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16 Australian Ethical Clothing Brands To Shop And Save The Planet

Eco warriors can look good, too - by Francesca Wallace
  • 06 Aug 2020
16 Australian Ethical Clothing Brands To Shop And Save The Planet

What is ethical fashion? There’s so much to unpack when it comes to buying ethical, sustainable and eco fashion brands. In the first place, how can you tell the difference between all the different meanings?

What is ethical fashion

Ethical fashion is a general umbrella term, used to describe everything from the quality of working conditions, the effect on local communities and the positive sustainable impact that the product has on the environment. Generally, when sourcing ethical fashion one must look at everything from fabric, working conditions, animal welfare and whether or not the product is polluting the environment, before being able to make a decision on whether something is ethically produced.

What is sustainable fashion?

Sustainable fashion focuses more on the impact on the environment than the working conditions, although some brands lump them together. Sustainable items must have a proven low impact on the environment, whether that be through the sourcing of their fabric, their production methods or their shipping and packaging protocols.

What is fair trade and eco fashion?

Similar to the above terms, fair trade fashion must ensure the people who make the product are at the centre of the brand’s mission. That means paying them a living wage, providing decent working conditions and adhering to local labour laws. In other words, making sure that the people making the product aren’t being exploited. Eco fashion is more of a general term which encompasses sustainable and ethical fashion, often with a set focus on the environment.

Where can I buy ethical fashion brands in Australia?

Australia is packed with covetable ethical fashion brands, all of which offer something a little bit different. Although no fashion brand is 100 per cent ethical or sustainable — the industry on principal is not a sustainable one — there are some brands doing their bit in getting there. We've rounded 16 of our favourites below, so you can shop (mostly) guilt free. 

viktoriaandwoods View Profile
View Post on Instagram
The Locke Cardigan. A wardrobe essential offering layered sophistication in Australian merino wool, knitted in Melbourne. ⁠ #viktoriaandwoods #madeinaustralia

16. Who: Viktoria & Woods

What: Clothing

Price: $$$

Australian label Viktoria & Woods create effortless wardrobe staples with a pared back, contemporary feel. Their collections offer simplicity and timelessness that will last for years. At the heart of the label is their signature merino wool collection that launched the brand in 2004. Since then, the offering has expanded to include premium fabrications such as sustainably sourced bamboo, organic cotton basics, silky Japanese cupro and luxury coating.

Shop here.

citizen_wolf View Profile
View Post on Instagram
Soaking up the Summer rays .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #smartercasual #likeawolf #citizenwolf #personaluniform #tailoring #madetoorder⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #zerowaste #sustainablefashion #ecofashion #ethicalfashion #slowfashion #wardrobebasics #organiccotton #sustainablestyle #fairtradefashion #ecofashion #minimalistfashion #EastsideSydney #SydneyLocal #sydneystartup #style #fashion

15. Who: Citizen Wolf

What: Clothing

Price: $$

By harnessing technology, Citizen Wolf creates custom tailored T-shirts locally and ethically with zero waste and free repairs for life. This philosophy means that when you create a piece that you love, you'll keep it for longer and repair rather than replace, which coincidentally is also the easiest way to reduce our environmental footprint. Which is why they call their pieces 'smarter casual', they're better for you and the planet. 

Shop here.

arnsdorf View Profile
View Post on Instagram
@juliettedudekemdacoz wears our Chalk Merino Skivvy for an editorial put together by a wonderful all women team. Photographed by @visuuelle Styling @sophiebarkerstylist Beauty @ashleighcarpenter

14. Who: Arnsdorf

What: Clothing

Price: $$$

With all of their products made in Australia and ECA accredited, Arnsdorf is a contemporary womenswear brand whose mission is to create modern archetypal clothing while continually driving transparency across all levels of the fashion industry. As a result the company is the leading voice for transparency in Australia, revealing the costs associated with each garment made, as well as the origin of the fabrics and materials used in each product, with the hope to lead and inform a new generation of sustainable customers.

