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Being a serial buyer of supermarket and other purveyors of planet choking, sweat shop garments I have decided to make a change and look to buy ethically manufactured clothes.
I realise this is going to be more expensive by some way and that's fine but there has to be someone selling ethical Jean's for less than £100 a pair, perhaps a t shirt for £15-20?
Any suggestions for a way to do the right thing on an average salary gratefully received.
Any suggestions for a way to do the right thing on an average salary gratefully received.
The best bet is going to be wear less clothes. (or the same ones more, rather than show more flesh).
But
https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/buying-fairtrade/clothes/
Is a good place to start
The thing with clothes is there really aren't any good answers, even ethically produced organic cotton stuff takes so much water to grow - in some cases in incredibly water poor places - that it's not really any good. 22500 litre per kilo in India for example.
Charity shops sound like a great idea but personally I'm pretty convinced these days they just green-wash fast fashion. It's all well and good you're not buying new but the reason decent stuff ends up there is someone is, and very often they feel OK about that because the old stuff is going to charity shops.
This would be a great place to start
charity shops
Charity shops
LOL 🙂
Buy secondhand, charity/vinted/eBay. No shame in it. 90% of my wardrobe is now secondhand.
The ones you own until they wear out
Charity shops
Anything you can afford until it wears out
Happily shopping on a budget can be eco too... shopping from the sales racks means you are preventing something going to the incinerator/pulper
Also, its been 7 minutes, where is Brant?
Community Clothing might be the sort of thing you are looking for..?
https://communityclothing.co.uk/
Every time I've looked for jeans or trousers from them they've never had my size in stock!
Second hand
For T shirts look up Stanley Stella Creator (linky) you can pick them up for £7 a t shirt.
They are Organic Cotton, Vegan approved and part of the fair wear foundation.
Bar one clothing are the best place in the UK to pick up their shirts. Going direct looks to be more for brands to print their logos onto the garments.
The stuff you already own
The stuff you already own and have then mended
2nd hand
Then stuff that is well made and hard wearing and that it aesthetically timeless.
It is worth noting that all my clothes continue to be worn until they are more hole than garment.
I do regularly frequent charity shops but as a big chap rarely are there items my size.
There's loads of second hand clothes on eBay, I'd have a look there.
My DKNY linen wedding suit was thirty five quid from eBay 😎
The stuff you already own
The stuff you already own and have then mended
2nd hand
Then stuff that is well made and hard wearing and that it aesthetically timeless.
This!
Ebay, yes strong idea thank you.
Shein 😂
Finisterre do nice stuff and have a pre-loved section on the website
https://www.reskinned.clothing/finisterre
I got a 5 pack of Rapanui t-shirts as they were strongly recommended on here. I'm a bit disappointed as 2 are misshapen and most have faded in under 2 yrs (30C wash and line dry so no reason for it)
Have a look on Depop for 2nd hand stuff - I find it a lot better than ebay for this.
If your buying new, look at Vaude
The overland do repaired or pre loved stuff, I recently bought a baselayer that was basically a cut and shut but with better stitching. So, not just for street clothes, riding stuff too
Yeah I've been disappointed with a few things from Rapa Nui, they may be eco to buy but if they only last a couple of years then that's not great.
I like Howies - not sure how eco they really are, but the stuff seems pretty decent quality and hard wearing at the moment and over the last few years.
Buy less is definitely key though.
The stuff you already own
The stuff you already own and have then mended
2nd hand
Then stuff that is well made and hard wearing and that it aesthetically timeless.
Then stuff that is marketed and priced as super-sustainable (I am looking at Patagonia here...).
I moved from student/first few years after from also being 'cheapest is best' to better quality and an eye on sustainability.
I have some clothes that are a decade or more in - and I don't mean occasional things, this is jeans, walking trousers and cycling tops.
I hugely shop in sales and seek quality and value above price - and if I can find organic/Fair Trade/Bluesign/Ethical, then so much the better.
2nd community clothing if buying new. Made in Blackburn (mostly) and great price for the quality.
Yeah I’ve been disappointed with a few things from Rapa Nui
Me too - the undies are great, the t-shirts lose their shape more quickly than I would like.
Second hand or good gear in the first place.
My outdoor winter coats are a life time buy for me. I've got an old Carhartt coat that I will take to the grave.
The next town over from me has some good second hand and charity shops. Also eBay for old stussy tees, snickers stuff.
Pants and socks are new lol
I tend to buy more expensive, sustainable stuff. Just means I buy fewer items and wear them more/until people throw money at me thinking I’m homeless. Probably spend less in the long run than buying cheap. Vintage and charity are good shouts too
My Rapanui t-shirts are so misshapen they now make my lumpy misshapen middle age body look vaguely normal
Community Clothing
Banana Industries
Howies
Hebtroco?
I'll continue to buy from the regular shops. No way do I want to be responsible for putting a 7 yr old out a job.
Howies
Was looking at their stuff recently - they've stopped doing their interesting T shirt designs eg "Life - one ride only", "Work Hard, Canoe Home" - they did loads of great ones back in the day....
I'd recommend Bam Clothing, as the name suggests, bamboo used a lot in them, and not too expensive especially if in the almost permanent sale for t-shirts. Sizing a bit mental (med in t-shirts, xl in jumpers) but they have free delivery/returns over a certain amount so its sometimes worth ordering two sizes and returning the incorrect one.
