Now, the world is all about opting for eco-friendly practices to save the earth from more damage. One trend that is becoming immensely popular is opting for sustainable fashion. Designers are trying to use recyclable materials to create unique outfits for the masses. Even celebrities and sports persons often endorse sustainable practices to give back to Earth.
Despite being so popular, sustainable clothing saw a massive dip in 2019. This occurred mainly because of the economic crunch and COVID-19 restrictions. The industry, which grew to $6.36b, shrunk to $6.14b in 2020. However, according to experts, the sustainable sector has the potential to grow in upcoming years. They also estimate that businesses can earn more than $8.25b in forthcoming years with sustainable clothing. It has also contributed to Fall Fashion Trends 2024.
This blog post will explore why sustainable clothing matters, the benefits of choosing sustainable fashion, and how you can make more eco-friendly choices.
But What Is Meant By Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable clothes or fashion refers to clothing, accessories, and shoes produced to reduce environmental impact and promote social responsibility. It addresses excessive waste, harmful production processes, and unethical labor practices commonly associated with the fast fashion industry. Moreover, a sustainable apparel and accessories trend is not just a piece of clothing or things to look good only. It is all about minimizing the planet’s adverse effects while celebrating creativity, diversity, and individuality.
Key Elements of Modern Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable or Eco-friendly clothing brands are developing features that enhance their practices’ environmental impact. The following are some of the major elements that play a vital role in society.
Eco-Friendly Fabrics
Sustainable fashion begins with the materials. Eco-friendly fabrics have a lower environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. Some popular choices include:
- Organic Cotton: It is grown without using harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.
- Hemp: A renewable, fast-growing plant that requires little water and pesticides.
- Tencel/Lyocell: Made from wood pulp, it’s biodegradable and produced in a closed-loop process.
Recycled Polyester: Made from plastic bottles or old textiles, reducing landfill waste.
Ethical Production
Many sustainable fashion brands ensure that their clothes are produced in factories that uphold fair labor practices. This means safe working conditions, fair wages, and no child or forced labor. By supporting these brands, you contribute to a fashion system that values human dignity as much as profit.
Slow Fashion Movement
The slow fashion movement is at the core of sustainable fashion, which encourages consumers to buy less but invest in higher-quality, longer-lasting pieces. Slow fashion promotes timeless designs over fleeting trends, reducing the pressure to update your wardrobe constantly and, in turn, reducing waste.
Upcycling and Recycling
Another pillar of sustainable fashion is upcycling and recycling. Upcycling involves taking old or unused clothes and creatively transforming them into new items. Recycling, on the other hand, refers to breaking down old garments to create new fabric. Both methods help reduce the demand for new materials and reduce waste.
How Does Sustainable Fashion & Clothing Trends Are Impacting?
We all talk about being gentle and kind towards nature. First, we can take action by changing our clothes. The first question about environmental issues is, what difference will it make? The impact of eco-friendly practices is minor but negligible. In addition, you can be satisfied with doing something for the planet that positively affects the environment.
Some of the major impacts of sustainable fashion are
- Environmental Impact: Traditional clothing production contributes to pollution, water waste, and habitat destruction. Sustainable clothing aims to minimize these negative impacts by using eco-friendly materials, reducing water and energy consumption, and implementing ethical manufacturing practices.
- Resource Conservation: Sustainable clothing focuses on conserving natural resources such as water, land, and energy. By using recycled materials, organic fibers, and innovative production techniques, sustainable fashion helps reduce the industry’s overall environmental footprint.
- Social Responsibility: Many traditional clothing brands rely on exploitative labor practices in their supply chains, including sweatshops and child labor. Sustainable clothing brands prioritize fair wages, safe working conditions, and workers’ rights throughout their production processes, promoting social equity and justice.
- Animal Welfare: Traditional clothing production often involves the use of animal-based materials such as leather, fur, and wool, which can involve cruelty to animals. Sustainable fashion alternatives include cruelty-free materials like plant-based leather and faux fur, reducing the demand for animal products in the industry.
- Consumer Awareness: Common consumers are becoming more aware of their purchasing decisions’ environmental and social consequences. As a result, there is a growing demand for sustainable and ethical fashion. Sustainable clothing brands offer transparency in their supply chains, allowing consumers to make informed choices aligned with their values.
