7 Ethical Companies Disrupting The Fashion Industry

These ethical companies are disrupting the fashion industry, and blazing the way for the future of fashion

By Jodi Truglio

Fashion needs to change – and fast. It’s one of the most polluting industries in the world, and no wonder. The amount of energy, land, finishing, colouring chemicals and petroleum that goes into making even one single garment is incredible.

Savvy consumers are starting to demand a more ecological approach to fashion. And companies are taking note, disrupting the fashion industry in some innovative ways that even surprise us seasoned eco-fashionistas here at Eluxe!

It’s a given with consumers who care that they’ll only purchase clothing brand that are using sustainable fabrics and dyes in ethically made clothes. Or perhaps they’ll thrift or hit up the vintage stores as an alternative. But these companies below are thinking even further outside the box. Basically, they’re offering solutions to the pollution problems caused by our lust for style.

Meet some companies that are disrupting the fashion industry with some great new ideas. Do you know of even more? Tell us in the comments section!

7 Sustainable Companies Disrupting the Fashion Industry

1. Nuuly

The sharing economy is making a big difference on the planet. Fewer people need to buy a car thanks to the likes of Lyft and Uber, and is there really a need to buy an expensive, fancy dress for an event like a wedding or gala evening when you can just rent one?

Companies like Nuuly make it easier than ever to rent designer handbags, shoes, accessories and of course, every day clothing. They carry top brands that everyone loves, including Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Levis. And you can borrow the items for a fraction of the cost currently available in the market. 

Simply find six items you like, wear them for up to a week, and return them. Fallen in love with something? No worries! You can buy it at a discount.

Pregnant? Don’t want to buy clothing that will only fit you for a few months? Nuuly is aware of this dilemma, and has a large maternity wear section, too.

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: The future of clothes shopping is definitely renting!

2. ReGain App

Not sure what to do with that top that’s a little too worn for your liking, or that pair of pants that look a bit ‘2018’? You might want to think twice before you throw them away.

ReGain is a popular app designed to encourage shoppers to take a more sustainable approach when discarding old clothes. As an incentive to never throw your old garments in the trash, ReGain will allow shoppers who donate unwanted clothes (a minimum of 10 items) at hundreds of specified pick-up points around the country to earn discount codes that can be used with any of the app’s retail partners in return.

The popular e-tailor PrettyLittleThing has recently teamed up with ReGain, as have Superdry, Asics and MissGuided. Want to know more about how it works? Just watch this little video, below!

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: They’re helping consumers be less wasteful.

3. Fashionphile

Most of us have a few designer handbags or accessories that we stuck in the back of our closets and just forgot about. Even the most gorgeous bag sometimes gets replaced with a new one that you favour. B at the same time, you’re not sure what to do with the old one. Am I right? It’s still lovely, and you might use it again, someday. Maybe?

The retail giant Neiman Marcus just made deciding what to do with unused designer goods a little bit easier, thanks to their partnership with the fashion resale e-commerce company Fashionphile.

For almost 20 years, Fashionphile has become synonymous with trust, competitive value, and unparalleled customer service in the area of pre-loved designer handbags. They offer the largest selection of pre-owned vintage, rare, and limited edition handbags from the most coveted luxury designers.

They’ve partnered with Neiman Marcus to make them the first major luxury retailer in America to directly invest in the pre-owned market. Those who wish to sell vintage designer goods will be able to receive a quote for their items from Fashionphile at select Neiman Marcus stores, and in exchange for their bags, they’ll receive immediate payment in the form of store credit. 

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: They’re making designer goods go circular.

4. PlanetCare

You know how there’s a problem with microplastic pollution coming from petrol based fabrics, such as acrylic, nylon and polyester? Tiny particles of plastics (because yep – those fabrics are considered to be forms of plastic) get into our waterways every time we wash synthetic fabrics.

That means we (and all other animals) end up drinking microplastic particles every time we gulp down some water, because these particles are too small for most municipal water filtration services to filter out.

Luckily, one of our top sustainable companies disrupting the fashion industry has come up with a great solution!

PlanetCare has developed an innovative microfiber filter that can be easily integrated into any model of washing machine. It works to capture all those nasty little microplastic particles that are polluting our oceans and entering the bodies of fish. And us!

The system functions by using microfiltration based on electrically charged fibres and membrane nanotechnology to ensure even the tiniest of microplastic particles don’t escape into the waterways.

But of course, there is a better solution to this problem. Just stop buying clothing made from synthetic fabrics, of course!

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: They’re saving the oceans from microplastics.

5. Teemill

The ‘sustainable T-shirt’ has become something of a cliche, but this concept by Teemill is truly unique. They’re making tees from….other tees! Worn out organic ones, to be more specific.

Customers can buy products or even start their own brand selling their own custom-printed tees using Teemill’s systems. This is the first-ever such recycling system. Teemill hopes that open source and circularity will lead to rapid change in the fashion industry.

According to Teemill, over 100 billion items of clothing are made per year. And yet a truck full of textiles is burned or buried in landfill every second. Despite a growing interest around the world for sustainable fashion, current projections indicate that the mainstream clothing industry will more than triple its output by 2050.

But by using modern technologies like AI to maximise the efficiency of the supply chain, products made by Teemill are printed in a renewable energy-powered factory in real time just seconds after they are ordered. There is no unsold stock.

This is how it works: customers scan the label inside their tees with their phone to activate a free post returns coupon when the product is worn out. Teemill recover and remanufacture the materials into new t-shirts and give the customer £5 off a new item.

Customers are incentivised to keep the material flowing with money off their next purchase. Teemill benefits from lower material costs and the model is truly sustainable. It’s a circular fashion economy where everybody wins!

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: They are the very definition of circular fashion.

6. Julia Daviy

Who made your clothes? A robot! Well, that is if your garment was created by Julia Daviy. Her company uses 3D modelling software and 3D printers to make seamless knit garments and gorgeous accessories for the mass market.

This innovative technology digitises the entire fashion production process and allows for on-demand manufacturing of custom-made, zero-waste knit clothing.

The only problem? Of all the companies disrupting the fashion industry, this is the one that may have the most negative consequences. Human workers become essentially obsolete, creating unemployment for those most in need of low-skilled fashion production jobs. But at least you can rest assured your garment wasn’t made in a sweatshop!

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: This is a zero waste model that also ensures sweatshops will be a thing of the past.

7. Spiber

Spiber makes an innovative Brewed Protein™ fibre that’s a vegan version of silk. Made in a lab, it’s a pliable fabric that can create incredible garments. Spiber’s Brewed Protein, is quite different from, and more versatile than, synthetic spider silk. Consumers see it as high end not only because of its performance and biodegradability but also because of its super soft feel.

Issey Miyake recently helped to design a dress for world-renowned artist Hikaru Utada. Made from Spiber fibres, the dress is seriously striking.  

“This dress was designed from a single piece of fabric, with necessary design elements like pleats already integrated into the material. By pursuing the optimal balance of Brewed Protein™ fiber with conventional materials, we achieved new levels of elasticity and texture. I see great potential in Brewed Protein™ materials,” said Yoshiyuki Miyamae, a Designer on Miyake’s team.

The vibrant dress has only one seam in its entire construction, while being carefully crafted to reflect both the artist’s vision and the tour’s thematic elements. It is an innovative advancement that explores and expresses the possibilities of lab grown fibres.

One of the best companies disrupting the fashion industry because: It demonstrates what science can do for vegan and ethical fashion.

Main image: PrettyLittleThing