5 Awesome Ethical Clothing Companies

Ethical clothing companies should sell more than just the latest fashion trend, right?  Well seasonal colours and this year’s must-have styles are beginning to take a back seat in the fashion industry. Hallelujah. Ethical and sustainable clothing is now the fashion with big brands jumping in on it while those that ignore the issues get slated.

Boohoo has been heavily criticized for items like the £4 dress. The media continue to slam misguided for its fast-fashion methods. All the while smaller brands are pivoting and fine-tuning their frameworks to draw a devoted customer base.

In fact, 87% of US millennials are willing to spend extra on companies producing more ethical clothing. So it appears that these companies could be more than just the latest fashion. Could ethical clothing companies be here to stay?

I believe the answer is yes.

Why Choose Ethical Clothing?

Ethical consumption is a complex subject but there’s a number of very simple reasons why you should shop ethically.

Producing goods ethically is a particular problem in the clothing and fashion industry which faces huge challenges from environmental destruction to slave labour.

There is always more than meets the eye with ethical choices, so let’s take a little time to explore some of the companies and where their clothes come from before they reach our shelves.

The Run Down

Rapanui Ethical Clothing

Rapanui is leading the way when it comes to ethical clothing. It’s high on my list as they blend ethical working practices, sustainability and innovation into an industry in desperate need of change.

Rapanui aims to redesign the clothing industry. All clothing is made from natural materials, using renewable energy, and are even designed to be sent back and repurposed when worn out.

That’s refreshing, a company thinking about what happens when clothing is finished with, not just what to sell you next!

Hiding on the Isle of Wight, everything’s made to order, meaning the company only makes what you need, when you need it. Plus there’s Teemill which allows everyone to access the Rapanui supply chain and technology.

If you’re looking to start your own t-shirt or clothing brand, Teemill allows you to easily start, taking away the headache of finding ethical manufacturers.

Rapanui focus on the whole journey ‘from seed to shop’ creating ethical farming, workplace practices and eco-friendly products. 

Icebreaker Ethical Clothing

I love Icebreaker, even as I’m writing this I’m wearing one of its merino wool jumpers.

It’s one of my favourite items of clothing which I wear almost every day and I still expect it to last for years. A big tick for quality and sustainability.

But what about the rest of Icebreaker’s ethics?

The company treat everything with respect from sheep, to farmers, to factory workers. Its products are all based on high-quality merino wool, which could present real ethical issues when using materials from living animals. Aka sheep.

Icebreaker works hard to establish long term relationships with merino wool growers and they’re not sheepish about ensuring rigorous workplace practices. All farms come under regular audits and must meet the growing company’s expectations.

The merino wool specialists ground themselves on a simple philosophy; ‘It’s not about what they make, but how they make it.’

In many ways, Icebreaker is an ethics company that happens to make clothing.

KOTN Ethical Clothing

The Canadian based company focuses on what the name suggests, cotton. Cotton comes under a lot of pressure from environmentalist now due to its intensive resource sapping production methods.

That’s not to say we should just discard it and look for alternatives. KOTN is showing the way to create cotton products. Quality essentials, ethically made from authentic Egyptian cotton.

A big focus for KOTN is stopping the cycle of child labour in the fashion industry, something I think we can all get behind! It partners with pro-literacy organisations on the Nile Delta and funds local construction of schools in Egypt.

For its cotton, the team work directly with farms to ensure a high level of agriculture and sustainability. They’re helping more farms to introduce better working practices for the benefit of workers and the environment.

High quality, long-lasting clothes and a better world in the process. Pretty ethical in my book.

Komodo Ethical Clothing

Komodo brand themselves as the ‘Original ethical brand since ‘88.’ The long-standing company strongly believe that today’s simple actions have a high impact on the future.

The company focuses its efforts in two particular areas:

Ecology – Using innovative fabrics including green PU coatings, recycled plastics from bottles, reducing single-use plastic and creating vegan products causing no harm to animals.

Responsibility – Working closely with factories to ensure safe working conditions, fair wages and support for the local communities.

“At Komodo, we are dedicated to creating clothes that are sustainable and don’t have a negative impact on the environment. We are passionate about protecting and nurturing our planet, but we also love fashion and don’t believe the two need to be mutually exclusive. Why can’t we look great whilst fighting for the world we live in ?!!”

Patagonia Ethical Clothing

Patagonia holds the environment and social responsibility at its core. It’s inspiring how hard its people work for positive change in the fashion industry and the wider world.

The outdoors clothing company’s supply chain strives to reverse the adverse social and environmental impacts of products. This includes safe, fair, legal and humane working conditions. That’s the least we should all expect of our workplace no matter the job.

Patagonia constantly audits and improves the environmental impact of its chosen materials, manufacturing methods, plus how efficiently resources are being used and the impact of local facilities.

Its drive to fight global warming is impressive too; supporting and funding local activists in communities across the globe. 

Wornwear enables customers to recycle and repair clothes with ease. And did I mention that, of course, all clothing is created with industry-leading sustainability methods?

To be honest, the list is endless. Patagonia continues to build the new standard for sustainable and ethical clothing.

I’ll leave you with one (of many) beautiful and fascinating Patagonia films that they create to educate the world about our world.

Finally here is a selection of benefits to shopping with any one of these ethical clothing companies:

• Good for the environment – Helps reduce and eliminate pollution, pesticides and habitat destruction.
• Positive for society – Improve workers rights, pay and conditions plus strong industry creates successful local communities.
• Improvements for animal welfare – Protects animals that create materials like wool and leather.
• Well being – Making positive choices is essential in leading a fulfilled life, affecting positive change in the world only results in a little more contentment.

Changing the world, even if it’s just one person at a time

Some brands shout and scream about how amazing they are, but to me, being ethical is about doing.

To use a bad cliche – walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.

There are some truly inspiring companies above, some of which I truly feel proud to wear their clothing.