Responsible Brands to Shop for Summer Styles
With summer right around the corner, many of us are on the hunt for clothing to wear in the warmer weather. And what better way to add some responsible shopping habits into your wardrobe than buying for seasonal transitions. It's a perfect time to recommit to a mindful wardrobe and purchase from brands that are eco-friendly, socially conscious and give back to their communities. Before the brand recommendations, my first piece of advice is to go into your wardrobe and take note of the styles that are missing. If you already have 5 pairs of denim shorts, it probably means you don't actually need to purchase more, but instead you may be missing some dresses for work. Take this into consideration when purchasing items that are meant to be timeless investments for years to come! Cheers to summer!
tops / blouses
ONLY CHILD - Made from natural fabrics like linen and raw silk, Only Child works to create flattering clothing for all body types. Made in small batches, each item is created with care and sustainable efforts.
SEZANE - One of my current favorite brands, the New York based Sezane is creating beautiful colored and printed tops for women. Selling a variety of blouses and tee styles in a small batches, Sezane chooses flattering and feminine silhouettes.
POWER OF MY PEOPLE - Perfecting the button down shirt, Power of My People creates beautiful, sustainable short sleeve and long sleeve button shirts for women in fitted and oversized styles.
EVERLANE - A great brand for affordable tops and blouses in high quality fabrics and styles, Everlane is a great brand to shop for all occasions whether work or casual wear. Everlane is also a great place to check out tees and tanks.
JAMIE AND THE JONES - Another brand using natural fibers to create their linen and silk fabrics, Jamie and the Jones curates chore product and season releases in classics styles and chosen color schemes.
ELIZABETH SUZANN - One of the leaders in in-house manufacturing in the ethical fashion industry, Elizabeth Suzann creates neutral staples that are flattering and adaptable across seasons, locations and styles. The brand has a loyal following and is loved for the silhouettes, natural fabrics and transparent conversation about how we wear and treat our bodies.
Tees / Tanks
AMOUR VERT - As a leader in the sustainable fashion industry, Amour Vert has taken steps to share in more detail about the fabrics + fibers that are used to create our clothing. Their tees and tanks are all made from materials like organic cotton to ensure a more safe, eco-friendly production and comfortable product.
LNBF - Another brand that is conscious of the fabrics that are used to make their product, Leave Nothing But Footprints creates simple, sustainable basics. Their white tee is currently my favorite tee in my wardrobe!
KNOWN SUPPLY - Known Supply was founded to create timeless quality while highlighting the makers behind our clothes. With each tee and tank you purchase, you will learn about the maker who sewed and produced your garment, providing a closer insight of what it looks like to know who made our clothes.
TRADLANDS - Inspired by a tomboy style, Tradlands creates for the modern women that desires constructed tops and their tees are no different. Their styles are well fitting, well made and comfortable.
ELEGANTEES - With a mission to end human trafficking, Elegantees uses their business to donate and fight for the rights of women in Nepal. And Elegantees goes a step further in employing these women to ethically create their tees and clothing.
pants / Shorts
MARINE LAYER - Another personal favorite, Marine Layer creates soft and comfortable basics and staples for your wardrobe. They sell several different short and pant styles as well as offering other categories like dresses, skirts, sweaters and more.
JESSE KAMM - These well-known pants have a loyal following for being flattering and well-fitting. They come in many different colors and offer a detailed size description of how you can shop for home-try ons.
EVERLANE - Everlane will be releasing denim shorts and skirts today and the styles are made to fill a gap in your summer denim wardrobe. Although I have not tried these out, they are worth a look for simple styles.
jumpsuits
VETTA - This brand's capsule wardrobe mindset helps teach us how to rewear the items we have in our wardrobe. Their jumpsuits are versatile and able to pair well with items you already own.
HACKWITH DESIGN HOUSE - One of my current favorite sustainable design brands, HDH creates silhouettes for the modern women with neutral colors and versatile styling. Their jumpsuits can be worn in multiple different ways and come in many different colors.
