If you’ve landed on this page chances are you’re planning ahead for the cold winter months or you’re about to travel to a destination with a cool climate. Whatever the reason, we hope this list of eco-friendly and ethical winter essentials such as fair-trade scarves, handcrafted mitts and gloves, knitted beanies and other accessories will help to keep the chilly weather at bay so you can go about your life without freezing your tush off!
1. People Tree
People Tree was established over 30 years ago and is considered the pioneer of fair-trade fashion. Its winter range features a collection of hand knitted and embroidered cardigans, scarves, warm socks and more, made of eco-friendly fabrics such as Fair-Trade certified GOTS-certified organic cotton and other ethical and sustainably sourced natural fibres such as wool.
The People Tree range of hand knitted scarves and gloves, for example, are made by an organisation that employs 2,500 artisans in Nepal under fair-trade conditions.
Note: This is not one for vegans, unfortunately.
Shipping: Ships worldwide. Visit this page for more info.
Shop: peopletree.co.uk.
2. PACT Apparel
PACT Apparel produces an affordable range of certified organic cotton basics for women and men; and for winter, it has released a range of 100% organic cotton thermals including pants and long-sleeved sweaters that are thicker than PJs and will keep you warm during the cold nights. It has also introduced a Cable Knit Hat & Scarf Set made with 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton. All PACT garments are manufactured under ethical conditions in a fair-trade factory. Vegans you can rejoice, this is a great option for you too!
Shipping: Ships across USA. Only international shipping location is Canada. Check out this page for more details.
Shop: wearpact.com.
3. Groceries Apparel
This American sustainable fashion brand ethically manufactures trendy collections in their own factory in Los Angeles. Timed for winter, Groceries Apparel has introduced a clothing range suited for cold weather including long cardigan wraps (“coatigans”), turtlenecks and hoodies made of blended eco-friendly fabrics such as Tencel and organic cotton. Plus it’s vegan-friendly, yay!
Shipping: Free shipping on US orders over $75. International Shipping available at extra cost and is calculated at checkout.
Shop: groceriesapparel.com.
4. Thought Clothing
Thought Clothing launched in 1995 as Braintree Clothing, a brand that pioneered a more conscious way to do fashion. It got its start in Australia but the label moved its headquarters to the UK where it continues to sell a vast collection of classic garments for both men and women made of sustainable and natural fabrics such as certified organic cotton, bamboo viscose and recycled polyester. This ethical fashion label manufactures in overseas factories that comply with strict codes of conduct.
Thought Clothing has a seriously broad collection of clothing that will keep you toasty and dry including raincoats made of recycled PET, winter coats made of organic cotton, heavy embroidered jackets, and winter staples such as scarves, beanies and thick socks made from wool, bamboo and organic cotton.
There are plenty of winter accessory options for vegan and cruelty-free shoppers too.
Shipping: Free shipping on UK orders over £60. Worldwide shipping at extra cost.
Shop: wearethought.com.
5. Patagonia
This popular sustainable label is a pioneer in outdoor and adventure apparel and often sits at the top of sustainable fashion lists for its commitment to continuous improvement, particularly in the area of research and development and investment in sustainable fabrics and technology where the brand often creates and trademarks its own fibre blends.
Patagonia produces hard-wearing garments for lovers of the great outdoors so you will find surfwear, hiking gear, travel gear, ski gear and much more. For those seeking heavy-duty items to withstand the harshest of winter conditions, you will also find a range of well-insulated clothing including warm fleece jackets, thick sweaters, scarves made of reclaimed down and gloves and beanies made of 100% recycled polyester (great for vegans!).
Shipping: Worldwide shipping available. Visit this page for more details.
Shop: patagonia.com.
6. Ally Bee
A contemporary luxury knitwear brand based in the UK, Ally Bee produces limited edition knitwear such as fingerless gloves, arm warmers, scarves, beanies and knitted tops made of 100% natural fibre yarns carefully selected for their high quality and minimal environmental impact. The pieces are bespoke in nature, produced in small batches it is a nod to slow fashion. Not for vegan shoppers.
According to the brand’s website, its first collections were crafted from bespoke-spun British alpaca yarns made especially for the brand in a small spinning mill in Dorset using British wool. The brand has since expanded its offerings to source eco-friendly natural fabrics such as Cradle-to-Cradle® cashmere and merino yarns.
Shipping: Free standard delivery for UK orders over £50. International shipping available at extra cost. Details can be found here.
Shop: ally-bee.com.
7. Wool and the Gang
This is a cheeky addition to the list but we just had to add it because we love the slow fashion concept behind Wool and the Gang‘s offerings. Rather than selling you the final knit product, this brand sells you the entire knitting kit – including wool, patterns and instructions, knitting needles and sewing needles – so that you can knit it yourself. Browse through the website and the images of the knits are so beautiful that it may encourage you to do just that. There’s plenty of patterns to choose from – scarves, cardigans, tops, wraps, beanies and even throws.
So if you know how to knit, or keen to learn to knit to make your own gorgeous scarves, beanies and sweaters, why not purchase a Wool and the Gang kit and attempt a DIY project? Guaranteed that you’ll be proud AF when you complete the project and will want to show it off any chance you get because why wouldn’t you? It’s your very own fashion masterpiece!
Shipping: Ships worldwide. Visit this page for more info.
Shop: woolandthegang.com.
Recommending reading:
Disclosure: The curated list is based on the writer’s research and does not fully take into account all ethical considerations that are unique to each individual. Before making a purchase, we encourage you to do your own research paying particular attention to the supply chain and your own particular set of ethics. You can also check out online tools and apps that provide product reviews and brand ratings here. This list also contains affiliate links. For more information, click here.
Title image credit: Wool and the Gang