Popular Sustainable Fashion Trends Of 2024-25
As the fashion industry confronts the challenges posed by fast fashion, the environmental repercussions of overproduction (and consumption) are becoming increasingly evident. With 25% and 40% of all fabric used in factories worldwide either leftover or becoming waste1, the urgency for sustainable practices has reached a critical point. In response, the industry is witnessing a surge in stringent regulations and new innovative solutions to reduce waste and reshape fashion’s impact on the environment.
Circular Fashion Revolution
Retailers are offering customers incentives to return used clothing for recycling or resale. Brands and consumers are creatively reworking old garments into new, unique items, reducing waste and promoting personal expression.
Biofabrication and Lab-Grown Materials
Made from mushroom roots, the Mycelium leather alternative is biodegradable and eco-friendly, offering a sustainable substitute for traditional animal leather. Lab-grown spider silk is a durable and biodegradable material used in everything from clothing to accessories. These fibers, made from natural renewable resources such as algae, orange peels, and pineapple leaves, are increasingly replacing synthetic materials.
Minimalism and Capsule Wardrobes
Consumers are focusing on investing in high-quality, timeless pieces that can be worn for several events or seasons. The “buy less, buy better” philosophy encourages purchasing fewer items of higher quality, reducing waste and consumerism.
Sustainable Athleisure
Activewear made from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles and discarded fishing nets, is becoming popular among conscious consumers. Brands are exploring plant-based fabrics like bamboo and hemp for performance wear, offering comfort, breathability, and sustainability.
Fashion Rentals and Subscriptions
More companies offer rental services for everyday wear, special events, and designer items, reducing the need for consumers to purchase and discard items frequently. Consumers can now subscribe to receive curated boxes of sustainable fashion, which can be returned and rotated, minimizing consumption.
Waterless Dyeing Techniques
This technology uses air to dye fabrics, eliminating water consumption and reducing the environmental impact. Digital printing on textiles is becoming more popular as it uses less water and energy than conventional dyeing processes.
Vegan and Cruelty-Free Fashion
Leathers made from materials like pineapple (Piñatex), cactus, and apple peels are becoming common as sustainable, animal-free alternatives. More brands are seeking cruelty-free certifications to appeal to ethically-minded consumers who avoid animal-derived products.
Secondhand and Vintage Resurgence
Websites and apps like Depop, Poshmark, and ThredUp are growing in popularity, making it easier for consumers to buy and sell secondhand clothing. High-end vintage shopping and the resale of designer items are becoming more fashionable as consumers see pre-loved luxury pieces as both sustainable and trendy.
Inclusive and Adaptive Fashion
Sustainable brands are expanding their size ranges, ensuring that eco-conscious fashion is accessible to people of all body types. More sustainable brands are designing adaptive clothing for people with disabilities, ensuring fashion is functional, stylish, and eco-friendly for everyone.
Regenerative Agriculture in Fashion
Some brands are turning to regenerative farming techniques for cotton, which can improve soil health, increase carbon sequestration, and support healthier ecosystems. Fashion companies are increasingly partnering with farmers who use regenerative practices, ensuring their supply chain contributes positively to the environment.
Popular Brands Who Has Sustainable Fashion Practices
As you can see, there’s a lot of research to do when switching to sustainable fashion. If you don’t want to spend hours reading through the “About” sections of dozens of brands. To give you a head start, we have compiled a list of sustainable shoe and clothing brands prioritizing sustainability. Some of these brands are recommended by our experts.
Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective is a great option for activewear, bras, underwear, and a few outerwear pieces. The brand uses 100% recyclable and sustainable packaging, and all of its clothes and apparel are made with eco-friendly materials. Whether it’s a fabric made from recycled water bottles and fishing nets or fiber produced from waste from the cotton industry. You can explore Girlfriend Collective’s sustainability efforts on its site here.
Outerknown
Outerknown is a fantastic brand for simple clothing basics such as shirts, shorts, sweaters, and jeans. The brand sources 90 percent of its fibers or fabric from organic, recycled, or regenerated sources. Moreover, 100% of its trunks are made with recycled or renewable fibers.
