10 Sustainable Brands You Should be Shopping in 2021
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Gone are the days where it was cool to stock up on cheap, of-the-moment trends from fast-fashion brands. What's actually trendy in 2021? Thinking more sustainably when it comes to our shopping habits, and investing in ethical fashion instead.
Environmentally-friendly and sustainable clothing brands have seen a rise in popularity in recent years, and interest has only grown during the pandemic as we focus more on seasonless fashion. To be honest, there's already a long list of things to feel bad about — we don't need to add our wardrobe to that pile. So, if you're still buying excessively and wastefully, without considering factory conditions and harsh, Earth-harming chemicals, it's time to reconsider.
However, we're not here to shame you. If you're anything like us, the second you smell a new, celebrity-approved trend, you feel an urge to test it out. The good news is, you don't have to completely call it quits on shopping. We're just saying that it's well worth it to take a beat before that impulse buy, and to try to shop more consciously and thoughtfully in the future.
RELATED: How to Shop Sustainably No Matter Your Budget
If you're wondering how to start and which sustainable fashion brands are worth shopping in 2021, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up the best options for you, ahead, and are always on the hunt for creative styling tricks, helping you reinvent what you already own.
Everlane
From the factories it works with to the materials it sources, ethical resources are a main focus for this brand, as well as customer transparency. Not only does Everlane want you to know where your clothes come, it also wants you to know how much they cost to make, so now you can actually see where your hard-earned paycheck is going, rather than just throwing money into the abyss.
Shop it: Cashmere Polo, $128; everlane.com
Girlfriend
This brand just became your one-stop shop for all things athleisure. On top of creating leggings that are both compressive and flexible, its clothes are made from recycled polyester and water bottles. Yep, that's right — 25 bottles go into each pair. When your items have run their course (which, the brand promises, won't be for a very long time), you can even recycle them through the ReGirlfriend initiative.
Shop it: Earth High-Rise Pocket Leggings, $78; girlfriend.com
Levi's
Thankfully, this celeb-favorite denim brand has made on the list! It is, however, important to point out that there are varying degrees of sustainability, which is why Levi's makes sure to break things down for its customers. For instance, the brand invests in local cotton farms, and many of its designs are made with hemp fabric to conserve water and manufactured with recycled water bottles to reduce landfill waste. Levi's also has a fully recyclable line called WellThread, which is its most sustainable collection ever.
Shop it: WellThread Cottonized Hemp Ribcage Straight Jeans, $115 (originally $128); levi.com.
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Everybody & Everybody
Trust us, you won't be compromising on style here. This eco-friendly and size-inclusive company, which creates a ton of sleek basics, uses recycled materials for its clothes and produces everything in factories close to home (or wherever the fabric came from) in order to conserve energy. Everybody & Everyone is also team player in the world of fashion. Its eco-partnerships initiative means it works with other sustainable brands to "swap" resources, including materials, to create less waste.
Shop it: One and Done Dress, $159; everybodyeveryone.com
ThredUP
This massive online consignment retailer makes sustainable fashion easily accessible through just a click of a button (so, no more excuses!). Thrifting clothes that might otherwise end up in a landfill is an easy way to reduce waste, not to mention is less harsh on the environment — and now, you can do so from the comfort of your home!
Shop it: Johnathan Simkhai, $82 (originally $103); thredup.com.
Reformation
Did you know that 60 percent of Reformation's cutting and sewing and 10 percent of their manufacturing are done in-house at a Los Angeles-based sustainable sewing factory? The rest of their manufacturing is done in factories that must follow a strict code of conduct that requires fair labor, safe working environments, and sustainable practices. Plus, every item has a "RefScale" listed, which will let you know just how much water and carbon dioxide was saved during manufacturing.
Shop it: Carolena dress, $248; thereformation.com.
Amour Vert
Amour Vert (which actually translates to "Green Love" in French) practices a zero-waste design method, meaning the majority of its manufacturing happens locally in the USA (97% in California alone) with non-toxic dyes and sustainable fibers. The brand has also made it a mission to literally plant seeds of change — for every tee purchased, the company will plant a tree, with 1,652 acres reforested to date.
Shop it: Kotow Pleat Pants, $228; .
H&M Conscious
H&M is one of the few major fast-fashion brands that has committed to sustainable fashion, and is currently working toward only using recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030. On top of having a line specifically dedicated to eco-friendly fashion, H&M has been testing out reusable paper packaging, so that its shipments create less waste.
Shop it: Rib-Knit Cardigan, $20; hm.com.
Amur
Organic, natural, and reclaimed fabric is this brand's MO. But, the NYC-based brand won't sell you short; not only are the clothes eco-friendly, they're also incredibly fashionable and chic, including ruffles, prints, and other whimsical details you'll actually want to wear.
Shop it: Gingham Jumpsuit, $224 (originally $448); amur.com.
Verloop
As we've learned, sustainable fashion doesn't have to be dull. Verloop's colorful, vibrant pieces are mostly made from yarn and knitwear, all in the name of its mission: reducing textile waste. The company is dedicated to maintaining a high standard of vegan-friendly yarn, hand craftsmanship, and minimal waste and scrap. It even turns leftover yarn into other products, such as cute decorative pillows.
Shop it: Tiger Stripe Scarf, $70; shop.verloopknits.com.
