It's no secret that I have bad shopping habits, however, in the last two years or so I have been trying to cut down on my shopping. The main reason why I've been trying to cut down is simply that I was (and still am) learning more about fast fashion and ultimately made the decision to shop more ethically and buy more sustainable pieces. That being said, now, a lot of my favourite clothing brands are mainly sustainable and ethical clothing brands. I do have some favourites that are cheaper, so, hopefully, I have enough brands that appeal to everyone.

So, since I made the commitment to do this in alphabetical order, the first brand that I shop from often is Calvin Klein. At one point on social media, the matching underwear sets by CK were everywhere! You couldn't escape the trend. Of course, I fell for the trend and ended up buying a few pairs when I visited North America in the past few years. After buying a reasonable amount of underwear pieces from the brand, the one thing I can tell you is that they are so much more comfortable than Victoria's Secret (which we all know, I am no longer a fan off). Also, regardless of your budget, Calvin Klein has something for everyone, whether you buy it on sale, at an outlet or, you visit a designer boutique they have a wide range of pieces. My opinion is that CK is one of those designer brands that are more 'affordable' since they do have a lot of sales and outlets around the world. In terms of whether this brand is sustainable and ethical, I actually have no idea. My assumption has always been that designer fashion brands are usually ethically made because they have more than enough money to pay for the labour to make the clothing. However, my assumption is not always the reality so, this is a brand I will definitely have to research more about in the future.

Next is a brand I reviewed in my debut blog post: Crybaby (my review of some of the clothing from this brand can be found here). This is technically an influencer brand and they sell vintage-inspired modern basics mainly, although they do release some gorgeous statement pieces every now and then. My favourite piece is the Selena Gomez inspired dress (which unfortunately is not available on their website anymore); currently, I have my eye on their Lima Top and their Must Have Pants. The ethos of this brand is that crying is a healthy emotion and that it shouldn't be seen as a weak emotion, it's okay to cry. It's a message I personally really like, and it's really that message which attracted me to the brand, to begin with. In terms of whether they are sustainable and ethical, I also don't have a clue about it. There's not a lot of information available on their website and social media so again, this is another brand I need to do some research on. 

On to the next brand: For Love and Lemons is a brand I am in love with. They sell clothing that are more statement pieces rather than basics and they are all absolutely stunning. I won't go into too much detail since I did a review of a piece from this brand (linked here), but their pieces are very intricate and feminine, so if you want something a bit more girly, this is your place to shop. They are an expensive brand, however, they are both ethical and sustainable. They have a lot of information about their sustainability goals and the working conditions of their labourers hence why I like shopping here since they are very open and upfront about how they operate as a business. 

Girlfriend Collective is actually a brand I haven't bought anything from, but, it's another sustainable and ethically made brand so it has my attention. This brand specifically focuses on workout/gym wear and more basic lounge pieces. This brand also has information about their efforts in being a sustainable and ethical brand. Another thing I love about the brand is that they are also inclusive: long story short, the fashion industry is not the most welcoming places for plus-sized models so seeing beautiful models of all shapes and sizes feature on their website, wearing their clothes, makes me have a lot of appreciation for them for doing that.

Glassons is a popular Australian clothing brand that is also a favourite. I admit I wasn't always a fan of their clothing, I always thought their clothing was a bit boring, but in the last few years, I've started to like what they've been releasing - mainly the more statement pieces they offer. I have numerous items of clothing from this brand (a lot aren't available on the website anymore), however, if you are to pick up a piece I would highly recommend their swimwear and their dresses. They have a wide range of party dresses, casual dresses and so on, so I'm sure you'll find something you'll like. Glassons also have a programme/goal where they have been trying to be more sustainable which I love (for example, they have been releasing clothing that has been made from recycled materials). Also on their website, they have a Code of Conduct where they essentially talk about being ethically made (i.e no child labour will be used to supply their clothing, labourers have safe working environments etc.). So, in simple terms, this brand is a more affordable sustainable and ethical brand. 

Image taken from House of CB's website. Image does not belong to me.

House of CB is another brand I have also reviewed previously (linked here). I found out about this brand from social media (it's said to be one of Beyonce's favourite *affordable* clothing websites). In short, this brand makes stunning statement pieces (there are a few basics as well, but not as much). I have one dress from this brand and I absolutely LOVE that dress and I try to find any excuse to wear it out. The quality of that dress is mind-blowing, I feel like a picnic princess in the dress and I truly feel gorgeous wearing it. In terms of pricing, this brand is expensive, however, they do occasionally have great sales, so if you're patient you can get a $200 dress for $80 (okay, yes I know, that still is expensive, however, I am usually more willing to pay more for clothing if the quality is good, it is ethical and/or it is sustainable). For House of CB specifically, I have no idea if the brand is sustainable and/ or ethically made. The website, unfortunately, does not really give any information about that, so, some clarity from the brand would be great.