Paka
Clothing brand Paka has been getting enough hype recently, and it’s obvious why. Its clothes are made from alpaca wool, which is incredibly soft and naturally antimicrobial, thermo-regulating, lightweight, and sustainable. Paka has many of the sustainable check marks you should look for in a brand, including an initiative that gives back to the community in Peru.
Everlane
For good reason, Everlane is perhaps one of the most popular sustainable fashion brands. The brand is committed to transparency, as 97% of Everlane’s clothing materials containing polyester and nylon are made from certified recycled fibers. 100% of its virgin plastic shipping totes and bags are now developed from either 100% recycled plastic or FSC-certified paper. Moreover, its jeans are made in a LEED-certified factory that recycles 98% of its water. Learn more about Everlane’s sustainability here.
Nudie Jeans
Nudie Jeans uses organic, fair trade, or recycled cotton, which comprises 95% of all the fibers used in its clothing. The organic cotton Nudie Jeans uses is certified by GOTS, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), or Organic Content Standard 100, depending on the origin and supplier. In addition, read more about Nudie Jeans and its sustainability efforts here.
Organic Basics
Organic Basics is the ideal choice if you are searching for basics such as shirts, sweaters, underwear, bras, and more. The brand focuses heavily on working with accredited factory partners; you can even look at each factory it works with. Moreover, it only uses natural, renewable, recycled, biodegradable, low-impact textiles. You can discover more about Organic Basics here.
Reformation
Reformation is another big name, thanks to its chic style and commitment to utmost sustainability. In addition, the brand is certified as carbon neutral by Climate Neutral and aims to become climate-positive by 2025. It even provides environmental impact reports so consumers can stay informed about its efforts. Check out more about Reformation’s sustainability here.
MUD Jeans
Mud Jeans is an ideal choice since its jeans are designed with 40% post-consumer recycled denim. All their jeans use 400 liters of water per pair, compared to the industry-approved standard of 7,000. Check out its website for more info on Mud’s circular denim process. However, buyers in the USA should also know that Mud Jeans is basically based in the Netherlands. So, get ready to cover international shipping costs when you order.
Patagonia
Patagonia is a famous brand in the outdoor scene. While you might just identify with or love its iconic fleeces and puffy jackets, you may be surprised to know how sustainable the brand is. The company’s CEO, Yvon Chouinard, donates 98 percent of Patagonia’s revenue to the Holdfast Collective, a non-profit charitable organization that combats climate change. Take a deep dive into Patagonia’s sustainability and activism efforts on its site here.
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is another outerwear brand that promotes sustainability. It’s a certified B Corporation that uses 1% of its profit margins to address poverty and support community development. Cotopaxi emphasizes fair, sustainable working conditions and provides targeted grants to nonprofits each year. Check out its website to learn more about its efforts.
Naadam
Naadam is one of our favorite brands, thanks to its luxurious cashmere sweaters that cost less than $100. However, there is a lot more to the brand value, including a commitment to transparency and sustainability. Moreover, it works directly with herders in Mongolia to pay them a fair wage. In 2019, 100% of the materials it used came from renewable or recycled sources. You can explore more about Naadam’s efforts here.
Nisolo
Nisolo is a famous and accredited B Corporation that makes high-quality, durable shoes and accessories from responsibly sourced leather. The brand owns a factory in Peru and pays the workers a living wage. It also combats climate change by protecting trees from immense deforestation. You can explore more about Nisolo’s sustainability and its latest impact report here for more in-depth knowledge of the brand’s supply chain.
Here is everything you need to know about sustainability and the hype surrounding sustainable fashion in the US. You can contribute to sustainability by avoiding hoarding, using recycled products, and promoting brands that focus on sustainability and eco-friendly practices. It is a minor yet impactful way for you to give back to the earth and make it a better place to live.
FAQs
Sustainable fashion is when brands design clothing that mitigates the impact on the environment and is mindful of the workforce. Put simply, it is fashion that is ethically made and environmentally friendly.
The 7 R’s of sustainable or eco-friendly fashion are Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Rot.
One vital element of sustainable fashion is using sustainable materials or products, such as natural fibers like cotton, recyclable polyester, and nylon, instead of synthetic textiles, to create garments.
Sustainable fashion reduces carbon emissions by using natural or recycled materials, saving natural resources. Approximately 97% of materials are new when producing clothes, whereas sustainable fashion recycles and reuses materials to reduce the use of natural resources.