Image by Toad & Co
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A lot of sustainable fashion lives in the realm of luxury, at prices unattainable to most folks. It’s difficult to recommend certain brands to friends and family knowing that one piece could eat their entire clothing budget.
We firmly believe that non-toxic clothing should be accessible to everyone. That’s why we’re always on the lookout for more budget-friendly sustainable brands.
Thankfully, since sustainable fashion is coming more into the mainstream, there are more and more affordable brands that are ethically making long-lasting fashion with natural fibers and skin-safe dyes.
Here’s the thing. You’re never going to find quality sustainably and ethically made fashion at the same prices as Shein and other fast fashion brands, unless you manage to snag a particularly great sale or discount code. It’s just not realistic—and that’s a good thing.
Sustainable clothing is all about quality over quantity. The idea is to find durable, versatile, and timeless pieces made of natural fibers that can be loved and repaired for years to come. It avoids the trends that lead to overconsumption and instead focuses on developing your own style that’s comfortable and multi-purpose. So yes, pieces that are built to last are going to be more expensive than shirts made of tissue-thin synthetics that will rip after only a month (if that.)
In the realm of sustainable fashion, we set our affordability standards at basic tops for under $50, fashion tops for under $100, and dresses and jumpsuits for under $150 (all prices are in USD.)
As with all non-toxic fashion, do your due diligence before you buy. Look for brands that use natural, bio-based, and recycled fibers such as hemp, cotton, Tencel. For ethically sourced and organic natural fibers, look for certifications such as GOTS and BCI. Look for non-toxic and natural dyes, and check for certifications such as Oeko-Tex to be sure that the garment is truly safe for your skin.
For ethical manufacturing, look for brands that are transparent about their supply chains, from fabric sourcing to assembly. Brands that foster a short and local supply chain, or that regularly audit their partners, will be much more likely to maintain safe and humane practices throughout the entire process. Finally, look for brands that skip virgin plastic in their packaging in favor of recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable materials.
To get you started, here are a few of our favorite affordable non-toxic and sustainable brands.
1. Thought
What we love: Thought makes women’s clothing with natural fibers like organic cotton, hemp, Tencel and recycled materials. Its timeless styles, including loungewear, basics, and formal outfits, are manufactured in limited runs to avoid overproduction. It holds all of its suppliers and contractors to its code of conduct, and uses recycled FSC-certified paper with compostable cornstarch bags in its packaging.
Price Range: $51.29-$141.23
2. Kotn
What we love: This certified B Corp works directly with small farms in the Nile Delta and Faiyum regions of Egypt to ethically source its BCI and GOTS-certified cotton and linen. It’s fabric is spun and dyed in-house with Oeko-Tex-certified dyes. Its garments, which are also made with Tencel and merino wool, are assembled locally and in Portugal. Its collection includes basics, knitwear, and dresses packaged in reusable cotton totes with recycled polyester labels.
Price Range: $35-$198
3. Colorful Standard
What we love: Colorful Standard partners with local suppliers in Portugal to make bright and timeless essentials. It uses organic cotton and recycled merino wool for its pre-shrunk pieces that are garment dyed with Oeko-Tex-certified dyes. Its manufacturing process includes laser cutting to minimize fabric waste, and its packaging uses FSC-certified paper packaging and recycled materials.
Price Range: $11-$88
4. Tradlands
What we love: Tradlands seeks to take the stress out of getting dressed with durable and timeless essentials that go up to 4X. It uses quality fabrics like linen, cotton, wool, alpaca, and Tencel to make its garments, which include dresses, sweaters, bottoms, and tops. Each piece is well constructed with sturdy seams and buttons, and the brand offers detailed care guides on its site to help you get the longest life span out of your clothes. It manufactures in small batches and its packaging is compostable
Watch out for: There is currently little information about its supply chain publicly available.
Price Range: $84-$214
5. Toad & Co
What we love: This California brand uses organic cotton, hemp, Tencel, and recycled fabrics to make cute and fun clothes that are built to last for every season. It has a publicly available restricted substances list to ensure transparency around its materials and dyes. It sends its orders in reusable mailers or recycled paper packaging. It also has a pre-loved section that knocks its prices down a bit more.
Watch out for: Its Samba fabric has a small percentage of elastane, so avoid garments with this material if you’re sensitive to it.
Price Range: $18-$130
6. Organic Basics
What we love: Organic Basics designs its essentials in Copenhagen and uses long-lasting and ethically sourced materials including GOTS-certified cotton, Oeko-Tex-certified Tencel, and GRS-certified recycled nylon. All of its partner factories are publicly listed for manufacturing transparency.
Watch out for: Some products contain a small percentage of elastane, so make sure to check the material makeup before you buy. There is little information about its packaging available.
Price Range: $12-$150
7. TenTree
What we love: This certified B-corp uses Tencel, organic cotton, hemp, and recycled polyester for its women’s, men’s and kid’s collections. It regularly audits its partner factories to make sure they comply with its Code of Conduct and fairly compensate their workers. It uses FSC-certified paper and biodegradable shipping mailers.
Watch out for: There is little information on its dyes publicly available.
Price Range: $18-$118
8. No Nasties
What we love: This climate-positive brand uses organic and recycled cotton for its basics, dresses, and activewear. It accepts old No Nasties clothes to resell, repair, or recycle. All of its products are made in India from beginning to end, and it uses its overstock fabric to make new styles. Its packaging is plastic-free.
Watch out for: There is little information on its dyes available.
Price Range: $18.99-$72.99
9. PopLinen
What we love: This sustainable brand was founded to bring inclusivity and minority representation to sustainable fashion. It uses majority plant-based fabrics such as GOTS-certified cotton, Tencel, and linen with Oeko-Tex-certified dyes. All of its products, which go up to 3X, are cut and sewn in Los Angeles. Its packaging is made with recyclable and compostable materials.
Watch out for: It’s unclear where it sources its materials from. Some products contain a small percentage of spandex, so make sure you check the product page before you buy.
Price Range: $10-$118
10. Honest Basics
What we love: Honest Basics creates sustainable essentials for men and women. All of its products contain GOTS-certified cotton and recycled cotton. Its partner factories, which are located in India and Bangladesh, are selected based on its sustainability criteria and in-person evaluation.
Watch out for: There is little information about its dyes available. Some products contain a small amount of elastane.
Price Range: $13.05-$54.73
11. Armed Angels
What we love: Armed Angels uses GOTS-certified organic cotton, Tencel, organic wool, and GRS-certified recycled fibers for its basics and accessories. Its cotton is sourced from small-scale farms in India and its garments are assembled in Portugal. It offers care and repair guides to help you get the longest lifespan out of your clothing.
Watch out for: There is little information about its packaging available.
Price Range: $9.13-$147.38
12. H&M
What we love: While H&M no longer has a specifically “conscious collection,” it now includes the material makeup and supplier of each product and shares its Tier 1 and 2 suppliers. It has a publicly available list of chemical restrictions, and uses cotton in the majority of its clothing.
Watch out for: Check the material makeup for each product, as many may contain synthetics. It’s still working on getting all of the plastic out of its packaging.
Price Range: $6-$219
13. Ably
What we love: This innovative brand makes functional fashion with custom Filium technology that can repel liquids, stains, and odors without sacrificing softness and breathability. Its collection includes cotton, linen, and modal basics for men and women.
Watch out for: There is little information on its supply chain, dyes, or packaging publicly available.
Price Range: $18-$135
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