Start the year with sustainable style: five independent brands to look out for in 2024
That’s me in a Herd jumper. Photo: Sarah Brick
Could 2024 be the year of living sustainably? Make do and mend is massive, consumers are considering the environmental impact of their purchases (2023 was officially the hottest year on record) and paying attention to what clothing companies are up to. This year, I’ll be taking fashion slowly. And more sustainably – admittedly, it’s a work in progress. Making the most of the clothes I already own, shopping vintage and carefully choosing who to spend money with, is something I’ve been focusing on for the last few years. So really, this is simply the continuation of that less-is-more process.
To start, here are five noteworthy, independent brands doing things stylishly and sustainably:
Seventy + Mochi Amelia jumpsuit
January is the perfect time of year for a jumpsuit. I have a small collection already, but if you’re looking for a colourful, organic denim onesie, designed in the UK, go straight to Seventy + Mochi. This female-founded business is on a mission to make denim more sustainable and affordable. Check out Anthropologie for Seventy + Mochi sale bargains.
Rise & fall cashmere sweater
Apparently named because this London-based company wants to be the brand you rise with in the morning (clothing) and fall with in the evening (they also sell bed linen). Last summer, Rise & Fall sent me a linen dress and cotton shirt to test-drive. And I was impressed. The fabric quality is good, the shapes are simple and stylish and designed to last. The company focuses on wardrobe essentials in quality materials, such as organic cotton, European flax linen and Mongolian cashmere. According to their PR, ‘By partnering with select, tested manufacturers, Rise & Fall make savings that are then passed directly on to the consumer, meaning that they can offer elevated essentials for less.’
Rise & Fall cashmere bandana and cashmere crew neck
Rise & Fall is authorised by The Good Cashmere Standard an initiative set up in 2019 that partners with brands including: Eric Bompard, Galeries Lafayette and The White Company.
Look out for organic silk launching this spring.
Vegetable tanned leather bags from Als of London
Accessories designer Ali Maclean decided to leave her position at Hobbs to pursue her own slow fashion brand ‘when they closed their Italian shoe factory to outsource in China’. Ahem. Nearly all Als of London bags are made using vegetable tan leathers from Italy, selected from a suppliers in Dalston. When the skins arrive in East London, Ali travels by public transport to collect them. Vegetable tanning uses natural tannins found in plant materials to create leather. This process eliminates the use of toxic chemicals and greatly reduces water consumption. ‘ Every bag I make should last a lifetime, so if there are any issues further down the line, I always ask for the bag to be returned so I can mend it,’ says Ali, ‘I’m also always happy to spruce up a much loved bag that has been well worn!’
The Fleetwood cardigan from Herd
What’s not to like about sustainable jumpers made in the north west of England? With names, including, Lytham, Wyre, Freckleton and Ingleton, Herd knitwear takes me back to my childhood. Founded by Ruth Rands, a sustainability champion and knitwear-lover who was alarmed when she discovered ‘how many chemicals and plastics are used in processing, and how far wool travels.’ With this in mind she set out to find beautiful British yarns to work with.
‘None were as soft and luxurious as expected,’ Ruth tells me, ‘Then, visiting farms and factories in Yorkshire, I discovered the Bluefaced Leicester breed – it has an exceptionally soft fleece but was being completely overlooked in favour of overseas wools shipped thousands of miles and doused in chemicals. I wanted to bring this story to a wider audience and give back to the farmers who were looking after the sheep and land.’
Herd sells yarn to other brands, too, including TNMA favourite Navygrey. In the top photo I’m wearing the Ingleton jumper in lemon. Oh and, Helena Bonham Carter is a fan, too.
Founded by Spanish designer Bea Recoder, RECO Paris is a French luxury accessories company. Having worked for Balenciaga, Paco Rabane and Chloe, when the world slowed down during lockdown, she decided to explore a different path. RECO’s chic, patchwork handbags are made from high-end surplus leather and come with a designer price tag – and that’s not including the import tax for those of us who live outside Europe. Wah!
Reco Paris handbag
More sustainable style to start the year, including Albaray, Baukjen and Nobody’s Child. All good for sustainable, wardrobe basics. And a reminder that all the brands I work with on the TNMA Edit have a slow fashion ethos:
That’s Not My Age is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Discussion (19 Comments)
Fiona Sinclair says:
Hi, as ever it is a lovely article but other than affluent people who can afford these clothes ? I appreciate the provenance and the skill etc but most ‘ordinary’ folk are on an income which cannot buy these clothes no matter how keen you are to be sustainable. I love to see the clothes but as soon as I see an article about sustainability I know they are going to be so expensive and cater for a very different market. Sometimes people have to buy clothes in supermarkets simply because they do not have the money.
Many thanksThanks Fiona, I completely understand. And this is something I hear regularly from readers. We are always looking for affordable, sustainable brands to feature on TNMA, and will continue to do so. Some of the brands included in the gallery at the end are available on the high street at more reasonable prices. I’ve now highlighted Albaray, Baukjen and Nobody’s Child in the text.
