Eco-Experts' Straightforward Guide to Sustainable Fashion Brands

It's a common experience: In an effort to be a more eco-conscious consumer, you start researching sustainable fashion brands. You find a clothing company that uses all the buzzwords you know are important—clean, circular, transparent—and buy an item that catches your eye. But it's itchy and rough on the skin when it arrives a few days later. You inspect the tag and find a confusing list of polyester blends, none of which align with the organic, earth-friendly vision initially advertised. It hits you that the brand likely isn't as sustainable as it promised. You've been greenwashed.

Marina Testino, a sustainability strategist who works with brands like Stella McCartney and Gucci and organizations like Greenpeace and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, developed a comprehensive checklist to help people avoid the faux-eco pitfall.

Testino calls it the "Five Pillars of Conscious Fashion:" To assess a brand's environmental impact, look for sustainably sourced materials, either "recycled, organic, upcycled, or biodegradable;" a responsible production process (how many collections the brand offers a year, if pieces are made to order); transparency on "where fabrics are sourced and by whom garments are made;" carbon emissions management (zero-waste processes, re-purposing textiles, etc.); and the brand's social responsibility, including fair labor operations and community involvement.

A clothing label doesn't need to tick every single box on Testino's list to qualify as sustainable. "If a brand is making an effort with at least two of the five pillars, that signals a genuine commitment to conscious values and solutions," she says. It's more important that the brand is genuine with its mission and has proof to substantiate its efforts. "No brand is perfect, but if you see a claim without any evidence, that's a red flag," says Alyssa Hardy, journalist and author of Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion's Sins. "Do they provide supplier information or certifications? It can't hurt to ask before you buy," the writer shares.

More than anything, both Hardy and Testino emphasize that sustainability is more of a mindset than a consumption practice. "It's less about the physical things you purchase than about the personal value you put into each piece," explains Testino. You can invest in a $600 pair of pants made from organic, locally-grown hemp, but if they sit in your closet with their tags still on, it wasn't a worthwhile purchase. "Only buying what you truly love or need is key," says Testino.

To help you build a more eco-conscious closet, ahead is a comprehensive round-up of the best sustainable fashion brands researched by Marie Claire and co-signed by Testino, Hardy, and Erin Allweiss, the co-founder of No. 29 Communications, an impact-oriented, purpose-driven public relations firm. Below, discover and shop 17 labels that are truly green.

A Comprehensive Guide to the Best Sustainable Brands

Mara Hoffman

Hardy shouts out the New York-based designer Mara Hoffman, whose self-titled brand is renowned for its vibrant color palette and feminine-focused designs. The label's commitment to more sustainable and responsible practices dates back to 2015, with it using natural, organic, and recycled materials, not including any animal fur, leather, or feathers, and prioritizing mono-materials that can be easily recycled. "I view my company as a living, breathing entity," Hoffman says. "It also has opinions and a voice, and we use it to advocate for the rights of the oppressed, the marginalized, the underrepresented, and the under-resourced."

Baserange

"For true basics, like elevated T-shirts and pieces for layering, I'm a Baserange girl," Allweiss shares of the brand headquartered in Denmark and France. She notes the label offers wardrobe essentials with a quirky, playful slant—cutout tank tops, silky slip dresses, and paper bag-waist linen pants. It offers detailed and thorough information on each of its materials used, in addition to a map that pinpoints the origin of each fiber and a written walk-through of Baserange's supply chain. Future initiatives include installing solar panels on the roof of their headquarters and integrating more organic hemp into upcoming collections.

Maria McManus

In 2020, the Dublin-born designer Maria McManus launched her eponymous line as a streamlined, traceable collection of sharp suiting, cloud-soft knitwear, and other wardrobe essentials that serve as modern heirlooms. All materials are sourced from England and Japan and use high-quality natural, recycled, and biodegradable fibers. Alweiss and Testino both praise Maria McManus, the No. 29 co-founder who specifically loves the label's front-pleat trousers, which she pairs with a sturdy button-down shirt.

Veja

Allweiss and Hardy both recommend the French sneaker brand Veja, which launched in 2004 with the mission of reinventing sneakers by merging social responsibility with design. All sneakers are produced in high-standard factories in Brazil and Portugal from ecological materials, including organic and agroecological cotton, raw Amazonian rubber sourced by indigenous cooperatives, and mesh made from recycled polyester. As for specific pairs, Allweiss references its recently re-issued Volley silhouette, which she bought in black and "wears every day."

Maggie Marilyn

New Zealand native Maggie Marilyn marries elegantly youthful designs and conscious practices while abiding by its three core values: people, the planet, and prosperity. The brand has a transparent value chain (tracking its manufacturers, textile sources, and suppliers), was certified Carbon Zero in 2020, and follows a direct-to-consumer model. "When you let go of the grow more, buy more, discard more cycle, and find comfort in buy as you need, repair what you can, and repurpose what you can't - that's when you'll find a home at Maggie Marilyn," notes the brand.

Lauren Manoogian

Brooklyn-based designer Lauren Manoogian offers "subtle essentialism" with minimalistic pieces incorporating natural textural narratives. The designer works with naturally derived materials and ethical handcrafted production practices. Pieces are hand-loomed and crafted by artisans in Peru, including its warm Alpaca knitwear pieces, roomy trousers, sleek trench coats, and kitschy woven bucket hats.

