As seasons change, we know the joys of clearing out your closet and getting to shop for new pieces for your wardrobe. Online shopping makes this process convenient and exciting, delivering your clothes to you with the click of a button.
As you shop, it’s tempting to go the fast fashion route and give your money to online stores like ASOS. However, while shopping at places like ASOS is easy, it contributes to harmful fashion practices that cause environmental destruction and uphold poor working conditions. In order to keep the planet beautiful and your wardrobe ethical, we’ve compiled a list of the best sustainable alternatives to ASOS that remain just as stylish, but with less negative impacts.
What Makes ASOS Fast Fashion?
When deciding where to shop, it can be hard not to choose the cheap, easy option. But ASOS is a fast fashion brand, regularly dropping hundreds of new styles in order to chase trends and encourage unsustainable levels of consumption. They also sell other fast fashion brands such as Topman and Weekday.
When it comes to fair labor, ASOS does not do enough to ensure livable wages for their clothing makers, which is a major problem in the fashion industry. They also do not have programs to promote the well-being of their clothing makers, and they don’t share possible human rights violations the makers may face.
When it comes to the environment, ASOS offers no record of intersectional environmentalism, which is important when it comes to recognizing the effects its clothing production has on the community and the amount of waste it produces. Similarly, they also have no track record of the amount of water they use or the CO2 emissions released by their production, nor do they have any future plans to reduce their usage or limit their CO2 emissions.
You can start to see why ASOS is not a brand we recommend supporting. For more information on ASOS’ sustainability policies, Eco-Stylist wrote an in-depth guide: How Sustainable is ASOS?
What Does it Mean to be Eco-Stylist Certified?
We offer three certification ratings for our brands including: Certified, Silver, and Gold. Our criteria is hard to pass, so all 3 ratings receive our full stamp of approval and are brands we recommend shopping. You can think of our highest rating, Gold, as “the leaders among the leaders.”
Each brand has to adequately meet our three pillars to become certified. The first of those pillars is Transparency, which looks at who made our clothes and how those clothes were made. The second pillar is Fair Labor. We want to support brands that support their workers and provide them with livable wages, safe working conditions, and investment in their communities. The third and final pillar is Sustainably Made which looks at brands’ impact on our planet and how they are working to limit their environmental footprint.
For more insight into how we rate, see here.
What Are Sustainable Alternatives to ASOS?
Luckily, Eco-Stylist has many certified, sustainable, and stylish options to help you build your closet all year long. Chosen from our brand guide, below are the top alternatives to ASOS.
1. Outerknown: Overall Pick
Our top pick for all of your warm-weather clothing needs is Outerknown. Outerknown has it all: from basics to trendy casual, to cozy flannels and jumpsuits, Outerknown keeps up with the hottest styles without sacrificing their ethics to do so.
Beyond their vast selection of clothing to pick from, we cannot ignore their impressive commitment to sustainability. Outerknown sources materials from 8 facilities running on renewable energy, and they’ve moved 67% of their supply chain in order to better support laborers by only working with suppliers who prioritize human rights. They also have partnered with Bergman Rivera, which supports farmers implementing Regenerative Organic CertifiedTM practices, creating more sustainable, eco-friendly farmland.
Outerknown is committed to circularity, as well. By working with Project Vermont, a group dedicated to upcycling and saving materials before they reach landfills, they have rescued nearly 2,000 articles of Outerknown clothing from landfills. Each pair of jeans weighs approximately 1 lb, and Project Vermont rescued around 960 lbs of denim which is then re-purposed and resold through Outerknown to stop clothing waste. Additionally, you can buy secondhand Outerknown clothing and sell your old Outerknown items for store credit through their resale program: Outerworn.
Sustainability Rating: Silver | $$
2. Asket: Best Essentials
If you are looking for closet staples that will last a lifetime, Asket is the brand for you. Asket offers essentials that go the extra mile in helping you build your closet. Their neutral palette is great when it comes to everyday wear and they offer a wide variety of options for men and women. Asket’s clothing line is timeless so you will never have to worry about throwing their items out.
