Affordable Sustainable Clothing Brands In The UK To Love

Looking for the best affordable ethical and sustainable clothing brands? Contrary to popular belief, ethical clothing isn’t always a byword for expensive. Here are the Moral Fibres’ top picks of men’s, women’s, and gender-neutral brands offering ethical clothing lower down on the pricing scale.

Something we’re told with increasing frequency is that ethical clothing is expensive. Why shouldn’t it be after all? When we want our clothes to be made ethically by garment professionals paid a living wage, and using sustainable fabrics and processes that don’t harm the planet, that undoubtedly comes at a price.

It’s true that ethical clothing brands can’t compete with the rock-bottom prices of ultra-fast-fashion retailers. The simple truth is that you can’t buy a £2 t-shirt, that has been made using sustainable fabrics by a garment professional paid a living wage, whilst working in safe conditions.

However, you may be surprised to learn that many ethical retailers do actually compete with high-street retailers on price. Many ethical brands are, price-wise, on a similar par with high-street fashion retailers such as Zara, Gap, M&S, and Next, amongst others.

The Best Affordable Ethical & Sustainable Clothing Brands

But wondering where to find these more affordable sustainable clothing brands? Worry not. I’ve done all the leg work for you and rounded up some of the best ethical clothing brands offering more affordable and consciously made ethical fashion for men and women, and in unisex styles.

Use the quick links below to navigate to the sections about each brand, or keep scrolling for the full post:

• Asquith
• Beyond Retro
• Colorful Standard
• Frugi
• Joha
• Komodo
• Oxfam Online
• Rokit
• Silverstick
• Thought Clothing

Asquith

Caters for sizes: 8 – 16

Caters to: women

Available at Ethical Superstore

Asquith produces stylish and ethically made yoga wear and loungewear for women in the finest quality organic cotton and bamboo fabrics. Asquith’s ethos is sportswear without the “sporty” look, so its pieces also make for great, comfortable working-from-home or laidback weekend wear.

Prices start from £35, for stylish sustainable t-shirts and vest tops.

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Beyond Retro

Cater for: sizes XS to XXL

Caters to: men’s, women’s, and gender-neutral styles

Available at Beyond Retro

If you’re into vintage clothing and one-off vintage pieces then Beyond Retro says they have the biggest range of women’s, men’s and unisex vintage fashion in the UK. Beyond Retro’s clothing spans from the 1950s to the 1990s, and they carry a wide range of styles. 

You can shop by clothing type, brand, era, and even by type of fabric should you wish to avoid synthetic fibres. Sizes vary, being vintage, however Beyond Retro generally caters for up to XXL sizes.

Prices start from just £4, and you can set your maximum budget in the sidebar filter so that you are only shown items within your budget.

Use the exclusive code MORALFIBRES at the checkout to receive 15% off your order at Beyond Retro.

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Colorful Standard

Caters for sizes XS – 2XL

Caters to men’s, women’s and unisex styles

Available from Colorful Standard

Colorful Standard specialises in organic wardrobe staples for men and women in various colourways. From organic cotton t-shirts at £30 to organic cotton hoodies, sweatshirts, jogging bottoms, and more.

Colorful Standard also specialises in recycled merino wool products – from cosy socks, hats, scarves, and jumpers, again, in a riot of different colours. Look out for unisex styles as well.

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Frugi

Caters for sizes 8 – 22

Caters to women

Available at Frugi

Frugi, the ethical kidswear brand, also makes ethical clothing for women. Frugi’s focus is mainly on maternity wear, however, they do offer a small non-maternity range that is bright and fun.

Clothes in Frugi’s adult range are responsibly made from 95% GOTS-certified and Soil Association-certified organic cotton jersey fabric.

Most items cost £55 or under, making the brand a good choice for more affordable sustainable clothing for women.

You can also take 10% off your first order when you sign up for Frugi’s mailing list.

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Joha

Caters for sizes XS – XXL

Caters to men’s, women’s and unisex styles

Available at AlpineTrek

If you are looking specifically for cosy ethical baselayers, then try Joha, a Scandinavian brand that’s been going for over 50 years. All of its products are made from wool and/or organic cotton – there are no synthetic fibres here.

What’s more, all of Joha’s products have Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. This means that every component – right down to the thread – has been tested for harmful substances. 

For extra peace of mind, Joha also holds Scandinavian independent certification for the responsible sourcing of wool.

Prices start from £22 for cosy baselayer vests, up to £45 for dresses, turtlenecks, cardigans and more at Alpinetrek. Sign up for the Alpinetrek newsletter, and receive £5 off your next order too.

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Komodo

Cater for: sizes S to XL

Caters to: men and women

Available at Immaculate Vegan

As one of the original pioneers of ethical clothing, since 1988 all of Komodo’s products are ethically made from sustainable fabrics. From GOTS-certified and Soil Association-certified organic cotton to linen, Tencel, and hemp. What’s more, they use traditional local manufacturing skills where possible.

Komodo does have some pricier pieces but do look out for stylish tops around the £35 – £45 mark. What’s more, sign up for the Immaculate Vegan newsletter and get 10% off your first order.

