

Meet fast fashion’s alternative: slow fashion

Fast fashion is bad news. As with many industries, higher population and consumer demand meant the fashion industry was flipped on its head around 30 years ago, and the overarching business model became more stuff, more quickly, and more cheaply. While it doesn’t sound so bad on its own, this quick turnover means worse conditions for workers, worse impacts on the environment, and worse quality garments in your closet. So, what’s the alternative?

Enter slow fashion. Simply defined as the opposite of fast fashion, slow fashion opts for a more sustainable approach to making clothes. Specifically, it hones in on reducing both consumption and production. This means the first steps to slowing down fashion in your world might look like making sure you really do need something new and shopping your closet for something that might only need a minor repair. The next step is to shop less often and opt for second hand garments to extend their life rather than contributing to new production. But if and when you do need something new, going for quality over quantity and supporting brands that take a slow fashion approach to design is key.

What makes a brand ‘slow fashion’?

There are a few characteristics you will find behind a brand embodying the slow fashion model:

  • Clothes are usually made from high quality, sustainable materials like organic linen.
  • Garments are more timeless than trendy.
  • Often sold in smaller (local) stores rather than huge chain enterprises.
  • Locally sourced, produced, and sold garments.
  • Few specific styles per collection, which are released twice or maximum three times per year, or a permanent seasonless collection.
  • Often made-to-order to reduce unnecessary production.

Without further ado, here are 15 slow fashion brands that will help you ditch fast fashion for good.

A.BCH

Rated: Great
Asian woman wearing red sleeveless skivvy dress by A.BCH

A.14 Sleeveless Skivvy Dress – Ships internationally from Australia

A.BCH is a Melbourne-based, Australian-made fashion label for individuals who care about garment provenance. It utilises renewable, organic, and recycled materials.

Find the range in sizes XS-XL, or customise to fit you.

See the rating.

Shop A.BCH.

ASKET

Rated: Good
man wearing black asket t-shirt

The Lightweight T-Shirt – Ships internationally from Sweden

ASKET has been creating timeless wardrobe essentials since 2015 with revolutionary sizing and fair pricing. The brand disregards seasonal collections, cuts out all the middlemen, and only sells directly to you—putting its entire focus on building a single permanent collection.

Find the range in sizes XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop ASKET.

Unrecorded

Rated: Good

Denim Shirt – Ships internationally from the Netherlands

Unrecorded is an independent clothing brand from the Netherlands that represents a new wave of unisex brands that are rebelling against the nature of fast fashion. Unrecorded is passionate about style, and produces apparel using more eco-friendly materials.

Its range includes items that are all year round essentials suitable for any wardrobe, available in sizes XS-2XL.

See the rating.

Shop Unrecorded.

Elle Evans

Rated: Good

Oh One Bikini Top – Ships internationally from Australia

Founded in 2013, Elle Evans Swimwear creates beautiful, more sustainable swimwear and activewear for people who care about fashion and the future. The brand uses post-consumer waste fabrics and traces all of its supply chain.

The range is stocked in sizes XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Elle Evans.

LANIUS

Rated: Good

Lightly Padded Coat – Ships within Europe from Germany

Offers

Someone in dress by LANIUS.

LANIUS – Site-wide (EU)

Discover timeless one-off pieces from last years' collections with up to 40% off. Up to 40% off (Available in the EU only). (Ends: 21 MAY)

Shop now

“Love Fashion, Think Organic, Be Responsible” are the maxims of LANIUS. The German brand uses more eco-friendly materials, like GOTS certified cotton. All LANIUS facilities are SA8000 certified and it is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation.

LANIUS' clothes are available in EU sizes 34-44.

See the rating.

Shop LANIUS.

Shop LANIUS @ Curate.

Dressarte Paris

Rated: Good

Dressarte Paris is a custom-made clothing label that curates unique clothing for a worldwide clientele. It sources luxurious surplus and lower-impact fabrics to create a wonderfully chic, more sustainable wardrobe.

Its products are made-to-order, and you can choose from existing sizes or enter in your own measurements for a custom order that not only minimises textile waste but celebrates all sizes.

See the rating.

Shop Dressarte Paris.

Shop Dressarte Paris @ Freespiritbrands.

