When it comes to clothes people prefer to find items as cheap as possible, which is why stores such as Zara, Monki, H&M, and ASOS are so popular. However, we have realized that these brands do not have the most sustainable practices and materials. Nevertheless, the brands that do offer sustainable clothing are often quite expensive, and out of reach for many people. Therefore, I have decided to create a list of fashion brands that do offer sustainable clothing at an affordable price.

But, there is a catch. Affordable sustainable clothing does not mean that you will be able to buy items at the same price that you normally would in common fashion stores. Sustainable clothing is relatively more expensive than non-sustainable clothing because of the materials, practices, and also because of the workers who make the items. Mainly because sustainability is not only about the environment, but also about the fair treatment of every employee throughout the whole supply chain. So when I talk about affordable sustainable clothing in this article the prices will be around 50 us dollars. To make it a bit easier for you I will also mention some of the prices for certain items such as t-shirts, pants, and dresses.

Kotn

I’ve mentioned this brand before in the post about fashion for men but seeing as it is a relatively affordable brand I thought it might be nice to mention it again. 

Kotn was founded in 2015 by Mackenzie Yeates and Rami Helali. The brand sells simple and minimalistic clothing items made of cotton. 

The cotton that is used by the brand is finer and stronger than other cotton fibers ensuring softness, breathability, and durability. It comes from family-run farms in both Egypt and Portugal. Kotn works together with these farms, first because the quality of the cotton is high, and second to ensure safe working conditions and fair wages.

Next to this, the production of Kotn is branded with OEKO-TEX certification ensuring sustainable and ethical practices. The brand puts an emphasis on transparency and is able to trace all its clothing back throughout the whole supply chain, from the farm to the dye houses. Moreover, Kotn is committed to providing schooling for children in Egypt and works together with NGOs to provide safe, convenient, and quality education for children in farming communities.

Prices:

T-shirt: +/- $39
Pants: $50-$65
Tank-Top: +/- $25
Hoodies/sweatshirt: +/- 65

If you want to shop Kotn please click here

 

Happy Earth Apparel

Happy Earth Apparel was founded in 2015 by two young scientists. The founders were determined to increase education on environmental issues and make activism more accessible, which is why they founded the brand Happy Earth.

Sustainability is their first and foremost driver, before profit or convenience even. Every aspect of the company is built around protecting the planet and creating products with the lowest environmental impact. With a purchase from Happy Earth, you can decide which campaign you want to support, whether it is fighting climate change, planting trees, or cleaning up trash.

The brand is also listed as a B corporation meaning the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental impact.

The brand states it is completely vegan and uses organic materials such as Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton. Next to this, the brand also has a formal statement covering the workers’ rights. Besides, Happy Earth uses only Fair Trade and WRAP certified facilities in order to ensure fair wages and support for garment workers in their communities.

For the packing of their clothing items, Happy Earth only uses recycled materials, and they try to minimize the waste throughout the whole supply chain.

Prices

 

T-shirts: $25
Long Sleeve Tee: $29 – $32
Oversized Tee: $28
Tank Tops: $24
Legging: $65
Sweatshirt & outerwear: $72 – $125

If you want to shop Happy Earth Apparel please click here

ARMEDANGELS

The next brand that we will discuss is ArmedAngels, which is a Germany-based brand founded in 2007 by Martin Hofeler and Anton Jurina. It is actually the first brand that I have come across on Good On You that scores “Great”, which is the highest possible score. 

Just like Happy Earth, it uses mainly eco-friendly materials such as GOTS-certified cotton. Other materials include organic linen, organic wool, recycled cotton, LENZING™ ECOVERO™, and TENCEL™ Lyocell. The brand is completely climate neutral. This does not mean that the brand has no emissions at all. That is simply impossible. Instead, the brand is actively trying to counteract the emissions by using 100 percent renewable energy in the offices and shortening their transport routes by producing locally in Europe and Turkey. ArmedAngels also is compensating for the unavoidable CO2 emissions by partnering with ClimatePartner through a biomass project in India. With this project harvest waste is used to generate energy. The brand chose this project because, one, it produces renewable energy for local communities, and two, it also gives a second income to those of the local community.

ArmedAngels is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation. The brand ensures fair, safe, and healthy working conditions throughout the whole supply chain. Besides, the brand is also PETA- approved vegan, meaning that they do not use any form of animal materials in their clothing.

Moreover, on the brand’s site, you can read about their other initiatives, and campaigns. They have stories about working in COVID times, Black Lives Matter, and Fashion Revolution. 

So overall it is an amazing brand and absolutely deserves the highest rating.

Source: Armed Angels

Prices

Tops & t-shirts: +/- 35
Jeans: +/- 100
Underwear: +/- 60
Sweater: +/- 25

If you want to shop ArmedAngels please click here

Extra

Nordgreen

This brand is not a clothing brand, but still, I could not leave it out of this list. If you are a person that likes to wear watches this might be a brand for you.

Nordgreen is a brand founded in Copenhagen that focuses on sustainability initiatives.

The brand partners with NGOs to support urgent global matters. They support both the environment and local communities. The brand has helped children in Korea receive education and has helped with the restoration of the forests in Australia after the wildfires.

Both the offices in Copenhagen and the transport of the products are carbon-neutral, through using renewable energies (from windmills) and compensating for the emissions. Next to this Nordgreen ensures that the manufacturing facilities are held to the highest standards when it comes to working conditions and wages.

If you want to visit their website please click here