GARMENTORY - A great site to choose from an assortment of brands, the jumpsuits on Garmentory are a mixture of styles, sizes and colors.
Dresses / skirts
DOEN - A favorite for printed dresses, beautiful tops and cozy sweaters. Doen creates timeless and feminine dress silhouettes with California influence for all occasions.
CHRISTY DAWN - Another California based brand, Christy Dawn creates feminine dresses and jumpsuits from dead stock fabric (material left over from other fashion brands production). Sold in small quantities, these dresses will bring a unique, sustainable piece to your wardrobe.
PEOPLE TREE - This U.K. based brand has always been a leader in sustainable efforts within the fashion industry and they are a perfect spot to shop dresses and skirts for a range of styles for all occasions.
REFORMATION - For another brand to shop for an assortment of styles, Reformation offers dresses for day time, evening and event wear. This Los Angeles based brand creates all items in their company owned factory with goals of ethics and sustainability.
TRIBE ALIVE - As a small brand, Tribe Alive creates seasonal releases that feature clothing, jewelry and accessories. This season the brand has created beautiful skirt and top sets as well as dresses and jumpsuits for pops of color and versatility.
ACE AND JIG - For the pattern lover, this brand is Ace and Jig is creating impactful, fun and colorful pieces for your wardrobe. Although an investment piece, their dresses and skirts come in traditional silhouettes that are made from high quality material.
Shoes
EVERLANE - Everlane continues to create practical, seasonal shoes for all occasions. With the high quality material and construction of each style, it's a great spot to look for sandals, summer heels and other footwear.
NISOLO - Consistently an all time favorite, Nisolo continues to release practical, minimal and neutral shoes for all seasons.
BRYR CLOGS - Still on my wish list, Bryr Clogs has a wonderful collection of beautiful, handmade leather clogs in many different styles depending on your preference - varying heel heights, colors and strap construction. Each one is created made-to-order in San Francisco.
INTENTIONALLY BLANK - For a dressier heels or sandal, this brand is one to shop for statement styles in seasonal colors and exclusive releases.
PROUD MARY - Selling beautifully woven sandals and loafers that are ethically made with Southern style charm in mind. They're a great selection for uniquely crafted and comfortable flat shoes.
VEJA - A favorite for eco-friendly and high quality sneakers for men and women, Veja creates shoes with ethically sourced materials, fair wages for workers and continuous growth in sustainability efforts.
COLCICO - A perfect go-to brand for dressy, event shoes to add to your warm weather wardrobe. As a higher priced range designer, purchasing sandals and heels from Colcico can be treated as investment pieces for long lasting wear.
ACCESSORIES
ABLE - You'll find a variety of gold and silver pieces at ABLE that are great simple additions to your accessory wardrobe.
31 BITS - Made out of paper and other ethically sourced materials, 31 Bits employs artisans in countries like Uganda, Bali and Indonesia to create beautiful, colorful and unique pieces of jewelry.
MACHETE - For a more modern style, Machete creates eco-friendly earrings and bracelets that are made from Cellulose acetate - a more natural and renewable material.
active wear
PACT APPAREL - One of my favorite for basic undergarments and athletic wear, PACT creates garments out of materials like organic cotton for a soft feel and eco-friendly approach. Get 20% off here.
GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE - With the attempt to perfect the leggings, Girlfriend Collective has created leggings, tops and sports bras for women of all sizes in fun color ranges.
UNITED BY BLUE - This brand is a great option for outdoor clothing for hiking and other leisure activities. Based in Philadelphia, United By Blue vows to remove one pound of trash with each purchase.
ADAY - Another favorite for sleek styles, ADAY creates active wear for women that can transcend into leisure wear with complimenting pieces, neutral colors and timeless styles.
Swim
HACKWITH DESIGN HOUSE - Designed to fit women of all sizes, HDH creates simple swim wear in fun colors and shapes for a flattering fit. The suits they create have good coverage and are perfect for any age.
PATAGONIA - For a more athletic inspired suit, Patagonia is the perfect brand to shop for ethically made, some fair trade, swim suits.