Zero-Waste Fashion: The UK Brands To Know
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Zero-waste your wardrobe with this handy guide to the UK fashion brands that are redesigning the industry through their eco-friendly approaches to clothing design.
Zero-waste fashion is often seen as the gold standard of ethical clothing. With the fast fashion world being a notoriously wasteful industry, we desperately need brands that are cleaning up fashion and reducing waste.
But what does zero-waste fashion mean, exactly?
The answer isn’t quite as straightforward as it sounds. At the base of it, everyone agrees that it is a type of ethical fashion, but from there, the definition tends to shift depending on who you ask.
For some, zero-waste fashion is closely tied to the circular economy. In this sense, brands work with deadstock fabrics or discarded materials, turning what would have been thrown away into something new and wearable. This helps tackle one of fashion’s biggest issues: perfectly usable materials being sent to landfill just because they’re surplus to requirements.
For others, the focus is on how garments are made in the first place. This interpretation centres on eliminating textile waste during production, whether through clever pattern cutting that uses every inch of fabric or by repurposing offcuts into new designs.
Truly “zero” waste is incredibly difficult to achieve. However, quite a few brands are making meaningful progress, by rethinking how clothes are designed, produced, used and disposed of.
The UK Zero Waste Fashion Brands To Know
The good news is that whatever your interpretation may be, there are some incredibly exciting and innovative brands out there tackling the scourge that is fabric waste. Crucially, they show that reducing waste doesn’t mean compromising on design.
The price range key for this guide is:
£ = Under £50 | ££ = £50 – 100 | £££ = £100+
Not Basics
- Budget: £
- Caters for men (sizes XS – XXL) and women (sizes 28A to 38F)
Not Basics (formerly Pantee) makes zero-waste underwear for men and women, catering for bra sizes 28A to 38F. Here it cleverly uses deadstock cotton fabric – the leftover or surplus fabrics from manufacturers, brands, or mills that would otherwise go to waste – and transforms it into soft and supportive bras, briefs and boxers.
You don’t even pay a premium – everything comes in at £30 or under.
Do note that not everything is made from deadstock fabrics. Whilst Not Basics does sell t-shirts, leggings and other items of clothing, these are made from organic cotton. It is only the underwear range that’s made from deadstock fabrics.
ColieCo
- Budget: £ – ££
- Caters for women sizes 28B to 38F. Custom sizing is also available.
Even your underwear can get the zero waste treatment, with ColieCo. This sustainable intimates brand produces very fashion-led lingerie, all made by hand in Portugal in a zero-waste manner.
Here, only recycled, reused, and reclaimed fabrics are used. And what’s more, your underwear is only posted to you using biodegradable and recyclable packaging.
Sizes for ColieCo’s soft and underwired bras range from 28B to 38F. However, ColieCo does take requests for custom sizes if these sizes don’t suit.
The Nearly New Cashmere Co
- Budget: £ – £££
- Caters for men and women, sizes XS to XXL
If you are looking for zero-waste cashmere knitwear and accessories for men and women at affordable prices, then the Nearly New Cashmere Co. is well worth checking out.
The team scours the UK to find preloved cashmere pieces, and then carefully restores and reconditions them, ready for resale. This helps to avoid fabric waste. And to further avoid waste, any garments that aren’t suitable for resale are reworked into new items, such as snoods, gloves and hats.
Buying online is easy. Each garment is photographed on the correctly sized model. Plus, Nearly New Cashmere Co provides detailed measurements of our models and garments to give clarity around sizing. And should something not fit or not suit you, you can easily exchange or return your item.
Rapanui
- Budget: £
- Caters for: Men (sizes XS – XXL) and women (UK sizes 8 – 24)
Isle of Wight-based clothing brand Rapanui has designed all of its clothes with circularity in mind.
Absolutely everything it designs and makes – from t-shirts to trousers and everything in between – is designed from the very start to be sent back to Rapanui once it’s worn out.
You’ll find a QR code inside every item, so that when your Rapanui item has worn out, you can scan it and organise for it to be sent back. Rapanui will then recycle the fibres to make new yarn, which is then woven into new clothing, continuing the cycle.
If knowing that your old clothes won’t go to landfill isn’t a compelling enough reason to send them back, Rapanui will even reward you with store credit for everything you send in.
Boyish Jeans
- Budget: £££
- Caters for women (sizes XS – XL)
Boyish Jeans – available in the UK at Farfetch – works exclusively with recycled fabrics and materials to create stylish denim products – from jeans to jackets, and much more. This means that its zero-waste clothing has a much smaller impact, particularly in terms of water usage.
As well as using recycled fabrics, Boyish Jeans also employs ethical and sustainable practices when developing and manufacturing its products. From natural plant-based dyes to water recycling, Boyish Jeans is keen to keep its impact as low as possible.
Do also check out my full guide to ethical jeans for more denim-based inspiration.
Rokit
- Budget: £ – ££
- Caters for men and women, sizes XXXS to XXL
Finally, Rokit sells a vast collection of pre-worn vintage and designer second-hand clothes that can be bought online. From sports, street, and designer to vintage, whatever your style, Rokit stocks it. And with a vast inventory, covering sizes XXXS to XXL, Rokit’s size inclusivity is something to applaud.
To minimise waste within the vintage clothing industry, Rokit has also developed its own Rokit Originals Range. This is a collection of reworked vintage pieces that give new life to old garments and creates new items to be loved over the long term, keeping old clothes out of landfill.
You can also check out my full guide to shopping for secondhand clothes online for more ideas of where to shop secondhand.
Get 10% off at Rokit by using the discount code TAKE10 at the checkout.
More Sustainable Wardrobe Resources
Looking for more sustainable wardrobe resources? I’ve got heaps – here are just some of them:
- Try my big guide to women’s UK sustainable clothing brands.
- I’ve also got a similar guide devoted to men’s UK sustainable clothing brands.
- You can also try my handy guide to UK vegan shoe brands.
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