We’ve all seen the greenwashing of the fashion industry. Distracting us with words like “clean,” “eco-friendly,” “sustainable,” and “conscious.” Brands will often use these words to make customers think they are making a sustainable effort, when it really is just for selfish reasons. Here are some brands that *actually* care about the environment.
Pixie Mood is proud to be “vegan since the beginning.” They aim to produce products that have minimal effect on the environment, and want people to feel good about their purchases. Their core values are threefold; for the planet, for the animals, and for the people. They use PETA certified vegan leather made from recycled plastic and they are a climate forward company which sources only sustainable materials.
The lining in each of their bags is made from 100% recycled bottles, and they’ve saved over 1.2 million bottles from ending up in a landfill. They support four organizations through their sales: 1% For the Planet, One Tree Planted, TerraPass, and Humane Society International. A number of their bags use sustainable cork made from oak trees in Portugal, the only trees in which can continue to grow for 200 years after removing their bark. Down to the hardware, Pixie Mood is truly eco-friendly.
To top it off, their shipping method allows them to be climate positive.
The “no sacrifice fashion brand,” Angela Roi uses 100% vegan leather. Their new collection is taking eco-friendly and plant-based to the next level with their cactus leather. Their materials are 100% cruelty-free, and they use biodegradable packaging. They don’t sacrifice style for sustainability, instead, they use it to create a new sense of luxury, one that is unlike any other, and does a world of good for the planet and people.
They are constantly coming up with new ways to transform luxury using sustainable goods and materials. Each of their products are made by hand using EPUL, Exquisite Polyurethane Leather. Their products are made by skilled artisans in their factory in Korea, and are created with care and attention to detail. They are committed to taking care of their workers with fair wages and no child labor, and of course, no animal products to ensure their fair treatment of humans and non-human animals. They are a luxury brand, with a moderate price range. Check out their range of products here.
Sézane was founded in France after the now owner, Morgane Sézalory, discovered her love of upcycling vintage clothing. All of the products at Sézane were inspired by the act of taking something old and making it new, giving it a new life. Their mission is to bring high-quality luxury products that will last a lifetime at a reasonable price. They have a B-Corp certification, a standard set to ensure high quality production and materials, good working conditions, and a conscious environmental footprint.
While they are still working toward a completely sustainable future, they have an action plan starting with their B-Corp certification, meaning they make conscious decisions to work their way to their goal. As of now, ¾ of all materials created by Sézane are eco-friendly. Their certifications include: GOTS, Oeko-Tex, FSC, RWS, and RMS.
They are also highly supportive of children’s education, donating 100% of the profits from certain designs to programs that support equal access to education. By the end of 2022, their goal is to have 85% sustainable materials.
Stella McCartney began in 2001 with the idea to work to help and not hurt the planet. Since then, she has continued to fulfill that mission while producing high-quality, high-end luxury products that help people and the planet. They began by vowing to keep leather, fur, and feathers out of their products. In 2010, they went PVC free, in 2016 they began using 100% sustainable viscose, and in 2018, they began using leather made from mushrooms.
Since then, they have not stopped making small changes for a better future. The mission at Stella McCartney is to create quality luxury products, but without compromising their values. They consciously measure their eco-impact so they can use the numbers to keep track and continue to get better. On their website, they state the countless environmental damages of the leather industry, starting with the emissions from animal farming, and the toxic chemicals used for leather tanning. Their vegan leather bag called the Falabella bag made with Mylo, which is made from mycelium was created in 2018, and last year, they released the first prototype of their Mylo leather garments.
This unique brand creates leather goods from apples, mangoes, and cacti. They help to reduce food waste by taking fruits that would be thrown out by juice companies and grocery stores. Just one of their Gala backpacks is made from over 500 apples, plus they use recycled plastic as well. They make it a point to be transparent with their numbers, and be anti-greenwashing. They want consumers to know exactly what is in each of their products. Consumers may wonder why fruit, and Allégorie has the answers. Fruit skin and plants produce extremely durable material due to their strong structures, making the perfect alternative to leather. As for the mangoes, because their ripening process is time-sensitive, and there is only a small window of time to be able to eat a mango while it is ripe, around 30% of them unfortunately go to waste during transport. It is one of the most wasted fruits in the supermarket. At Allégorie, they take would-be wasted mangoes from grocery stores and pulverize them to turn the pulp into sheets of mango to be conditioned and turned into purses.
These mango bags are available depending on how much mango is wasted, and how much they get from stores, so the supply depends on the waste. Their last material is the cacti leather, made by their partnership with Desserto, a brand based in Mexico which produces the vegan leather. The process of these materials is finished by binding them, similar to tanning animal leather. By binding the materials, they are sealed from air and water so that they may live a long, sustainable life. Their products range from card holders to crossbody bags to tote bags.
This brand sells handbags made from 100% recycled materials, from wristlets to tote bags. They craft their materials out of things like marine plastic, and their thread which is spun from plastic water bottles. They also create the foam insoles for their shoes out of harmful algae, and the marine plastic used in their products is collected from within 30 miles of the shoreline. They constantly find new ways to innovatively create new materials out of natural fibers, and recycled ones. Some of those materials include sand, hemp fiber, ocean-bound plastic, merino wool, and bio-based TPU for their shoes, made of corn.
Rothy’s has created the goal of becoming zero waste through LEED and TRUE certifications by the end of 2022. Their bags are stylish and durable, and are 100% machine washable. For comparison, each tote and handbag is made from over 600 grams of marine plastic, and their smaller crossbody bags are made with over 200 grams.
Sustainability is trendy, no doubt, but let’s hope it stays that way. If we want to continue living on Earth, we must be kinder to it, and that starts with consumerism. These are just a few brands who are on track for a better world where we use the resources already here on Earth, and stop creating new ones. Not only are these brands doing the right thing, but they do not skimp on style, and each crafted piece is made with care. Being a conscious consumer is what each of us can do to ensure that we leave a positive impact, and look good doing it.
