10 Best Recycled Clothing Brands & Online Stores (In 2022)
Best Recycled Clothing Brands In UK, USA
Sustainable, Zero Waste, Wholesale Recycled Clothes
Shopping and wearing recycled clothing brands is a great way to improve your style and CO2 footprint in the current global fashion context.
According to the BBC, over 92 million tons of textiles are wasted every year as massive amounts of clothes end up in landfills, polluting the planet in the process.
Despite the stigma attached to the word ‘recycled,’ recycled clothes are re-made garments by reusing and repurposing materials from old, worn out, and damaged clothes.
These materials are then transformed by brands working with recycled clothing into new garments you can buy at discounted prices from recycled clothing wholesale sites.
Also referred to as repurposed clothing, reused clothing, and upcycled garments, recycled clothing is a smart and affordable option in the contemporary fashion landscape.
Speaking of upcycling, most people confuse the products of recycled clothing brands with upcycled clothing brands.
However, there is a difference between the two:
- upcycled clothing brands use the whole discarded garment to fix, improve, and give the ‘same garment’ a new life.
- recycling clothing labels break down old garments into materials that can be reused to create brand new apparel.
There are many benefits to purchasing and wearing clothes from recycled clothing brands.
Less water usage and landfill waste, fewer chemicals and carbon emissions, and as a bonus, the uniqueness of each style!
Driven by a deep sustainability and style uniqueness creed, these are the 10 best recycled clothing brands, designers, stores, and websites in 2022.
1/10
ORGANIC BASICS
Best Recycled Clothing Basics
from $26
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“World-renowned for their Tencel Lite Bralette, Organic Basics embodies what we want to see in fashion; recycled, comfortable, and long-lasting clothing, designed with a low impact carbon footprint while timelessly versatile.”
Organic Basics works only with trusted, certified factory partners – the good guys, as the founders like to call them.
Aiming to reduce environmental footprint, Organic Basics uses recycled fabrics, textile waste, discarded synthetic fabrics, recycled plastic bottles, and unwanted garments to turn them into clean, raw materials for brand new aesthetic clothing.
As an example for the clothing industry, the brand’s ethical and sustainability practices and the entire supply chain are geared for energy efficiency.
In pure circular fashion, the brand uses deadstock material, recycled synthetics, recycled plastic waste, and fossil fuels to shift the apparel industry on a more sustainable course.
2/10
OUTERKNOWN
Best Recycled Denim Clothing
from $58
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“Outerknown is one of the leading recycled clothing brands in 2022, established from an understated design approach and an overstated approach to quality, material, and conscious fashion.”
Co-founded by designer John Moore and world champion surfer Kelly Slater, Outerknown is distinguished by its sustainability and decision to ensure each garment is created with recycled materials.
Nowadays, Outerknown is a recycled clothing brand that acts as a relationship between style, function, and sustainability.
3/10
NAADAM
Best Men’s Recycled Clothing
from $50
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“Free from harmful chemicals, NAADAM goes straight to the home of the world’s best cashmere, Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, to bring you high-quality, fair trade, and sustainable knitwear at affordable prices.”
NAADAM was founded in 2013 by Matthew Scanlan and Diederik Rijsemus, two college friends.
The duo traveled to remote parts of the Mongolian Gobi Desert and became friends with the local herders to create cashmere that otherwise would be wasted.
Nowadays, NAADAM is a sustainable fashion label that produces an assortment of affordable luxury garments for men and women.
4/10
ATHLETA
Best Plus Size Recycled Clothing
from $9.99
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“Athleta offers some of the highest quality yoga and loungewear pieces, suitable for performance and style. The brand’s body-positive, inclusive sizing, and luxurious signature fabrics are a massive draw for yoginis and female athletes.”
A subsidiary of Gap, Athleta is a recycled clothing brand that makes women’s comfortable and stylish rescued cotton garments.
Athleta focuses exclusively on female athletes and is one of the only athleisure brands to incorporate a fitness line for girls.
The label is a certified B corporation committed to community and giving back.
When it comes to athleisure and yoga gear, there are seemingly endless options these days, from Lululemon to Outdoor Voices to Alo to Beyond Yoga.
But in the context of social impact and inclusivity, Athleta leads the way with their amazing plus size clothing line.
5/10
REFORMATION
Best Recycled Wool Clothing
from $98
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“With an overall sexy, fresh, and youthful look, Reformation is one of the few recycled clothing brands in this list able to pull a super sophisticated look.”
The California-based brand Reformation focuses on high-fashion clothing for women.
Reformation’s collection includes casual wear like jeans and bodysuits, fun and flirty day dresses and jumpsuits, and slinky cocktail dresses.
It also offers footwear, sustainable swimwear, organic cotton underwear, and even a wedding wear collection.
The brand focuses on sustainability throughout its operation: it sources fabric locally, uses blue sign-certified dyes, ships products in recycled and compostable packaging, uses renewable energy, and recycles over 75% of its waste.
