25 Incredible Slow Fashion Brands You’ve Never Heard Of

Tired of clicking on those “best sustainable fashion” brand lists only to see Reformation and Everlane over and over again and not learn anything new? You’ve come to the right place! 

While I love to focus on specific products for our ethical fashion guides, such as sustainable fanny packs, jumpsuits, or swimsuits, I know that a lot of you are looking for a simple list of brands you can feel good about shopping in general. I’m thrilled that there are so, SO many slow fashion labels out there to create such a list. Yet, the big blogs are all still talking about the same companies rather than helping you discover new solutions for your commitment to supporting small, slow, and sustainable. Whhhyy?!

25 slow fashion labels you haven’t heard of

In this list, we feature 25 brands that we bet most of you haven’t heard of, and a little about why you should check them out. I’ve made a couple quick notes such as where they’re based (all ship to US), their styles, and sizing, but be sure to visit individual websites for more details. I hope this supports your sustainable style journey! Not sure exactly what slow fashion is? See the end of this post for our take, then scroll back up for our reccs. 

2. Tuesday offers a gorgeous selection of completely handmade and hand-dyed kimonos, dresses, scarves, and tops. They’re based in here in the Pacific Northwest and since items are one-of-a-kind, sizes vary by product.

3. Oge Ajibe is a Vancouver, BC based size-inclusive slow fashion designer (XS-6X) who makes wardrobe staples by hand using natural and deadstock fabrics in beautiful vibrant colors (and neutrals too). She recently released a one of a kind collection made from special one-off fabrics you won’t find anywhere else.

4. Based in the UK, Tipsy Flamingo Clothes makes one-off pieces from vintage household fabrics. Because they’re one of a kind, you have to check out the measurements of each and keep an eye on each drop to ensure you scoop up the best fit. You can find hats and scrunchies here too.

5. Pern and Innika Choo are behind brand Innika Choo, based in Bali and working with small factories to create their romantic and playful smocks and apparel. They’ve also created a platform where shoppers can sell their gently used Innika Choo clothing to those looking for archived designs and a good deal!

6. Vanhu Vamwe combines traditional craft + modern innovation to create their luxury macrame bags, sustainably woven in Africa by their artisan partners. 10% of total sales go directly to women for women initiatives. Materials like recycled para-cord (made from plastic bottles) create long lasting, luxury products. ⁠

7. Isabella Eve Apparel makes custom, colorful fashion for all bodies, in Grand Rapids, MI. Everything is handcrafted to order by owner Isabella using your custom measurements.

9. Half Asleep Co is the sustainable sleepwear brand behind these silky soft PJ and loungewear sets and sleep masks using 100% Tencel™ Modal Micro. They say, “From our plastic-free packaging to our synthetic-free products, we take our global footprint into account in every decision we make.”

10. Camas Lilly Co specializes in upcycled bridal and bridal party robes made with beautiful deadstock fabrics, helping you have a more sustainable weddings. Customize them to your wedding palette!

11. Rosa, the designer behind Cada Todo creates limited drops of the most darling wrap dresses made exclusively from (gorgeous) reclaimed textiles. Cada Todo sticks to a couple of signature style dresses to make finding your fit easier (with cute size names like ‘Foxy Lady’ which represent measurements rather than a traditional S/M/L label. Another fabulous perk of ordering from this small business is that they aren’t hemmed until you order, so you can secure the right length (short people rejoice!). Custom sizing and styles are available too!

12. Lovanie is a made-to-order slow fashion brand for petite women. Based in Seattle!

13. By KVP produces gorgeous loungewear and relaxed clothing like oversized robes and pant sets, wrap pants, and shorts from linen.

14. Gina Cusachs is a Barcelona-based sustainable fashion brand offering laidback, colorful womens clothing. They’re known for their bold, vibrant prints that adorn everything from easy dresses to bucket hats to silk scarves. I love that they offer reversible pieces, making two outfits in one!

16. Based in Portland, OR, slow fashion brand Ersa Fibers is a one-woman studio that custom makes every piece to order, upcycling scrap fabric into one-off products. (Sizes XS-5x)

17. Another ethical fashion brand out of Australia (that ships worldwide), RŪPAHAUS handcrafts womenswear, menswear, accessories, and even decor out of beautiful natural materials. They are meant to be investment pieces that become mainstays in your wardrobe. I love the soft colorways of their handwoven cotton pieces. Most pieces are currently available up to size XL.

