13 Best Upcycled Clothing Brands For A Sustainable Fashion Style
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Choosing upcycled clothing brands over fancy labels is a great way to keep up with fashion trends while being gentle on the planet.
As you may already know, clothing production has compromised our environment’s well-being in various ways.
For starters, according to the World Economic Forum, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions.
That’s more emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined!
And did you know that an average consumer throws away 70 pounds (31.75 kilograms) of clothing per year? (see sources below)
The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that 85% of textiles go into landfills each year, most of which are made of non-biodegradable materials that will pollute our soil for years to come.
Hence, besides buying clothes made of eco-friendly fabrics, using upcycled clothes is a great way to alleviate the environmental impacts of the fashion industry.
And since we know you love to be stylish as much as live an eco-friendly lifestyle, we only round up the best-upcycled clothing brands for you.
Here’s 13 of them…
1. Outerknown
Overview
- Clothes made of recycled or regenerated fibers
- Fair Labor Association and Fair Trade Certified
- Harmful-chemicals-free manufacturing process
Outerknown is an eco-friendly clothing brand created by the legendary surfer Kelly Slater.
His passion for surfing and protecting the ocean are where Outerknown’s vision of a sustainable future, fueled by upcycled clothes, came from.
Outerknown’s clothing line is made using organic, recycled, and regenerated materials.
The brand started mainly making swimwear and board shorts from regenerative fibers of fishnets, launching the ECONYL clothing.
Today, a more comprehensive range of options from shirts, pants, sweaters, even accessories for men and women are available and are shipping worldwide.
2. Zero Waste Daniel
Overview
- Clothes made with upcycled and deadstock fabrics
- Closed-loop manufacturing system
- Zero-waste packaging and shipping
Zero Waste Daniel aims to send zero (0) waste products to landfills. (the brand says it all)
This sustainable fashion brand uses upcycled pieces of fabric to create brand new clothing, and quite frankly, they found one of the best ways to answer the question:
Well, transform them into new ones!
Zero Waste Daniel offers all kinds of t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, bottoms, bandanas, accessories, and even bags.
And since they’re made with materials from old clothes, each piece of Zero Waste Daniel clothing helps reduce textile waste in landfills.
They also sell eco-friendly face masks made from deadstock fabrics.
And there’s more!
Zero Waste Daniel strictly abides by its zero waste mission, and it is transparent on its manufacturing, packaging, shipping, office supplies, and materials.
If you want to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle, start with upcycled clothes from Zero Waste Daniel.
3. RubyMoon
Overview
- Durable upcycled clothing made of regenerated nylon
- Business operation 100% powered by renewable energy
- Circular economy business model
Are you looking for high-quality upcycled activewear for active women?
RubyMoon has a lot of them.
This eco-friendly clothing label is headed by very empowered active women who have deep roots in protecting the environment.
Jo-Anne Godden, the founder of RubyMoon, loves swimming and the beach.
And like Outerknown, it is what led her to have the idea of using fishing nets and converting them to activewear.
Besides their firm stand about the environment’s well-being, they also empower women all over the globe and encourage them to be self-supporting by starting their businesses.
4. KINdom
Overview
- Recycled fabrics and materials
- Handmade by indigenous Asian communities
- Fair Trade certified factories and suppliers
This company prides itself on making clothes from sustainable, natural, recycled, reclaimed, or indigenous materials.
And one thing we love about KINdom?
They have clothes with compostable materials.
Not that we are going to use clothes for fertilizers, but if, in any case, that they’re not fit to wear anymore, you can compost them and not send them to landfills.
KINdom’s clothing line includes upcycled T-shirts with messages, cardigans, duster wraps, stylistic bottoms, dresses, accessories, and recently, face masks.
All of these products, while upcycled, are very trendy and fashionable.
They also have clothing products made of sustainable fabrics, including organic cotton, hemp, Tencel, and linen.
5. Re/Done
Overview
- Specializes in upcycled denim clothing
- Innovative water-conserving production
- Localized supply chain
Re/Done is one of the best upcycled clothing brands for women.
Their unique products are tied with two major clothing companies, Levi’s and Hanes, so there’s no denying their products’ high quality.
Their partnership is centered around Re/Done’s mission to create more sustainable clothing garments from clothes that would otherwise end in landfills.
Re/Done uses old Levi’s jeans and old Hanes T-shirts as a material for reimagined new upcycled clothing.
Moreover, Re/Done products are made primarily by hand to preserve vintage denim’s original stitching and heritage.
Re/Done, their partners, and their employees, stand by their mission to minimize their impact on the environment.
They also localize production and shipping as much as possible to minimize carbon emissions.
6. Urban Outfitters
Overview
- High-quality upcycled vintage clothing
- Sustainable and recycled fabrics
- Eco-friendly and ethical manufacturing process
This upcycled clothing brand is just one of many brands of URBN.
They have been in the market for quite a long time and started by providing consumers with second-hand clothes, jewelry, home decor, and furniture.
Urban Outfitters’ style is primarily vintage – they call it Urban Renewal.
The Urban Renewal collection consists of stylish upcycled clothes for men and women made of recycled, deadstock, and sustainable fabrics.
