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Are there cheap, sustainable clothing brands for ethical fashion on a budget?
Ethical fashion often means you have to spend more money due to fair labor and wages, local manufacturing, organic and recycled materials, etc.
I get it – not everyone can spend a lot on getting new sustainable clothing pieces.
That’s why I decided to create a list with cheap and sustainable clothing brands that offer unique pieces for UNDER (or around) $50 / €50.
I will categorize the brands by country and price, starting from the cheaper options.
Let’s begin!
Cheap, sustainable clothing brands in the US:
1. Kotn
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping (Free on orders over $150)
Ethics/materials: organic & natural materials
Product range: Women & men fashion. Casual & Basics.
Price range: $24 – $84. T-shirts – $24 – $33. Bottoms – $33 – $84. Dresses $56 – $82
Kotn is a sustainable fashion brand that uses only organic materials. The manufacturing is primary in Egypt and Portugal.
They ensure the people and planet come first, so they only work with certified facilities that guarantee fair wages, equal opportunity, safe conditions, and zero forced or child labor.
Kotn is a Certified B Corporation, the packaging of the clothes is plastic-free, and they use materials like Egyptian cotton and TENCEL™ Lyocell.
2. CHNGE
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: organic & natural materials
Product range: Unisex streetwear fashion & designs. Crop tops, graphic t-shirts, t-shirt dresses, sweatshirts, etc.
Price range: $31 – $74
By using 100% GOTS Certified Organic Cotton, every CHNGE t-shirt saves 500 gallons of water compared to producing a conventional cotton t-shirt.
The clothing is currently produced at a Fairtrade Factory, ensuring social insurance and health service options, and workers are getting double for overtime.
The packaging they ship the orders is from 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
Unfortunately, the products inside each mailer are wrapped in poly bags made from recycled plastic, but in my opinion, it is still unnecessary use of plastic.
3. Everlane
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Women & men fashion
Price range: $28 – $78. Tees, shirts $28 – $48. Dresses $35 – $78. Bottoms $55 – $78
They are committed to eliminating all virgin plastic from our supply chain by 2021. Their goal is to move towards 100% organic cotton by 2023.
Everlane makes their clothing in factories that assure fair wages, reasonable hours, and safe environmental practices.
They have some pricier items, but you can find plenty of affordable clothing pieces, too.
A downside for me is that they still use animal-derived materials like silk, wool, cashmere, and leather.
4. Fair Indigo
Based in: the US
Shipping: the US. Currently, it does not ship internationally
Ethics/materials: Organic Pima cotton
Product range: Women & men casual basics. T-shirts, shirts, jogger pants, jumpsuits.
Price range: $34 – $59
Fair Indigo is growing their own organic Pina cotton in Peru, where they also manufacture their clothing.
Pima cotton is an ELS (extra-long staple), significantly softer, stronger, and long-lasting. It resists pilling, shrinking, and disintegrating in your laundry.
Fair Indigo doesn’t use any animal products or by-products in the production of clothing.
The dyes they use are Standard 100 by Oeko-tex, one of the best-known labels for textiles tested for harmful substances.
5. Known Supply
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Women & men basics. Tops, Sweaters, Bottoms, Dresses & Jumpsuits, Accessories
Price range: $35 – $65
Known Supply is a B Certified company that partners with Fair Trade Certified™ to ensure fair wages and ethical working conditions.
Known Supply uses GOTS Certified organic cotton for nearly everything they produce.
The manufacturing is mainly in India, Peru, and Uganda. All of their factories are written on their website.
Another cool thing is that you can type the name found on your product to see who made your clothing.
6. Tentree
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: organic & natural materials
Product range: Women & men fashion & sportsy designs. Everyday essentials
Price range: $30 – $88
Tentree makes comfy, eco-friendly essentials. They use sustainable materials, like Tencel (wood pulp fiber), recycled polyester, organic cotton, and hemp.
The brand goes the extra mile by planting ten trees for each item sold! You can see where and how many trees they’ve planted already on their page here.
Their manufacturing is ethical, and the products are created in safe working conditions, and workers are paid living wages.
