Words by Smiley Team
From Boden to Lucy and Yak, sustainable clothing brands have been popping up in recent years to offer an alternative to fast fashion. Here are some affordable and trendy options for ethical and environmentally-friendly fashion brands that ship to the UK.
Drop the cheap, sweatshop-produced retailers and opt for Plant Faced Clothing. Their streetwear is produced using water-based vegan inks and their workers earning the living wage, get reasonable hours, and operate in safe, healthy conditions. The company minimises waste, avoids plastic and is transitioning to using only recycled fibres for all their woven clothing.
Shop their clothing here.
Producing “clothing for women who dress in protest”, as they put it, Birdsong stands firmly against the damaging environmental and social impact of fast fashion. Starting out as a feminist brand, the London-based company has expanded its mission to centre around creating good livelihoods for workers who usually face barriers to employment. Their locally made clothing is sewn and decorated by craftspeople on the London living wage and features bold colours and patterns as well as more muted items.
Shop their clothing here.
For contemporary fashion that puts future generations and the planet first, shop at TALA. They sell affordable ethical fashion including gym and running gear as well as comfy essentials made from eco-friendly materials in comparatively ethical working environments. Their fabrics are made from recycled, upcycled and sustainable fibres such as bamboo.
Shop their clothing here.
Zero-waste denim brand takes unwanted jeans and transforms them into unique and more desirable items. From the washing process to the decorating, each step of the way is focused on minimising its toll on the environment. Even the scrap pieces of denim are saved from going to waste, carefully collected and given to artist Ian Berry to create ‘paintings’ with them.
Shop their jackets and jeans here.
Exchange environmentally damaging accessories for BEEN London’s eco-conscious collections of recycled leather bags. To offset any emissions from their production process, the company plants a tree in the Peruvian Amazon for every order made.
Shop their bag collection here.
