On Earth Day last month, I asked the Man Repeller community to help me compile a list of the best sustainable brands for our shared knowledge and delight, and boy did you deliver. There are 202 comments and counting, some of them with lists of recommendations so robust I wanted to frame them. Instead, I did something that is (hopefully) more helpful: I combed through and identified the brands that were mentioned the most. I narrowed it down to eight that are clearly popular but still somewhat under-the-radar compared to, say, Everlane or Reformation. Below is a consolidated list of the best and most interesting sustainable brands* out there, according to you.
1. Amour Vert
View this post on Instagram
“Amour vert” means “green love” in French, a fitting name for a brand that plants a tree every time a customer buys a T-shirt. Beyond that, Amour Vert also produces pieces in limited quantities using only sustainable fabrics. Their offering includes an especially impressive range of basics, from soft striped tees to tailored white shorts. I’m particularly fond of their recent swimsuit collaboration with KORE, featuring pieces made from recycled nylon and spandex that had been used for fishing nets, fabric scraps, and industrial plastic in their past lives. This one is a beaut.
2. Veja
View this post on Instagram
Veja makes some of my favorite simple-but-not-boring white sneakers in the biz, so I was delighted that its frequent mentions in the comment section prompted me to dig deeper into the brand’s ethics. Veja’s commitment to sustainability is so extensive it’s highlighted in a bonafide digital suite on their website, which details how they source their cotton (directly from fair-trade producer associations in Brazil) and their rubber (directly from seringueiro communities in the Amazon forest), and how the sneakers are made (through Atelier Sans Frontières, an organization that hires people who would otherwise be excluded from the labor market and helps them develop a career path). In addition to their classic offering, they also have a whole range of vegan sneakers.
3. Ace & Jig
View this post on Instagram
Ace & Jig is allllll about textiles. They work with artisans in India to create them, starting with raw cotton that’s subsequently dyed and warped. How fun is the rainbow fabric on this wrap jacket??? Or the sorbet shades in this dress? Also — I really love this — Ace & Jig brings fabric scraps to their community events so they can be repurposed in fun ways, and encourages customers to swap or resell styles they no longer wear.
4. Mara Hoffman
View this post on Instagram
Mara Hoffman has always been one of my favorite brands to call in for shoots, not only because of the creative designs but also because of the range of sizes most pieces come in (00-20). Turns out their approach to sustainability is one more bullet point to add to the substantial list of things they do well. They use responsibly sourced organic, recycled and regenerated materials as much as possible, collaborate with a Peruvian organization called Art Atlas to support local community development and artisan independence, and only work with factories that are committed to abiding by internationally accepted environmental and human rights standards. And can I just reiterate how much I love the end result? This dress deserves to be worn on every beach this summer.
5. Christy Dawn
View this post on Instagram
Christy Dawn is basically the brand equivalent of a dream I once had that I was lying in a beautiful meadow surrounded by floral sundresses. Sounds nice, right? I can assure you it was — or rather, is, because all you need to do to experience it is head to Christy Dawn’s website. All of their pieces are made from deadstock, a.k.a. leftover fabric discarded by other fashion houses. They’re also sewn in L.A., keeping production entirely local. I’ve got my eye on this honey, to be worn with espadrilles and a subtle tan.
6. ADAY
View this post on Instagram
ADAY intends for each of its pieces to withstand the test of time — and trends — so they spend lots of time making sure to get them right with substantial testing and customer feedback. All the factories they work with are chosen specifically for the environmentally friendly chemicals they use to treat the fabric. They also entice customers to repurpose old ADAY pieces by gifting them to a friend (send in a photo, and you’ll both get a $10 store credit, which you could totally use on this perfect mock-neck sweatshirt).
7. Evewear
View this post on Instagram
I have these pink gingham pajamas from Evewear and they’re so fun I frequently find myself entertaining the idea of wearing them outside my apartment. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, they’re also super-duper soft. Like Christy Dawn, Evewear uses deadstock fabric that would otherwise end up in a landfill. They also produce small-batch collections to reduce waste. This set looks ideal for summertime, which happens to be right around the corner.
8. Kowtow
View this post on Instagram
Kowtow has a veritable laundry list of reasons why the fabrics they use are so sustainable, and that pun is fully intended because one of those reasons is sustainable water management. All of their packaging, from swing tags to boxes, is also recyclable. Oh! And they have a great section on their website with helpful tips for how to extend the lifespan of your clothes. You can also send a used Kowtow garment back to the company and they will repurpose it. Speaking of the clothes, can we talk about how I want to wear this oversized button-down as a coverup with every swimsuit I own this summer? While we’re at it, let’s discuss how good this knit polo is.
Do you shop at any of these brands already? Or have any other underrated and similarly sustainable favorites? Tell me in the comments.
*Elizabeth Suzann was also a top contender in the comment section of my original story, but I left it out of this roundup since I included it in another recent post on small brand discoveries.
Feature image via Kowtow.
,