A unique aspect of Asket’s sustainability promise is its ability for the buyer to track the cost of making their clothes through a partnership with RiSE. They also offer traceability back to each farm, factory, and facility their product comes from, even allowing the consumer to track the livable salaries of workers within Asket’s factories. Using a life cycle impact assessment (LICA) in collaboration with RiSE, Asket works to reduce its carbon emissions, and water and energy consumption. Asket’s commitment to transparency extends to their impact receipt, where they offer a look at the environmental costs/output of your order: from production to packaging.
Sustainability Rating: Certified | $
3. For Days: Best Everyday Wear
For Days offers the best everyday wear when choosing sustainable brands. It offers a versatile selection including men, women’s, and gender-neutral clothing, as well as outfits for many different occasions.
A unique part of For Days’ sustainable practices is their clothing take-back program. They have created a circular system in which customers can send in their old clothes through a Take Back Bag, in exchange for what For Days calls “closet cash”, an incentive that rewards customers with “cash” they can use on any of their products. The garments turned back in are then either repurposed or recycled.
Sustainability Rating: Silver | $
4. The Girlfriend Collective: Best Lounge/Activewear
If searching for the best body-positive activewear/loungewear, look no further than Girlfriend Collective. They offer styles that support and flatter every body type. A drawback of shopping for clothes that fit well and look good can be how hard it can be to find size-inclusive brands. Girlfriend Collective celebrates the feminine figure. Bonus: their looks are so cute, you can turn loungewear and activewear into casual everyday fits.
As well as being known for their inclusivity, Girlfriend Collective also promotes ethical standards with their production process. Their factory in Vietnam meets SA8000 Standards, which is a social accountability standard and a certificate designed to help protect workers worldwide. Through FAQs on their website, they detail how their certification prevents child labor, ensures safe working conditions, provides a livable wage, and offers the right to unionize to their factory workers. They also focus on using recycled materials (including 100% recyclable packaging), eco-friendly dyes, and releasing only cooled and clean wastewater.
Sustainability Rating: Silver | $
5. Marimekko: Best Statement Pieces
Looking for a bold statement piece to complete your outfit? Marimekko is the responsible fashion choice for you. Whether it’s scarves, shoes, scrunchies, mugs, or a brilliantly bold top, Marimekko has you covered when it comes to clothing and accessories that help you stand out. Their unique, versatile collection is bound to have something that helps you pop.
Marimekko receives full marks from Eco-Stylist for their transparency score, providing a 60-page sustainability review open to the consumer. They also work to provide gender-neutral patterns and products to promote inclusivity. When it comes to their impact on the planet, Marimekko is carbon neutral and uses 99.7% of its waste as fuel or recycled products.
Sustainability Rating: Certified | $$
6. Organic Basics: Best Underwear + Basics
If you’re looking for comfortable, inclusive underwear, activewear, and basics to help build your closet, Organic Basics has it all. With a primarily neutral color palette and long-lasting wardrobe staples, Organic Basics, helps you craft outfits with their wide array of clothing options. They offer men’s, women’s, and unisex choices when shopping.
Organic Basics also offers an in-depth look into their climate impact and what they are doing to contribute to a sustainable fashion industry. Each product on their website has the amount of CO2 emitted to produce it. Organic Basics is set to reduce their carbon intensity (which measures CO2 emissions relative to company growth) to 50% by 2025. They, also, have partnered with grassroots organizations, their mission is to make a positive impact in environmental activism.
Sustainability Rating: Certified | $
7. Cotopaxi: Best Outdoor Apparel
Looking for outdoor apparel that’s stylish and cute, but also functional? Cotopaxi is the obvious choice for all of your needs. Cotopaxi is committed to well-made, insulated clothing that still provides you with colorful, trendy options. They have selections for the whole family including men’s, women’s, kids, and outdoor gear/packs. Their wide array of clothing helps you prepare for any weather you may run into on your hike or daily wear.
When it comes to fair labor, Cotopaxi abides by a strict Code of Conduct from the International Labor Organization and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Cotopaxi also negotiates garment workers’ wages to meet the needs of their laborers. Their design choices are specifically chosen to be environmentally conscious; their insulated down jackets are filled with feathers from geese and ducks that have been humane certified. Currently, they are working to offset their carbon emissions produced by bulk shipping.
A unique aspect of Cotopaxi’s commitment to giving back is The Cotopaxi Foundation, an organization founded by Cotopaxi dedicated to providing grants for nonprofits that help those facing extreme poverty in the Global South.