Additionally, they offer Climate+ packages, which means you will support planting trees to offset your daily pleasures. You can read more about it on their website.
7. Soul Flower
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled fibers
Product range: Women, men & kids ethical clothing. Hippie-like. Yoga Pants. Boho jewelry
Price range: $26 – $60
Soul Flower is offering basics, made with organic cotton, recycled fibers, and low-impact dyes.
Everything is made in the USA or fair trade, and the brand is giving back to earth-friendly local or national organizations.
Soul Flower has strict environmental standards in its production, and the brand is Green America Certified Business and Fair Trade Certified.
8. For Days
Based in: the US
Shipping: the US only
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials.
Product range: Women, men & kids basics. Minimal & simple designs
Price range: $14 – $89
For Days works with GOTS materials, and their factories are SMETA certified (ethical audit methodology which encompasses all aspects of responsible business practice).
They use recycled materials, which meet the Global Recycling Standards.
In addition, the dyes that they use are Cradle to Cradle certified (globally recognized measure of safer, more sustainable products).
9. Fair Trade Winds
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping available (except to the UK)
Ethics/materials: Recycled and organic materials
Product range: Women fashion. Colorful patterns. Bags & jewelry
Price range: $38 – $78
They work with about 150 artisan organizations in 57 countries around the world.
Fair Trade Winds uses reused, reclaimed, and recycled materials to conserve, preserve and cultivate the environment.
The clothing pieces are made by women earning a fair wage, and the company fights against human trafficking and child labor.
Whenever possible, they reuse shipping materials, including boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, etc.
10. WEAR PACT
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials. Bed & bath
Product range: Women, men & kids basics
Price range: $35 – $110
Everything Pact makes starts with organic cotton, which saves vast amounts of water and uses no toxic chemicals.
The brand partners with Fair Trade Certified™ factories that ensure safe working conditions support local communities and protect the environment.
Pact uses recycled paperboard and cardboard boxes, and biodegradable plastic inside (which is a downside).
While Pact is more affordable, it still is on the pricier side, while the designs are incredibly basic and simple.
Most pieces are around $60-$90, depending on what you are looking for.
11. Threads 4 Thought
Based in: the US
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Women, men & kids basics. Home goods
Price range: $28 – $118
Threads 4 Thought is a brand producing responsible clothing.
They support sustainable initiatives and use only sustainable materials, such as:
- Lenzing Modal (from the bark of beech trees), organic cotton, recycled polyester/nylon
They also work with factories that hold the highest industry certifications, ensuring rigorous ethical standards.
Threads 4 Thought has various very affordable clothing pieces, below and around $50, and some – on the pricier side (around $100).
If you catch their Warehouse sale, you can find many discounted clothing items at great prices.
Cheap, sustainable clothing brands in the UK:
12. Plant Faced Clothing
Based in: the UK
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: organic & natural materials
Price range: £25 – £64
Product range: Unisex streetwear fashion & designs
Plant Faced Clothing offers a sustainable alternative to streetwear fashion. Their range has various vegan-inspired designs, and it includes:
- tees, shirts, crop tops, hoodies, and some bottoms
About 90% of their products are made from sustainable fabrics like organic cotton or recycled plastics.
The clothing is manufactured in Fair Wear or WRAP certified facilities, which ensure that all employees are paid a fair wage and work acceptable hours in a safe working environment.
Each month, the brand is sending funds to their tree planting partner, Eden Reforestation, to plant 1 tree for each item sold.
13. Rapanui
Based in: the UK
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Women & men tees. Jumpers & hoodies. Undies & socks.
Price range: £19 – £55
Rapanui is a brand committed to making products that are made just with organic cotton and are designed to be re-made again.
That means, at the end of its life, you can send the piece of clothing back to them so that they can re-make it into something new!
Another cool feature is that you can create your custom sustainable t-shirt, by uploading your preferred design.