Gillian Forrester says:
That was also my thought when I was reading the article, Fiona. Articles about buying sustainable clothes, the so-called Rule of Five, etc. are proliferating in the media, but they seem to be written by affluent people like Tiffanie Darke, who have substantial wardrobes to fall back on. Those of lesser means inevitably have to buy poor-quality clothes that don’t last well and will likely end up in landfill, and those with badly-paid jobs and perhaps without easy access to the internet don’t necessarily have to time to prospect on Ebay or Vinted (which does not seem that sustainable to me as a practice, given that they will need to be packed and delivered). Another standard recommendation in such articles is to hunt in charity shops, but my experience where I live is that the quality of the clothes is very poor (though the selection of jigsaws is good!).
All that being said, I think that Alyson is sensitive to these issues. She seems to be constantly looking for more affordable and sustainable clothes to share with us, and her style and presentation is admirably unostentatious.
Jjames says:
Not sure where Quince Clothing falls on the sustainability scale but they do have transparent pricing and excellent quality.
Tuuli says:
I agree with these thoughts. However, if these are good sustainable brands perhaps they are worth bearing in mind – for instance, when looking for second hand clothing later on? Though they might still be expensive 🙁
Love the jumpsuits! I have made a note of the name. It will have to wait for a year….I’ve made a vow : NO MORE IN 24! Instead I have been shopping in my wardrobe and have discovered several forgotten gems!
Liza Green says:
Hi Adele – like you I love the article and especially the jumpsuit, but am going to try hard this year to stop buying clothes. I’m going to make do with what I have and finish off making a couple of sweaters which have languished in my knitting basket for far too long, I’m lucky in that have dressmaking and knitting skills, but seldom put them to use. It’s hard not to be tempted especially when every new seasons lovelies come out. I did it once before and can do it again. My once exception may be a family wedding, but if I can get into my favourite dress by the time that comes round then I’ll wear that!
Gretta De Ferry says:
Thank you for the recommendations, all were new to me and look great. Can I just mention Vinted? Buying new clothes feels increasingly wrong but I don’t trust myself to stick to the Rule of Five and am full of admiration for those who can actually manage nothing new for a full year. Vinted is dead easy to use (more so than EBay or Depop in my opinion) and keeps clothes circulating and out of landfill. As of course do charity shops. And I too will be shopping my own wardrobe!!
Thank you Gretta. We are on the same wavelength! We published a feature on Vinted last year; here’s the link:
And there was a big article on ‘ the Vinted phenomenon’ in The Guardian yesterday:
It was actually your first article about Vinted last year that got me started so thank you so much!
Clare says:
It would be great if more companies included some darning wool for repairs. This seems very patchy and I’ve decided to ask for this for any new garments – and a few older favorites. I’m all for visible mending ( see my sashiko jeans repairs!) but I prefer discreet darning for finer knitwear
Debs C says:
I’ve found that cross stitch / embroidery cottons make great substitutes for wool, when darning / repairing an item. I purchased a very nice twin set from Vinted, which had a tiny hole (item was a very nice cream merino wool) and managed to successfully invisibly repair the item with a cross stitch cotton. Worth considering if the item is one you value and I’ve even found it works on men’s suit trousers too.
Mrs Tonia says:
I agree about darning wool. I took a pair of Brora cashmere socks with a hole into shop yesterday, a sale purchase maybe last year, and was given matching yarn to repair it without charge. So that’s a project for this weekend. I’ve got the kit : wooden darning mushroom and sewing baskets. I’ve also used regular Sylko thread but doubled to mend small holes if I didn’t have the right colour of darning wool. Depending on gauge of knitwear darning wool can be split into one strand if needed. Over lockdown I did a few virtual workshops to learn how to mend things. Improvising still involved. It saves damaged clothing to do either visible or invisible mending.
Jean says:
A tip from quilters: if you don’t have the precise thread color match, try a shade of gray! (It works with woven fabrics–not sure how well it world work with sweaters and other knitwear.)
Sharon Payne says:
Lovely list! I headed to London in April and was wondering if you had a comprehensive list of the stores your recommend for sustainable fashion???
Sandy Hogan says:
I absolutely love brooches! I have a ton of them and still searching for more! I am so happy they are on their way back.
Linda B. Kerr Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Thanks Alyson for introduction to these designers and their brands. Slower or slow consumption of fashion sounds appropriate for right now. I’ve certainly tried to use what I already own. And modify or repurpose garments into new combinations. Shopping my closet/wardrobe as I go tentatively into this new year. I just read an article in Grazia by Tiffanie Darke about her Rule of Five challenge and attempts to limit new purchases to five well thought out garments. Handy hints in her buy less guide which includes use of tailoring and auditing of one’s wardrobe. A sort of spring cleaning to undertake in mid winter. All food for thought as are your ideas above.