Your Favourite Ethical Brands of 2018

Kiwi brand Kowtow designs elegant and timeless womenswear, as well as its own range of ceramics. It uses organic, fair trade cotton and non-toxic GOTS approved dyes to produce its clothes. All its garments are made in SA8000 approved factories in India and the brand does not use any animal products. Thanks to this, it rates ‘Great’ on all fronts, which is why Kowtow is one of our (and your) favourites!

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Shop Kowtow @ Ecoture.

Shop Kowtow @ We-Love.

LA-based Reformation creates killer clothes that don’t kill the environment. The brand also ensures that a large proportion of its suppliers pay a living wage. Go Reformation!

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Shop Reformation @ Farfetch.

Shop Reformation.

If you are looking for thoughtfully designed, easy to wear women’s and men’s outfits, then look no further than Thought. The brand uses eco-friendly materials and its high-quality, long-lasting products. It has also taken meaningful actions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain, such as transporting its products by sea freight.

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Shop Thought.

Amour Vert creates beautiful sustainable staples in San Francisco, California. Its final stage of production is done in the US and it works closely with suppliers in all of its supply chain. The brand also uses only eco-friendly materials and promotes a zero-waste strategy.

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Shop Amour Vert.

Witchery has set some good environmental policies, measuring its direct and indirect emissions and reporting to the Carbon Disclosure Project. It also traces some of its supply chain and ensures that no subcontracting occurs, or if it does, that it adheres to its standards.

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Shop Witchery.

Sustainable fashion pioneer and leader People Tree is a ‘Great’ ethical brand and one of our favourites too. The brand uses eco-friendly materials and addresses the labour risks by adopting the Fairtrade International – Small Producers Organisations Code of Conduct.

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Shop People Tree.

PACT’s underwear and activewear are almost 100% made from GOTS certified organic cotton. The brand has a range of basics for men, women and babies, and it does not use any animal products.

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Shop PACT.

Made from organically grown bamboo, Boody is a clothing brand that supports the trend for all things green and ethical. It is Oeko Tex Standard 100 certified, supports 1% For The Planet and uses recycled packaging.

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Shop Boody.

HARA is a clothing label designed for you and our earth collectively. Its super comfy underwear are made using low impact and non-toxic dyes.

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Shop HARA The Label.

When thinking about ethical brands, Adidas might not be one of the brands we think about first! Yet, the brand has set some good environmental and labor standards over the years, making it better than its rival, Nike. The brand is a founding member o the Better Cotton Initiative and Sustainable Apparel Coalition and has made a public commitment to reduce its direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions in absolute terms by 15% by 2020.

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Shop Adidas.

Another ethical fashion pioneer and leader is Patagonia. The B Corporation outdoor wear retailer has all its cotton GOTS certified organic and is Bluesign certified for 56% of its fabrics. The brand is also a member of 1% For The Planet and of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct. We love Patagonia’s philosophy, always aiming to do no harm and protect our planet.

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Shop Patagonia.

New Zealand-based Kathmandu traces most of its supply chain, including all of its final stage, and publicly list some of its supplies, which is why it received a ‘Good’ rating in terms of labour, The brand has also committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 2020.

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Shop Kathmandu.

Nudie Jeans designs 100% organic cotton denim and is transparent about its production. The brand also offers a free repair service, resells second hand products as well as recycles worn out items!

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Shop Nudie Jeans @ Farfetch.

Nobody Denim has a longstanding commitment to ethical manufacturing principles. It’s one of brands worn by Meghan Markle during her tour down under in October. The brand offers a unique vision of responsible design. It is certified by Ethical Clothing Australia and uses a low-waste cutting technique to minimise textile waste.

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Shop Nobody Denim.

Reebok is also one brand we don’t necessarily think of when looking for ethical fashion brands. Partially certified by Bluesign, it is also one of the founding members of the Better Cotton Initiative and Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

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Shop Reebok.

Etiko is a designer of organic, eco-friendly and fair trade shoes and clothing. The brand rates ‘Great’ on all fronts, being entirely GOTS certified, having adopted a Code of Conduct covering all the ILO principles, ensuring fair labour conditions and using no animal products.

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Shop Etiko @ Ecoture.

Shop Etiko.

Veja is a French brand designing ecological and fair trade footwear, and is also a sustainable fashion pioneer. The brand uses eco-friendly materials, like GOTS certified cotton and vegetable-tanned leather! Veja pays their co-operative cotton growers and rubber tappers between 30% and 100% above the world market price. By not advertising, they are able to invest more money into strengthening their ethical practices.

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Shop Veja @ Farfetch.

Mimco, part of the Country Road Group is committed to making more conscious choices. The brand is taking steps to reduce its environmental impact and makes sure its product are long-lasting. It also received the top score for its Supplier Code of Conduct in the 2018 Ethical Fashion report, ensuring the ethical treatment of its workers in its supply chain. The brand designs cool ethical eyewear, making it one of your favourites.

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Shop Mimco.