The brand shares an excellent video showing the step-by-step process of the creation of their clothing pieces. Check the 2-minute video here:
14. Monkee Genes
Based in: the UK
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Women, men & kids basics. Jeans, sweatshirts, tees, dungarees
Price range: £25 – £80
Monkee Genes produces their clothing pieces across Turkey, Indonesia, India & Pakistan in ethical factories.
The jeans are made from recycled fabric from old jeans, and their dyes are non-toxic, meaning that they are safe for everyone involved in the supply chain.
The products are vegan, and whenever possible, the brand strives to use Fairtrade and organic materials.
15. Nomads Clothing
Based in: the UK
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Women & men basics. Shirts, tees, leggings, skirts, dresses, socks, etc.
Price range: £28 – £65
Nomads Clothing is GOTS certified, meaning that all products contain 70% (or more) organic fiber content.
The manufacturing happens in India, in fair trade factories, with appropriate working conditions.
The brand supports charities like TAMWED (helping to overcome poverty in India) & Newlife (for disabled children).
Nomads Clothing work only with natural fibers, like:
- Organic cotton, viscose, Lyocell (plant-based fiber made from sustainably harvested tree pulp), LENZING ECOVERO (sustainable wood pulp)
16. Monsoon
Based in: the UK
Shipping: International shipping available (delays due to Brexit)
Ethics/materials: Organic materials
Product range: Women fashion
Price range: £25 – £75
Monsoon doesn’t sell only sustainably made fashion items, but they have a sustainable clothing collection, called SEW.
The range is created with sustainable fabrics, such as responsibly sourced organic cotton and LENZING ECOVERO – a better alternative to viscose.
To find only the eco-friendly pieces, look for their “SEW SUSTAINABLE” collection.
They have a recycling initiative, where you can donate unwanted Monsoon clothes. These items will be donated to charity to be sold or recycled.
17. Hemp and Hope
Based in: the UK
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & natural materials
Product range: Women fashion & Hemp bags
Price range: £36 – £47
Hemp & Hope is a sustainable fashion brand founded in 2019.
The designs are created in Scotland, UK, and then made in Nepal, with hemp, harvested and spun in Baglung and Bajura Villages in the Himalayan mountains.
It is then sent to Kathmandu and Pokhara to be made into garments.
Hemp is a unique material, because it produces 3x as much yield per acre as cotton, while it uses less than half the amount of water.
It is also 8 times stronger than cotton and only takes 3-4 months to grow back fully!
18. Lucy and Yak
Based in: the UK
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & recycled materials
Product range: Unisex. Dungarees, Dresses, Tops, T-Shirts, Trousers, Shorts, Skirts
Price range: £18 – £65
Lucy and Yak suppliers are based in India, Turkey, and the UK. They produce most of the clothing items in a factory in India.
They are passionate about getting closer to their supply chain, paying living wages, and using only sustainable materials and safe dyes for their clothing.
98% of their fabrics are organic or recycled, and all the dyes are safe, with Oeko-tex & Gots Standards.
They try to reduce fabric waste by selling imperfect pieces on their website and Depop Marketplace.
19. Nobody’s Child
Based in: the UK
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & natural materials
Product range: Women fashion. Dresses, Knitwear, Tops, T-Shirts, Trousers, Shorts, Skirts, Jumpsuits, Swimwear
Price range: £14 – £65
In 2020 and 2021, Nobody’s Child made goals of becoming a more responsible brand.
Currently, they increased the use of responsible fabrics in our range to 90%.
Their goal is to eliminate and reduce textile waste and to switch to only responsibly sourced fabrics.
The brand is committed to tracing every step of its clothing supply chain, from raw material to manufacturing.
This helps to understand better potential social and environmental risks and opportunities for having a more positive impact.
They work with suppliers that meet or exceed the Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
They use plastic packaging for their clothes, which I find a huge waste. I wrote them an email about it, but they don’t intend to switch to plastic-free packaging for now.
Cheap, sustainable clothing brands in Europe:
20. Honest Basics
Based in: Germany
Shipping: Worldwide (except the UK)
Ethics/materials: all products are GOTS-certified organic
Product range: Women & men basics. Simple designs
Price range: €14 – €39. T-shirts/tops €11 – €18. Longsleeves/sweatshirts €19 – €29. Jeans €39.
