The best clothing brands use recycled and upcycled materials to create comfortable, affordable, and sustainable fashion items that make you feel good and do good by people, animals, and the planet.
If you are interested in clothing that reduces waste and encourages the circular economy, then choose comfy and cozy pieces ethically made with recycled or upcycled materials that protect the environment and workers in the fashion supply chain.
Luckily, many sustainable fashion brands are listening to conscious consumers and making consistent efforts to offer affordable and environmentally friendly options.
I've done a lot of research and hard work for you so that you can buy from any of the below upcycled and recycled clothing brands, knowing that they make quality garments under high social and environmental standards.
Panaprium is independent and reader supported. If you buy something through our link, we may earn a commission. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you will be making a big impact every single month. Thank you!
1. Wolven
Category: Activewear, swimwear, loungewear
For: Women, men
From: Los Angeles, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $50-$110
Wolven is an American activewear and swimwear brand that creates patterns inspired by nature to make sustainability sexy. It uses vibrant colors inspired by Indian art, celebration, and the roots of yoga.
Wolven believes that we should do whatever we can in our power to protect our home, the Earth. Beautiful fashion should not come at the expense of our planet.
Wolven makes clothes that help with athletic performance and confidence. It uses healthy, safe, upcycled, and recycled materials and gives a second life to plastic waste to keep plastic out of ecosystems.
2. Outerknown
Category: Basics, outerwear, swimwear, sweats, bags, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Los Angeles, United States
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled
Prices: $50-$160
Outerknown is a clothing label making effortless, casual beach styles for women and men rooted in sustainability and transparency. It creates versatile essentials with the most planet-friendly fibers.
Outerknown keeps strict sustainability rules and aims to raise the standard for sustainable design in the global fashion industry. It uses organic, upcycled, recycled, and regenerated materials to reimagine design and embrace circularity.
Accredited by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Outerknown invests in the livelihoods of over 5K workers through Fair Trade USA. Three of its partners are Fair Trade Certified.
3. Tentree
Category: Basics, sweats, outerwear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Vancouver, Canada
Values: Organic, B Corp, recycled, give back
Prices: $40-$80
Tentree is an Earth-first fashion brand designing clothing for a healthy, sustainable world with recycled materials and organic fabrics such as cotton and hemp.
The sustainable clothing brand is B Corp certified and partners with charitable organizations across the world to plant trees and rehabilitate natural ecosystems.
Tentree aims to guide you on your journey and empower you to do your best when it comes to the environment. It already planted over 48 million trees and restored land in over 8 countries.
4. Organic Basics
Category: Basics, underwear, activewear, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Copenhagen, Denmark
Values: Organic, recycled, local, give back
Prices: $30-$90
Organic Basics is an eco-friendly brand making underwear, loungewear, and essentials ethically in Europe with organic cotton, Tencel, recycled materials.
Organic Basics is committed to sustainable fashion production and puts sustainable thinking at the center of everything it does. Sustainability is its core mission.
The clothing label invests in quality fabrics and workmanship and designs its apparel with simplicity and function in mind. It also has a fund that supports grassroots activists and organizations that address environmental crises.
5. Girlfriend Collective
Category: Basics, activewear, loungewear, underwear
For: Women
From: Seattle, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, inclusive
Prices: $10-$70
Girlfriend Collective makes sustainable underwear, loungewear, and activewear out of recycled materials, such as recycled polyester from PET bottles and regenerated nylon.
Created by husband-and-wife duo Ellie and Quang Dinh, the brand launched in 2016 to create flattering, comfortable, and supportive leggings.
Girlfriend Collective aims to make luxurious, responsible sportswear and be as transparent as possible. It fosters a community of people who care about beautiful designs as much as the people making their clothes.
The sustainable label makes eco-friendly and high-quality textiles from recycled materials in its facility in Taiwan. It offers affordable leggings, bras, shorts, briefs, thongs, basics, sweats, and more.
