If you’re a shopaholic like myself, it’s important to learn about fashion’s negative impact on the environment. Many popular clothing brands and stores have adopted unethical practices that contribute to high carbon emissions, water pollution and large amounts of landfill waste. When it comes to feeding your shopping addiction, you might feel the desire to spend a bunch of money on fast fashion. Instead, check out these four trendy brands that are also sustainable!
Valfré
Started by Mexican designer Ilse Valfré, Valfré is a lifestyle brand that sells art prints, home decor, clothing and more. I discovered this brand about four years ago when it had a sample sale in Los Angeles. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with the brand’s flowery and kitschy designs. Although Valfré is an ethical brand, its clothes still work for people who have a larger-than-life sense of style. Valfré destroys the notion that sustainable brands always sell basic clothing. Another great thing about this brand is that they work with Inner-City Arts, an organization that offers art education to more than 10,000 at-risk youth from LA public schools annually. I definitely recommend that you check out Valfré because this brand shows how you can do good while selling cute items.
Baggu
Based locally in the Bay Area, Baggu began as a small family business that grew to become a successful and sustainable brand that specializes in bags of all sorts. I recently bought from Baggu as I was in search of a new tote bag for school. I ended up buying its famous Duck Bag for $34, and I was amazed at the quality of the bag. While all its bags are cute and trendy, sustainability and durability are the brand’s biggest focus. In fact, check out Baggu’s website to learn how dedicated the brand is toward ethical practices, such as using as few materials as possible and designing for longevity. The brand even provides an email for customers to give suggestions or ask them more questions about its sustainability efforts. If you’re looking for a new school bag, you need to check out Baggu.
Tunnel Vision
Fashion from the early 2000s is back in style, and Tunnel Vision has the perfect clothes for this trendy resurgence. Started by California native Madeline Pendleton and run by only eight people, this store has both carefully sourced vintage clothes as well as its own ethical in-house brand. Additionally, its clothes come in a range of sizes from XS-4XL, and for each item, the store has three different sized models wear it. Most importantly, all their clothes are sweatshop-free, produced in small batch runs and fund monthly donations to Equality California (an LGBTQ+ rights organization) and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. Unfortunately, many fast fashion brands have stolen their designs and manufactured them in unethical environments. This makes it all the more crucial to support stores such as Tunnel Vision.
Big Bud Press
Big Bud Press is a small LA-based clothing label that sells sustainable gender-neutral clothing. The brand is size-inclusive as well, with its clothes ranging from XXS-7XL. Big Bud Press is a great place to get stylish basics with great quality. I personally adore the jumpsuits, especially the California Poppy Jumpsuit. When it comes to its ethical practices, Big Bud Press is sweatshop-free and upholds an “Eyes-On” production policy. This means that the brand visits its manufacturers to ensure that high ethical standards are met. Big Bud Press’s website goes into great depth about its ethical practices, but something that caught my attention is how it continues to look for more innovative ways to improve sustainability.
These businesses not only help their communities but also the environment. Shopping at these brands will help you consume fashion responsibly. Hopefully, these brands give you a proper introduction to the world of ethical and sustainable fashion!
