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Four people linking arms standing in a street wearing block colour sweatpants and sweaters made responsibly by Threads 4 Thought.
14 Dec
Four people linking arms standing in a street wearing block colour sweatpants and sweaters made responsibly by Threads 4 Thought.

28 Clothing Brands From New York Championing Better Practices

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Discover our favourite more sustainable clothing brands from one of the world’s fashion capitals, New York.

Our favourite more sustainable clothing brands from New York

There’s no way around it: New York is one of the fashion capitals of the world, and it has a massive influence on the fashion industry. It saw the rise of ready-to-wear clothing, big department stores, and today thousands of garment workers are still spread around the area.

New York is a leader in fashion, and it’s also started taking steps to push sustainability to the forefront of the industry. The most recent move: the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act, which, if passed, would hold the biggest fashion brands to account for their role in the climate emergency. Powerful responsible fashion names have endorsed the bill, including the New Standard Institute and Stella McCartney. ⁠

Not only that, but New York is also home to some of the most beautiful and groundbreaking responsible fashion brands in the world. So today, we want to showcase 23 clothing brands from New York in our database rating “Good” or “Great”. These brands are doing their part to ensure people, the planet, and animals don’t suffer in their production.

Let’s hear it for New York.

What makes a brand ethical?

Long story short, a responsible brand makes sure it positively impacts on people, the planet, and animals.

It ensures its workers are treated fairly across the supply chain. This includes policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage.

A better brand also cares about its use of resources and energy, reducing its carbon emissions, impact on our waterways, as well as using and disposing of chemicals safely.

Finally, it uses no or very few animal products, like wool, leather, fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. Ideally, the brand is 100% vegan.

A CTA to the Good On You directory inviting users to click through and discover how their favourite fashion brands rate.

Now that you know how to determine whether a brand is ethical or not, you might choose to shop from companies located in your country or region. Whether you want to support your local communities or reduce your carbon footprint when shopping online, shopping locally has many great benefits.

So, let’s go! Here are the New York brands that have all been rated “Good” or “Great” on the directory and app using our first-class methodology.

Not from New York? Check out our favourite brands from:

Malaika New York

Rated: Good

Offers

People in black and red boxy shirt dresses by Malaika NY.

Malaika New York – Site-wide

Mix and match Malaika New York's versatile organic cotton shift dresses and tops for simple styling day or night. Exclusive $30 off with code malaikagood$30. (Ends: 12 MAR)

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Malaika New York is a minimalistic more sustainable clothing brand with a focus on anti-waste clothing and accessories. The US-based brand aims to eliminate fashion’s harmful environmental effects by utilising lower-waste patterns, while maximising wearability by producing luxe-quality, contemporary garments that make a statement now and into the future.

Find most garments in S-XL, with some items going up to 2XL.

See the rating.

Shop Mailaika New York.

337 BRAND

Rated: Good
woman wearing sustainable 337 brand outfit

337 BRAND's leisurewear is designed to make you feel at ease, always. Inspired by nature, comfort, and kindness, the brand introduces effortless style clothing made from lower-impact materials.

Find the range in sizes XS-L.

See the rating.

Shop 337 BRAND.

Conscious Step

Rated: Good
Pair of white and black socks hanging on a line by Conscious Step.

Conscious Step creates premium fair trade, organic vegan socks and clothes which support great charities. The US brand is committed to lasting social and environmental change and every step it takes in its production process supports farms and factories with fair wages, safe facilities, and lower-impact materials.

The socks come in S-L sizes, and the clothes in 2XS-2XL.

See the rating.

Shop Conscious Step.

Threads 4 Thought

Rated: Good

Threads 4 Thought uses a range of lower-impact materials including TENCEL™ Modal harvested from the limbs of beech trees. This process means that the trees are never cut down and 95% of the production materials to make the yarn are recovered and reused. The brand's manufacturers are a combination of Fair Trade USA certified and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production certified.

Find the range in sizes XS-XL, with an extended sizing range up to 3XL.

See the rating.

Shop Threads 4 Thought.

Subset (Knickey)

Rated: Great
People in underwear by Subset.

Made in a Fair Trade Certified factory, US brand Subset’s organic cotton underwear sets are some of the best in the responsible fashion market. Taking it a step further, the brand has also partnered with an NYC non-profit to recycle old undergarments, turning the fibres into insulation and rug pads. Sending in your old undies will not only help cut down on the amount of fibres that wind up in the landfill, but it’ll give you the freedom to buy new, responsibly-made sets.

