8/18/11

Where to Start in the Search for Ethical Fashion? A Guide to the Guides

Hemp wrap by Viridis Luxe
Ethical fashion – including fair trade fashion, sustainable fashion and, a term I admit to not being crazy about, 'eco-fashion' – is huge. You'd never know it in the mainstream media (in Australia at least), but this area is burgeoning, with new brands and online stores appearing, it seems, by the minute. (Of course, the handmade, thrifty, upcycling fashion movement is also having a huge influence.)

Because there is so much choice out there now (assuming you're willing to buy online), this is not a guide to individual brands but a guide to individual guides and lists – a metaguide! (I've also included some particularly informative blogs and magazines.) If anyone knows of any good guides or lists I've missed out on, from any country, please let me know and I'll add them. I've grouped these lists according to country, and at the moment it's confined to the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. However, most of the stores are online so in many cases you will still be able to buy from the overseas ones.

As far as the Anglo world is concerned it does seem that the UK is well ahead of the pack. But the more information about ethical fashion that's out there, the more its popularity will spread in all countries.

Hope you enjoy my guide to the guides.

Overall

Eco Fashion Guide

A searchable guide to sustainable, ethical designer brands and online eco-fashion stores. You can search by brand, store, eco criteria, category or country – 15 countries in all. It's far from comprehensive but worth a look.

http://www.ecofashionworld.com/ECO-FASHION-GUIDE.html


A great list of eco fashion and beauty blogs from around the world

http://www.bachelorofarts.com/the-complete-list-of-eco-fashion-blogs



PETA’s guide to animal-friendly brands and stores

A huge list of companies that sells cruelty-free products

http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/cruelty-free-clothing-guide-vegan-companies.aspx



UK

Marie Claire’s list of top ten UK sustainable fashion brands

The UK has some fantastic ethical and sustainable fashion brands, and they’re not all at designer prices. Here is Marie Claire’s list of the best 10.

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/best/6715/10/eco-fashion-brands.html#play


Feze Fair Trade

The webpage below includes a list of websites that sell women's fair trade clothing. The website also includes a list of men's fair trade clothing, as well as information about other fair trade products.

http://www.fezefairtrade.com/womens/womensclothing.html



Ethical Consumer magazine's guide to clothes shopping

http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/BuyersGuides/Clothing.aspx



Guardian Ethical fashion directory

The Guardian's own ethical fashion directory

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/interactive/2008/jul/21/ethical.fashion.directory


Style with Heart

A portal to a wide range of websites selling fair trade, ethical and sustainable clothes and accessories

http://www.stylewithheart.com/


Ethics Girls magazine


The Ethics Girls website sells a wide range of ethically sourced fashion. It's a cooperative with a commitment to selling fairly produced fashion.

http://magazine.ethicsgirls.co.uk/magazine



The Ecologist's list of top ten ethical labels

http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/clothing/748975/top_10_ethical_labels_to_love.html


Style Will Save Us

This website sells a wide range of ethical fashion, beauty and gift products, and also has an ethical fashion and lifestyle magazine.

http://www.stylewillsaveus.com/content.php?ContentType=Magazine


USA

One Green Planet list
A list of ethical and sustainable designers in the USA and elsewhere from a website promoting a vegan, sustainable lifestyle


http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/beyond-green-hype-eco-concious-and-ethical-designers-labels

Ecouterre

A website that promotes sustainable fashion

http://www.ecouterre.com/



Socially Responsible Style

A guide to green and ethical buying including ethical fashion brands (the webpage also has a very good blogroll)

http://sociallyresponsiblestyle.com/resources/



LovingEco

A range of eco fashion at sale prices

http://www.lovingeco.com/



Treehugger fashion and beauty blog

This is based in the US but includes some overseas news.

http://www.treehugger.com/fashion_beauty/?campaign=th_nav_fashion



Behind the Seams blog

A very newsy blog about the latest in ethical style

http://ethicalstyle.com/blog/



Sustainable Sartorial blog

A personal journey by an aspiring ethical designer

http://sustainablesartorial.blogspot.com/



Australia

Ethical Clothing Australia accredited brands

A list of Australian fashion brands accredited through Ethical Clothing Australia (note that these may not be sustainable, and some sustainable brands aren't listed).

http://www.ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au/_webapp_826193/Fashion


Australian designers producing sustainable fashion

A very good list from RMIT

http://rmit.libguides.com/content.php?pid=3719&sid=21576



How Big Is Your Eco

A website that is a guide to Australian and ethical fashion


Blue Caravan

Based in Australia, Blue Caravan sources and sells independently made, ethical and sustainable fashion, homewares, beauty products, homewares jewellery and other items.

http://www.bluecaravan.net/


Peppermint Magazine

A hard copy magazine and blog with a focus on sustainable, ethical fashion and lifestyle

http://peppermintmag.com/category/events/


Wardrobe Wonderland


An Australian ethical fashion blog

http://wardrobewonderland.com/



Style Wilderness


A Melbourne blog that combines sustainable fashion and style with thrifting and handcrafts

http://stylewilderness.blogspot.com/

Canada

Fashion Takes Action

A list of members of an industry group for sustainable fashion

http://www.fashiontakesaction.com/content/membership/members-directory?start=20


Until next time!


If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy Be an Ethical, Frugal Fashionisa: How to Shop Ethical When You're on a Budget.

                                                                                                                                                    

3 comments :

Fourth Daughter said...

Great list, I'll have to follow up on some of those. Wardrobe Wonderland is my friend's blog :)
Also you could check out Peppermint magazine, I write for both their hard copy mag and their blog at peppermintmag.com
... and of course my blog has quite a few suggestions too, and I'm running an ethical fashion show for Fair@Square festival in Melbourne at the end of the year!

Inspired said...

Hi Fourth Daughter,

thanks for great suggestions - will include them in the list. The fashion show sounds fantastic - would love to write an entry about it some time - please feel free to put me on the mailing list for publicity info!

Qinnie said...

Fantastic list! I love reading about ethical fashion and fair trade in general, because I am a firm believer in consumer's power to change the world. That is why I founded Oz Fair Trade, a charity that aims to alleviate poverty through fair trade. Fair trade movement has come a long way, and I see ethical fashion movement has an integral part of it. Wouldn't it be nice when one day we don't even talk about ethical fashion or fair trade anymore because they have become industry standard worldwide?