Ethical and Sustainable Menswear

An epic list of sustainable menswear brands!

Sustainable menswear brands have been increasing in the past few years. More styles and options are available than ever before. However, if you want to find them, you have to do a bit of digging! This time, The Green Edition has done the digging for you and found 17 brands that cater for men. These brands all take the care and effort needed to produce sustainable menswear that is better for the environment,  treat the workers well and make sure they are paid a living wage.

This list isn’t exhaustive so be sure to comment below if you know anywhere else to buy great sustainable menswear!

 

Wolfe Academy (pictured above) is an independent lifestyle brand. They have climate neutral tees and a small range of recycled jumpers – created using 60% pre-consumer recycled cotton and 40% plastic bottles. The cotton they use is grown with low impact organic farming methods and waste is kept to an absolute minimum. The cotton is produced in a region that receives up to 95% of its water from the monsoon rain which reduces the need for large-scale irrigation projects normally associated with conventional cotton farming. The garments are made in India in a factory that is run entirely on renewable green energy from wind turbines and solar power. The designs are hand screen-printed in Somerset in England using waterbased inks which means no nasty chemicals are required to clean the printing equipment.

 

Silverstick (pictured below) produce high-quality clothing for the outdoors. Their tees, sweats, and hoodies have been manufactured in a GOTS accredited Turkish factory that meets very high social and environmental standards. The organic cotton is grown in Turkey and has been certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) ensuring no harmful chemicals have been used in the farming process. The graphics are hand printed in Britain. They have a range of hats and socks made from merino wool and organic cotton that is made in Britain. In the future, they are expanding the range to include more technical elements – such as base layers, fleeces, and jackets as well as expanding our organic cotton basics – pants, lightweight socks etc.

 

Lyme Terrace is a London based brand that has a small curated collection of sustainable sweaters and t-shirts. Their aim is to make clothing that considers both the people and the planet. The makers of the clothes are in the UK and the textiles are produced in factories that have been audited and considered.

 

Absolutely Bear (Unfortunately closed down.) (pictured below) is a London based ethical fashion brand. They also give 10% of their profits to two chosen charities – BECOME who work with vulnerable children in the care system and young people leaving care. And The Born Free Foundation is a wildlife charity that seeks to protect and improve the lives of vulnerable animals around the world. The brand is continuing to grow and develop all the time, with the newest range, which launches next month being 100% sustainable with everything crafted in organic cotton.  The men’s range consists of screen printed and embroidered t-shirts and polo shirts, cotton sweaters and lambswool jumpers, caps, hats and scarves. Absolutely Bear’s mission is to create simple, quality pieces that will last a long time but more importantly that you will want to wear forever. The garments are designed in London; knitwear produced in the UK and the cotton t-shirts, sweaters & hoodies are created in Bangladesh where their suppliers are members of the Fair Wear Foundation, an independent, non-profit organisation that works with companies and factories to improve labour conditions for garment workers. They also have a range of vegan backpacks and bags. 

 

Rapanui have an attractive selection of sustainable menswear including t-shirts, flannel shirts and jumpers. Each garment has its own online journey map so you can see where it was grown and made. I bought my dad a jumper from Rapanui for his Christmas and it was well received!

Arthur & Henry (pictured below) is the place to go if you want a sustainable and ethical shirt for work. Well made using organic cotton grown by the farmers of Chetna Organic and Pratima Organic Fairtrade organic certified farming groups in India.  The cotton is spun in GOTS-certified mills. And the shirts are made in a small factory in Bangalore, south India which is certified GOTS, Fairtrade & Fair Wear. I can testify that the quality is good, my husband has an Arthur & Henry shirt – which I borrow on occasion!

 

Armed Angels are another German brand who have an extensive range of ethical and sustainable fashion for men that is updated regularly. They use fabrics such as organic cotton and tencel and make sure the workers are treated well and paid a fair wage.

Everyone needs basic tees and The White Tshirt Co (pictured below) is the place to go for a brilliant sustainable version. The t-shirts are made using GOTS certified organic cotton, sometimes with a small amount of elastane for stretch. They are produced in-house by their partner Green Cotton. So they know exactly who grows the cotton and makes the t-shirts.

 

Finisterre has been on the go since 2003 when they first started as a sustainable source for surf gear. They have carried on that same ethos and now expanded into other outer and adventure wear. Finisterre has a microplastics range at the moment, 10% of the profits go to Surfers Against Sewage.

Deadwood (featured image on the homepage and pictured below) take old leather and turns it into beautiful new jackets. All the jackets are made from 100% repurposed and reworked leather. The collections are released bi-annually and feature traditional biker, bomber, fringing and minimalist styles. They also do women and children’s versions too, well worth a look!

 

Howies are a small Welsh based outdoor clothing company specialising in well-made quality garments. They feature classic styles with sustainable no fuss fabrics such as organic cotton and linen. The trousers and jeans selection is notable, and they also have bundles if choosing what matches isn’t your thing!

Knowledge Cotton Apparel (pictured below) is a Danish brand with a wide range of sustainable menswear. The summer collection went live last week and has a beautiful selection, the collection of jackets is impressive.  KCA use GOTS certified cotton as well as other sustainable fabrics including recycled polyester. The factories are audited and they also visit the suppliers themselves once or twice per year. They offer free European shipping and also ship to various countries outwith Europe.

 

Thought Clothing have a broad selection of sustainable menswear with fabrics such as hemp, organic cotton, and linen. They believe in looking after the environment, people and animals included in their supply chain.

Joe Merino (pictured below) is a Dutch brand that offers free shipping and returns in the EU. They produce a wide selection of 100% merino wool t-shirt and sweaters in various different styles and colours. Wool garments are incredibly long lasting, breathable and the best bit is that you need to launder them far less than other fabrics. Check here to find laundry tips to make clothes last that bit longer. Your order comes with a pamphlet citing tips to look after the garment and they also offer a repair service.  And if your Joes Merino really is on its last legs…send it back and they will recycle it into new yarns to create their ‘circular’ sweater. Joe Merino takes sustainability very seriously and checks that the sheep, farmers, and workers all get treated with care. Check the website now for their new ‘wool in the summer collection.’

 

Bleed (Unfortunately closed down) (pictured below) is a vegan ethical fashion brand. They are based in Germany and offer international shipping. Bleed use sustainable fabrics such as cork, tencel, hemp, and linen and produce a great selection of modern stylish clothing. The clothing is all fairly produced in GOTS-certified factories and the website uses clear markers to describe the key sustainable elements of each garment.

 

 

Patagonia is a super brand that sells everything you need for the outdoor adventure. They are US based so make sure you use the EU website. If you are in the EU that is! Patagonia manufacture their garments with quality in mind and offer a repair service if you rip or tear a piece of their clothing. If the clothing is beyond repair you can also send it to them for recycling. They famously ran an advertisement for Black Friday in 2011 asking their consumers not to buy from them unless they really needed to. In an effort to slow down consumption, and their ethos is the same now. Buy less but better quality.

Komodo has a good selection of sustainable menswear made from fabrics such as bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton. They visit their factories regularly to ensure the people involved are treated with respect, receive a fair wage and are not expected to work in uncomfortable or hazardous conditions.

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