Armedangels – probably the most well-known sustainable brand

Let's start with one of the most famous brands for sustainable clothing. Armedangels produces fair fashion for both men and women. The designs range from simple to a little fancy, but the most important thing about the clothes is that they are durable. Durability is the core value of the brand. Armedangels acts according to the following basic principle: move away from fast fashion and quickly towards slow fashion.

In order to live up to sustainability, the brand not only focuses on clothes that are as fair as possible, but also often cooperates with external organizations against, for example, textile slavery, climate change and for the support of POCs. Currently, they are cooperating with the German Children's Association to take stance against mistreatment. For this purpose, Armedangels has designed a shirt, from the sale of which all proceeds go to the organization.

In addition to the social commitment, in order to be able to produce green fashion, a sophisticated recycling system is very important to the company. Those who no longer need their clothes can hand them in to the manufacturer, and the old clothes then go to the company's own second-hand store or are made into new clothes. Among other things, jeans are produced from the discarded clothes. In terms of their climate goal, the brand is trying to be completely carbon neutral by 2030 inclusive. To reach this milestone, they are already trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, the Fair Fashion Online Shop is powered by renewable energy, as is the office space. In addition, the Group regularly invests in compensation projects to offset its own CO₂ value.

The clothing itself is made from organic cotton. The wool is grown under organic farming guidelines, which includes the use of little water and a ban on chemical fertilization. Organic clothing includes not only the fibers from which they are made, but also the conditions under which they are produced. In order to be able to guarantee fair working conditions, Armedangels places a lot of emphasis on transparency from the companies they work with to be able to prevent underpayment of employees. They also pay their suppliers around 20% more than the minimum wage. Women still tend to be paid less than men for the same work. The company therefore takes great care to ensure that equal positions are paid regardless of gender.

Hessnatur – durable and timeless clothing

Unfortunately, many people still associate the brand Hessnatur with colorless, scratchy organic clothing that more suited for your grandparents, but this image is no longer true. In the store you get both sustainable men's fashion, as well as fair clothes for women. The designs are all simple, but also definitely timeless. Hessnatur makes fashion that takes responsibility. So far, they have been able to save 3.07 million kilograms of CO₂ emissions and use 7.16 billion liters less water. The brand also tries to produce its clothing as sustainably as possible. To do this, they use almost entirely natural fibers, 78% of which can be recycled. In order to be able to guarantee the quality, the brand repeatedly has itself been tested by independent non-profit organizations.

Above all, recycling is very important to the fair fashion brand. Hessnatur believes in the second life of a garment and therefore tries to reuse as much as possible. Like Armedangels, there is a jeans collection here made from recycled materials. Being a role model in the job market, both as a brand and as an employer, is one of their central intentions. Time and time again, Hessnatur fights against the exploitation, discrimination, and child labor that is commonplace in the conventional fashion industry. The Fair Wear Foundation is also committed to long-term partnerships and to the training and education of their employees.

Thinking Mu – unusual patterns and clothing made from special fabrics

Thinking Mu probably has pretty much the most outlandish designs among the slow fashion brands. They also offer sustainable fashion online. Both men and women are provided with high quality fair trade fashion. The quality of the clothes is high, which is especially noticeable by the feeling of the clothes on your skin. For example, the shirts are produced from hemp fibers.

A large part of the organic fashion produced at Thinking Mu is also composed of recycled materials. Producing fair clothing is an extensive process, as many of the areas needed to produce fashion leave a lot to be desired, both ethically and in terms of sustainability. Thinking Mu therefore goes out of their way to make their clothing sustainable, they choose their materials accordingly and with an eye on their ecological footprint. Production facilities are also crucial to environmentally friendly manufacturing. The company pays attention to the shortest possible production routes to human working conditions within the manufacturing chain. Water is a crucial resource for humanity, however, it is also needed in masses for the production of clothing. As a producer of eco fashion, the company constantly pays attention to making its own consumption as resource-efficient as possible and treating water as an important source of life. The CO₂ footprint of conventional fashion brands is enormous. In the role model function that the brand wants to take on for itself, it is important to it for this reason to be responsible for production with the lowest possible consumption.

Another climate killer in the fashion industry are the many toxins and other waste generated both in production and in the destruction of redundant clothing. Thinking Mu tries to minimize the use of such toxic materials as much as possible and to plan collections that are small and durable, so that unnecessary waste can be saved. So, in summary, the young company is a sustainable business economically, ecologically and socio-economically. They have both the BSCI seal and the SEDEX seal, two of the most important in the fashion industry. With these, it is guaranteed that they do not allow forced labor, child labor, discrimination and comply with current hygiene regulations as a company.

