Courtney Dootson
Graphic Design Student
Examples of ethical brands
These are brands that try and save the environment by helping out our wellbeing and using other materials so we don't waste them and they will overall be good for the environment.
Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher is an American clothing brand, who was founded in 1984 by the clothing designer Eileen Fisher of course. The company emphasizes sustainability by using 70% of the cotton in its clothing, which is sourced from organic cotton and in order to reduce fabric and fiber waste, the company started a recycling program by letting customers donate their "gently used" Eileen Fisher clothing in return for a $5 gift certificate per article.
After dry cleaning, the garments are resold and with the income funding business grants for women and leadership programs for young women. They train workers at their key suppliers in China to voice their rights and since 2005, they've invested in an alternative supply chain in Peru that pays fair trade wages.
By 2020, the company's aim is to use 100% organic materials, which means use wool from sheep that are sustainably managed and to take a new look at polyester to see if it's recycled. Also, roughly 30% of their product will be bluesign certified. Because it's not enough, they're going to reach out to other brands and work together to create demand for responsible dyes. Lastly, they expect their recycling total will hit at least one million.
ABLE
ABLE is a lifestyle brand focused on ending generational poverty by working with women who have often overcome extraordinary circumstances. They manufacture directly in the communities they wish to impact, both locally and globally, creating jobs and ending the cycle of charity dependency. They do this because 80% of women's income is reinvested, where as men invest 30-40% and from their help, it has helped and provided women social impact and have made them confident with who they are. Their goal was to provide women with the opportunity to earn a living, empowering them to end the cycle of poverty that kept them trapped and because of the purchases globally, ABLE has grown from producing a single collection of hand-woven scarves to a full offering that includes leather goods, hand-made jewellery, denim, and footwear.
Rent the runway
Rent the runway is a fashion company, who give people access to remarkable luxury experiences and changing the meaning of ownership. They say they're not in the fashion business, they're in the fashion technology engineering supply chain operation. To make them an ethical company, they give the opportunity from customers to rent the luxury clothing for a reasonable price, or buy them fully. Also, they give you ways to rent by giving offers to rent many clothes for a monthly price. This doesn't seem that much, but they give an opportunity to for women to try what they want and re-use the same clothes over and over again.