Think sustainable fashion is all hemp t-shirts and tie dye nightmares? Oh how the times have changed. The eco-friendly fashion market has developed into a big money business, with cutting edge sustainable designs frequently gracing the runways or our favourite celebrity idols. And as the third most polluting industry in the world, we’d say it was about time fashion wised up to its impact. Check out the brands who refuse to sacrifice super-cool for sustainability…
REFORMATION
Beautiful tailoring, a to die for nude palette and pure sass epitomises the Reformation look. Seriously, we’ve found our new wardrobe favourite, and the best part? They 100% care about the planet yo! Every step of the production chain is carefully thought out to have as little impact as possible, from the sustainable fabrics and garments used to create the clothes, to recycled packaging and recycled hangers in stores, nothing is over looked. Hell, they even plant forests and invest in clean water solutions to offset their impact. So the only question remains…are you ready to join the reformation?
KOWTOW
Minimalist chic is the aim of the game for Kowtow, who boast products made from 100% fair trade and organic cotton. Not only that, but the brand actually offers a peek into the entire journey of the cotton seed on its website, from being picked in the fields of India right through to the garment creation, so you can rest assured they are true to their word.
H&M CONSCIOUS COLLECTION
Are you a sucker for fast and furious high street fashion? Well, now you don’t have to sacrifice your favourite brand because you’ve decided to come over all eco-friendly – let us introduce you to H&M Conscious. Committed to strengthening communities, becoming climate smart and being ethical (for the full list of commitments, click here), the Conscious collection uses sustainable fabrics to create products that look just as good, if not better than what you’re used to.
Matt & Nat
Vegan fashion have you rolling your eyes? Be prepared to roll them right back as we introduce you to MAT(T)erial and NATure, who bypass the use of leather for recycling materials such as cardboard, rubber, cork and yes, even bicycle tires, into handbags and wallets that wouldn’t look out of place on the arm of a Kardashian. And get this – the linings to their products are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. We don’t know how they do it, but we LOVE it.
PATAGONIA
Big brands, big impact, but at Patagonia these guys are more than conscious about their potentially dangerous footprint. The Patagonia Common Threads Partnership aims to reduce environmental impact in a bunch of different ways – first and foremost by making clothes that are actually intended to last a long time, and also offering to repair or buy back gently used clothes. This eco-conscious brand believes every garment should have a story to tell, so much so they’ve even created a blog called Worn Wear, which celebrates the stories of people adventuring in their gear. Well worth checking out.
Want to learn a little more about the plastic pollution issue? Discover your own plastic impact at www.contiki.com/storytellers and watch the full Contiki Storytellers documentary right now…