6. Thought
Category: Basics, loungewear, nightwear, activewear, outerwear, underwear, bags, accessories, jewelry
For: Women, men
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $10-$150
Thought is an eco-friendly fashion brand creating ethical and sustainable collections for women and men with organic materials, such as cotton and hemp, as well as upcycled and recycled materials.
The clothing brand is committed to considered design, responsible sourcing, and fostering change. It aims to show that there are more sustainable ways to live, dress, and be.
Thought supports TRAID, a UK charity that works to minimize, improve, and transform the environmental impact of clothing manufacturing. Send your clothes back to TRAID to support the people and places making your clothing.
7. Veja
Category: Sneakers, shoes, accessories
For: Women, Men
From: Paris, France
Values: Organic, recycled, vegan, Fair Trade, artisan craft
Prices: $120-$150
Veja is a French footwear and accessories brand selling a collection of sustainable sneakers for men and women. It sells eco-friendly shoes, bags, and accessories in 1,800 retailers in 45 countries.
Veja manufactures its shoes using a large proportion of recycled materials. Its upcycling process creates a smart, breathable, and water-repellent fabric.
Its products are also made with organic materials, fair trade sourcing, and transparency. Veja already sold more than 4 million pairs of sneakers worldwide.
Veja is one of the few good places where you can buy sustainable, ethical, and vegan running shoes. It aims to make the most ecological sneakers possible.
8. Reformation
Category: Basics, denim, outerwear, swimwear, activewear, loungewear, sweats, underwear
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, made in the USA
Prices: $10-$160
Reformation makes sustainable women's clothing and accessories. It offers a varied collection of basics, denim, and loungewear for petite up to extended sizes.
The clothing retailer designs effortless silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure with the most beautiful and sustainable fabrics possible. It pays attention to minimize its social and environmental impacts.
Reformation uses sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, linen, and Tencel lyocell. It makes some of its clothes with upcycled and recycled fabrics as well, such as regenerated nylon or deadstock fabrics.
9. Everlane
Category: Basics, denim, outerwear, activewear, underwear, bags, shoes, accessories
For: Women, men
From: San Francisco, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $10-$110
Everlane is an ethical fashion brand creating modern and beautiful essentials, at the best factories, without traditional markups. It's a great destination to buy high-quality, fair, affordable, and sustainable apparel.
The clothing retailer is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and sells primarily online. It uses a high proportion of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled fabrics.
The brand also offers ethically made and designed to last intimates, bottoms, basics, shoes, and accessories for women and men. It believes in exceptional quality to make a difference.
Everlane is widely known for its radical transparency. It educates consumers on its supply chain, factories, employees, and the price breakdown of each product.
10. People Tree
Category: Basics, outerwear, knitwear, underwear, activewear, nightwear, accessories, jewelry
For: Women
From: Tokyo, Japan
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, artisan craft, give back
Prices: $20-$220
People Tree is an online garment retailer making clothes from environmentally-friendly materials, including Fair Trade, certified organic cotton, and recycled materials.
In 2013, it became the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) product label, guaranteeing dedication, and compliance with the principles of Fair Trade.
People Tree offers a wide range of basics for women, including sweats, denim, dresses, knitwear, and more. It also sells sleepwear, activewear, accessories, and jewelry.
People Tree is committed to working with disadvantaged farmers and workers to promote fairer trading conditions. It helps combat poverty and employs people in underserved communities around the world.
11. Eileen Fisher
Category: Basics, loungewear, outerwear, denim, sleepwear, bags, accessories, shoes
For: Women
From: New York, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, Fair Trade, B Corp, artisan craft, give back
Prices: $50-$130
Eileen Fisher is a sustainable women's clothing brand selling wardrobe essentials, from casual clothing to timeless and elegant pieces, from the famous fashion designer of the same name, Eileen Fisher.