Kookai is another popular Australian clothing brand. This brand is ethically made in Fiji and so they are another expensive brand. The thing I love about this brand is while they are a pricey brand, they have an amazing end of year sales! For example, if a dress costs $200AUD it could go down to $50 AUD. At the end of 2019/beginning of 2020, I bought about 3 basic tops, 3 one shoulder basic tops, and 3 dresses (2 maxi/midi dresses and a mini dress). And you can bet I bought more dresses at the end of 2020 as well! So, I have a lot of pieces from this brand and the dresses especially sold here are swoon-worthy. If I had to describe the dresses, I'd say they are basic pieces which can either be dressed up to be a bit more elegant or dressed down for a more casual look. This is another brand which is also very feminine and it gives off a bit of a Parisian vibe as well. 

Okay, so this is also an Australian brand. Starting with Lioness, this is a brand I discovered recently from an Instagram fashion influencer. Lioness is a bit different from the above brands in the sense that they are feminine but have a more tom-boyish feel to their pieces. They're bolder and according to their website, they are very inspired by luxury brands and their products. Now, this is another brand I haven't actually bought anything from, however, I have my eye on some of their dresses, specifically their Military Minds Longsleeve Dress (which was Instagram famous at one point) and their East Village Mini Dress. My one issue with Lioness is that they are another brand which has no information about how ethical and sustainable they are.

Next on my list isn't actually a brand, it's good old fashion thrift shopping! I absolutely love thrift shopping for gorgeous vintage pieces. More recently I've been very obsessed with vintage designer pieces and I've found a lot of great pieces. I have only been to a handful of thrift shops in person, I've been doing more shopping for vintage goods online instead. Overall, while brands are taking steps to be sustainable in their methods of making clothes, the only effective way to be sustainable (in fashion) is really to take care of the clothes you have now, rewear them, and of course, resell and buy pre-loved items. I'll most likely post about my favourite vintage online stores in the future (along with some tips for shopping for vintage designer pieces specifically), but for now, all I'll do is encourage you to reuse the items of clothing you already have and to NOT throw them away into the landfill.

Now my second to last favourite brand is Tommy Hilfiger. Like CK, this is also a really popular and reasonably 'affordable' designer brand. I own a lot of pieces from this brand (usually, I'd buy them overseas on my travels). My favourite pieces are their knit sweaters, specifically their Classic Cable V-Neck Knit Sweaters. I have a bit of a collection going on with these sweaters, I have a black (CK), navy blue (Polo Ralph Lauren) and grey sweater, and I'm currently deciding if I should buy a red TH one as well but I'm a bit indecisive. I really like these types of sweaters because they're a dream to layer on for a cosy winter look. Imagine this: a collared shirt, one of these sweaters and a trench coat on top. Basic and cosy for a winter look when you're too tired to care. Now, for sustainability, Tommy Hilfiger actually does have sustainability goals, they have some pieces which are made from recycled materials. As for whether they are ethical, I also have no idea about this. 

Finally, the last brand that is a favourite of mine is Zara. We all know this brand, they're available internationally, on-trend and have some lovely pieces for cheap and more posh pieces that are a bit more expensive. I have a lot of blazers and coats from Zara, I'm usually willing to save up and splurge of a piece that is a bit more pricey if it means that the quality is good (because that way it will last me longer). Now, Zara is notorious for being unethical and unsustainable. So, if there's a piece you want from here I would recommend actually trying to find something similar from a more ethical and sustainable brand. Before I learned about fast fashion I would shop at Zara all the time, it was my go-to store for almost everything. Now, I don't buy as much from here, I do occasionally buy a piece or two, but mainly I just window shop. What I've been trying to do is to research the piece I want and I try to see if I can buy it from a more ethical and/or sustainable brand. I guess you can think of Zara as my last resort store now.

That's it for my favourite clothing brands! I do have more favourites than this but I didn't want the post getting too long. So, did you like my favourites? What are some of your favourite stores? Let me know in the comments or PM; thanks for reading and of course, I hope you all have a lovely day.

*Note: if you are specifically looking for sustainable and ethical clothing brands, please do your own research as well! Sometimes brands may change their position so double-checking never hurts e.g they may start out being sustainable but later on, they may start using unsustainable practises.

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