Ethical marketing for clothing should mean affordable prices - find here the cheapest eco brands

Learn about fabrics

Nowadays, there are so many types of fabrics inundating the market that it is difficult to choose. We created a sustainable fabrics guide to help you with that, so get knowledgable before buying anything. As they say: knowledge is power. 

Buy long-lasting clothes

Affordable does not mean bad quality, it just means it’s accessible to the majority of people. 

If you want to save money and the environment, buy clothes you know are going to last a long time.

Luckily, there are many brands out there that source high-quality materials and sell their clothes at very good prices.

Everlane is a great example of the best value for money you will find. 

Buy from brands that are transparent about the makers

You don’t need to find the name of the person who actually produced the piece of clothing you are going to wear, (although Known Supply does exactly this) but it is important to know that the workers have good working conditions, are fairly paid and receive all the benefits. 

Give priority to brands that recycle materials instead of using new ones

Especially in the activewear segment, where you need high-performance materials such as polyester, which unfortunately is made of petroleum, buying from brands that recycle is of great impact.

Summersalt is a good example of a brand with good recycling practices in the production of sophisticated fabrics. 

Buy from sustainable brands, not just their products

Try to look for brands that embrace sustainability in all its splendor, that not just do what the market is demanding in terms of supply chain and ethical fabrics.

It is not easy to find information about a company, but B Certification is a good place to start, a company with this badge is sustainable from top to bottom. 

Consider second-hand

Ethical revolution is taking over the second-hand market, too. What used to be only Red Cross or Salvation Army thrift shops, now you can find the trendiest and the most sophisticated shops selling second-hand garments. 

And it cannot be more beneficial to the environment than supporting the circular economy and giving a second life to a manufactured product. (check out Poshmark for second-hand products)

Or renting, instead of buying

Have you considered not buying at all? No, this is not a minimalist speech, we’re actually talking about a future (or present) trend: the sharing economy.

The fashion industry is no exception, as you can already find many companies that will not sell but rent their apparel for a subscription or fixed fee, depending on the days. Filipa K is already doing it in some flaghship stores in Europe. 

Do your own research

No matter what we say here, do your own research. Check the brands, check the sources and see if the brand and you connect. See if it feels good buying from them. 

Check for certifications or seals, anything that shows third-party entities vouch for this company. If a company is B certified that’s as a real as it can get. Later on in this article, we list the main certification programs. 

Companies that do good, share that they do good; companies that don’t do good, don’t share. If you follow this rule of thumb, it will help you navigate a company’s website and it will raise flags when you struggle to do research about a brand. 

Try to buy directly from a brand

Just like we recommended in our article about travelling with purpose, whenever you buy any ethical product, try to be sure you are buying from the source. The middle man is becoming more and more unnecessary with today’s streamlined supply chains, thanks to technology. 

That’s why we recommend only manufacturers, and if possible in-house manufacturers, which don’t outsource all their production.

Fairtrade is another guarantee of fair income to the producers, even if you don’t buy directly from them.

Contact them

If by any reason you don’t find enough information, and that’s a red flag for sure, don’t be shy and just ask directly. Contact the brands by email or, if possible, through social media.

We personally use a lot Twitter to contact brands directly because of the visibility it brings, and it ensures they answer in the same minute if they have any desire to be accepted in the community.