The fashion label offers minimalist, recycled, and upcycled wardrobe essentials that are also fair, ethical, and sustainable. It commits to sourcing eco-friendly materials and paying its workers a living wage.
Eileen Fisher ensures that all its workers have a voice, earn a fair wage, and are treated fairly in the workplace. It also supports women and girls through grants, events, and partnerships.
The clothing brand promotes inclusivity and diversity in the sustainable fashion movement and offers a wide range of sizes from petite to extended.
Eileen Fisher also operates an alternative supply chain supporting over 450 families in and around Arequipa, Peru, with higher Fair Trade wages and investments in the local community.
12. prAna
Category: Basics, outerwear, sportswear, denim, swimwear, sweats, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Carlsbad, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, Fair Trade
Prices: $50-$150
prAna is an outdoor brand that makes clothing for positive change, to inspire new generations to thrive and stay active. Its premium lifestyle clothing is sustainable with many affordable options.
prAna offers ethical and eco-friendly basics for travel and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It also stocks a wide range of comfy activewear and loungewear.
The clothing label uses a variety of sustainable materials such as organic cotton, hemp, recycled polyester, and regenerated nylon, as well as cellulosic fibers made from renewable resources such as lyocell and modal.
13. TALA
Category: Basics, sportswear, underwear, loungewear, accessories
For: Women
From: Oxford, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, inclusive
Prices: $20-$50
TALA is a British ethical activewear brand that focuses on sustainability and empowering its diverse audience. It makes the majority of its garments using regenerated nylon and spandex.
The label creates environmentally friendly, on-trend, inclusive, innovative, sustainable, and affordable sportswear. It's committed to the transparency of its supply chain and the sustainability of its clothes and accessories.
TALA aims to create beautifully designed products for everybody and cares for the environment. Its collections of flattering and high-performance designs make its customers feel comfortable and empowered.
14. Ecoalf
Category: Outerwear, yoga wear, basics, knitwear, bags, shoes, accessories
For: Women, Men, children
From: Madrid, Spain
Values: Natural, recycled, vegan, B Corp, give back
Prices: $30-$260
Ecoalf is a Spanish fashion brand creating cheap and ethical clothing made entirely from upcycled and recycled materials to reduce its environmental impact.
Ecoalf is Bluesign and Oeko-Tex certified and makes its clothes under the REACH regulation. Many third-party organizations verify Ecoalf suppliers' compliance with the highest social standards, such as BSCI, SA 8000, and SMETA.
Ecoalf offers affordable clothes for women, men, and kids made with vegan and extremely light materials. They are comfortable, sustainable, form-fitting, and stylish.
Ecoalf also uses materials such as recycled polyester, regenerated nylon, and post-industrial wool. Wool isn't the most ethical or eco-friendly material, but recycled wool is a better alternative to conventional wool sourced directly from animals.
15. Mara Hoffman
Category: Basics, outerwear, swimwear
For: Women
From: New York City, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, luxury, give back, made in the USA
Prices: $60-$140
Mara Hoffman is a premium designer brand that creates basics and swimwear out of hemp, recycled textiles, and other eco-friendly materials.
Mara Hoffman is well-known for its sustainable luxury swimsuits, bikinis, one-pieces, and cover-ups made from pre and post-consumer waste. The designer label aims to reduce its impact and generate awareness.
It offers stylish unique alternatives manufactured responsibly by smaller artisan groups under fair conditions. All its clothes are made in Los Angeles to foster a healthy local economy.
16. Patagonia
Category: Outerwear, underwear, basics, activewear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Ventura, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, local, second-hand, B Corp, give back
Prices: $10-$150
Patagonia is an American clothing company that markets and sells outdoor clothing and gear for silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly fishing, and trail running.
The outdoor brand makes many ethical, sustainable, and affordable basics, outerwear, and accessories using upcycled and recycled materials such as regenerated nylon and polyester.
