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Looking for sustainably designed anti-fast fashion brands
Hey all! Most clothing and fashion brands that you can find in your local shops or online are fast-fashion: cheap to produce in mass quantities, using cheap materials and don’t last very long. For example, I currently buy my t-shirts from Banana Republic Factory for around $10-$15 and they last maybe 8-12 months before they shrink in the wash or discolor.
I’m looking for some alternatives! I’m okay paying a little bit more for stuff that’s going to last a long time. Open to any suggestions for a more sustainable, long-lasting wardrobe!
People will groan when I say this, but Patagonia absolutely stands by their products.
My now wife had a puffy jacket for years that they had helped fix multiple times. She brought it in again because it had some more holes and the zippers no longer worked because of salt water. They said “honestly, we can tell that this one has been patched and fixed like crazy, we can recycle this one and you can grab a new one”. We originally thought they meant that we were welcome to buy a new $300 jacket, but no, they just gave her a new one for free. That experience made me a lifelong customer of theirs.
I sound like a shill but they honestly have really well made clothes, and stand by them.
Patagonia would be easier to recommend if they had more natural fibers in their catalogue. While they do have some really good cotton/hemp blends and wool, most of their catalogue is made of petroleum-based synthetics. All of that stuff sheds microplastics.
Pure synthetic fibers don't shed as much microplastics, and are far more recyclable. I recall reading they more sustainable than cotton/wool in some ways because of this.
The real nasty stuff is the cotton/poly blends. It is neither recyclable nor durable.
No groan here. Patagonia has proven themselves time and time again. My micropuff jacket is beloved. I’ll immediately replace it if/when current one wears out.
I love Patagonia.
Patagonia. High quality clothing, often using recycled materials, they’ll buy back old clothing that’s still in good shape, refurbish it, and resell it. Recently the owner of the company, Yvon Chouinard, put the ownership of the company into a trust that dictates 100% of profits go to fighting the climate crisis. Probably the best clothing company out there.
To be fair, while Patagonia is one of the better companies to buy clothes from, Yvon Chouinard's ownership change isn't quite as altruistic a move as it seems.
TL;DR: By changing ownership this way instead of giving the company to his kids, Yvon Chouinard avoids paying $1.2 billion in taxes. And while 98% of Patagonia's shares were donated to the HoldFast Foundation (which Chouinard himself founded), the remaining 2% (which are voting shares that control the company) were given to the Patagonia Purpose Trust, which is controlled solely by Chouinard and his family. So they will still retain control of Patagonia. The company might still be good but the ownership change is mostly a marketing move.
Agree, but at least he’s/they’re paying some service to climate change. Better than CK or other fast fashion.
How is not paying taxes relevant when you're giving up the money anyways?
This is opening up a different can of worms, but I'd argue that $1.2 billion would be better spent by the government on climate policy, social programs, etc. instead of letting billionaires like Chouinard be the ones who decide our future, despite any altruistic intentions they may have. I'd recommend watching the video I linked, Adam Conover does a better job arguing this than I can.
can they refurbish and sell it back to me at a discount? that'd be nice.
I guess that's like taking stuff to the local alterations/tailors, but straight back from the store for buttons zippers etc
Varusteleka. Focused on military styled outdoor clothes and often surplus military equipment, but they make lots of their own stuff all mostly in Finland and the Baltics. Shoutout to their jeans.
Kaipara. Merino wool clothing from sheeps in new zealand all made in Germany. Recently added a new clothing line of more urban clothing where the wool is processed in Italy (still comes from NZ). Amazing quality. I once wrote them an email asking for the path their wool takes through the world after having read an article by the BBC on the disgusting practice a british company went through to have a suit labelled "Made in England" despite very much not being made there and their boss replied within one hour giving me the exact details on their production line. Fantastic stuff.
Savotta. Finnish producer of outdoor backpacks. Supplies the military. Exceptional quality.
I love it when you encounter people who are nerds about their business and jump at any opportunity to talk about it with curious outsiders. A few years ago, we were shopping for a new mattress, and we ended up at Mattress Builders. It turned out that the person manning the desk was one of the company's co-founders, and he spoke to us at length (over 45 minutes, if I recall) all about mattresses: how they're made, some of the weirdest mattress features some of his customers have requested, some of his favorite mattresses he's ever slept on in hotels, etc. It was one of the best and most memorable shopping experiences I've ever had (and the mattress they built for us has been really great, too).
Conversations like that are always fantastic because you learn so much about a subject you'd never in your life ever learn about anywhere else from an expert.