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Oxfam Online

Cater for: sizes XS – XXXL

Caters to: men’s, women’s and unisex styles

Available at Oxfam Online

Oxfam has a super collection of secondhand clothes for sale on its website, making it a great accessible and affordable place to track down sustainable clothing from a variety of brands.

This means you don’t have to spend hours wandering around charity shops, where it can be tricky to find exactly what you want.

Instead, grab a cup of tea and peruse their vast secondhand collection, catering for men and women, as well as gender-neutral styles, from the comfort of your sofa. You’ll also get that warm rosy glow knowing that all profits go towards supporting Oxfam’s work on alleviating global poverty.

As with all secondhand clothing sites, the sizes available do vary depending on stock, although they do have big, tall, and plus-size filters to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

Check out my guide on where to buy secondhand clothing online for more secondhand shopping ideas.

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Rokit

Cater for: sizes XXS to 3XL

Caters to: men’s, women’s and unisex styles

Available at Rokit

Rokit offers a huge selection of men’s, women’s and unisex vintage clothing online, inclusively catering for sizes XXS to 3XL. Its vast collection of pre-worn vintage & designer secondhand clothes means there is something for everyone. From sports, street, and designer to vintage, whatever your style, Rokit stocks it.

Every item is cleaned and pressed before being added to the web page or sent to the store, meaning no nasty surprises either.

Rokit has also developed its own Rokit Originals Range – a collection of reworked vintage pieces. This gives a new life to old garments and creates new items to be loved over the long term, cleverly keeping old clothes out of landfill.

Get 10% off at Rokit by using the discount code TAKE10 at the checkout.

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Silverstick 

Cater for: sizes S to XL

Caters to: men and women

Available at Ethical Superstore

If you’re specifically looking for ethical hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and polo shirts for active lifestyles, then Silverstick is the place to go. 

Silverstick has put the outdoors and sustainability at the foundation of its clothing, so much so that its motto is “buy once, wear often, and love forever”. With ethically made men’s and women’s clothes made from high-quality organic cotton fabric and hand-printed with outdoor motifs in eco-friendly inks, you’ll definitely wear them often and love them forever.

Find sustainably produced t-shirts at £28 and under, long-sleeved tops around the £28 mark and sweatshirts no more than £50.

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Thought

Caters for sizes 6 – 20

Caters to: men and women

Available from John Lewis

Thought makes easy-to-wear ethical clothing that’s made responsibly from sustainable fabrics such as bamboo, hemp, and/or organic cotton.

Whilst not all pieces are on the more affordable end of the scale, many pieces are. Find, for example, organic cotton leggings for £25, GOTS and Fairtrade certified natural dyed t-shirts for £28, and stylish tops for under £40.

Other Ways to Make Sustainable Fashion Affordable To You

When it comes to sustainable clothing, there are also lots of ways to make your wardrobe more sustainable without spending any money.

Cherish Your Existing Wardrobe

First off, it’s a myth that a sustainable wardrobe is one that is full of ethical and sustainable clothing brands. As I have been saying for 10 years now here on Moral Fibres, the most sustainable item of clothing is the one you already own. You don’t need to throw out all those Primark, H&M or BooHoo pieces to have a sustainable wardrobe.

If you already own fast fashion, slow things down. Instead, commit to wearing what you have over and over again. Mend the items when they need some TLC, and wear them again. And when your clothes come to the end of their life, find ways to reuse or upcycle your clothes. Even if you don’t consider yourself crafty, there are heaps of clever no-sew ways to upcycle clothes for beginners.

Look After Your Clothing

Looking after the clothes we already own really helps to slow down our need to buy new clothes. Simply following the laundry care labels on your clothing can help to make your clothes look newer for longer. See my guide to laundry care labels for help if you are confused by any symbols you don’t recognise.

And as Stella McCartney says, washing your clothes less often also helps keep them looking better for longer. If your clothing isn’t dirty or smelly, consider hanging it up to air, before wearing it again.

If your clothes get stained, I recommend tackling any stain as quickly as you can. This is because the longer your stain sets, the harder it is to remove. I’ve got a complete guide to natural stain removal tips to help you out.

Ask Yourself Will I Wear This Again And Again

When you’re buying new clothes – and regardless of where you are shopping – a top tip is to simply ask yourself “will I honestly wear this item again and again”.

It hardly sounds revolutionary, however, a survey of 2000 women in the UK found that the majority wore an item of clothing an average of 7 times before discarding it.

To help turn things around, journalist Lucy Siegle coined the idea of “30 wears”. This means that when we buy a new item of clothing, we should commit to wearing it at least 30 times. If you don’t see yourself wearing the item for at least 30 wears, then you should pass on it. Likewise, if an item doesn’t look like it will stand up to repeated washing, then it should be passed on.

Why 30 wears? Repeatedly wearing a piece of clothing works off the clothes’ carbon emissions created during production.

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I’ve also got lots of other ways to support the ethical fashion movement, even if your wardrobe doesn’t stretch to these more affordable sustainable clothing brands showcased today. From how to responsibly pass on your old clothes, to supporting garment professionals, to having conversations around ethical fashion, there are heaps of ideas that don’t involve spending any money.