Supporting ethical and sustainable fashion brands will give you peace-of-mind. As a consumer, I’ve become increasingly conscious about my purchases to make a positive difference for the people involved in the making of our clothes and goods, and also, for the planet.
Below, I round up my favourite sustainable fashion brands that produce eco-friendly collections, high-quality products and also stylish. Most of these sustainable fashion brands are made in Spain, my mother country because as you will understand, I want to support my own country. I’m aware that Spain is leader in fast fashion but there are also amazing fashion brands and people doing the right thing in my country.
Buying eco brands doesn’t make you more sustainable
However, before I continue, I would like to make an aside. Buying eco brands doesn’t make you more sustainable. There are a lot of small brands doing the right thing that need support but there is nothing wrong with buying less, second hand and wearing old fast fashion.
Sustainability is being used as a marketing tool and donating all your fast fashion clothes to charity to buy sustainable and ethical brands is not the solution. You’re just perpetuating the problem.
I’ll keep adding more in the future as I get to know more brands. Shop small this holiday and every time! You’ll look and feel fabulous!
Minuit Sur Terre
I discovered Minuit Sur Terre thanks to Marta Canga and it has been so far one of the most stylish and high-quality products I’ve EVER seen. Or at least, all the photos that I’ve seen on social media are stunning! They cover all of the vegan footwear’s genre and the shoes are produced by artisans working in Portugal. They have some amazing jumpers too for this time of the year.
One of you asked me not long time ago about a brand where she could buy a tote bag ethically and sustainably made and I recommended her ‘Minuit Sur Terre’. Even if you want a tote bag or not, if I have to invest right now in a bag, I will go definitely with ‘Minuit Sur Terre’. I haven’t bought anything from them yet, but this one is at the top of my list.
Fabrics: all models are made from Oeko-Tex certified materials and do not contain any animal products. They offer eco-responsible and high-quality alternatives to animal leather: grape-based material (based on wine waste and vegetable oils), apple-based material, carbon-neutral cereal-based lining, textile in recycled plastic bottles, recycled synthetic fibres, recycled cotton or even Eco-Nappa or Eco-Suede.
Yazz
Made 100% in Bilbao, Spain, YAZZ are committed to sustainable long-lasting and high-quality products. That’s the main reason why their designs are timeless and made with natural fibres, making them perfect for any occasion. YAZZ is a pretty new brand, born in 2019, they make small collections with limited stock. One of the best ways to follow their dream in fashion and taking care of the planet at the same time!
I highly recommend following them on Instagram! In addition to sharing their products, they share very useful information about sustainability, slow fashion and more!
Fabrics: 100% natural fibres as cotton and linen.
Capitán Denim
Capitán Denim is a jeans brand where you can buy from jeans, to accessories and footwear designed and made in Spain. They are aware of the impact on the environment, so they work with biomass and solar panels for manufacturing and for the distribution of the products.
Capitán Denim has jeans for both men and women, from the most classic jeans to slim or slim cuts.
Fabrics: organic origin: peach, olive, pistachio husk… depends on the season. Captain Denim is certified with the ‘Made in Green’ seal.
MANIMAMI
‘’Tattered and torn, reworked and reborn.’’ Produced in a small studio in Madrid, MANIMAMI creates unique pieces from many kinds of materials, from shower curtains to clothing to table cloths, sourced from second-hand shops, friends and the community.
Reworking made garments into trendy, stylish and unique clothes, helps to reduce the production of new materials by companies which pollute the environment, offering unfair working wages and using millions of tons of water per year.
Fabrics: all kinds of materials that people don’t want but the fabric is still in good conditions.
BEFLAMBOYANT
Designed in Galicia and handmade in Portugal, and having as reference creating a product for all kind of people, mixing fashion and sustainability and without involving animals, Jorge and Tatiana, a couple of young Spanish entrepreneurs create BEFLAMBOYANT.
BEFLAMBOYANT offers vegan sneakers made of high-quality materials and their model Beflamboyant UX-68 is available in 7 different combinations.
Fabrics: recycled cotton on the sides, recycled PU insole, 100% cotton laces and recyclable sole.
Roca Mood
‘’You choose your clothes, your rules, your life.’’ Roca Mood, born in 2018, is a circular fashion project which supports local production through working with women survivors of human trafficking by having an opportunity at sewing. Timeless and versatile clothes with a lot of character and with a wonderful initiative behind.
Fabrics: Tencel (name for a set of fibres called lyocell and modal), viscose and cotton.
Babaà
Babaà is well-known for making quality knitwear for everyday use. Every item is made in Spain and designed to last. They have been working with the same Spanish factory and artisans from the beginning. Their designs are oversized, simple and timeless.