Honest Basics’ goal is to make sustainable fashion accessible to everyone by keeping prices low. They don’t compromise on quality and use only organic materials.
They buy directly from their partner factory in Bangladesh, where they also produce the clothing.
Honest Basics claim to provide safe working conditions and stable income for over 5,000 people.
Check out more about their production (pictures) here and more about their goals for 2021 here.
Nu-In’s goal is to have the lowest possible impact on the environment with every decision they make.
The brand uses recycled and organic materials, upcycled garments, plastic-free packaging, etc.
They work with a few factories situated in Turkey and Portugal, which are also committed to sustainable development within the fashion industry.
Each factory invests in clean energy and innovative methods to reduce waste where possible while providing humane working conditions and paychecks.
22. Laagam
Based in: Spain, Europe
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics: On-demand collections
Product range: Women fashion
Price range: €28 – €69
Based in Barcelona and founded in 2017, Laagam’s mission is to produce what people have previously ordered.
In that way, there is no waste, and the footprint is minimized.
Their try to lower their environmental impact by:
- Having no stock
- Locally made (in Spain & Portugal)
- Being vegan-certified and carbon-neutral
They ensure high quality, fair working conditions, and supply chain transparency.
Laagam isn’t perfect, but they are trying to consciously and continuously make improvements.
Their on-demand model is a significant step since the production of clothes is what has the most significant impact on the planet.
Cheap, sustainable clothing brands, worldwide:
23. No Nasties
Based in: India
Shipping: International shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic & natural materials
Product range: Women & men basics. Dresses, t-shirts, and shirts
Price range: €25 – €73
No Nasties is an organic, fair trade, vegan, carbon-neutral clothing brand based in Goa, India.
The range is small, and the designs are casual, with a universal fit.
Additionally, No Nasties plants a tree for every order, and each order is shipped in a recycled cardboard box, completely plastic-free!
24. IKKIVI
Based in: India
Shipping: Worldwide shipping
Ethics/materials: Organic and natural materials
Product range: Women, men & kids basics
Price range: €22 – €80+
IKKIVI offers handcrafted, organic, and vegan fashion pieces from independent designers from India at fantastic prices.
IKKIVI encourages conscious consumption and ensures living wages and safe working conditions. You can see all the designers here.
While there have more expensive items, take a look at their “UNDER $70” to find plenty of cheaper and affordable pieces.
25. Second-hand clothing
Second-hand shopping is probably the most sustainable choice because it will take something out of the waste stream that may have gone to a landfill otherwise.
Second-hand shopping also reduces the demand for new products, promotes a circular economy, and saves money.
In that way, even if you buy “unsustainable brands,” it is still better because it isn’t something new, and you will save an item from going to the landfill.
You can check for local second-hand stores, but there are MANY second-hand online stores, too!
Feel free to check out my article with 39 thrift shops for second-hand clothes!
26. Renting clothes
Renting clothes is a great eco-friendly option, perfect for those special occasion garments you need once or twice a year.
The rental stores below work more or less like that:
- You will get the garments straight to you in a reusable bag.
- After you use it, you will return it.
- Then, the item will be responsibly dry-cleaned.
- After that, it will be reused by someone else.
You can also buy the pre-loved items, but know that the price will be higher.
- Rent The Runway – Based in the US, Rent The Runway allows you to rent unique pieces using its massive directory of brands and styles.
- Mud Jeans – Based in Europe, Mud Jeans allows you to either rent or buy various eco-friendly jeans. You can rent them monthly, for as cheap as €9.95.
- Hurr Collective – Based in the UK, Hur Collective offers a vast choice of clothing rentals.
Sum up
As you can see, there are so many options when it comes to cheap & sustainable clothing.
You can slowly build your eco-friendly wardrobe by:
- Choosing sustainable brands
- Shopping second-hand
- Renting clothes for special occasions
Did I miss a cool & affordable sustainable brand? Let me know in the comments below!