I'm going to give an anti-recommendation for Patagonia. They specifically design clothing to only be worn by specific body types (not just "conventional beauty", but only the pinnacle of their chosen standard, which often borderline on unhealthy), and they destroy stock to prevent it from becoming available second hand to uphold their brand image.
I think this is a very valid criticism. With that being said, though, I still find plenty of their clothes that fit me well and my body-type is absolutely not represented on their website.
I'm an unlucky one. I'm physically very fit, but exceptionally short, so they don't have a single offering that fits me properly.
As a fellow short person I'd be interested to know your preferred brands for casual wear.
corp swag from a career fair 10 years agoThe kids section at Target. They usually have enough variety to avoid printed T's. I can get suits and jeans/shorts in the boys section, but both the boys and girls sections have great jackets and hoodies. Undies have to come from the adult section because I need a little more room, but I couldn't help myself to a pair with Spiderman on them.Costco also has enough rotating variety that when I find a style that fits, i can get it in several colors, which makes a great mix and match wardrobe.
There's also always thrifting or discount stores like Ross.
context: 5'0". I wear elevator shoes with 4" in them so that I can at least see eye to eye with my wife when she wears flats.
Would the kids section from Patagonia work for you? I'm pretty short and I wear kids from Patagonia plus it's cheaper.
I'll check next time I'm there.
I am shamelessly replying with a comment I made on Reddit about three weeks ago, edited with information that is new (to me).
Recently I've discovered, through sheer luck and research, that there seems to be a correlation between a company's longevity, how much they advertise, and the quality of their products. A recent example sits at the forefront of my mind:
Two weeks ago my wife calls me from the local flea market, excitedly telling me that there was a rack full of wool suits and sweaters in what appeared to be my size, for ridiculously little money. "Eh," I replied, "send me some pictures and I can come check it out if anything looks good."
So, she sent me a handful of pictures but you couldn't really tell anything about the clothes from them, except the labels on them. I recognized a few as being solidly mid-tier, but one label stood out. Brooks Brothers.
I'd heard of Brooks Brothers, or rather, I'd heard the name here and there. Call me ignorant, but I knew nothing about the brand. So, a-googling I did go.
Turns out Brooks Brothers has been around since the 1800s, and was a favorite of Abraham Lincoln's. Apparently they're still making high quality clothing from hand-selected fabrics, and don't really seem to give a shit what is trendy at any given moment. If you take a look at their website you'll see $1,300 suits that would not be out of place in an episode of Dragnet, or in an FDR biopic.
[Edit that was mentioned at the top: Brooks Brothers went tits-up a couple of years ago. Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed their US manufacturing, majority share was bought by some hedge fund. Other Reddit users replying to my original comment mentioned that their quality is now suspect. Time will tell.]
Needless to say, but we scooped up every piece of Brooks Brothers clothing that even remotely fit me. Suits, blazers, sweaters, dress shirts, flannels, and even a merino wool turtleneck. Ended up with about $7k worth of stuff, and paid about $100.
To avoid just bragging about my wife's shopping skills, take a look at some other brands that are just kinda doing their own thing, charging whatever the market will bear for essentially the same stuff they've been making for 100+ years. Woolrich (not the greatest example anymore), Nick's Boots, Land's End. There are others I can't think of at the moment. They almost always have shit-tier advertising, eye-watering prices, and outstanding quality.
It's a buy once cry once type thing, but if you look at how expensive clothing has been historically, well made clothes have more or less kept up with inflation, but the market being flooded with cheap crap has distorted our perception.
Brooks Brothers seems to have gone massively down hill. I got a couple shirts from them recently and the quality and fit were both awful. I don't blame you or anyone else for scooping up vintage stuff from them, but I can't recommend them for new products. Nick's is pushing this category as well lately, as they seem to have removed the custom fit option from their site entirely.
Norlender make pure wool sweaters in the Norwegian style. These are robust, heavy duty, jumpers. Wool is one of those tricky raw materials - do you want a natural product that's not going to leave microplastics all over the world, or do you want an animal cruelty free product? Some people are happy to use wool, but want to avoid wool that comes from countries that allow "mulesing".
I don't know where Norlender get their wool from.
https://norlenderknitwear.no/
https://www.norlender-uk.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulesing
In the past I could have said Marks & Spencer's in the UK for lighter weight sweaters. You'd be able to buy one and it'd last for 10 years. Unfortunately the quality has tanked and they're just not very good anymore.
I am not sure if this is quite what you're after, but I'm a fan of some of the stuff uniqlo has. My polo's from them have lasted a good while now, and seem to still be in very good condition. I also have a coat from them that has lasted years, and also shows very little signs of wear.
