2 affordable and ethical brands you need to know [part 2]

Here I am once again to talk about such an important topic: the role of fashion in a sustainable world. Two months ago I wrote the first part of this blog (you can read it here) and I had a very positive response about it so I thought I should share more affordable and ethical brands that deserve to have your attention.

This time I'm going to focus on Australian brands BUT they ship worldwide so you can still get your ethically made outfit even if you're not in Australia ;)

Ok so let's get this party started!

Etiko

Etiko is the first fair trade* fashion brand in Australia. Founded in 2005 by Nick Savaidis, Etiko uses only organic cotton, natural rubber, certified cardboard and paper in the packaging and all of the products are vegan, yes, 100% vegan! The product range is very diversified and they not only they sell clothing but also shoes and bags. One more positive point is they don't sell only women's clothing but men's as well and all of their hoodies are labelled as unisex in their website! In my opinion, as you might already have guessed, we should wear whatever we want independently of the gender, but it is really nice that they had the initiative to create the same model for men and women!

On the other hand, this brand is definitely not for fashion enthusiasts. The clothes are very basic, with not many patterns or bold cuts, they're mainly plain shirts, singlets and hoodies. Well, all of us have that black singlet or white plain shirt, basic much needed items. So when you need this type of basic clothing, this is the website to go to. They also have pretty cool shoes and underwear. They ship internationally and the price range is roughly AUS$10-80. Etiko is very affordable so now you have NO excuses for not buying from ethical brands ok? Ok. Next.

Doops Designs

The Australian brand was founded by Jane Newham and all of the products are made in Australia, which is why this brand is a little bit more expensive than Etiko. I couldn't find any information on their website (which isn't very user friendy) but did find what we need to know (although not in details as Etiko) on their Facebook page. The clothing pieces are hand printed and handmade by Jane alone, and made using fine European linen and cotton. Still according to their Facebook page, the fabrics are responsibly sourced from quality mills throughout Europe, but they don't give us any names. The sourcing process ensures workers at these mills are paid a fair and minimum wage and work in a safe harm free environment. It also ensures that all chemicals used during the milling and dying process adhere to the OEKO-TEX 100 standards for textiles tested for harmless substances. The inks that Jane uses are water based 100% solvent free that are eco-friendly. They finish their presentation saying that all of their products are eco-friendly.

Doops is a very fun brand. Jane uses lots of colour, bright and strong colours, different patterns and nice cuts! They have dresses, shirts, pants and earrings. Doops has a few different collections and the price ranges varies roughly between AUS$80-200. They also ship internationally. The website isn't the best way to navigate through the brand so I suggest you have a look at their Instagram.

Do you know any other ethical fashion brands? If you do, spread the word, let everyone know about them because we need to change the way we consume fashion now.

*Fair trade is an institutional arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions. Members of the fair trade movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and environmental standards.

#fashion #fashionfreak #ethicalbrands #sustainability #sustainablefashion #Australia