In their website, Babaà gives you all the information you need before purposing an item. From the design and colour, their factory, how they take care of the sheeps, their local cotton production and more.
Fabrics: 100% natural, without mixing acrylics or any other synthetic fibres. Wool and organic cotton. All of Babbà samples are donated to CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado) for their refugees center in Getafe, Madrid.
Mireia Playà
Mireia Playà is a cruelty-free brand, following the designer’s vegan lifestyle. Produced in Spain, they believe that fashion can be created without victims. They cover all of the vegan footwear’s genre and the shoes are produced by artisans working under fair conditions. Their designs are very fashionable and they look comfortable and high quality.
Fabrics: at Mireia Playà they use: polyester fabric, fabrics made out of vegetable or synthetic fibres, PU (polyurethane) and Pus made out of vegetables (for example, corn). Most of their designs are made out of recycled polyester.
Wildemberworld
Wildemberworld is a sustainable shop for everyday activism! What does this mean? All their products are focused on a cause (environment, feminism or veganism), so you can wear an amazing t-shirt which encourages other people to change their mindset. How great is this idea?
They look super soft to the touch and they cover a good range of sizes (from XS to XL). I have to admit that the t-shirt with the following quote ‘do not evil. eat no evil.’ in natural colour stole my heart.
REMEMBER. Especially now, if you need or you want something new, check these small businesses that I recommend here before buying fast-fashion! These t-shirts cost 33 euros and they’re all ethically made and approved by the FAIR WEAR Foundation. You can buy a similar t-shirt in Mango with lower quality and whose workers GOT FIRED for requesting ”clean drinking water.” Do you really want to reward that behaviour?
Fabrics: 100% GOTS organic certified cotton and printed in Spain with water-based ink.
Lichis Blancos
Lichis Blancos make all their products under order which allows them to customize pieces to suits your tastes. All the bags and accessories are made by Telma Bou, a biologist who loves animals and shiny things!
Handmade in Girona, you can find in their website colourful, stylish and eye-catching bags, backpacks, belts, scrunchies and face masks perfect to complement your look. Price-wise is very affordable and perfect for a gift now that Christmas is coming.
Fabrics: all the accessories are made from second-hand scraps and recycled fabrics, and also vegan!
WITHLUM
The accessories you choose can change a look completely! Designed in London and made in England and Spain, WITHLUM is an accessories brand which pretends to bring colour to your life.
Scrunchies, tote bags, scarves… Laura Ubeda brings originality with her own designs full of colour and her unique way to see the world. Very affordable items – the perfect gift for a friend! – by which you will be supporting a small business and a dream!
It is also worth mentioning that her YouTube Channel and Instagram are very inspirational!
Fabrics: organic cotton and polyester.
COSSAC
Timeless, feminine and versatile apparel made sustainably. Designed in London and made in Europe, COSSAC is promoting the minimalistic concept of Capsule Wardrobes and redefining the basics with a sass edge.
Born in 2014 after the Rana Plaza disaster took place, the core values of COSSAC are transparency, sustainability and social well-being.
Fabrics: organic cotton, Tencel and modal. The neck label is made from recycled polyester.
Ecoalf
Ecoalf is a fashion brand which creates clothing and accessories made entirely from recycled materials. this brand specifically has impressed me with their transparency. I highly recommend their website. It has overwhelmed me with the amount of information that you can find there.
Fabrics: plastic bottles from the bottom of the ocean and recycled nylon, recycled cotton, recycled tires and recycled wool.
Also, it is also worth mentioning the Ecoalf Foundation, ‘’a non-profit organisation whose main objective is to promote the selective recovery of waste in order to recycle, valorise and avoid its harmful effects on the environment by developing and applying new scientific and technological knowledge.’’
Rita Row
Elegant and must-have items for a classic and timeless wardrobe. Rita Row is not only using as many sustainable materials as possible, but they are also supporting the local economy manufacturing 100% of their garments in the Iberian Peninsula with 55% locally made in Spain and 45% from sustainable Portuguese partners. Also, their threads and fabrics are coming from Spain, Italy and France.
Fabrics: Rita Row uses mostly natural fabrics and the majority of their fabrics have the OEKO-TEX certificate and also two different organic cotton certifications: the Organic Content Standard and the Global Organic Textile Standard.
Sepiia
Made in Spain and Portugal. Sustainable, durable and ethical solution for your everyday clothes. Sepiia applies an anti-stain treatment on the outer side of the garment so that liquids roll off without leaving a strain.
Also, using a 3D structure means the garment doesn’t need ironing and provides elasticity in the four directions. And their garments don’t retain bad odours because the threads they use to make their fabrics prevent the bacteria that causes bad smells from multiplying.
Fabrics: 100% anti-bacterial performance polyester. They promise that you don’t need to wash your item after several wears.