Brands Making Sustainable Fashion Affordable For Everyone

Fashion is always on the move, which means that clothing in your closet is always changing; but this type of thinking leads to a lot of waste. Fashion waste like this takes a pretty heavy toll on the environment. Did you know that 1 in 2 people throws their clothing away? This results in 64% of clothing garments produced annually ending up in landfills.

The biggest question we must ask ourselves: is fashion worth a huge undertaking for the environment? Lucky for you, this isn’t how it has to be! Sustainable fashion might be trending, but it’s a concept that companies are turning into a design principle.

So the term sustainability became a way to invoke all three interests on an equal platform. The overall idea is that if we are able to ensure the needs of these three pillars, equally and immediately, then we have a shot at ensuring a world that future generations can inhabit.

When it comes to fashion, this means that garments are made in a way that is both trendy and long-lasting, less of a fashion statement just for today, but also one that will be worn for years to come. It means that we produce clothing in a way that promises less waste in between each garment, as well as fabrics that are sourced ethically and with fewer air pollutants.

Sustainable fashion means that we can wear the latest in designer clothing at prices that are attainable for more people, so we can all be confident that our clothes are beautiful, and also lessen our impact on the Earth.

Designers that use pre-existing textiles and fabrics are using ready-made products, lessening the need for more. If you find designers that manage to make the season’s most fashion-forward frocks from existing fabrics, you can rest assured that your clothing has a lightened footprint on the world.

Certain labels now are also choosing to make their designs closer to home. When companies choose to do this, there is less shipping involved in the production of clothing, meaning that there is less need for boats or automobiles to bring clothes to longer distances. This means that there is less oil or fuel burned in the manufacturing, producing, and shipping of clothing. Your carbon footprint will thank you!

Ethical fashion also means creating clothes in ethical ways. This means that your gowns from your favorite sustainable labels also need to take the people making them into consideration. This means that from the factories that produce the fabrics to the factories that make the gowns, everyone working is required a fair wage, adequate working conditions, and NEVER any sort of child labor violations. This is a huge selling point in sustainable fashion. If you buy from companies that practice safe and fair working conditions, then you are making huge strides in protecting people no matter where the dress is made.

Fashion brands can also take into consideration the materials they use to make their garments. Companies using materials such as bamboo, natural cotton, and hemp have a lasting positive effect; in your closet as well as on the environment. Typically, brands using these types of materials are designing clothing that will stand the test of time, meaning that they are less trendy and more trend-setting.

These clothing brands design with longevity in mind, instead of just what’s popular today. These materials are also more biodegradable since they are made from more recyclable and natural products in comparison to synthetic fabrics.

In addition to using recyclables, other brands are using recycled items. Luxury and casual garments are being designed and produced with recycled materials, including plastics that only have a small percentage of recyclability. So consider all the plastic bottles you have saved from landfills the next time you shop sustainably!

Other companies are using direct sourcing for their production lines. This business method allows designers to use their inner company connections to create a direct line of communication to the people making their fabrics. This ensures that not only are the people producing the materials being paid fairly, but it also means that the bottom line for designers is being met at a better price, meaning that your wallet will also score savings.

Designers using high-intensity colors for their fabrics are also making waves by using more natural dyes as well as safer dying methods; ensuring both consumer and worker safety by cutting out harmful pollutants. It also means there is less of a toll on the environment so win-win.

Another sustainable fashion choice you can make is to buy from brands that are carbon neutral. This means that from source to production to shipping, any carbon emissions that the companies produce can be accounted for and offset with other sustainable decisions they are making. It’s important because carbon emissions cause a lot of harmful air pollutants that we deal with; so anytime you can shop with a carbon-neutral company, you can breathe a little easier!

The last big way fashion designers are lowering their harmful impact on the environment is to find ways to recycle their waste. Instead of throwing away the scraps from designs, many brands are finding ways to reuse the fabrics.

For example, denim can be used to insulate a house. When companies find a way to recycle these materials, there is little to no waste involved with their brands. Rest assured this means that you can buy their clothes without feeling guilty about the fabric that was cut out for your backless number.