6/10
FARM RIO
Best Boho Recycled Clothing
from $45
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“A tremendous recycled clothing brand known for vintage-inspired and feminine boho aesthetics delivered to your door, right from the heart of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”
Launched by a group of creatives from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (that believe in the existence of happiness), Farm Rio is an apparel brand that Anthropologie carries on its official website.
More than a recycled clothing brand, Farm Rio has been a leader of sustainable practices, fostering cultural movements since 1997.
The brand takes vintage clothing and infuses them with an elevated, feminine aesthetic.
The brand supports the local culture, heritage, craftsmanship and fights to keep them alive.
For each piece sold via the official website, the company plants a tree in the Amazon Rainforest.
7/10
MARA HOFFMAN
Best Designer Recycled Clothing
from $95
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“Mara Hoffman’s is a sustainable clothing label known for rich, textured, and understated pieces oozing feminine power, exuding a playful, bright, and colorful aesthetic.”
Inspired by personal reflections on mythology and travels, Mara Hoffman injects whimsy and unexpected details into her sustainable collections.
Moreover, the brand’s pieces are crafted from sustainable and eco-friendly materials by close-knit expert artisans in New York City.
Mara Hoffman’s extensive collection is a must for tribal patterns, abstract art, and punchy prints.
Check out her dresses, color-blocked skirts, and high-waisted bikinis to create that style icon image every woman aspires to become.
8/10
RUBYMOON
Best Recycled Clothing Activewear
from $62
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“If you’re looking for activewear or swimwear that’s sustainable, RubyMoon is just the brand you’ve been looking for. Based out of the UK, this not-for-profit brand believes in creating a positive environmental and social impact.”
RubyMoon makes some of the most beautiful activewear pieces from recycled materials.
The brand’s gym and sustainable swimwear are created from fishing nets and recycled bottles rescued from the ocean.
RubyMoon has reduced its carbon footprint by 42% by turning polluting waste into beautiful recycled garments.
RubyMoon also has its take-back scheme so if you have any used and unwanted swimwear pieces, send them over to receive a discount on your next purchase.
9/10
URBAN OUTFITTERS
Best Vintage Recycled Clothing
from $24
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“With a dedicated team of people that recovers, recycles, and revamps the brands’ headstock and unused or discarded outfits, Urban Outfitters has become a leader in the recycled clothing market.”
Like some other big-name high street brands, Urban Outfitters doesn’t have a good track record for its production practices.
However, to deal with its fast-fashion facet, the brand has introduced its very own upcycled program comprised of a dedicated team called Urban Renewal.
The team sorts through deadstock and surplus materials that generally end up in landfills and turn them into recycled clothing materials.
In return, Urban Outfitters pieces are created in limited numbers, so if you’re looking for that original feel at a price that won’t break the bank, check out the Urban Renewal range by Urban Outfitters.
10/10
AMOUR VERT
Best Recycled Fabric Clothing
from $
EDITOR’S NOTE:
“French for ‘green love,’ Amour Vert is not a recycled clothing brand but an entire online marketplace for sustainable clothes made from recycled materials.”
Amour Vert stocks discounted clothes made from recycled natural fibers such as hemp, ethical wool, certified organic cotton, and other sustainable materials.
Ninety-seven percent of Amour Vert’s pieces are made in small batch quantities within a few miles of the brand’s San Francisco office.
While some of their sustainable clothing is a little more on the pricey side (keep an eye on their special offers and sales), they do have a great collection of organic cotton tees that are more affordable.
Recycled Clothing FAQs |
What Clothing Brands Use Recycled Materials?Many zero waste fashion brands are using recycled materials to make stylish clothes. Below are some of the most popular clothing brands using recycled materials in 2022, known to make high-quality, trendy apparel.
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Which Fashion Brands Are Eco friendly?There are many eco-friendly brands creating amazing clothes while also striving for environmental and social sustainability. Below are some of the most popular eco-friendly brands right now, in 2022, makers of American recycled clothing from sustainable fabrics.
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Conclusion
It’s not easy to be an environmental activist who loves the latest fashion trends.
First, you all know that ‘fast fashion‘ is destructive to the planet by creating cheap apparel from energy-intensive materials, by using toxic bleaches and dyes, and discarding tones of unused garments every day, clogging the planet with landfills.
Fortunately, the number of recycled clothing brands rejecting fast fashion in favor of ‘slow fashion‘ and sustainable clothing is rising fast.
Also known as eco-friendly clothing brands, these labels create new clothes from recycled organic wool and cotton from broken garments, polyester from plastic bottles and fishing nets, and cellulose from discarded trees.
In making new clothes, recycling apparel brands use less-toxic dyes less water and reduce the overall carbon footprint.
Using recycled materials is one of the most powerful ways to stay sustainable and trendy, especially in times of a fashion industry thirsty for change.
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What is your take on recycled clothing – sustainable or not? If not, why?
Which one of these 10 recycled clothing brands is your favorite and why?
Are there any other recycled clothing you’ve tried and want to add to this list?
Comments below, please!