As the world continues to deal with the climate crisis, more consumers are focusing on how they can make better choices in every aspect of their lives, including fashion. Customers are also concerned about the human rights of those who manufacture their clothing, and more of them are starting to buy sustainable, ethically made fashion. These sustainable fashion brands are on the rise with customers looking to minimize their impact while remaining stylish.

House of Sunny

House of Sunny is a British brand offering high-quality, everyday staples which can be easily integrated into any wardrobe. This company is dedicated to slowing fashion, creating two collections per year.

This brand has risen in popularity, particularly with eco-conscious members of Gen Z. House of Sunny has reached these buyers through TikTok. Its TikTok feed features behind-the-scenes videos showing how garments are made, compostable packaging, and other eco-friendly highlights.

In 2015, 73% of Millennials indicated that they were willing to pay more for sustainable brands. Gen Z is following suit as they move into adulthood. In 2019, 62% of Gen Z shoppers said they prefer sustainable brands.

Founder Sunny Williams grew the brand primarily through social media. Williams met social and marketing executive Camilla Ley at a party, and brought her on board. She used her community-building knowledge to connect with customers and influencers alike, eventually growing the House of Sunny Instagram to 623,000 followers.

Although this brand was built on sustainable principles, which are predominantly featured on the website and other marketing materials, it also uses a diverse array of models in print ads and on social media. People of all shapes and sizes can be seen wearing items from this collection, which further appeals to its online community. Everyone can feel included.

Faithfull the Brand

Another company tapping Instagram to create a community and promote its ethics is Faithfull the Brand. Founded in 2012, this company specializes in easy looks that you can wear on the go. Faithfull clothing is made in Bali, Indonesia using eco-friendly techniques like hand dying.

The company's Instagram appeals to travel and fashion influencers alike, with a cool and chic vibe. Each post features people looking carefree in picturesque travel settings. While the company embodies the opposite of fast fashion principles, it has been successful with a number of fashion influencers on Instagram. Each post includes details about garment materials, and the company is transparent about how they are produced.

Hope Macaulay

Most luxury brands are already known for creating quality pieces that can be worn for decades with proper care, which is a hallmark of sustainable fashion. Irish designer Hope Macaulay takes luxury a step further and delivers a high-quality, eco-friendly brand. She achieves her sustainable fashion goals by bringing back a classic fashion feature – bespoke clothing.

Her clothes are custom tailored and made to order, eliminating wasteful inventory overflow. This company doesn't even start making an item until someone orders it, which lengthens the distribution process but also eliminates a lot of the brand's environmental impact.

Founded in 2018, this label is young, but Macaulay has already created a buzz with biodegradable fabrics and expertly tailored clothing.

Macaulay brings a whimsical aesthetic to the company's Instagram feed, which has helped grow the brand. Along with chunky knit sweaters for which the brand is known, its social media features images of models who look like customers wearing these items in the wild.

Hope Macaulay took a skill that she learned from her grandmother and developed it into a business that has grown on its uniqueness. As a small business owner, you can follow suit by creating inventory on demand, which cuts down on waste and reduces your environmental impact.

Prism Squared

Based in London, Prism Squared combines two big fashion movements: sustainability and activewear. This company focuses on swimwear, leggings, bralettes, tanks, resort wear, and other athleisure staples. Prism Squared is an extension of the existing Prism brand, which specialized in sunglasses and swimwear.

Sustainability is a core part of Prism Squared's branding strategy. Many articles about the company make reference to its Greenpeace certified factory and eco-friendly dyes. Founder Anna Laub talks about her desire to make things that will be used to death rather than worn once and discarded. Garments in the Prism Squared collection serve multiple purposes. For example, you can swim in the leggings, which makes them great for triathlon training.

Laub was able to build this brand off the success of an existing product. Extension lines don't always work out, particularly if they are a strong departure from your existing brand. But if you have a successful fashion line and want to launch an offshoot collection that is more sustainable, you can market it to your existing customer base.

Build Your Sustainable Fashion Brand

In this market, it's not enough to say that a company is sustainable. They have to back up their claims. Up-and-coming fashion brands in this area need to find sustainable suppliers for their small businesses. They also need to connect to sustainable apparel suppliers and sustainable makeup suppliers. Each part of the manufacturing process should be eco-friendly.

Customers might research suppliers and distributors, so it's important for these to live up to a brand's sustainable reputation, particularly if it's a key part of your branding like these sustainable brands. Pietra Studios can connect sustainable businesses to these suppliers.

We can help find the right manufacturers and distributors for fashion and cosmetics products. Our supplier database is easy to navigate. Clients can filter suppliers based on their needs, whether they want to concentrate on materials, sustainable practices within the factory itself, or any combination of factors. All of our suppliers are hand picked. We can answer questions and connect each business owner with the right supplier.

Pietra also offers eCommerce tools. Anyone operating a shoppable website with us can highlight sustainability in their bio and product listings. They can integrate their shop with Instagram and other social media feeds. Pietra can help find the right suppliers to meet each customers' needs.