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23 Oct

These 17 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 slower 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, lower-impact 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 17 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 2XS-2XL.

See the rating.

Shop ASKET.

Elle Evans

Rated: Good
A bright yellow ruched bikini top by slow fashion brand Elle Evans.

Islet Bikini Top – Ships internationally from Australia

Founded in 2013 in Australia, Elle Evans Swimwear creates beautiful, lower-impact 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 2XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Elle Evans.

LANIUS

Rated: Good
Lilac GOTS cotton corduroy trousers by slow brand LANIUS.

Corduroy Trousers – Ships within Europe from Germany

“Love fashion, think organic, be responsible” are the maxims of LANIUS. The German brand uses lower-impact 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.

Dressarte Paris

Rated: Good
custom sustainable design studio, Dressarte Paris.

Dressarte Paris is a custom-made clothing label that curates unique pieces 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.

The R Collective

Rated: Great
An upcycled top by slow fashion brand The R Collective.

Aires Top – 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
A blue recycled polyester menswear jacket by TWOTHIRDS.

Torney Jacket – 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.

LA Relaxed

Rated: Great
A white pointelle cardigan made by slow fashion brand LA Relaxed.

Pointelle Cardigan – Ships internationally from the US

"Simplicity, sustainability, style" is LA Relaxed's motto. The brand reduces its climate impact by using renewable energy in its supply chain. It also uses some lower-impact materials, including organic cotton and TENCEL Lyocell.

Find the collection in sizes XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop LA Relaxed.

Shop LA Relaxed @ Cerqular.

Luna + Sun

Rated: Good
A full length terracotta linen wrap dress made responsibly by slow fashion brand Luna + Sun.

Kalani Wrap Dress – Ships internationally from Australia

Luna + Sun is an Australian, cruelty-free fashion line creating gorgeous feminine designs. Its factory is certified by Ethical Clothing Australia, and its products are OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified.

Find the clothes in AU sizes 6-18.

See the rating.

Shop Luna + Sun.

Artknit Studios

Rated: Good
A made to order sand coloured organic cotton skirt made by Artknit Studios.

The Organic Cotton Skirt – Ships internationally from Italy

Artknit Studios creates timeless knitwear in 100% lower-impact materials, made responsibly by Italian makers. Its partners are committed to anti-waste practices using only certified and locally-sourced fibres, true to the brand's motto of "buy less, buy better".

Find items offered in sizes XS-L.

See the rating.

Shop Artknit Studios.

Shop Artknit Studios @ Urbankissed.

TORRAIN

Rated: Good
An upcycled small backpack with various patterns including pink with fish, made by Torrain.

Scout Backpack – Ships internationally from the US

US-based TORRAIN creates upcycled bags designed with travel and adventure in mind. The brand reuses feedbags, which are durable, lightweight, water-resistant, and colourful. According to the brand, these bags are the perfect material to upcycle into products for travel and outdoor adventure, keeping them out of landfills.

See the rating.

Shop TORRAIN.

Svala

Rated: Good

Didi Clutch Mini – Ships internationally from the US

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

See the rating.

Shop Svala.

éclipse

Rated: Great
Kids' sun sleeves by Eclipse.

Children’s Sun Sleeves – 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.

Opera Campi

Rated: Good
100% hemp button up shirt made by slow fashion brand Opera Campi.

TELA Shirt – Ships internationally from Italy

Founded in 2017, Italian brand Opera Campi creates premium quality garments from locally-sourced raw materials. By using a balanced approach to sustainability, the brand makes conscious choices throughout its supply chain and donates 4% of its profits to social causes.

The brand is inclusively sized from 3XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Opera Campi.

ColieCo

Rated: Great
A green and black TENCEL lingerie set by slow fashion brand ColieCo.

JAMIE TENCEL™ Underwear Set – Ships internationally from Portugal

ColieCo is a Portuguese lingerie, underwear, and swimwear brand that uses a handmade to order process for creating the most premium pieces. Every single garment is manufactured exclusively using lower-impact and responsibly sourced fabrics.

Find the range in sizes 2XS-3XL.

See the rating.

Shop ColieCo.

unspun

Rated: Great
Light vintage wash wide leg jeans by unspun.

Wide Leg Jeans In Organic Light Vintage – 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.

Shop unspun @ Cerqular.

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 more affordable responsibly-made 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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