As summer slowly fades into the golden colors of fall, it’s time to pack up your shorts and start dressing for the cooler season. But while autumn is a time of returning to routine and preparing for the rest of the year, there’s no reason you have to shed your sense of style along with your summer wardrobe. Amid the flurry of runways, catwalks, pop-ups, and influencers to be found at New York Fashion Week, we’ve picked our favorite sustainable brands to keep you on trend all year long.
These labels will keep you covered with everything from vegan leather jackets to sustainable swimwear that will stave off the winter blues. Take a peek below to see what inspires these designers and how they are using their influence to put the environment first.
Cinta The Label
Founded by Amy Stugis in only 2018, Cinta The Label has already become a crowd favorite among influencers and fashionistas alike. Sturgis’s designs have been inspired by her childhood growing up in Spain, astrology, and even flamenco dancing. Looking at the bright patterns, flowing silhouettes, and just-right frills of her designs, it’s easy to see the influence. Cinta The Label’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection continues to utilize heady inspiration that is more than meets the eye. As Sturgis puts it, “The theme for AW19 is ‘Intuition,’ and the main print is a tie-dye based on the heart and head chakra which are green and purple. Our signature prints will also come back in different colorways and we have added some fun easy silhouettes and some funky ones too.”
But beyond the whimsical designs and imaginative collections, Cinta The Label is committed to sustainability. As a new studio, the label works to minimize their impact through conscious business practices. “On a number of the brand’s designs we use surplus fabric to dye and print on the fabric. By doing this, we hope to increase the life of the fabric and decrease our carbon footprint,” Sturgis says. “We also produce small runs of SKU’s in order to limit wastage each season.” Unlike fast fashion labels that attempt to stay on top of current trends by churning out massive volumes of clothing, Cinta The Label retains an intimate quality to their pieces by keeping production small and manageable.
PAPER London
Defining itself as “…strong modern femininity captured through bold bright and colourful collections,” PAPER London provides empowering pieces to its audience. Worn by celebrities like Taylor Swift and Margot Robbie, the bold colors and stunning silhouettes of the brand imbue confidence in the wearer, while functioning as ready-to-wear street style. The label was founded in 2011 and has been garnering acclaim since then, having won the British Fashion Contemporary Award for its striking but functional designs. PAPER London’s collection is expansive—encompassing dresses, knitwear, coats, swimwear and more—enough so that you could create a full wardrobe with their pieces alone. Even better, the brand is dedicated to sustainability, having launched a sustainable swimwear collection.
Within PAPER London’s sustainable swimwear, you will find one-pieces and bikini tops and bottoms in a multitude of cuts and colors, granting flexibility and freedom of choice to to any buyer. The real beauty of this collection however, is in the technical aspects of the fabric itself. Created from recycled sea plastic—in particular abandoned fishing nets—PAPER London’s sustainable swimwear is not only resistant to chlorine and sunscreen, it also actively reduces the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean. The techno fabric also provides UV protection equivalent to an SPF 50+ sunscreen—making PAPER London one of the best brands to beat the winter blues and keep summer going all year long.
House of Sunny
With retro-chic designs that facilitate breakout style and eye-catching ready-to-wear pieces, House of Sunny works in timeless fashion that never goes out of style. Founded by Sunny Williams in 2011, the pieces are “Designed for an easy everyday, each product is carefully crafted to become the perfect addition to elevate any wardrobe which can transition through the seasons,” according to their website. Thoughtful touches like vegan leather and fur, bold nature prints, and high-quality knitwear mean it’s no wonder that the brand has been carried by the likes of Urban Outfitters in New York. But despite these high-end accents, House of Sunny ensures that the affordability of their pieces is never sacrificed while preserving the quality and longevity of the collection.
This commitment to longevity is but one of the many measures House of Sunny has taken to ensure the sustainability of the brand. Acting in opposition of the trends of fast fashion, House of Sunny produces only two seasonal collections each year, slowing the rate at which they manufacture their pieces and giving their designers time to source only sustainable and ethical materials. House of Sunny also frequently visits their overseas production partners to ensure high standards of ethical manufacturing. Utilizing only vegan fur and leather, their wool products come from producers with only the highest standards of animal husbandry. Finally, House of Sunny reduces their material waste by using leftover fabric to create accessories and swing tags.
No matter what you’re looking for in your wardrobe, you can stride boldly into fall this year with these fashionable eco-brands. From cozy ethical knitwear to sustainable swimwear to keep the summer vibes going, take your cue from this sustainable spotlight.
