“I Can’t Afford Sustainable Clothing…” WELL Now You Can!

As a college student, I understand that it is hard to allocate money towards sustainable fashion brands. It’s easy to click on Shein, Amazon, Princess Polly, and more! But the more you do this, the more you give money to brands that practice unethical behaviors and give their workers unfair labor wages.

The brands listed focus on paying their workers more money for their hard-work and effort. They also use fabrics that are sustainable, such as organic cotton, organic line, recycled materials, and more! This is why sustainable fashion brands are more expensive and high-end! You get the quality you deserve with the money you put into it!

You might be asking, what are some sustainable brands that I can buy from? Well, you’re in the right place! This blog will give you access to 5 sustainable brands that you can shop from to make you a more conscious consumer!

1. Boody

Boody is a sustainable clothing brand that uses bamboo viscose to make their clothes. Fun fact, bamboo grows like a weed so it can grow up to 47.6 inches in 24 hours! That’s how they are able to make all their clothes from bamboo which also means they are a zero waste company! Their packaging is also biodegradable and the boxes that their clothes come in are reusable and recyclable. They only work with Fair Trade certified factories to ensure their staff is being treated right. Also, I know I hate it when clothes get rough after washing them, but because their clothes are made of bamboo, after every wash, their clothes get softer and softer!

2. Sustain by Kat

Sustain by Kat is a really cool company! You remember learning about photosynthesis? Well, they take it to a whole new level! Their clothes are made from plants, they dye their clothes from plants which remove carbon dioxide from the air through the plants that they grow. Their clothing is made from organic cotton which is biodegradable! How crazy is that! The cotton and linen that they use are 100% organic and they use healthy, natural dyes with pomegranate peels, oak galls, rhubarb, and more!

3. Pact

Pact partners with Fair Trade USA, Global Organic Textile Standard, and SimpliZero. The partnerships they have, transform the company to what is now. With Fair Trade USA, they are able to provide safe labor working conditions. With Global Organic Textile Standard, they use organic farming for their fabrics, saving around 160 million gallons of water! Finally, with SimpliZero, they are able to measure their carbon footprint and give back to the planet through reforestation, renewable energy, and other community projects.

4. CHNGE

For all you true Gen Z’rs, this will be a fun brand to support! They have really cool tops, hats, and pants that you should check out! Additionally, they are a company that focuses on carbon neutrality and all of their clothes are 100% carbon neutral! They have saved more than 300,000 trees through their offset program and continue to do so. Additionally, each t-shirt you get from them saves around 500 gallons of water! This company also has responsible packaging and uses recyclable material. How insane is that!

5. thredUP

An online website to thrift?! Say less! ThredUp is a great way to shop online and get clothes second-hand. You can sell clothes and buy clothes through their website and they are changing the game in the fashion world! It is all recirculating clothes, rather than throwing them in the trash. They also have a really cool Carbon Calculator where you can see how YOU contribute to climate change through your fashion habits!

I think thrifting and second-hand shopping is the best way to go! However, I understand that it is also nice to get some new pieces, so why not make them of good quality with prices that range from $16 to $50. It’s probably even less in their Sales section! Since COVID, online shopping has been an increasing option for many people, and these companies are doing it right! By having either biodegradable or recyclable packaging, they are already more sustainable than fast fashion companies. On top of that, they support fair labor ethics through Fair Trade and are zero waste or are close to it! Start shopping more sustainably and restore this beautiful Earth!