From fashion and athleisure, to skincare and homeware – amongst the sea of fast-fashion giants there’s an increasing number of commendable woke start-ups committed to sustainable and environmentally sound practice, something we actively support here at Floom. Amongst the cohort on our radar, there are six particular brands making waves for all the right reasons – whether that be for their sustainable approach, or their continued engagement with environmental issues. Learn about our most-loved labels below, and if you think we’ve missed your favourite, drop us an email on [email protected] so we can add it to the list.
Reformation
With a tag line that reads “Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option. We’re #2”, Reformation are the LA-born fashion label recognising the fact that fashion is the third most polluting industry in the world. Renowned for their feminine floral dresses, playful two piece sets, up cycled denim and most recently, their wedding line, each Reformation piece is crafted from eco-conscious materials from TENCEL and REFIBRA, to resurrected deadstock and vintage fabrics. They also invest in green building infrastructure to minimise their footprint, and provide in-job sustainability training for each member of their team.
Girlfriend
Want to look good in the gym, but want your kit to be sustainably created? Get you some Girlfriend leggings that do both. Priding themselves on ethical manufacturing, their use of sustainable materials, epic performance, and transparency Girlfriend started out crafting leggings from a material made from 25 water bottles – per pair – at their fair trade facility in Taiwan. Now, they’re a fully fledged activewear label designing coordinated sets in a number of soft, feminine hues. And beyond that, they’ve created a community of people who care about the source of their clothes, as much as how they look.
The Cotton Story
The Cotton Story is the London-based label redefining the meaning of luxury. By taking a transparent, sustainable approach places equal importance on quality and price, they craft affordable elevated everyday wardrobe staples that you’ll wear, and love, for years to come. Having built their brand around three key principles: honest pricing, beautiful products, and ethical factories, The Cotton Story ensure that every pair of hands that touches their products – from the cotton pickers in California, to the seamstresses in Portugal – is paid a fair and honest wage. It doesn’t get simpler than that.
Noah
Skate your way into winter wearing this brand. Noah is the skate-inspired men’s clothing brand founded by Brendon Babenzien that “seeks to take a stand against many of the appalling practices of the fashion industry”. Despite publicly saying that “there’s really no such thing as a sustainable clothing company” – Noah can be commended for their frequent engagement on environmental issues – each piece is crafted in countries, mills and factories where human dignity take precedence over the bottom line and portions of their profits are donated to causes they believe in, whether that’s by supporting Plastic Free Week with World Ocean Day, or by selling GUPPYFRIEND’s ‘Stop Micro Waste’ washing bags in store.
Haeckels
Fashion aside, there’s a new cohort of skincare brands paving the path to a sustainable future, too. Haeckels is one of our favourites – both for their intelligent approach and their unique skin products crafted using all-natural ingredients, harvested from the ocean. As ocean farmers, Haeckels “use business to inspire and implement solutions to the world's ocean crisis” – exemplified through their Rubbish For Product scheme that allows customers to swap a bag of beach rubbish – from Walpole Bay – for a free Bladderwrack body cleanser and a discount on a future refill.
Rise & Fall
Rise & Fall are the linen brand ensuring that bedtime is a sustainable affair. Guided by the ethos that quality shouldn’t cost the earth – or harm it – Rise & Fall have cut out the wholesalers, shops and luxury mark ups in order to provide simple, yet beautiful, high thread count bed linen at a fraction of the price. Each set of sheets is delivered in a reusable canvas roll bag and cotton drawstring bag, in a recycled cardboard box, ensuring a synthetic-free service. Meanwhile, £3 from every set sold is donated to your homelessness charity Centrepoint as part of Rise & Fall’s Cover to Cover initiative in place to help young people get off the streets.