Sustainability Rating: Certified | $$
8. Kuyichi: Best Denim
Kuyichi is reinventing denim looks with their modern, minimalist takes and wide selection of styles. While we love Kuyichi for their jeans, they also offer different types of clothing like blazers, linen shirts, and chino pants. Their clothing line extends fashionable choices for men and women.
Kuyichi received Eco-Stylist’s gold rating due to their commitment to transparency and sustainability. Their Sustainability Report offers complete transparency on their supply chain and suppliers. They abide by Responsible Business Conduct and Fair Wear Foundation’s Code of Labor Practices for their workers. When it comes to their environmental practices, over half of their suppliers use renewable energy sources, they are working to offset their carbon emissions and water usage, and they are investing in circular design choices.
Sustainability Rating: Gold | $$
9. Fite Fashion: Best High Fashion
Want to bring the red carpet to your closet? Fite Fashion has the looks for you. From non-traditional wedding dresses/styles to corset fits, Fite Fashion offers a stunning array of bold high-fashion choices that will make you the showstopper at any formal event you attend.
Even better than their gorgeous clothing line is their commitment to sustainable fashion practices. Fite Fashion uses fair trade, non-harmful dyes in their production and is working towards being carbon neutral. They provide all of their workers a living wage and do not contract their labor out to other factories to ensure they care of their laborers.
Sustainability Rating: Certified | $$$
10. SOKO: Best Jewelry/Accessories
If you are a person who turns to ASOS for cute jewelry, check out SOKO instead. SOKO offers a variety of unique, timeless styles for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. They even sell hair accessories and charms. SOKO has everything from statement jewelry to basic chains that help pull your outfit together. Their vast collection has something for everyone.
SOKO received the Eco-Stylist silver rating for their commitment to fair labor and ethical production. They provide clear details on their supply chain and strive for new innovative practices. Their artisan workers earn 5x more annually than the average artisan worker, and they are partnered with the United Nations Trust Fund to raise money to end violence against women. To help protect the environment, the majority of their materials are recycled and are created with raw sustainable materials in mind.
Sustainability Rating: Silver | $
More Ethical Brands + More Ethical Alternatives to ASOS
If you’re trying to break up with fast fashion and are looking for more sustainable and ethical brands, you’ll love our Sustainable Brand Guide. It offers an even wider selection of environmentally friendly fashion companies.
Each summary offers an insight into how expensive the brand is, what type of clothing/accessories the company specializes in, and a quick overview of its sustainability practices.
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Eco-Stylist is reader-supported. If you make a purchase using our links, we may earn a commission. We only feature fashion brands that pass our sustainable brand criteria. Learn more here.
Abby Bishop is a writer at Eco-Stylist. She has had a passion for writing since she was 8 years old. Abby also runs a blog where she publishes her short stories and hopes to continue utilizing her writing as a tool for advocacy.
2 thoughts on “The 10 Best Ethical Alternatives to ASOS”
The websites listed are 10x more than ASOS. If you want people to shy away from fast fashion it would be best to show affordable websites. No one is transitioning from a 15 dollar t-shirt to a 155 dollar shirt. People aren’t buying fast fashion because they like sweat shops or child labor. Most people buy fast fashion because that would be the only way they could afford to clothe themselves. After the $200 grocery trip and $60 gas fill up most Americans aren’t able to pull $155 for one clothing item.
Hey Nily, thanks for your comment. For the best affordable sustainable clothing options check out our guide: https://www.eco-stylist.com/most-affordable-ethical-fashion/
Re: price I hear you and that is definitely a concern for some shoppers. That’s why we put together the above guide. One of the brands in this article (Organic Basics) has tees for $30. And in our guide to affordable brands Goex has tees for $18 and KNOWN SUPPLY has tees for $32. All great and affordable alternatives to fast fashion.
I think it’s important to note here that fast fashion brands are multi-billion dollar corporations that function to make the people at the top rich. While budget conscious consumers certainly might shop fast fashion, they aren’t the reason these brands are so successful. It’s because many many shoppers in the US who can afford to pay more for clothes choose to instead shop fast fashion in order to over-consume, buying new clothes monthly and weekly (not out of necessity). For those folks (the average fast fashion consumer) one can afford to spend more money per piece when they are buying higher quality clothes much less often.