Currently, the fashion industry is producing about 100 billion garments annually, but nearly 92 million tons of them end up in landfills. The main cause of this staggering waste is the growing production of clothing in recent decades. To handle this issue, many fashion brands have started embracing sustainable fashion practices. In this guide, we will learn what zero-waste brands are and explore the best brands available in he market.
What are Zero Waste Brands?
These are fashion brands that are actually conscious of the textile waste they are creating and want to minimize it. They are trying to bring this change by modifying their manufacturing process and for this they use two primary methods-
- Firstly, they try incorporating special patterns to reduce textile waste.
- Secondly, they repurpose excess fabric for other items like making headbands or bags.
Well, this gave you a clear understanding of such brands. Now, you are ready to explore this list of the best zero waste fashion brands in the market.
1. Christy Dawn
This fashion brand takes an interesting route to be a zero waste one. Christy Dawn makes use of deadstock fabric to reduce its environmental impact. It doesn’t make a bulk of clothes all at once, it instead makes a limited number of pieces, with each dress being numbered. Its style is vintage-inspired pieces that showcase quality and craftsmanship.
According to the brand’s official website, it has made a notable impact by regenerating nearly 239 acres of farmland. Additionally, by partnering with Oshadi Collective, it has improved the soil, increased biodiversity, and revitalized ecosystems on over 200 acres of land.
Also See: How can the Fashion Industry be more Sustainable?
2. Whimsy + Row
This eco-conscious lifestyle brand was the fruit of a love for quality goods and sustainable practices. Since 2014, Whimsy + Row’s has been on a mission. It wants to provide ease and elegance for the modern sustainable individual, which is a burning need seeing the current scenarios.
It offers limited-run batches that are handcrafted under ethical conditions. The brand uses locally sourced, upcycled, and low-impact materials. It creates quality pieces that will last for years to come.
3. ReCrafted by Patagonia
This apparel line’s history is really intriguing. It is created from scraps collected at Patagonia’s Worn Wear facility in Reno. These clothes are premium, upcycled Patagonia items. The brand is giving a second life to products that might not otherwise have one.
Let’s understand how the ReCrafted process operates. So, first, the customers join Patagonia’s Worn Wear program by returning their old or damaged clothes. Most of these items are fixed up and then sent back. However, if they’re too damaged, they’re bundled up and then stored. Later, these bundles are sent to Suay. There they are sorted and taken apart.
4. Bastet Noir
This clothing brand is a definition of what zero waste brands are. Bastet Noir designs are custom-made to fit each client’s measurements. They utilize discarded materials and even employ local single mothers in North Macedonia to produce their clothes.
All the profits they earn are further reinvested to help these women-owned businesses grow. They also support the education of their children.
5. Anekdot
This German brand crafts lingerie and swimwear using leftover fashion fabrics. Anekdot upcycles materials. This means they don’t reuse other people’s items, instead, they craft beautiful pieces from extra, end-of-line, and vintage materials.
They search for new sources like closing factories or mistakes in production. Besides fashion extras, they also make use of other sustainable materials like certified recycled Italian nylons. These practices and approaches help them conserve resources and reduce emissions. This further ensures durable and eco-friendly clothing.
6. Swedish Stockings
This is quite a popular sustainable hosiery brand name. The traditional pantyhose is made from petroleum. The founders of Swedish Stockings started it with an aim to make their hosiery sustainable. They want to minimize waste and safeguard our planet.
By creating durable stockings, they encourage women to wear them longer. This helps as it cuts down the need for frequent purchases.
Also Read: 12 Best Sustainable Fashion Startups for Your Wardrobe
7. ArmedAngels
Their aim is to make clothes that are adored by people and at the same time cause the least possible harm to our planet. What we throw away doesn’t just disappear in a woosh, it just goes elsewhere. ArmedAngels wants to set a better example.
They gather rejected, forgotten, and even worn-out eco-fair fashion and transform it into recycled fiber. They then add sustainable fiber to it and make it into new clothes.
8. RE/DONE
This brand is all about restoring the uniqueness of denim, reimagining classic American styles, and encouraging responsible innovation. In 2014, RE/DONE was founded in Downtown Los Angeles by Sean Barron and Jamie Mazu, and it pioneered the concept of upcycling in the fashion world.
It repurposes vintage pieces to reshape the perception of iconic American brands like Hanes, Levi’s, Dr. Scholls, and Ford. Since its origin, it has continued to thoughtfully create limited edition luxury designs. While doing all this, it keeps prioritizing mindful production, sustainability, and circular fashion.
9. Pantee
It is known for its clothing and underwear. Pantee is in this list of the best zero waste fashion brands because its products are made from organic cotton, deadstock fabrics, and recycled materials.
This UK brand is also known for collaborating closely with its manufacturers to ensure high quality and ethical working conditions. Their underwear sets provide great comfort and come in different styles and colors!
10. OhSevenDays
This brand was started by a Canadian/Australian Megan Mummery. After moving to Istanbul, she found out about the large supply of surplus and deadstock fabrics here. This inspired her to start OhSevenDays where she started making small-batch collections that are sustainably sourced. They were also produced under ethical work standards.