OhSevenDays

Rated: Good
A blonde person wearing a blue balloon sleeve sustainable top by OhSevenDays.

Reese Reversible Blouse – Ships internationally from Turkey

OhSevenDays was started by Australian-Canadian Megan Mummery to promote slow fashion and the "power of circularity". Based in Istanbul, the brand reclaims end-of-roll fabrics from the city’s garment factories and creates sharp, everyday womenswear that’s as wearable as it is responsible. Essentially, it makes slow fashion from fast fashion's leftovers.

OhSevenDays' garments are available in sizes XS-XL, or in custom sizing.

See the rating.

Shop OhSevenDays.

Shop OhSevenDays @ SlowCo.

Shop OhSevenDays @ Freespiritbrands.

The R Collective

Rated: Great
Someone wearing a black upcycled viscose coat by The R Collective.

Cayce Jacket – Ships internationally from Hong Kong

The R Collective's womenswear collections are made by reusing rescued excess materials from leading luxury brands and reputable manufacturers. The brand uses a high-proportion of lower-impact materials, which limits the amount of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production. It also ensures the payment of a living wage in its supply chain.

The garments are typically offered in two sizes: XS-S and M-L.

See the rating.

Shop The R Collective.

TWOTHIRDS

Rated: Good
Person holding up their arms wearing a sage green eco-friendly bralette by TWOTHIRDS.

Alegranza – Ships internationally from Spain

TWOTHIRDS sees itself as a brand for people who are awake and aware of the immense value of our oceans, but also have a thirst for style and substance. It manufactures all its products locally to reduce its carbon footprint, as well as audits all of its final stage of production. The clothes can be found in sizes XS-L.

See the rating.

Shop TWOTHIRDS.

Little Emperor

Rated: Good
A child wearing an organic dress with unicorn and cloud patterns by Little Emperor.

Skyward Organic Cotton Dress – Ships internationally from Australia

Little Emperor creates unique, functional, and hard-wearing clothing for children. Its affordable clothing is made from environmentally friendly organic cotton, with every garment designed in Sydney, Australia and made in a Sedex-approved factory ensuring living wages and safe working conditions for workers. From the materials and packaging, right down to the energy supplier and banking, Little Emperor is dedicated to environmentally friendly practice. Named in honour of the adorable Emperor Penguin, Little Emperor is a member of 1% for the Planet, meaning 1% of sales are donated to environmental non-profits, helping protect the penguins’ home.

See the rating.

Shop Little Emperor.

Svala

Rated: Good

Didi Clutch Mini – Ships internationally from the US

Svala creates luxury designer vegan handbags, purses, bags, and totes. Each bag is handcrafted responsibly in LA with high-quality, premium vegan leather PU, cork, and Piñatex.

See the rating.

Shop Svala.

éclipse

Rated: Great

EveryWear Tunic – Ships internationally from the US

éclipse creates climate control UPF 50+ clothing essentials and accessories to help keep the whole family sunsafe. It manufactures locally to reduce its carbon footprint, and its entire product range is vegan-friendly.

Products are stocked in sizes S-XL.

See the rating.

Shop éclipse.

Pure Pod

Rated: Good
Someone wearing a unisex navy blue organic cotton apron made by Pure Pod.

Studio & Worker Full Apron – Ships internationally from Australia

An ethical lifestyle fashion label based in Australia using organic and fair trade accredited materials. The brand is creating a cleaner fashion industry by protecting the people working in it and using a passion for design to create beautiful products that have a strong identity and story behind them.

See the rating.

Shop Pure Pod.

unspun

Rated: Great
Two people wearing wide leg PANGAIA x unspun customer made eco-friendly jeans.

Pangaia Everybody Wide Leg Tight Fit Mid Wash – Ships internationally from the US

unspun is an American brand, fostering a denim world that reduces global carbon emissions by 1% through a zero-inventory and anti-waste process.

Its product sizing is totally customisable to ensure you always find the perfect fit.

See the rating.

Shop unspun.

Worried about price? Here’s why sustainable fashion isn’t as expensive as you think and how to calculate the all-important “cost-per-wear” of your purchases. Still out of your budget? Check out this selection of affordable, ethical fashion brands.

Editor's note

Feature image via LANIUS, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world's most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use the directory to search thousands of rated brands.

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