It uses a large proportion of natural materials such as organic cotton, as well as reclaimed cotton and polyester fibers with a low environmental impact.
Its first store opened in 1973, and since then, the brand has quickly expanded its product line. Patagonia is a Certified B Corporation and commits 1% of its total sales to environmental groups.
The outdoor label is committed to higher quality, integrity, and environmentalism. It's highly successful and a leader in the sustainable outdoor market.
Patagonia encourages repairing, sharing, and recycling through its WornWear marketplace of second-hand gear. It's committed to making high-quality products that last for years, so you don't have to buy more.
17. Picture
Category: Basics, sportswear, outerwear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Gerzat, France
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $30-$90
Picture is a sustainable clothing brand making ethical sportswear and outerwear from natural, upcycled, recycled, or bio-sourced materials. The brand is on a mission to fight climate change and involves every aspect of its business.
The sports goods retailer created Picture For Good in 2018, a program providing funding and technical support to the responsible projects. It aims for maximum positive impact by supporting environmental and humanitarian causes.
Picture manufactures its clothes in Taiwan, China, and Turkey with high social and labor standards. Since 2008, the brand is committed to a sustainable approach to apparel production.
18. Stella McCartney
Category: Basics, denim, underwear, swimwear, shoes, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, luxury
Prices: $50-$120
Stella McCartney is a British apparel designer selling sustainable basics, underwear, swimwear, and accessories for men, women, and kids. She distributes her collections in 77 countries through 863 retailers.
Stella McCartney is committed to sustainability throughout all her collections with a fair amount of circularity and material innovations. She aims to run a responsible, honest, and modern company.
Stella McCartney uses a lot of sustainable materials, including organic cotton, as well as some recycled materials, to create high-quality luxury clothing items.
She designs and manufactures premium sustainable lingerie, bras, camisoles, bodysuits, thongs, and more through a carefully selected network of suppliers.
19. Alternative Apparel
Category: Basics, loungewear, outerwear, activewear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Atlanta, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $30-$90
Alternative Apparel is a popular American brand making and selling fashion basics for a sustainable future. It creates apparel and accessories for women, men, and children from organic and recycled materials.
Alternative Apparel is a fashion lifestyle brand best known for comfort, simplicity, and its commitment to sustainability. It's one of the most recognizable names in the sustainable fashion movement.
It offers eco-friendly shirts, tanks, skirts, dresses, leggings, pants, hoodies, polos, sweaters, vests, coats, caps, backpacks, purses, scarves, and more.
Alternative Apparel is mindful of the impact it makes on the planet and its people. It uses biodegradable mailer bags and recycled materials. It adheres to the Fair Labor Association (FLA) guidelines and most of its facilities are WRAP certified.
20. The R Collective
Category: Basics, outerwear
For: Women
From: Hong Kong
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $120-$420
The R Collective creates sustainable fashion using recycled, upcycled, or rescued excess materials sourced from the world's leading luxury fashion brands, reputable mills, and manufacturers.
The clothing brand makes affordable and eco-friendly winter coats and jackets for the modern woman. It uses a large proportion of sustainable materials, such as upcycled wool.
Wool isn't the most ethical or eco-friendly material, but recycled wool is a better alternative to the conventional material sourced directly from animals.
The R Collective engages in fundraising activities and gives 25% of profits to Redress, an environmental NGO working to reduce waste in the fashion industry.
Was this article helpful to you? Please tell us what you liked or didn't like in the comments below.
About the Author: Alex Assoune
What We're Up Against
Multinational corporations overproducing cheap products in the poorest countries.
Huge factories with sweatshop-like conditions underpaying workers.
Media conglomerates promoting unethical, unsustainable products.
Bad actors encouraging overconsumption through oblivious behavior.
- - - -
Thankfully, we've got our supporters, including you.
Panaprium is funded by readers like you who want to join us in our mission to make the world entirely sustainable.
If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you will be making a big impact every single month. Thank you.
0 comments