This brand is quite a vocal advocate for “slow fashion” and supports the idea of “The Power of Circularity.” It gives extreme importance to sustainability in its garment production by sourcing materials from deadstock fabric rolls.
11. Mud Jeans
Bert van Son started this brand in 2012 after witnessing the difficulties factory workers face and the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry’s excessive material consumption. He wanted to bring a positive using his 30 years of experience in fashion.
Every pair of MUD Jeans is recycled into a new one. This approach eliminates waste and uses 92% less water than average jeans production. The jeans from this brand are created from natural materials like organic and recycled cotton, without any pesticides.
Also, check out these Sustainable Fashion Business Ideas
12. Zero Waste Daniel
Based in New York, Zero Waste Daniel is a clothing designer and zero-waste lifestyle advocate. His brand uses pre-consumer waste from the city’s garment industry and other hard-to-recycle materials. Transforming these, the brand creates genderless clothing and accessories that don’t end up piling up in landfills.
At ZWD, fabric waste is completely eliminated. They use various techniques like pattern making, appliqués, and tiled mosaics to ensure that every scrap of material is used. It’s fascinating how each piece from ZWD prevents about one pound of fabric from going to landfill.
13. For Days
Their closed-loop approach has really helped them promote circular systems in the fashion industry. For Days is known for producing 100% recyclable products. From the very start, they design their pieces with recycling in mind.
Once you’re done using their item, you can return it to be upcycled and exchange it for something new.
14. Ecoalf
This brand showcases a commendable 14 years of experience in developing high-quality recycled or low-impact materials. Ecoalf’s aim is to prolong the lifespan of its garments. The brand holds the firm belief that durability is essential for sustainability.
Through the Ecoalf Foundation, it is contributing to cleaning up pollution and safeguarding marine life with the Upcycling the Oceans project. It is committed to achieving NET ZERO status by 2030 and actively supports environmental initiatives.
15. Eileen Fisher
This brand has a Renew initiative that aims to extend the lifespan of your favorite clothes. You can wear quality items for as long as possible and then pass them on. You can return Eileen Fisher items to any US store for $5 Renew Rewards per piece, no matter their condition. Alternatively, you can ship these items to their recycling center.
They thoroughly examine each piece for wear, stains, and holes. They then clean them thoroughly. And, finally, they sell these affordable and unique Renew pieces online, at Renew, or in select their EILEEN FISHER stores.
Also Read: 30 Innovative Eco-Friendly Zero Waste Business Ideas
Best Zero Waste Fashion Designers
When clothes are produced, a significant part of the fabric becomes waste. But by using innovative cutting techniques we can help minimize this wastage. A sad reality is that many designers find it cheaper to discard scraps than to recycle them. However, there are some zero waste fashion designers who are conscious of this waste and are using creative solutions to tackle it. Here we have mentioned a few notable and inspiring examples-
1. Charlotte Bialas
The designer believes that creating long-lasting collections is the most sustainable approach.
According to Charlotte Bialas’s website, her products feature rare vintage silks and prints. They are sourced from antique fairs, auctions, and mills worldwide. Also, 90% of her products are made from rescued fabrics dating from the 1950s onwards.
2. Dr. Mark Liu
He is a fashion and textile designer who combines scientific principles with traditional fashion techniques to progress fashion design. His PhD research was focused on using modern mathematics to improve traditional fashion patternmaking. It has led to the idea of “Non-Euclidean Fashion Patternmaking.”
This unique approach has displayed Liu’s creations globally. It has further encouraged designers to transform materials into artistic couture pieces. You can check out his website to see his designs.
3. Bojana Draca
She leads Farrah Floyd, which is a Brussels-based womenswear label. To create sustainable design strategies, Draca combines her strong concepts and unique technical skills. With her brand, she is trying to emphasize superior quality in both design and sustainability. This produces contemporary and ready-to-wear products.
The brand directs attention to systematic zero-waste pattern drafting, which is a technique developed by Draca over many years. This method makes sure that every pattern piece fits together seamlessly. It is thus minimizing fabric waste and creating unique silhouettes.
4. Karen Glass
Her experiences of living and working in her Florida studio while managing an organic farm on her property inspired her to establish Ø GLASS in 2015. Hailing from a background in the global fashion industry, Glass aimed to make clothing with very minimal textile waste through her Zerøwaste project.
Her Ø archive and Ø 2 lines feature upcycled clothing and textile pieces that are made from used materials. Any scraps that are left are further repurposed in visual artists’ work or transformed into locally handmade paper. She makes use of every last bit of clothing, truly.
5. Rothy’s
Well, instead of being individual zero-waste fashion designers, these folks are more of a family-run brand. Rothy‘s make quality vegan shoes from recycled ocean plastic.
Also, they have transformed more than 166 million single-use plastic bottles into their signature thread. This thread is then used to make their products. Note that they have repurposed more than 603,000 pounds of ocean-bound marine plastic for their bags and other accessories.
This brings the list to a close but it opens a door of discussion about the enormous possibilities of zero waste fashion. Choosing sturdy apparel can make a big difference in the sustainability movement, which is something that we as consumers should start implementing. It’s time to go past fleeting fashion trends.
Recommended: 55 Best Sustainable Clothing Brands