I mean in some way it’s the opposite of what OP wants since Uniqlo is fast fashion and has controversies over both sustainability and ethics. That being said, I don’t think they’re that bad in sustainability.
From the US market perspective, Uniqlo also has a lot of styles, especially for men, that other brands in the US just don’t offer at anywhere near that price point. I guess because the average man in the US dresses in the same basic way.
Again, I did say that it may not quite be what OP is looking for. It definitely isn't the best, but there are also definitely other companies that are far worse
Muji is a version of Uniqlo that's slightly more upscale, and with slightly more of its own personality/style. The fabric quality is better as well so you can keep the clothes for longer - I find Uniqlo items tend to change shape fairly quickly.
I completely forgot about them - I've gotten some clothes there too. I do like their merchandise, except a lot of it tends to be rather plain. For essentials, it is rather good, except it all tends to be in similar styles, in the same few monotone shades. Bar that, they do make some nice clothes - I also do like their stationary
Edit - spelling
I'm still angry at Muji from pulling out of California. Even when they were here they were constantly running out of stock of things!
Cotopaxi for similar reasons to the Patagonia suggestions
from their site: "By 2025, we plan to use recycled, repurposed, or responsibly sourced materials in all of our products." -- I can support that.
The Good on You brand directory is a great starting point for finding out about companies’ sustainability practices, as well as finding more sustainable vendors for what you’re looking for.
It's already been mentioned a couple times, but definitely Patagonia:
I can't comment on their ethics or business practices because, honestly, I haven't looked into it. But Saddleback Leather Company makes a solid product. I have had a couple belts from them for a few years now and I can't imagine ever having to buy another one. Thick leather, solid stitching, quality buckles. Definitely feels like something your grandkids could inherit someday.
Another leather goods suggestion is Nordic EDC. I also have one of their belts and while it's not quite as "over-built" as the Saddleback ones, it is a very nice product and should last a very long time.
My saddleback ID wallet is one of the longest lasting items I own.
Lands' End has been a great value for your money in my experience. Comparable to L.L. Bean. Of course, both have gone downhill over the years (and prices up), but hasn't everything? Still, you should expect many items to hold up for several years...at least, as far as what I bought those several years ago now.
Frankly, you're not going to pay "a bit more" for a sustainable product.
That said, I'll plug Ratio Clothing for excellent shirts. As a guy with oddly short arms for my height, they have been a game changer. I'm also a fan of Wool and Price. I discovered them pretty recently, but their shirts and underwear are insanely comfortable, although the jury is still out on longevity.
Not a specific clothing manufacturer, but REI is generally pretty good at this.
for tshirts, why not buy LA Apparel, Bella or another type of good quality blank? Under $10ea. I've got AA, LA, Bella, and a few other brands of tshirt that I've had since around 2008 and they still look new. I really like triblends.
Now, this most likely isn't what you're after, but if you really want to do it right, get a sewing machine and some patterns, etc. :)
I am not sure where you are located, but just in case you are in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, for trousers (not only Jeans), I get mine from https://www.joker-jeans.de since around a decade now.
I still have my first Joker Jeans, it is still black, has no holes, still all rivets and I wash these at 60° and throw them into the dryer afterwards.
I not only love the durability of their products, but also the precision manufacturing. I ordered a few more last week in the same size I bought them a decade ago and they just fit.
Before I discovered Joker, I bought from other "major" brands like Diesel and Levi's for many years and they quickly washed out, got holes after a few months and whenever I purchased a new Jeans I had to try a dozen of pairs in the shops to find 2 or 3 which actually fit. It was like the size they put on their products has nothing to do with the product you have in your hand. Not so with Joker. You order Size X, you get Size X, even after a decade. It's great :-)
The brands listed here don't really work for my body type. Taking the gist of your question in a different direction, though, I've really enjoyed getting clothes from ThreadUp, which is an online thrift store.
Do you wear dresses? Nooworks has fun patterns. They also make some gender neutral shirts.
I wear American Giant hoodies made in NC. I first heard of their brand a few years ago in an MFA thread about well made hoodies. They’re not cheap, but I haven’t noticed any deterioration after wearing mine for a few years and I wear one every day to work. I should get at least 10 years or more of wear out of them.
This one might surprise you, but Target has been doing a lot better especially when it comes to the women section. Their Universal Thread brand is 99% cotton and are made in Fair Trade Certified factories. The items I have from Target have also kept well for years and I continue to wear them.
While there's probably a need for more time and analysis since this is a relatively new move by Target. I like the fact that they are reasonably priced and available. Using Poshmark or ThreadUp to source gently used items from other sustainable brands is another great way to give new life to still good items.