Shop here.

goodstudiosaus View Profile
View Post on Instagram
SALE CONTINUES. Breeze through the tail-end of winter with 25% off our best selling hemp linen, hemp denim, Australian wool separates and zero-waste knits. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Use code 'WINTERWRAPUP' at checkout. Sale ends Monday 3 August 11.59pm (ACST). Excludes sleep good bedding and zero-waste scrunchies. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #goodstudios

13. Who: Good Studios

What: Clothing

Price: $$

Good Studios is a clothing label that promotes the use of organic materials such as hemp textiles in creating a stylish and contemporary design. They also pride themselves on providing a platform to educate the community and individual consumers about sustainability in the fashion industry.

Shop here.

vegethreads View Profile
View Post on Instagram
Everyday basics you can rely on 🧡 Here at VT we do things a little differently, keeping our core shapes in stock through each season. Refining rather than reinventing with each collection. #madeinmelbourne #ethicalbasics

12. Who: Vege Threads

What: Clothing

Price: $$$

Vege Threads is an Australian apparel brand that prides itself in its low-impact production of their products. They use 100% organic and eco-friendly materials such as hemp, 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, and natural plant-dyed textiles.

Shop here.

nelson.made View Profile
View Post on Instagram
Catastrophe is often a catalyst for change. As we enter into a second lockdown in Melbourne our community of creatives and small businesses are once again adapting and finding opportunity in new ways of creating. During the first lockdown we were thrilled to be featured in a project driven by an amazing team of resilient women. The photoshoot took place over zoom between creatives based in Berlin, Byron Bay and Melbourne. Model @ellamccabebarton Creative Direction and styling @simone.mcivor Photography @elenabreuerphotography Clothing @arnsdorf

11. Who: Nelson Made

What: Footwear

Price: $$

With a commitment to slow fashion, small-batch model, Nelson Made offers sandals that are unique and stylishly designed. Materials are sourced with the lowest possible environmental and human impact. With a variety of colours, designs and styles, Nelson Made proves that footwear can indeed be made locally.

Shop here.

bassike View Profile
494 likes - View Post on Instagram
cotton silk relaxed shirt and raw linen paper bag short * tap to shop. receive free express shipping on your order, until christmas eve with the code FREESHIP at checkout. #bassike

10. Who: Bassike

What: Clothing and shoes

Price: $$$

Australia’s favourite basics label, Bassike, has had a commitment to sustainability for years. With their lines of organic cotton, the brand has paved the way for producing products with a lower chemical footprint. Now, with a recently introduced denim range which is all ethically made in Japan, Bassike is on its way to becoming one of the country’s most sustainable brands.

Shop here.

kowtowclothing View Profile
176 likes - View Post on Instagram
SALE - We only have a few left in these pieces. Don't miss out, shop online now at kowtowclothing.com

9. Who: Kowtow

What: Clothing and shoes

Price: $$

Technically from New Zealand, this sustainable brand is one we’d like to claim as our own — it’s that good! With their focus on eliminating slave trade and unethical working practices, the brand ensures every worker and every fibre is sourced with serious respect and adheres to ethical practices.

Shop here.

sans.beast View Profile
118 likes - View Post on Instagram
A GOOD READ | We're loving this little still life by @theglasseshalffull of the Reader Satchel with Princepessa Pigletto + optical accoutrements alongside. - - 🖤➰

8. Who: Sans Beast

What: Accessories

Price: $$

Once a head designer at Mimco, Cathryn Wills has taken her design hand and aesthetic eye to Sans Beast, her own line of vegan bags and accessories. Using vegan leathers and other non-animal materials, Wills has managed to craft a line of must-have bags, without compromising on design.

Shop here.

nagnata_ View Profile
95 likes - View Post on Instagram
NAGNATA MOVEMENT Designed for yoga, pilates, dance and studio-to-street style #movement #zerowaste #organiccotton #sustainabledesign #NAGNATA

7. Who: Nagnata

What: Clothing

Price: $$

Focused primarily on technical wool and knits, this local brand is all about ensuring their products are organic, recycled and sustainable. With an eye on only producing what they need, Nagnata is all about slowing down fashion and in the meantime adhering to a certain social responsibility that comes with working within the textiles industry.  