When all else fails, look for brands that have a sustainable or eco-verified certification. These are awards that are given out to companies that have been recognized for leading their industries in sustainability efforts. Websites feature the top brands that are paving the way and most if not all will have their certification on their front page. You wouldn’t want to hide an honor as prestigious as this and finding brands that carry such an honor will make you feel so good about where your money goes.

Ok, now that we’ve unloaded the sustainability bus, we need to look at brands that are trendy and fashionable while also keeping your wallet and our world safe.

Here at Queenly, our mission is to bring you dresses in the latest trends at affordable rates. But did you know we are also committed to doing all of this in a sustainable way? Our business model allows us to keep serving you the best that designers have to offer, but with the idea of upcycling at our forefront, we are helping to create less of an impact on the Earth to do so.

Queenly provides a platform for anyone to list a dress for sale. When you buy a dress from a seller on Queenly you’re giving the dress a second life! This also means we skip out on the production of the dresses, which means no pollution or using natural resources for production. Even better, when you buy second hand, it means you are lessening the need for production from other companies, reducing the carbon footprint (and saving a ton of money—score!).

Fashion is fun and wearing the latest in style and design is amazing, but it shouldn’t come at such a high price for our wallet, or our environment. Shopping with us means that you are shopping for the right look for your best self and putting your green stamp on fashion choices.

BCBG is a brand that stands for Bon Chic, Bon Genre in French. In English, this translates to good style, good class, and that is exactly what this brand stands for. This is the type of brand that is at the forefront of style, and always emerging with new and exciting trends to bring to us in approachable ways and prices.

Did you also know that BCBG also stands for a lot more behind the scenes? They are promoters and users of supply chain verifications and transparency. Meaning that at any time they will audit their suppliers to ensure that they comply with their ethics in business. Their ethics, most specifically, ensure that child labor is never a factor in anything they make or any fabrics they use. Equally as important, they ensure that any and all suppliers have a zero-tolerance policy on human trafficking and slave labor. This is the type of brand we like to support.

A brand based in luxury fashion, Alyce Paris keeps sustainability at the forefront of their company. Their mission: to bring the best of designer trends without compromising their principles. We call trends in fashion “fast” if they are for the moment looks that won’t last.

A lot of dress companies use this idea to overproduce their styles and end up with a ton of product that goes without being purchased and ends up in landfills. Wanting to steer clear of issues such as this, Alyce Paris produces limited quantities based on want rather than the potential for profit.

They also promote the use of existing fabrics and textiles rather than always creating something from scratch, ensuring that ready-to-use products are put into production first, ensuring that less pollution is put out just to create their looks.

Betsy and Adam is a family-owned and operated small business in New York City. They specialize in dresses that are long and flowing, giving you an angelic look that is elegant and on-brand for your classy taste, perfect for your perfect prom. Their prom styles feature interesting design details and the most beautiful fabrics and patterns. You will have everyone at your school doing a double-take when you walk by.

Did you also know that they also produce most of their dresses right in their backyard? With a majority of their dresses produced in Brooklyn and New Jersey, Betsy and Adam are creating looks that serve and are easy on the environment. When designers ensure dresses are made close to home, it means that their carbon footprint is low, creating sustainability for one-of-a-kind looks at minimal pollution.

Designers that don’t use principles such as these create more pollution due to the shipping and transporting of fabrics and textiles than the dresses themselves once garments are created.

Their styles are fresh and creative, offering you a lot of options for individuality. If you choose an innovative style from this brand, know that your dress was made close to home and is putting its best foot forward in conservationism.

We hope these definitions of sustainable fashion and brands that are setting the pace help you feel good about your style choices as well as guide you in the direction of designers that you can feel good about shopping from. We love fashion, but without a healthy Earth, we wouldn’t have anywhere to showcase our glitter gear. Our choices in fashion should match our effort to preserve the world as much as they show off our personal taste.

Here at Queenly, we love the idea of keeping you trendsetting, without breaking the bank or making waves in waste. If we all made better choices with everything including our fashion, we could make this world a cleaner, more stylish place to be.