Patagonia – clothing that lasts longer than one season

If you are looking for sustainable clothes for extreme weather or a certain sport, Patagonia is the place to go. Patagonia is probably the best known fashion label that we present here, however, few people know how much the company is committed to fairly produced clothing. In 1973, Yvon Chouinard founded the brand, after he had long searched in vain for a sustainable brand for outdoor clothing.

Yvon's company has been committed to its own carbon neutrality since its inception, aiming to make a global statement against modern capitalism. However, it is not just complete climate neutrality that they are striving for as a company, but rather to take responsibility for their own emissions. Transparency is therefore an equally important issue for Patagonia. On their website, as an eco-friendly fashion brand, they inform their customers in detail about their own global footprint.

Nature has an enormously important meaning for the founder. In addition to sports, he sees the environment as an important retreat and life-sustaining source. That's why Patagonia has been working to protect it for 50 years. To this end, they enter into partnerships with local, indigenous peoples, who in turn strive to preserve biodiversity at their discretion. The global shift to renewable energy is also something the brand wants to contribute to. That's why, among other things, they support some small and larger communities in the transition from fossil to sustainable energy.

Of course, in order to bring about global sustainable development, political action must first and foremost be taken in favor of the earth. Yvon Chouinard is aware of this and for this reason uses part of its revenues to support groups working for political change. So far, the group has donated a total of 14 million euros to organizations of this kind. The organic fashion label launched the 1% program in the eighties. In the program, the eco clothing group has committed to donate one percent of all their earnings each year to organizations that work for the protection of nature. To date, the program has generated nearly $89 million. In its role as a role model, Patagonia repeatedly appeals to other companies to do the same with this strategy.

Recently, the founder again made headlines. Now 83 years old, he has decided to sign over his life's work Patagonia to charitable organizations. According to the New York Times, the company has a total market value of $3 billion. This means that in the future, all the income generated will go to nature conservation, in addition to maintaining the company, adding up to a handsome sum of around 100 million dollars a year. Yvon Chouinard justified his selfless decision by saying, "It makes no sense to die a billionaire when you can have so much influence on the world while you are still alive.

People Tree – designs for every occasion

The long-established brand has been awarded as a reputable Fairtrade organization and has been producing Fair Trade clothing since 1991. They have specialized mainly in the distribution of sustainable women's fashion. The designs are elegant and suitable for pretty much any occasion. The brand itself describes their designs as timeless and durable. In order to live up to sustainability, the ecological fashion is produced according to the ethical and ecological standards. This is the system, the company has been producing under for 30 years, which makes them a pioneer in the production of organic clothes.

The quality of the clothes is a priority for People Tree. After all, the clothes should last longer than one season and still feel just as good on the skin a few years later. Although the quality of the fashion is correspondingly high, the prices are still affordable compared to other fair fashion brands. Economic independence is very important to the company, which is why they constantly strive to achieve it. Partnerships, both in creation and in production, take place for this reason constantly and with the same organizations.

Of course, the protection of the earth plays an important role for fair fashion labels and therefore also for People Tree. To give something back to the planet, People Tree regularly promotes initiatives to protect the environment. Another project, the brand is to reinterpret old crafts, such as embroidery, printing, sewing and dyeing, and look at them in a contemporary way. In the training of their seamstresses, they therefore emphasize the development of communities. In the fashion industry, many of the producers are often unaware of their rights. They lack the education and knowledge they need to escape from miserable conditions. Since the nineties, the eco-clothing brand has therefore been committed to educating children and communities in vulnerable communities.

What people also ask about sustainable clothing

What is sustainable clothing?

Sustainable fashion - also called fair fashion, green fashion or eco-fashion - describes clothing whose production does not harm humans or the environment.

What are the characteristics of sustainable clothing?

Certain seals, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard, are a clear indication that the clothes are sustainable products.

How can I make my wardrobe more sustainable?

By wearing your existing clothes as long as possible or by buying new clothes from sustainable companies or second hand.

Why is sustainable clothing so important?

Sustainable clothing has many advantages. On the one hand, it can save you money in the long run, and on the other hand, it can have a big impact on industrial development. The clothing industry produces huge amounts of Co2. By choosing to buy your clothes sustainably, you are supporting environmentally friendly development.