Find most items in sizes 2XS-4XL.

See the rating.

Shop Subset (Knickey).

Miakoda

Rated: Good
two women wearing Miakoda sustainable yoga clothes

If you’re all about that organic plant-based lifestyle, then you’ll most certainly vibe with NYC-made brand Miakoda and its organic, ultra-cosy active and loungewear. Its pieces include stripped-back colours and designs that are all about comfort.

Supportive of different shapes and sizes, find the range in XS-4XL.

See the rating.

Shop Miakoda.

Shop Miakoda @ Wearwell.

Day Won

Rated: Good

Day Won is a US-based activewear brand for everybody so you can work towards being your best you. Founded by Candice Huffine, a game-changing model in the fashion industry, the brand's pieces are all available in sizes 0 through 32, with no exceptions. The brand doesn't use any animal-derived materials and uses a medium proportion of eco-friendly materials, including recycled materials, which is why we rated it "Good".

See the rating.

Shop Day Won.

Another Tomorrow

Rated: Good
Woman in Another Tomorrow ethical denim jeans

Another Tomorrow is a luxury brand created for the compassionate global citizen seeking elevated, thoughtful design, community, and tools for advocacy.

Find the range in US sizes 0-14.

See the rating.

Shop Another Tomorrow.

CHNGE

Rated: Good

CHNGE is a US-based more sustainable fashion brand using 100% organic material, built to last a lifetime while making a statement.

Find CHNGE's inclusive clothes in sizes 2XS-4XL.

See the rating.

Shop CHNGE.

zero waste daniel

Rated: Good

zero waste daniel creates more sustainable, handmade in Brooklyn, and always one of a kind unisex clothing.

See the rating.

Shop zero waste daniel.

GRAMMAR

Rated: Good

This brand started off selling just white shirts, but expanded into a full range with clever tailoring, creative cuts, and details that mean there’s a shape and style to suit everyone. All GRAMMAR’s clothes are made from responsibly-sourced 100% GOTS certified organic cotton and produced in small batches in New York City.

The range is available in US sizes 0-16.

See the rating.

Shop GRAMMAR @ Rêve en Vert.

Shop GRAMMAR @ Made Trade.

Shop GRAMMAR.

Chelsea Bravo

Rated: Good
Woman wearing sustainable swing top

Chelsea Bravo’s collections creatively infuse her artistry with simple silhouettes for both women and men. Brooklyn based and sustainably made with a high proportion of eco-friendly materials, her pieces are contemporary and eye-catching.

See the rating.

Shop Chelsea Bravo.

Lâcher Prise

Rated: Good
Someone in a dessert landscape wearing clothing by Lacher Prise.

Lâcher Prise is a US-based vegan brand that creates a range of versatile clothing, basics, and underwear. Lâcher Prise rates “Great” for the planet: it uses lower-impact materials including organic cotton, which helps limit the chemicals, water, and wastewater in its supply chain.

Find most items in sizes S-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Lâcher Prise.

Seek Collective

Rated: Good

Seek Collective is a US brand of thoughtfully made items with a dedication to transparency, authenticity, craft, and sustainability. Seek is focused on establishing connections between art, product, consumers, process, and makers. Its items are made in India through partnerships with like-minded communities and people.

Find most products in XS-L, with an extended sizing range up to 4XL.

See the rating.

Shop Seek Collective.

Mara Hoffman

Rated: Good

With a focus on mindful and conscious practices, Mara Hoffman uses lower-impact materials including GOTS certified cotton, recycled nylon, and recycled polyester, and even has a range of OEKO-TEX® STeP certified products.

Items come in sizes XS-3XL, and the brand also has a gorgeous extended sizes collection, so you can be sure to find a new wardrobe addition no matter the bod you rock.

See the rating.

Shop Mara Hoffman @ Farfetch.

Shop Mara Hoffman Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Shop Mara Hoffman.

Rentrayage

Rated: Good

Based in New York, Rentrayage is a brand meant to dress the creative, strong, determined woman who will carry us into the future.

Find pieces in US sizes S-L.

See the rating.

Shop Rentrayage.

