9 Ethical & Sustainable Vegan Clothing Brands with Truly Animal-Friendly Fashion
Similar to the fact that vegan food is not always healthy, animal-free clothing is not necessarily environmentally-conscious. These brands, though, are doing things better with sustainable vegan clothing that considers the welfare of animals and our collective home, Mother Earth.
Ecologically-minded production is crucial to create truly animal-friendly fashion. Many fashion brands (especially, but not limited to, fast fashion companies) use synthetic fibers derived from petroleum for their "vegan clothing".
But when garments are produced using fossil fuels, we can hardly call these items safe for animals or wildlife. The extraction of fossil fuels is not only a driver of our climate crisis, but is also linked to short-term effects like habitat degradation, species loss, and fragmentation.
So, for truly animal-friendly fashion, look for clothing that is not just cruelty-free but is made with respect to the broader environment, too.
Some elements of sustainable vegan clothing include:
Low Impact or Regenerative Fibers: Look for fabrics like hemp, linen, organic cotton, Tencel, and recycled materials. Even better if the fabrics were sourced in a climate beneficial, regenerative way.
Waste Management: Does the brand have a water recycling program? How does the brand handle fabric waste?
Carbon Emissions: Look for efforts from brands to minimize (or offset) CO2 emissions. Does the brand use renewable energy? Source local fabrics and produce locally? Offset their carbon footprint?
Another consideration that too often gets overlooked, is the people behind the vegan clothing. Brands will advertise that their clothing didn't harm any animals, while omitting the fact that their garments were produced in sweatshops where workers earned poverty wages and faced unsafe conditions at work. Ethical vegan clothing should not just about the just treatment of animals, but about fairness for human beings too.
Here are some things to look for in ethical vegan clothing:
Transparency: As a bare minimum, ensure that the brand knows where their fabrics are sourced from and where their clothing is made.
Fair Wages and Safe Conditions: See what sort of practices the brand has to ensure ethical production: do they own their own factories, produce in their own studio, use certified factories? How do they ensure fair wages? What benefits (like education, healthcare, transportation stipends, paid time off) do they provide? What practices are in place to ensure safety for workers?
Ownership: Who is profiting from this brand? Is the label owned by a billionaire or is it a small business? Perhaps you'd like to look for brands that are BIPOC-owned and/or woman-owned, too.
While it's not always possible to find brands that check all of these boxes, these are criteria to keep in mind when browsing for eco-friendly and ethical vegan clothing.
This guide contains affiliate links. As always, all brands featured meet rigorous sustainability criteria.
MARKETPLACES WITH ECO VEGAN CLOTHING
Made Trade
Thoughtfully selecting ethically-sourced, well-designed clothing and other goods, Made Trade is your sustainable alternative to Anthropologie and Nordstrom. The online store curates a variety of clothing — from basics and loungewear to everyday apparel and special occasion garments — and offers shoppers the ability to sort by their 7 different values, one of which is vegan. So be sure to select this value to find plenty of ethical vegan clothing from makers around the world.
Highlights: Supports Cultural + Craft Preservation, Woman-Owned, Donates to Fibershed
Size Range: XS-6XL
Investment: $ - $$
GALERIE.LA
Founded by a former celebrity stylist, GALERIE.LA forges the gap between sustainability and style. The LA-based brick-and-mortar and online marketplace features a selection of only the most beautiful ecologically and socially conscious pieces. Along with values like Artisan, Eco-Friendly, and Local, GALERIE.LA has a Vegan collection with clothing made from fibers like cupro, linen, organic cotton, and hemp.
Highlights: Black Woman-Owned, Expertly Curated Sustainable Fashion, Physical + Online Store
Size Range: XS-XL
Investment: $$
ourCommonplace
ourCommonplace is an online sustainable fashion store with luxe garments and casual clothing made consciously from earth-minded fibers like hemp and organic cotton. The marketplace has a Cruelty-Free value to help you find eco-friendly vegan clothing, though the brands meeting this value are not entirely vegan. Note: The Cruelty-Free collection includes clothing made from repurposed non-vegan materials (like upcycled silk) and some responsibly souced animal materials.
Highlights: WOC-Owned, 1% for the Planet Member, Carbon-Offset Shipping
Size Range: XS-2XL
Investment: $$ - $$$
VEGAN CLOTHING BRANDS
Christy Dawn
Flowy, feminine, and vintage-inspired, Christy Dawn's dresses transport the wearer to a (very chic) countryside. Christy Dawn's dreamy dresses and other apparel are made from reclaimed deadstock fabrics or organic cotton sourced from Oshadi Collective in India. Each piece is vegan-friendly and earth-minded, plus the brand's pieces have a great resale value on sites like Poshmark.
Highlights: Upcycled or Regenerative Fabrics, Quality Pieces,
Size Range: XS-3XL
Investment: $$$
Organic Basics
For undergarments, essentials, and loungewear, Organic Basics will be your new go-to. The organic underwear brand has super comfy tees, sweaters, activewear, pajamas, and even denim for your versatile capsule wardrobe. Each piece is made from fabrics like organic cotton, TENCEL™, and recycled fibers in vetted, traceable factories. Many of Organic Basics' pieces are PETA-Approved — they do also carry some clothing made from recycled animal-based fibers like recycled wool or recycled cashmere.
Highlights: Traceable Supply Chain, Eco Fibers, Carbon-Offset Shipping
Size Range: XS-XL
Investment: $$
Sotela
Sotela is an inclusive and body-positive fashion label that uses earth-minded materials like lyocell, linen, and organic cotton for their eco-friendly vegan clothing. Each piece is handmade-to-order right in Sotela's California studio, minimizing waste and giving shoppers the opportunity to customize the lengths of sleeves and inseams. Great for those needing petite or tall sizes!
Highlights: WOC-Owned, Size-Inclusive, Made-to-Order, Eco Fibers
Size Range: Unique sizing system; corresponds to sizes 0-30
Investment: $$$
PACT
Sourcing from Fair Trade Certified factories and using only GOTS-certified organic cotton, PACT creates eco-friendly and ethical vegan clothing. The affordable conscious fashion brand has comfy basics, loungewear, activewear, and casual clothing.
Highlights: Organic Fabrics, Fair Trade Certified Production, Affordable
Size Range: XS-2XL
Investment: $
Not Perfect Linen
Embracing and even being inspired by the imperfections of this low-impact fiber, Not Perfect Linen creates effortless garments from European linen. Each piece is designed for simplicity and timelessness and is made to order in Lithuania using OEKO-TEX 100 Standard linen fabric.
Highlights: Eco-Friendy Fibers (linen), Local Production, Made-to-Order
Size Range: XS-XL
Investment: $$
Kotn
Kotn is a certified B-Corporation that believes in doing apparel differently. The ethical vegan clothing brand skips the middlemen and sources their raw materials directly from farmers, which provides farmers with better incomes while lowering prices for shoppers, too. With the goal of sourcing only organic cotton within 5 years, brand is also supporting farmers in the transition to organic agricultural practices. The brand has also partnered with a local NGO to build schools in Nile Delta, Egypt, where they source their cotton.
Highlights: Supports Farmers, Natural Fibers, Gives Back
Size Range: XS-2XL
Investment: $
Note: Sustainability-driven companies take different approaches to this common goal and are all in different parts of this journey. At Conscious Fashion Collective, we celebrate, respect, and honor this diversity in values, expertise, and context of craftsmanship on the supply side, and we also encourage consumers to make purchases aligned with their personal style and values. Please refer to each brand's official website to learn more.
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Image Credit: tonlé