Brands We Love
We’re shouting out some cool fashion companies that get everything right in terms of sustainability—from fabrics to manufacturing and more. Ready for a green closet glow up? Think of these brands as the ultimate eco-friendly flex. Whether you wear them on campus or just hanging with the fam, they just hit different.
EILEEN FISHER
Interior and graphic designer Eileen Fisher launched her namesake brand out of frustration and need: She couldn’t find what she wanted to wear. In 1984, she created a women’s collection of simple, timeless and coordinated silhouettes, making getting dressed easier season after season.
Clothing that lasts stands out as a signature of the brand, now based in the New York City suburb of Irvington, NY. All manufacturing still takes place in New York City. Here, a timeline of Eileen Fisher’s sustainable initiatives:
1996: Added an ECO collection of undyed wool sweaters in naturally occurring shades from black sheep, making the exact color of each sweater unique.
2004: Introduced an organic cotton jersey yoga tank top—its first signature fabric made in organic fiber.
2008: Joined Organic Exchange (now Textile Exchange), adding fair trade organic cotton knits from Peru to its collection.
2010: Began recycling clothing from a take-back program at its LAB store.
2013: Started selling responsibly dyed silk and received bluesign® certification for chemical, water and energy use (a first in the fashion industry). Opened a dedicated used-clothing store in Yonkers, NY.
2014: Launched a new campaign themed “We’d Like Our Clothes Back Now. Thanks Very Much” on Earth Day, All retail stores began collecting gently worn Eileen Fisher clothes. Partnered with Canopy to ensure that tree-based fibers in its clothes aren’t sourced from endangered forests. Joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to help promote transparency and standards for environmental impact.
2015: Received Fashion Group International’s Sustainability Award. Announced VISION2020, a commitment to using sustainable materials in all products by 2020. Became a B Corp, meeting high criteria for environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
2016: Opened the Tiny Factory in Irvington, NY, creating new designs with clothes taken back. Participated in Fast Company’s Innovation Festival on growing a business by reducing its environmental impact.
2017: Renamed its take-back program as Renew (Second Life).
2018: Collaborated with Public School on a zero-waste collection. Became one of the first brands to use wool certified to the new Responsible Wool Standard.
2020: Launched Horizon 2030, committing to making clothes via circular design and regenerative agriculture. Added regenerative wool, produced by farms that make land more resilient, increase biodiversity and help fight climate change.
PATAGONIA
Known as “the most reputable brand in the United States,” according to Forbes, Patagonia leads the way as the GOAT of sustainable outdoor/performance apparel and accessories. Launched in 1973 by rock climber and environmental activist Yvon Chouinard, the Ventura, CA-based company is a Certified B Corporation with a mission “to save our home planet.”
With authentic product quality and environmental activism as its signatures, Patagonia donates 1% of sales annually; since 1985, it has contributed over $100 million in grants and in-kind donations. For its recent 50-year anniversary, Chouinard and Vincent Stanley, the company’s director of philosophy, released a book: The Future of the Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned from Patagonia’s First 50 Years.
Along with apparel and accessories for men, women and children (including wetsuits and wading boots), Patagonia also sells environmentally themed books, drinkware, specialty foods and outdoor equipment (sleeping bags, etc). Its trade-in program buys back gently used branded clothing and backpacks; the goal is to keep them out of landfills while giving customers credit for future purchases. Representing “used Patagonia gear with more life to live,” its ReCrafted line stems from used clothing scraps collected at its WornWear® facility in Reno, NV.
Beloved by celebrities from Leonardo DiCaprio to Kendall Jenner and Reese Witherspoon, Patagonia has also gained a fashion following. As Patagonia’s former chief product officer, Lisa Williams told Elle magazine that the company has received requests from apparel brands for collaborations. Eco-minded stylist Rachael Wang first admired Patagonia’s expertise in performance apparel. As Wang explained to Elle, “Once I learned about the company’s holistic approach to environmental responsibility, my appreciation evolved into reverence.”
REFORMATION
Using deadstock and eco-friendly fabrics to blend fashion and sustainability, model-turned-fashion designer Yael Aflalo founded Reformation in 2009.
Reformation (a.k.a. “Ref”) opened the first sustainable factory in Los Angeles. The company also tracks and shares the environmental impact of every product it sells, while offering resale and recycling guidelines. Bringing sustainable fashion to everyone remains Ref’s goal. This year, it will be certified as Climate Positive; by 2030, the entire company will be part of a circular system.
Ref has also made strides in retail innovation, developing an in-store tech concept that brings the best of its online experience to stores. The brand owns stores across the United States, plus Canada and the UK; it’s also sold in department stores In France, Ireland and Australia.
Part of what keeps the brand popular is its sustainable street cred minus “granola” vibes. "Yael challenged the misconception in the fashion industry that anything tied to being sustainable means that it can't be cool," as Miroslava Duma, a Russian fashion entrepreneur and Reformation investor, told Forbes. "Reformation is for a new generation of customers who want to consume with purpose." And it doesn’t hurt that those customers include Kaia Gerber, Emily Ratajkowski and Taylor Swift.
Together, these brands show that fashion can do much more than just look good: It can drive changes for the greater good. That’s the same spirit behind Doo Dah Apparel’s focus on social causes, where style and purpose go hand in hand.
