The Ultimate Guide to More Ethical and Sustainable Dresses

Spell is an Australian fashion brand inspired by far-off places, vintage treasures, and childhood memories. Its clothes are proudly designed and sampled in Byron Bay, and produced responsibly in factories around the world.

Most garments are available in sizes 2XS-2XL.

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A pioneer of independent Australian design, Elk was founded in Melbourne in 2004. Elk creates bi-annual collections that are informed by a design ethos where simplicity and sustainability meet innovation.

Find most items in AU sizes 6-18.

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If you love a great graphic print, Swedish label Dedicated has you covered. Dedicated is a responsible streetwear brand for men, women, and children. All cotton used in its clothes is 100% organic, and most pieces are Fairtrade certified, which means that you don’t have to sacrifice your ethics to dress in style.

Find the clothes in XS-XL.

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Jyoti – Fair Works is based in Germany and makes GOTS certified cotton products. It provides employment for people from marginalised or disadvantaged groups in India.

Sizes available are S-XL.

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“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.

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Coco & Kandy focuses on making uncomplicated, high quality clothes for warm weather. The Bulgarian brand uses lower-impact materials, traces most of its supply chain and visits suppliers regularly.

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Thinking MU is a Barcelona-based fashion brand for non-conformists and passionate people who believe that life deserves to be enjoyed and, above all, respected.

The garments are available in sizes XS-XL.

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OMNES is a more responsible and more affordable UK-based brand creating high quality womenswear. “We created OMNES to help change the way you shop, wear and think about clothing. And to encourage the rest of the industry to do it, too,” says the brand.

Find most items in sizes 6-20.

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Baukjen is a London-based womenswear brand, with a focus on more ethical and sustainable style. Its clothes are designed for you, and designed for good. The brand uses lower-impact materials including recycled materials, which helps limit the amount of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production.

Find the range in sizes XS-L.

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Beaumont Organic is a UK-based slow fashion brand that blends simple style with responsible production practices. Founded by Hannah Beaumont-Laurencia, the brand also has its own charitable foundation which supports people in Fiji.

Find the range in sizes XS-L.

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COSSAC believes in creating timeless, feminine, and versatile apparel responsibly. It promotes the minimalistic concept of capsule wardrobes, offering contemporary classics intended to be worn and cherished beyond seasonal trends. It uses organic or lower-impact materials and works exclusively with small factories on limited production runs to minimise waste and deadstock.

Find most of the range in sizes S-L.

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Indilisi creates clothing with a strong focus on heritage crafts and handweaving, using surplus fabrics sourced from deadstock material.

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Christy Dawn is a minimalist showroom for vintage-inspired women’s clothing and footwear, locally made with surplus fabric. The US brand rates “Great”, making it a fabulous option for your wardrobe.

Find the clothes in standard sizes XS-XL, or shop the Extended and Petite collections.

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Certified B Corp Kotn is based in Canada and works with local NGOs on the ground at the Nile Delta to provide every child in their farming communities with quality education, and to help close the gap of low literacy rates amongst communities. With every purchase, not only will you get a beautifully made garment, but you’ll also help fund school infrastructure, materials, and salaries for teachers.

Find Kotn in sizes XS-2XL.

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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.

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Whimsy + Row is a US-based lifestyle brand born in 2014 out of a love for quality goods and responsible practices. The brand uses deadstock fabrics and short production runs, and it also reduces packaging waste and takes care of precious water resources.

Find most products in XS-XL, with an extended sizing range up to 3XL.

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Ace & Jig’s colourful clothing is made by Fairtrade certified partners in India using custom-made fabrics that have been designed by its team and yarn-dyed. The brand strives to reduce waste, and has take-back and philanthropic programmes.

Sizes range from 2XS-4XL.

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Shop Ace & Jig Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

The Summer House creates beautiful womenwear in India using locally made, lower-impact fabrics. It also partners with local artisans and NGOs to provide opportunities to those in the region. Look out for its elegant prints and flowing silhouettes.

Find the range in sizes XS-XL.

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Shop The Summer House.

Another leader when it comes to responsible fashion, No Nasties makes simple and stylish clothing from Fairtrade organic cotton in India where it is actively working to grow the ethical consumer market.

Find styles in sizes 2XS-3XL.

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SukkhaCitta is a certified B corp brand from Indonesia creating timeless modern heirlooms leveraging heritage crafts.

Find the range in sizes XS-L.

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SeamsFriendly creates beautiful tailored pieces for all body types. It focuses on function and utility in its designs and uses lower-impact materials like organic cotton and linen. What’s more, shoppers can customise the brand’s designs to their exact preferences—change the neck style, depth, sleeve length, garment length, fabric, and more on anything in its array of clothes.

The brand’s product sizing is customisable (for womenswear: bust size range 26″-70″, waist size range 19″-63″, including petite, regular, and tall heights; and for menswear: chest size 34″ to 76″ and above with free custom sizing) to ensure you always find the perfect fit.  There’s a kids range (bust: 18″-28″, waist: 19″-26″) available too.

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Based in Cambodia, Dorsu creates everyday basics and key signature favourites that form the core of any conscious wardrobe.

You can find the full range in XS-XL.

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I was a Sari is an Indian brand bringing traditional styles into the modern age. Used saris and deadstock fabrics become vibrant products that are sold worldwide.

Find pieces in sizes S-L.

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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.

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