These Ethical Fashion Brands Will Help Save Our Oceans

This feature is dedicated to our #NoChangeNoFuture initiative. From the Women’s March, to Australia voting yes to same sex marriage, and the #MeToo movement, 2017 taught us to look beyond ourselves and come together as a collective of powerful women who are writing our own history. Join us as we commit to being the change we want to see in 2018. Because without change, there is no future.

It's no secret that we're big advocates of sustainable fashion, and today we’re taking a moment to highlight a few brands that are doing their part to watch out for our planet’s greatest natural resource. It’s commonly-known that the fashion industry is damaging our environment at an alarming rate, and being a part of the solution is easier than you may think. There are steps we can all take to minimise our individual impact and thus begin to remedy all the harm being done, and one easy way to start is by shopping ethical brands.

The environmental destruction done by the fashion industry isn’t just seen in the waste piling up in landfills, but also in the toxins and chemicals that runoff into water during production, eventually ending up in our oceans. However, it’s not all bad news: There are a number of brands with a keen awareness of this fact, doing their parts to avoid further damage to the oceans, and in some instances, taking measures to help remedy the harm that’s already been done.

To see a few of the ethical brands who are taking responsibility for our planet’s oceans, and to shop our favourite picks, keep scrolling. Keep in mind that one of the most powerful ways that customers can begin to sway the system is by voting with our dollars; so take a moment to get to know these brands, and begin opting for more ethical alternatives to fast-fashion. Change will only come if well all contribute our part, and the sooner it happens, the better off we all are.

With its COMPRESSLITE styles, Nimble Activewear recycles four plastic water bottles per pair of leggings and one per sports bra, thus keeping plastic from entering into our landfills, water streams, and oceans.

In collaboration with the organisation, Parley for the Oceans, Adidas has created a number of shoe styles from  Parley Ocean Plastic™ “which is made from recycled waste, intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean.”

Created by Candice Swanepoel, 50 percent of the brand’s current collection is made with the recycled textile Econyl which has been developed in partnership with HealthySeas.org, Utilising “100 percent recycled material from discarded fishing nets and other landfill waste”, this material simultaneously removes waste from oceans while providing a sustainable alternative.

While Reformation’s entire line has a focus on sustainability, the brand is making especially huge strides to improve the state of our oceans with it’s denim line. Unlike other brands, Reformation uses  hand sand and stone washing and an ozone machine (as opposed to chemicals which end up in water) to distress it’s jeans. Plus, the brand uses 88 percent less water in producing it’s denim than the average.

As mentioned above, jeans are one of the mos-polluting garments when it comes to the ocean. Reason being: Cotton is one of the most harmful textiles to the ocean because of the water required to cultivate it and the chemicals used in production. By remaking vintage pieces, Re/Done, cuts out the need for cotton farming altogether, while simultaneously recycling pre-existing resources.

After learning that "20 percent of the world’s industrial water pollution is caused by the fashion industry", this brand set out to reduce its individual impact by  using dead-stock fabric instead. As is the case with Re/Done, by eliminating the need for new textile production, Christy Dawn minimises the negative impacts of clothing production, which are primarily related to textile production and waste.