Aside from making eco-friendly clothing, Urban Outfitters also have in-store recycling, energy-efficient lighting, and facilities made primarily from recycled materials.
7. Beyond Retro
Overview
- Crafted from secondhand and recycled fabrics
- Responsible and Fair Trade supply chain
- Zero waste production policy
Beyond Retro’s upcycled clothing collection is crafted from carefully collected and curated secondhand fabrics.
This upcycled clothing brand has innovated old preloved and donated clothes creatively into stylish collections.
They also try to educate their buyers about having less impact on our environment.
And while modern vintage doesn’t sound right, it does exist with Beyond Retro.
Beyond Retro is based in the U.K. and Sweden and offers to ship internationally.
8. Fanfare
Overview
- Handcrafted garments from recycled clothing waste
- Contemporary style upcycled clothes
- Lifetime repair guarantee
Fanfare is an award-winning brand formerly known as Fabric for Freedom.
Launched by Ester Knight in 2018, Fanfare has been catching a lot of attention because of its unique contemporary concepts and its movement of reducing the waste produced by the fashion industry.
Fanfare products are either recycled or made from sustainable fabrics accredited by organizations such as OEKO-TEX and GOTS.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and OEKO-TEX are two of the most recognized authorities for safe and sustainable textile products.
Fanfare also practices 100% plastic-free product packaging, which is genuinely remarkable considering only about 10% of plastic is recycled.
Besides creating some of the best eco-friendly upcycled clothing, Fanfare also takes steps to make more conscious consumers.
Their brand is currently launching the Impact Fair Campaign, giving their consumers ideas about the issues caused by the fashion industry and the possible solutions to the problem.
9. Bode
Overview
- Tailor-made upcycled clothes for men
- One-of-a-kind garments composed of antique textiles
- Award-winning company for a short time
Bode is a company that creates luxury menswear designed by Emily Bode.
You can see how bold their designs are and how she took upcycling to the next level.
And though her website didn’t mention anything about fashion sustainability, Bode’s approach of creating new clothes naturally contributed to most designers’ movement toward reducing textile waste.
Aside from clothes, Bode’s product list includes shoes, accessories, eco-friendly baby clothes, pillows, and furniture.
10. Gaâla
Overview
- Timeless-designed upcycled clothing
- Made with high-quality deadstock fabric
- Limited edition, one-of-a-kind pieces
Gaâla has great upcycled clothes for women, featuring simple yet elegant designs.
This company is based in France and uses deadstock fabrics rescued from different parts of the world.
Using deadstock fabric was born when the founder Kelly De Gaalon was still a child.
Growing up, she had difficulty looking for low-cost, high-quality fabrics for clothes.
Hence, the idea came of using excess textile fabrics to create new fashion pieces and reduce waste simultaneously!
11. Antiform
Overview
- Made from locally sourced reclaimed materials
- Ethical and sustainable fashion designs
- Stylish upcycled clothing brand for women
Antiform is a UK-based clothing brand for women founded in 2007 by Lizzie Harrison.
She has local designers and researchers responsible for taking their ethical and sustainable design beyond expectations.
Harrison’s experience as a fashion designer opened her eyes to the wastes generated by the fashion industry.
So as she was finishing her degree, the idea of using reclaimed materials and hiring locally was formulated.
The reclaimed materials they use were also acquired locally to reduce their carbon footprint.
12. OhSevenDays
Overview
- Multi-functional womenswear from deadstock fabric
- Fair Trade upcycled clothing brand
- Slow fashion from fast fashion’s leftovers
OhSevenDays is a womenswear label that excels in creating sustainable clothing from deadstock fabrics.
The company is based in Istanbul, Turkey, and operates with the idea of creating slow fashion from fast fashion’s leftovers!
OhSevenDays’ deadstock fabrics go through strict quality control to ensure quality and durability.
However, they sometimes let minor faults slide as they believe throwing away an entire shirt just because of a tiny stain, scratch, or mark is wasteful.
So they instead sell these “misfits” at discounted prices.
13. Picture Organic Clothing
Overview
- Activewear made of organic and recycled materials
- Lifetime repair guarantee
- PFC-free water repellent treatment
Unlike other upcycled clothing brands on this list, Picture Organic Clothing products focus on outerwear, streetwear, activewear, and surfwear.
But like others, their clothing line is made of recycled and sustainable materials.
For instance, about 70% of the polyester used to make their technical apparel comes from recycled bottles.
Moreover, Picture Organic Clothing is also dedicated to fighting climate change, so they take all measures to remove as much fossil fuel (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas) usage in their business, from product manufacturing to packaging.
And another thing we love about this clothing brand?
Picture Organic guarantees that its products are covered with lifetime repairability to decrease the impact of fashion waste in the environment.
Final Thoughts
Who says keeping up with fashion trends is not eco-friendly?
With the upcycled clothing brands on this list, you will have plenty of choices without feeling guilty for the planet.
And whether you’re looking for the latest clothing trends or on the lookout for functionality, we hope you find what you’re looking for.
And before we end, we’d like to complement these companies for creating stylish garments while helping reduce pollution, textile wastes, and climate change.
Let’s all be part of the solution, and you can start today.
PS. Besides getting clothes from the best upcycled clothing brands above, please find ways to recycle old clothes before throwing them away.
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