One/Of

"My true obsession these days is One Of, which is one of the more special brands," says Allweiss. The New York-based label uses the highest-quality deadstock and excess fabrics from heritage brands and mills to create bespoke, limited-edition collections. While they're known for stunning dresses and suits, I've been living in the Ludisia sweater all winter long. It fits perfectly, and the difference in quality is so clear," she notes.

Citizen

Citizen is a stand-out timepiece brand in the ever-evolving world of sustainable fashion and accessories. Their Eco-Drive was created in 1976 (nearly 50 years ago!) and is the leader in light-powered, sustainable technology for watch movements—the technology is powered by any light and never needs a battery. Citizen has also teamed up with conservation organization 1 Percent for the Planet and has pledged to donate one percent of its U.S. website sales to nonprofit organizations supporting the environment.

Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese

Hope for Flowers was built on the idea that when one knows better, they do better. Designer Tracy Reese uses organic cotton, linens, Cupro (cellulose-made rayon), and Tencel Lyocell (regenerated cellulosic fibers). To offset its carbon emissions, the brand donates products to organic waste organization Detroit Dirt. Hope for Flowers offers free Art Enrichment Programs to adults and children to encourage engagement in art and sustainability. Tracy Reese states, “It's about slowing things down, not over-producing, delivering products closer to need and not having to be present in every category of fashion.”

Stella McCartney

"Twenty years ago, strictly using cruelty-free alternative materials made me something of an 'eco-weirdo,'" McCarney previously told Marie Claire . Since 2001, British designer Stella McCartney has committed her fashion collections to responsible practices and has adapted her "progressive luxury brand" to an ever-changing landscape of sustainable fashion. In 2008, McCartney began using organic cotton; in 2012, the company joined the Ethical Trading Initiative; in 2016, it created a 100-percent sustainable viscose; and in 2024, it uses innovative textiles like regenerative wools and plant-based, plastic-free animal fur and feather alternatives.

Lemlem

100 percent of Lemlem pieces are ethically made in Africa, including artisanal workshops in Ethiopia and small factories in Kenya and Morocco. Each piece is made by hand to preserve traditional African weaving while creating job opportunities for local artisans. The brand's cotton is locally sourced in Africa—50 percent of it is organic. Any excess fabric is repurposed into accessories or donated to sewing schools.

Carolina K

Carolina Kleinman's brand, Carolina K, supports approximately 300 artisans in remote regions of Latin America. Through their employment, the brand helps preserve ancestral techniques that have been passed down for generations. Each collection prioritizes natural and recycled fibers, such as organic cotton, Cupro, FSC-certified viscose, linen, recycled polyester, and Econyl. The brand's handmade styles are created by female artisans in rural Mexico and Peru and take 10 to 50 days to finish.

Cordera

Launched in 2008, Cordera creates timeless, minimalist designs ethically crafted in Galicia, Spain. The garments are produced using natural and recycled synthetic fibers and upcycled yarns, and all knitwear is made using Japanese knitting machines and hand-finished by artisans. Additionally, Cordera doesn’t follow traditional fashion seasons, encouraging the customer to wear its pieces year-round and hold onto them for future seasons.

Chloé

Certified B Corporation Chloé is committed to transforming its operations to become more socially and environmentally sustainable, alongside greater transparency and accountability. Looking ahead, the brand's objectives for 2025 include using 90 percent lower-impact materials in its ready-to-wear collections, reducing carbon emissions by 25 percent for each individual product, and increasing its fair-trade sourcing by 30 percent.

Apiece Apart

Apiece Apart creates pieces that adapt to the versatility of life–97 percent of its materials are eco-friendly, natural, or certified. The brand also considers the distance to its factories in India, China, Peru, Turkey, and the US to reduce carbon emissions. Through its charitable arm, Apiece Apart Future Forward Fund, the label donates one percent of e-commerce sales to organizations striving to make the world safer.

Kotn

Certified B Corporation KOTN holds the fourth-highest B Impact score of all apparel brands in North America. The brand focuses on biodegradable and natural fabrics and only uses OEKO-TEX non-toxic certified dyes to color its garments. The brand works directly with the farming communities in Egypt and partners with a local NGO to reinvest its proceeds into the education systems. Currently, KOTN has helped build seven schools and fund 10 others.

Esse The Label

Esse The Label aims to inspire consumers to consider the garments' purpose and life cycle. The brand releases seasonless styles in small capsule collections that only include garments made of organic, renewable, and biodegradable fiber, including GOTS-certified organic cotton, Tencel Lyocell, and OEKO-TEX-certified linen. When choosing a fabric, the brand considers water use, land use, eco-toxicity, human toxicity, and greenhouse gas emissions. All garments are produced ethically between three workshops in Vietnam and Indonesia, with each workshop having no more than five employees.

Meet the Fashion Experts

Erin Allweiss

Erin has overseen media relations for some of the most recognized organizations, artists, brands and individuals. With a diverse background in art, sustainable design and public policy, her professional work is an extension of her personal interests.

Alyssa Hardy

Alyssa Hardy is an author and sustainable fashion journalist living in New York City. She was formerly the Fashion News Editor at Teen Vogue and the Senior News Editor at InStyle. Her debut non-fiction book “Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins,” details the stories of workers throughout the fashion industry.

Alyssa advocates for garment worker rights and has a deep passion for educating others about fashion’s environmental impact—ideas that are explored throughout her weekly newsletter, ‘This Stuff.’

Marina Testino

Marina Testino is the director of strategic partnerships at Earth Partner, sustainability editor at Beyond Noise, and founder of Point Off View: a mission-driven micro agency focused on digital communication and sustainable transformation.