They make some decent claims for their jeans in terms of water saved by using bamboo rather than cotton which I can't verify but they seem nice anyway and way less than 100 quid too.
I think Passenger clothing are eco friendly. Their outlet prices are pretty decent. Their flannel shirts are nice and last ages.
Agree with comments on Rapanui tees. Don't last long, necks on the tees lose their shape after a few washes. Their hoodies however are good. I've had one for over 10 years and still all OK.
Think of all those low income country workers losing their jobs from the circular economy.
Our results confirm that the CE transition could lead to a significant decrease in employment in low- to upper-middle-income countries outside the EU, in particular for labour-intense apparel production.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921002305
YesFriends are supposedly ethical and sustainable
They're quite new so don't have a big range, but I've met the guy who runs it and he's very much committed to being as ethical as possible, so I'm interested to see what they do next. I've pre-ordered some of their jeans (£40!) so I hope it goes well!
Re: bamboo clothing
I seem to recall a report by Patagonia saying that they didn't do bamboo fibre stuff, because it used some pretty nasty chemicals in the manufacturing process, which they felt outweighed it's other eco credentials...
by Patagonia saying that they didn’t do bamboo fibre stuff, because it used some pretty nasty chemicals in the manufacturing process, which they felt outweighed it’s other eco credentials…
Not sure about patagonia but yeah, bamboo viscose production isn't good.
Carhartt coat that I will take to the grave.
I bought a short sleeve summer shirt in 95 and only last week when I hung it on the line noticed that the cotton around the collar was wearing thin.
I still have Stussy t-shirts purchased in the States which are about 30 years old!!
Buying quality and wearing it until it completely dies has to be best for our planet.
Here's the Patagonia article - https://www.patagonia.com/stories/why-dont-you-use/story-19681.html
For anyone interested in ethical clothing (if such a thing exists) or just a different view on history I can recommend this https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/313012/worn-by-thanhauser-sofi/9780241389539
Just wanted to add where I ended up and that for me at least the solution has definitely been ebay used, quality Jeans.
I've bought 3 pairs of wranglers and a pair of Lee's for about £18 delivered.
All are in good condition, high quality and again for me at least about as ethical as I can afford.
Thanks for all the advice.
I bought a very nice t-shirt from Rapanui and after its 2nd wash the paint of the screen-print has already started peeling. Hopefully just a one-off but if you're selling yourself as sustainable, best make sure your manufacturing is up to scratch.
apart from pants, socks and shoes, I buy most clothes second hand on ebay. most stuff is barely worn and a fraction of the price new.
Alpkit are really good for sustainability, will fix your kit if you damage it (for a price) and lasts for ages. Not too pricey either.
FatFace are also strong on sustainability and hard wearing. Their stuff does fade over time but remains structurally sound...
Another hand up saying Rapanui is terrible. Really wanted it not to be so but I bought some boxers and T's and just about everything has issues. Really just fit for the bin.
I'd mention carhartt too, had a t for at least 20 years and the collar has just started to fray. I'm happy with that.
Findra are mostly UK made and ethically sourced, largely sustainable materials; everything I've seen of theirs so far has been very hardwearing too which helps offset the high-ish prices.
Keela for more UK made and hardwearing too. Plus readily repairable at their workshop in Glenrothes.
FatFace are also strong on sustainability and hard wearing. Their stuff does fade over time but remains structurally sound…
have they got better, last pair of Fatface jeans I bought were awful. felt overpriced even in a half price sale.
Yeah I avoid fatface - have generally found it to be very poor quality, doesn't last at all well.
Re: Passenger clothing,.what's the sizing like? Are the size charts accurate?
I wouldn't pay full price for fatface but I do find their casual shirts to be on the more robust side than most others.
I'm a big fan of carhaart but has to be their WIp fashion line not their work wear ...their workwear jeans seem to be made on the same awful pattern as Tesco jeans and just don't fit.
Its often very difficult to judge for mainstream suppliers but worth looking.
If you look at Regatta / Craghoppers they have quite a lot of info on their sourcing, factories in Asia where most stuff is made. A fair bit of the Craghoppers stuff is recycled or better cotton initiative etc.
May not be 100% but they seem to make good efforts to be legit and improving. They also guarantee and have mending services for kit. I know Patagonia and Alpkit go a bit further but are the likes of Rapanui better and I don't know how you work it out.
All the brands mentioned in this thread seem to beat the high street clothes shops most of the time on ethics and sustainability.
Even with mass market suppliers it's worth a look to check as some are a fair bit better than some competitors.
Using for clothing for its full life as a consumer is the other part of the puzzle.
Edit: Craghoppers do however have a pricing model that make Planetx look consistent.
buy most clothes second hand on ebay. most stuff is barely worn and a fraction of the price new.
Problem with this is it just fuels those sellers buying new again. It's a bit of a false "sustainable" economy.
I'm trying to do a "no buy" 2023, apart from perishables. I have piles of t-shirts, albeit most are quite old but they just don't die because I'll buy one or two new each year. I need to actually wear old stuff out before I look at sustainable options for new.
Currently reading the Patagonia book "Let me people go surfing". Quite eye opening to certain unavoidable truths for the production of fabrics. Bamboo especially, my previous feel good factor for that is completely gone.