Monique Péan

Rated: Good

Monique Péan is known for its sculptural and structural one-of-a-kind pieces and unique materials, and is committed to partnering with artisans around the world to support traditional craftsmanship. It uses lower-impact materials which limits the amount of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production.

See the rating.

Shop Monique Péan.

Minimalist

Rated: Good
someone in tops and trousers by Minimalist

Anchored in timeless design, Minimalist is a curated collection of women's ready-to-wear pieces all made in New York and designed to be recycled at their end of life. It seeks to be part of the solution to make fashion more sustainable, using certified lower-impact materials and ensuring fair wage and work conditions in the local New York City factories it supports.

Find it in sizes XS-L.

See the rating.

Shop Minimalist.

Neu Nomads

Rated: Great
neu nomads may 2022

Neu Nomads is a Brooklyn-based more sustainable women’s fashion brand, offering loungewear and travel essentials. It is female owned and operated, and works every day to create beautiful, wearable clothing that leaves a lighter footprint on the environment.

Find the clothes in sizes XS-L.

See the rating.

Shop Neu Nomads.

Araks

Rated: Good
woman wearing sustainable floral lingerie from ethical brand Araks

Araks is a lingerie, swimwear, and sleepwear brand that offers delicate pieces made from luxurious Italian fabrics.

Find pieces in sizes 2XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Araks.

Shop Araks @ Rêve en Vert.

FUTURA Jewelry

Rated: Great

FUTURA Jewelry is a New York based responsible jewellery brand. Each piece of FUTURA Jewelry is handcrafted with mercury-free 18kt Certified Fairmined Ecological gold. The brand's gold comes from the three certified Fairmined mines in the world that mine for gold without the use of toxic chemicals including mercury and cyanide.

See the rating.

Shop FUTURA Jewelry.

HYER GOODS

Rated: Good
Someone holding one square handbag and one baguette handbag by Hyer Goods.

HYER GOODS is an NY-based, leather goods label that curates handmade products including handbags, wallets, and accessories. By upcycling "trash" it eliminates the massive energy footprint needed to cultivate land, livestock, crops, and fertilisers, while simultaneously reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill. Less energy and less pollution mean fewer greenhouse gases.

See the rating.

Shop HYER GOODS.

ARTICLE22

Rated: Good

Every piece of ARTICLE22 jewellery is locally handcrafted in Laos using recycled materials from Vietnam War bombs, plane parts, military hardware, and other aluminium scraps. The brand embodies the innovation that the fashion industry needs more of—using recycled materials to produce beautiful globally-marketable products, while equipping local artisans with new skill sets and providing them with a sustainable source of income. ARTICLE22 gives back to clear more unexploded bombs in Laos, supports traditional artisans, and donates a proportion of profit to community development for workers.

The range is available in sizes S-XL.

See the rating.

Shop ARTICLE22.

behno

Rated: Good
A magenta tote handbag by Behni.

behno is a New York based brand that aims to bring together luxury design and ethical thinking, believing that you're buying more than just a bag.

See the rating.

Shop behno.

Kordal Studio

Rated: Good
Cropped shot of a fluffy sustainable beige coat by Kordal Studio.

Kordal Studio is a NY-based womenswear label that fuses innovative forms and textures with functionality.

See the rating.

Shop Kordal Studio.

Study NY

Rated: Good

Study NY is an ethical contemporary womenswear brand based in New York City.

See the rating.

Shop Study NY.

Yes And

Rated: Good
two women wearing yes and sustainable clothing

Yes And aims to banish the stigma that responsible fashion has to sacrifice style, quality, fit, colour, comfort, or price. With this US-based brand you can actually have it all, and more: it is certified organic, lower-impact dyed, and more ethically made.

You can find most items in sizes XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop Yes And.

WE-AR4

Rated: Good
People dressed in outfits by We-ar4.

WE-AR4 is a US based design-to-wear essentials brand for an effortless style. Founded by fashion industry veterans, it merges intelligent design and uncompromising style. Rather than developing new materials, it rescues existing ones, choosing to “thrift” high-quality leathers and luxury textiles left over from other brands, giving them new life, and uses certified lower-impact materials.

Find the range in sizes XS-L.

See the rating.

Shop WE-AR4.

Editor's note

Feature image via Threads 4 Thought, 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 our directory to search thousands of rated brands.

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