The fashionistas’ top sustainable brands
1. Stella Mccartney: serious about sustainability and has the muscle and design chops to make it fashionable (stellamccartney.com).
2. Antibadstore.com: a loving curation of the sustainable and sometimes hard to find desirables with a strong fashion element, as you’d expect from its founder Agatha Lintott, a former buyer for Burberry.
3. Reve-en-vert.com: the luxury destination for eco conscious-shoppers.
4. Mara Hoffman: compostable packaging, recycled fabrics and lovely clothes (marahoffman.com).
5. Isabellefox.com: sustainably and ethically made in the UK, this is classic dressing (she works with her grandmother) filtered through that crucial modern eye. And because it’s direct, the prices are remarkably good value too.
6. Arket: a high-high street brand that’s increasingly raising its ethics and sustainability bar. There is almost nothing not to love here (arket.com).
7. Ninetypercent.com: Sustainable luxury knitwear and utility streetwear.
8-9. H&M Conscious and Mango Committed: limited in their reach, these two directives have been dismissed as a greenwash by some critics. But what they do, they do well, so maybe it’s down to us the consumers to buy from them and prove that the way for brands to be more profitable is to be conscious and committed.
10. DL1961: solar-powered factories, 10 times less water use than conventional denim, plant- derived dyes and terrific cuts make this the Telegraph Fashion team’s dream denim. Not cheap, but built to last and an elevated product if ever there was one (Dl1961.com).
11. Mandkhai: designed in London by Mandkhai Jargalsaikhan, the Mongolian designer behind her eponymous knitwear brand, using wool from free range goats in her home country and as eco dyes.
12. Navygrey.co: every step, from the non-mulesed merino wool to the eco dyes on labels and the reusable packaging – just post it back – has been as beautifully thought through as the design of the jumpers.
13. Peopletree.co.uk: one of the first eco clothing websites and always worth a look.
14-15. Bamboo is a fast-growing material, absorbs more CO2 than other hardwoods and makes an ultra soft fabric ideal for underwear (try Bam’s, bamboo clothing.com) and workouts (visit Asquith london. com for bamboo, organic cottons and a gym makeover).
ACCESSORIES
16. Carlacolour.com: stylish sunglasses made from zyl acetate, derived from wood pulp, come in vegetable-dyed leather cases.
17-18. Ethical bags mean all kinds of things: non-leather if you’re vegan (or, if you can’t bear plastic, you can stretch the point with a classic vintage style that won’t go out of style from archlabelagency.com), or woven. Bombommorocco. com offers colourful straw bags using sustainable techniques. The dyeing process is just as important. Mini Mox (from antibadstore. com and urbanoutfitters. com) uses vegetable dyes in its cute, boxy shapes.
SHOES
19. Allbirds.co.uk: the most comfortable, endearing runners and sneakers ever, made from non-mulesed merino wool and sugar derivative soles. Not pretty but strangely compelling. People will stop to ask you where they’re from.
20. Veja: non-leather, eco, fair trade and stylish trainers (veja-store.com).
21. Aspiga.com: fair trade sandals. For every pair of their Kenyan collection bought, they’ll clear a sackful of plastic from Malindi beach.