19 Affordable Ethical & Eco Clothing Brands to Ditch Fast Fashion 2024
Starting a sustainable wardrobe can be overwhelming and I think price point tends to turn a lot of people away.
There is a misconception that ethical fashion has to be more expensive.
I don't think it HAS to be super expensive. I think you have to know how to shop it. Be sure to check out our tips at the end of the post for some ideas on how to save money.
This guide few brands and discount codes to give you a few ideas on how to shop ethically on a budget. These affordable ethical and eco-friendly clothing brands are sure to jump start your conscious closet!
This post does contain affiliate links which means we might make a commission off of a purchase you make, but this is at no additional cost to you! Affiliate links help us keep The Honest Consumer as a free resource to those learning about conscious consumerism.
Why is Ethical & Sustainable Clothing More Expensive?
When asking this question it's important to consider fast fashion brands. The fast fashion industry has created an unreasonable expectation that consumers can purchase clothing for the same price as a cup of coffee.
Unfortunately, fast fashion is able to offer cheap prices due to their exploitation of workers in impoverished communities, lack of quality materials, and mass production. Plus, it's no secret that the fashion industry has a history of child labor and unsafe working practices.
As Lucy Siegle says, “Fast fashion isn't free. Someone, somewhere is paying.” It's usually the farming communities, factory workers, and Mother Earth.
Luckily, there are many slow fashion brands fighting against the unethical practices within the fashion industry.
Ethical and sustainable clothes are typically sold at a higher price point because these brands actually pay their garment workers a livable wage, use recycled or organic fabrics, and create in smaller batches. These costs tend to get passed onto the end consumer.
When purchasing ethical, eco-friendly, or fair trade clothing it's important to think of your purchase as an investment. In the long run buying these clothes could save you money.
Since sustainable brands typically use higher quality materials, the garments tend to last longer. So, you're not always having to replace that $5 t-shirt every few months. Cheap clothes can actually cost you more overtime.
You can even break it down with the cost per wear! This math will allow you to see if investing in sustainable fashion can save you money!
What Are Affordable Prices in Ethical Fashion?
In this sustainable fashion guide we're going to look for brands with a decent amount of garments in the $25-$50 price range as this is considered an affordable price for ethical and sustainable brands.
19 Affordable Ethical & Sustainable Clothing Brands
Now that you know what to look for let's meet some amazing affordable ethical clothing brands! These affordable brands prioritize ethical manufacturing, sustainable fibers, and crafting high quality clothing that is meant to last for years to come.
Soulflower Print Co.
Soulflower Print Co. is a woman owned small business giving thrifted clothing a new look! Each piece is one of a kind and carefully selected from the thrift store. Then, it’s screen printed with an original design using water-based inks.
Soulflower Print Co.’s sustainable apparel ranges from $29-$40. You can find eco-friendly t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, dresses, and more!
Passion Lilie: Eco-friendly & Artisan Made
Passion Lilie’s bold style empowers consumers wearing their apparel and the artisans who craft these beautiful goods. Passion Lilie partners with artisans in India to help provide sustainable employment through the crafting of eco-friendly clothing and accessories.
Passion Lilie’s fair trade clothing typically ranges from $40-$100. Passion Lilie offers something for everyone with organic cotton men's button downs, beautiful dresses, and even organic cotton baby onesies!
Use the discount code TheHonestConsumer for 15% off your Passion Lilie purchase.
PACT Apparel: Fair Trade & Organic Clothes
PACT Apparel specializes in affordable basics such as tees, hoodies, leggings, underwear, socks, and more. PACT Apparel is made with organic cotton and created in Fair Trade Certified factories.
Their apparel ranges from $20-$100 which makes this a great place to start transitioning your wardrobe to ethical fashion.
Tip: Sign up for their e-mails because PACT always has sales. You can also use the discount code HONESTCONSUMER20 for 20% off your first purchase.
KNOWN SUPPLY: Humanizing the Apparel Industry
KNOWN SUPPLY is humanizing the apparel industry through collaborative partnerships which encourage, educate, and empower businesses to take part in social impact.
KNOWN SUPPLY's organic cotton t-shirts range from around $25-40 while dresses and pants range from $50-70.
With bold style and fun prints, KNOWN SUPPLY is sure to keep your wallet happy and your wardrobe fresh.
tentree’s Affordable Eco-friendly Fashion
tentree makes Earth-First essentials using sustainable materials such as TENCEL, recycled polyester, organic cotton, and hemp.
Every time you purchase an item, tentree plants 10 trees. tentree is proud to be a certified B-Corporation and ethically crafts their clothing around the world.
tentree’s clothing made with TENCEL includes jumpsuits, joggers, hats, skirts, t-shirts, and more. tentree’s sustainable clothing for men and women ranges from $17-$90.
The Good Tee: Affordable Organic Cotton Clothing
The Good Tee is a sustainable clothing brand focusing on high quality Fairtrade Certified organic cotton t-shirts.
This socially responsible brand allows ethical shoppers to easily learn about the transparent supply chain and trace the manufacturing process through videos and resources highlighting The Good Tee’s partner suppliers and the materials used.
The Good Tee’s clothing ranges between $13-$50. This eco-friendly brand carries clothes for the entire family including kids, women, & men.
GOEX’s Affordable Fair Trade Clothing Made with Recycled Materials
GOEX is a sustainable basics brand that works in the US and Haiti guaranteeing workers a living wage and crafting basics with fair trade practices.
Colorful Standard's Bright Colors & Affordable Prices
Colorful Standard focuses on creating sustainable basics with bright colors. Their cotton is 100% organic and their dyes are all Oeko-Tex Certified, meaning that they have been thoroughly tested for harmful chemicals.
