70 sustainable brands from high end to high street
Sustainability. It’s a buzz word that has gathered momentum over the last 5 years. But are we any closer to achieving it. There’s so much talk on greenwashing and how brands spend more money on making them look like they’re sustainable, than on actually doing the work to lesson their environmental impact. And it can be difficult as a consumer to really know the truth behind how sustainable a brand actually is.
It’s also really hard to find the information out. There are companies that have reports that show us how transparent a company is, but not actually if they are sustainable. Which I find really confusing. There’s websites like Good On You which will give ratings on how ethical and sustainable a brand is and this is a great resource, but as I found out when doing my research, not all brands are included.
What I have done is read as much as possible and I have looked on brands ‘about pages’ to see what they are saying about their environmental impact, social responsibility policies and their production details.
I am also really aware that many sustainable brands are way out of people’s budgets. And we can understand why - they don’t cut corners to cut costs, they pay a fair wage, they have smaller production runs, their fabrics are ethically sourced etc etc. Of course, these items are going to be more expensive. But that still doesn’t help someone on a minimum wage with three kids to feed. Another issue is that many brands with smaller production runs don’t run bigger sizes. So a plus size woman may find it really difficult to shop sustainably. And here lies the problem. We all have our part to play, but if shopping sustainably isn’t an option for everyone, we’re never going to move forward.
Personally, I am trying to buy better. I still buy from the high street, but these pieces are more considered now. I try to avoid trend led pieces in favour of items that I will wear again and again. I love to support independents and I do buy higher ticketed items, but again only pieces that will stand the test of time.
I have put together 70 brands that I love and that are doing their bit on the sustainability front. Some are higher end brands that are completely sustainable and others are high street brands that are offering more sustainable options and are doing their part to be better.
I suppose the best thing we can all do is buy less. And I hope that doesn’t seem disingenuous considering what I do for a living. But my posts are truly about giving you options and that might include preloved, high street, high end or even inspiring you to dig deep to the back of your wardrobe and rediscover pieces that may have been forgotten about. I really hope that comes across on my Instagram feed and blogs.
At the end of the day we need to drastically reduce what we send to landfill and so buying less, buying better is the only way. I love fashion, i’ve worked in the industry my entire career but being more considered in what we buy, thinking about the environmental impact our buying habits is having and trying to ensure our kids future world is protected, that’s all our responsibility.
*The items below are a mixture of price points ranging from £35 - £945. I haven’t linked to the individual items but I have listed the brands alphabetically at the bottom of the page with links to their websites.