18. Dynasty George‘s sustainable cottagecore dresses are created from natural deadstock fabrics and ethically made in India. Sizes XS-XXL and mommy and me children’s dresses offered.

19. In a world of sustainable basics, AGAATI features special occasion womenswear as well as bespoke custom tailoring.

20. Jacaranda is a Calgary-based slow fashion brand specializing in sustainable active and lounge wear using organic pima cotton.

21. Handmade both in Chicago and a GOTS certified facility in India, Valani‘s clothing is fun and flirty with the smallest footprint possible.

22. Women’s clothing store Soluna Collective offers a range of ethically made and handcrafted styles from cargo pants and utility jackets to bodysuits and lounge pants. Some sizes only go to XL while others are offered up to 3X.

23. Neems Jeans is an amazing slow fashion brand featuring custom denim made in LA for women and men. Build your own jeans by choosing the style, rise, wash, and stretch, and even where you want them to hit (ankle, below, or above ankle). Then, you’ll upload your measurements and they’ll start on your custom order! They’re $199 which is right in the range of most quality denim brands, except that these are ethically made and totally custom! (PS I haven’t tried them myself yet, I’m just really jazzed up about this concept and hope to soon!)

24. JOYTOAST is a playful, size inclusive brand (S-7X and beyond) made in Chicago by plus size creator Amy Lynn. They’re currently stocking mostly accessories, including adjustable bag straps that you can attach to any bag with removable straps, and wear in different ways.

what’s the difference between slow fashion, ethical fashion, and sustainable fashion?

Hope you like nuance. Slow fashion (or slow clothing), ethical fashion, and sustainable fashion can all be seen as alternatives to fast fashion, but they’re not all the same. It’s good to know their differences in order to avoid greenwashing while shopping. These terms aren’t regulated in any way, so it’s up to the brands themselves whether they want to label themselves any of these:

Slow fashion refers to clothing that is made in small batches. There’s no universal definition of how small these batches are made, but it’s understood that they are not mass produced. Usually these brands feature handmade clothing produced by either a small team or a single designer. It often includes custom and made-to-order fashion, which you’ll see a lot of below! Because of this, slow fashion is not always ready-to-ship and can take days or weeks for it to make it from the maker to the consumer.

Whether or not a slow fashion brand should also be considered sustainable is often up to the consumer. For example, most of the brands on this list upcycle vintage or deadstock textiles, use natural fibers, or opt for organic over conventional cotton. But does that mean if a designer uses virgin fabric or a synthetic material that they’re not sustainable? That’s up to you. Generally speaking it’s still more sustainable than a fast fashion brand, but it may not be totally up to your standards if you prefer to avoid certain materials.

Similarly ethical and sustainable fashion often includes slow made clothing, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. A sustainable and ethical fashion brand, such as Eileen Fisher, for example, may operate on a much larger scale and therefore not fall into the “slow” category.

What is sustainable fashion? Sustainable fashion is usually used to describe the materials or process, or environment. Questions to ask: What is this made of? Are the inks and dyes used harmful to people or the environment? Does the factory the clothing is made in adhere to environmental standards? What waste do they produce?

Ethical fashion defines the social aspect, most often referring to the people who made the clothing. Questions like who made this? What are their working conditions like? Are they paid fairly? are asked.

This is where I’ve seen some greenwashing come in. It’s easy to assume that because a company brands themselves as sustainable that their clothing is also ethically produced, and vice versa. Early on in my blogging journey I was often approached by ethical clothing companies that put pretty much zero consideration toward the environment in their practices. While no one is requiring that an ethical brand be transparent about their sustainability practices, I can see why consumers might assume if a company checks one box, it automatically checks both. So be sure to ask all the questions, if all of these factors are important to you!

On eco club we use sustainable and ethical fashion pretty much interchangeably — we rarely report on any brand that doesn’t check both boxes. That said, we also consider that small businesses often have to work up to certain sustainability standards (ie organic and fair trade certifications can be costly) so, it totally depends.

I hope this guide helped you! Please add any slow clothing brands you’d love to see added, in the comments!