Sustainable shoppers can find organic t-shirts, hoodies, pants, and more ranging from $30-$100.
Global Mama’s Celebrating Bright Colors & Bold Fashion
The Global Mamas community works together to create a life of prosperity for African women and their families through empowerment and employment.
Global Mamas uses fair trade and organic cotton to craft their bold ethical clothing. Global Mama’s clothing starts around $30+.
Fair Indigo’s Fair Trade Clothing Under $100
Fair Indigo specializes in fair trade clothing. Fair Indigo uses organic materials to craft high quality garments crafted to last.
Fair Indigo also gives back to The Fair Indigo Foundation, a non-profit organization with the mission to improve educational opportunities for children in the Peruvian communities where their cotton is grown, alpacas are herded, and products are made.
Fair Indigo’s organic cotton basics range from $30-$80 and include clothing for men and women.
Sustain by Kat's Plant Dyed Clothing
Sustain by Kat creates high-quality, timeless basics made from 100% natural materials including organic cotton and linen.
They source and craft all of their products ethically and with care, ensuring that each naturally-dyed piece contributes to helping both our planet and the people in it. Sustain by Kat uses plant dyes which is incredibly unique and has less environmental impact.
Their colorful clothing is ethically made in India and the USA. This brand’s clothing ranges from $16-$80.
TAMGA
WEARWELL: Women's Ethical Fashion Boutique
Wearwell is a one-stop shop for sustainable + ethical clothing, accessories, secondhand, home goods, and more. Wearwell has a wide range of women's clothing ranging from $30 to $300.
Wearwell partners with ethical brands to ensure their clothing is high quality. Women can shop sustainable dresses, t-shirts, pants, tops, and more.
ABLE's Eco-friendly Basics & Sustainable Denim Under $100
ABLE is an ethical fashion brand focused on empowering both the women who make the clothes and women who wear the clothes. Along with their high quality size inclusive clothing this brand has sustainable jewelry, bags, and shoes.
ABLE's basics tees and shorts range from $35-$90. ABLE also has a decent amount of eco-friendly denim options under $100. This sustainable fashion brand also has some more higher end items.
Boody's Affordable Bamboo Viscose Clothing
Clean, simple, and comfortable, Boody Eco-wear specializes in underwear and loungewear made from bamboo viscose.
Boody’s bamboo is grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizer, and irrigation, and their manufacturing entails zero waste and is carried out in a closed-loop system that captures contaminated liquids. Boody is also certified by Ecocert, OEKO-TEX, and PETA.
Boody's bamboo viscose clothing ranges from $25 to $85 with a range of garments for men and women.
No Nasties: Sweatshop Free Clothing
No Nasties clothing is vegan, fair trade and produced with 100% certified organic cotton.
The Indian farmers who grow the organic cotton are paid a premium for their harvest and a tree is planted for every product sold.
Discover ethical clothing with No Nastie’s clothing starting at $16 featuring a range of fashion for women. Shop organic dresses, tops, and more all made with ethical production!
Tips for shopping for Affordable Sustainable Fashion Brands
If you're ready to shop sustainably and save money on clothing consider these tips!
Discounts for Our Community
Be sure to check out our discount page regularly and sign up for our newsletter! Our partner brands always provide generous discount codes for The Honest Consumer community.
Look for Eco-friendly Materials
Look for brands using eco-friendly materials such as recycled materials, organic cotton, deadstock fabric, or biodegradable fabrics.
Check Thrift Stores
Shopping secondhand is a great option for anyone on a budget. This helps keep unwanted clothing out of the landfill. Plus, you can find some pretty unique items! If there isn't a secondhand store near you, you can also find some great online thrift stores to shop.
Sustainable Practices
Look for brands that go beyond just using eco-friendly materials and have sustainable practices within their business. This could include using renewable energy in factories, offsetting carbon emissions, have clothing recycling programs, or any other business practices that keep mother earth in mind.
Third Party Certifications
Look for third party certifications such as climate neutral certified, certified B corp, and Fair Trade Certified. These certifications ensure different ethical and environmental standards.
Clothing Repair Programs
Look for brands that offer repairs. Brands like Patagonia offer repair services. This is great because it means that your clothing can be fixed instead of ending up in the ladnfill or having to be replaced.
Timeless Style
Invest in timeless pieces that can be worn for years to come and can be worn through a variety of different seasons.
Look Out for Sales
Sign up for e-mails to be notified of sales. Sustainable brands have sales just like fast fashion brands do (not as frequently), but it's a great opportunity to stock up and save money if there are certain clothing items you need for your closet.
Take Back Programs
Some brands like For Days have clothing take back programs. Once you have worn your clothing, you can send it back in exchange for a store credit. This is a great way to keep clothing out of landfills and make sure it has a second life.
Plus, it's a good way for the consumer to save money on a future purchase! Just be careful and watch out for fast fashion brands trying to use take back programs as greenwashing.
College Discounts
If you're a college student be sure to see if the brand offers any college student discount!
Read the Care Instructions
Take care of your clothes! One of the most sustainable things you can do is to love the clothing in your closet. Whenever you get a new piece be sure to read the care instructions.
You want to make sure you follow the washing and drying instructions to ensure the garment lasts as long as it possibly can. This helps save you money because you won't wear down the fabric as easily and have to replace the garment.
Hopefully this guide helped you discover some more affordable sustainable clothing brands to start your conscious closet and given you a bit of perspective when looking at a higher price tag.
For more tips & tricks on conscious consumerism be sure to follow The Honest Consumer on social media.