Shop here.

elkthelabel View Profile
1,780 likes - View Post on Instagram
Lightweight knits to keep you ready for the ever-changing Australian weather | Our Metallinen Sweater is online now x⠀ ⠀ #elkthelabel #elkchristmas #knitwear #australianbrand #melbournestyle

6. Who: Elk

What: Accessories and clothing

Price: $$

Elk has a serious commitment to ethical practice and sustainability, choosing suppliers at every part of their chain that complete their vision. With a commitment to animal welfare and treating their employees correctly, Elk’s track record with sustainability is proven.

Shop here.

saltgypsy View Profile
1,469 likes - View Post on Instagram
We couldn't resist...back by popular demand our sellout♻️ Navy Star styles are coming in soon. Pre-orders now open. UPF 50+ and handcrafted in AU. #saltgypsy #styleinthelineup #sustainablesurf #sustainableswimwear #surfactive #surffashion #womenwhosurf

5. Who: Salt Gypsy 

What: Surf and swimwear

Price: $

Byron Bay based label Salt Gypsy is all about producing high quality swim and surfwear made with sustainability in mind. All produced in Australia and complete with biodegradable packaging, each piece is made with a sustainable version of nylon, a 100 per cent regenerated nylon yarn.

Shop here.

outlanddenim View Profile
337 likes - View Post on Instagram
Good morning. Our Abigail jean in the 'Morning' colourway, featuring whiskering and a subtle fade, is ideal for more casual occasions. Pair with a white blouse or simple tee for days spent in the slow lane. #madedifferent #zeroexploitation

4. Who: Outland Denim

What: Denim

Price: $$

A favourite of Meghan Markle, Outland Denim has gained a name for being the most ethical jean brand in the business. As a notoriously bad product for the environment, Outland's not-so-bad denim is made from sustainably sourced cotton and ensures it helps empower the women who make their jeans. Made by Cambodian women who have been victims of sex trafficking, Outland’s vision starts with the very first hire — and ends with a damn good pair of jeans.

Shop here.

spell View Profile
3,606 likes - View Post on Instagram
Our girl @Torah_ in Wild Thing everything 💫✨

3. Who: Spell Byron Bay

What: Clothing and swimwear

Price: $$

Apart from having a commitment to the environment by way of natural dyes and ethically sourced fabrics, this Bryon Bay label also partners with Canopy, an organisation set up to ensure brand's cellulose based fibres (viscose, rayon, tencel, modal) are not contributing to the deforestation of ancient or endangered forests.

Shop here.

gingerandsmart View Profile
178 likes - View Post on Instagram
AKIN by GINGER & SMART // The Amour shirt and skirt have arrived in boutiques and online. The Amour pieces are made from 100% pure Linen which is made from the naturally growing Flax plant. Its production leaves no waste and requires less energy, water and pesticides than cotton. Linen is long lasting, recyclable and biodegradable. #sustainablefashion #sustainable #linen #anotherpartofyourday #escape #travel #downtime #offduty

2. Who: Ginger & Smart

What: Clothing and shoes

Price: $$

Ginger & Smart sources fabrics that are recyclable and biodegradable and minimises the use of harmful chemicals and excessive water usage in both the production of their clothes and milling of their fabrics.

Shop here.

kitx View Profile
797 likes - View Post on Instagram
Marigold flowers and jackfruit have been used to create this vibrant yellow on crushed mulberry silk into the Unearthed Dress - Arriving tomorrow. The Colours of Nature has revived the ancient traditions related to natural dyes. A long search led the Founder, Jesus Ciriza Larraona, to a small village and a family that had handed the knowledge of natural indigo fermentation dyeing down for generations. Colours of Nature upcycle all their water so no water is ever wasted. They also use myrobalan, alum, wood ash and dye extracts with no chromium or synthetic alizarin. Everything is compostable and can return peacefully to earth. #kitx #conscioussourcing

1. Who: KitX

What: Clothing

Price: $$$

Kit Willow’s KitX has been sustainable before it was cool to be sustainable. Focusing in on man made fibres, natural dyes and ethical factories, KitX has gained a reputation as being Australia’s premiere sustainable brand, with good reason.

Shop here.

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Francesca Wallace
Francesca Wallace
Francesca is our Senior Digital Fashion Editor. She can most likely be found eating a big bowl of fries (don’t forget the aioli!), watching something trashy on TV or spending all her money online shopping. She’s interviewed everyone from Nicole Kidman to Kendall Jenner but didn't get a single good photo.

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