In a school full of teenage girls, there is a good chance that there are many shopping-lovers at Ursuline. Many students have fond memories of middle school mall excursions with friends, buying back to school clothes with their moms, or shopping for the perfect homecoming dress. With holidays, dances, and cooler weather coming soon in the next few weeks, students should try buying your clothes at these eco-friendly clothing brands before opting for other stores that hurt our planet.
A brand girls might already be familiar with is the clothing retailer giant H&M. They recently began an eco-friendly clothing collection, Conscious Exclusive, focused on unique, eco-friendly textiles and clothing for certain occasions. The current Conscious Exclusive focuses on nightwear including sequined and embroidered clothing which is perfect for the upcoming holidays. They use TENCEL x REFIBRA fibers made from pre-consumer recycled cotton waste and wood pulp from sustainable forests. Because of the closed loop production needed to create the textiles—which is a kind of production where consumer waste is collected, recycled, and used to make new products—the production process has a very low impact on the ecosystem.
Many students love Free People, but Style Saint is equally cute and more eco-friendly. Style Saint uses eco-friendly silk and lace, differentiating it from the other sustainable clothing brands that primarily use cotton or cotton-like textiles. Style Saint ensures that their products are staples and can be worn for many years which combats against wasteful, poorly made fast fashion clothes that are often thrown away. Style Saint also approaches commerce with a direct-to-customer method. Because they sell their clothes online, they can price their clothes affordably instead of having excessive markups on their pieces.
Amour Vert combines an effortless look with a love for the planet. Their sustainable clothing uses textiles like their incredibly soft signature beechwood blend made from sustainably harvested and biodegradable beechwood fibers, certified organic cotton free from pesticides and genetically modified organisms and Tencel made from sustainably farmed eucalyptus trees. Their clothes are similar to Anthropologie’s and are effortless and versatile. Plus, if you a buy a t-shirt, they plant a tree in return.
A more fashion-forward brand that is equally as sustainable and eco-friendly is The Reformation. They use a multitude of eco-friendly textiles, including linen and Alpaca wool, to create their feminine clothing. They ensure their textiles have a low chemical impact and use LEED certified factories that do not damage the ecosystem. They have also been carbon neutral since 2015, which sets The Reformation apart from other brands. Plus, they offer discounts for those who use wind energy or donate to organizations fighting against climate change, so if you have windmills outside your house you can receive a $100 credit.
These brands might range in fashion styles from bohemian to city chic, but all of these brands are eco-friendly and use sustainable textiles. The price range is moderate to more expensive, but students should keep in mind that these pieces are designed to be timeless staples that will weather the test of time. With the holidays around the corner and the shopping season on the horizon, next time students decide to go on a shopping spree, they should try to be more environmentally-friendly and conscious of the environment by purchasing from these brands.
