If you’re looking to build a planet-friendly closet, one of the smartest staple pieces to invest in are sustainable dresses. Shopping ethically is the key to dismantling the fast fashion industry, which is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the shipping and aviation industries combined.¹

Eco-conscious consumers are turning to the “slow fashion” movement, which prioritizes ethically sourced and sustainable materials and working conditions. Sustainable dresses are a crucial piece to include in your capsule wardrobe for their versatility and style, and we’re here to spur your shopping spree with this 2023 guide to the top picks.

Finding Sustainable Fashion: Dresses

The average American buys a new piece of clothing every five days, and 90% of that wardrobe ends up in the trash.² In order to break this cycle of purchasing and disposing, it’s essential to purchase durable, versatile pieces that can be worn over and over again rather than focusing on quantity and following trends. Dresses are a staple piece in any closet and can fill a variety of gaps in your outfit repertoire. Luckily, there are a plethora of ethical, sustainable brands that offer stylish, timeless dresses at a variety of price points. If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint in the fashion department, it’s important to choose brands that are transparent about their manufacturing processes and the materials they use.

Finding beautiful, stylish and sustainable dresses isn’t impossible. These fashion favorites look stunning, and help the planet by reducing the ecological costs of the clothing industry. These favorites can ease your transition from fashion hare to fashion tortoise!

What’s So Important About Eco-Friendly Dresses?

Over 60% of fabric fibers are derived from fossil fuels, meaning they will not decay when 85% of them end up in landfills.⁵ The fast fashion industry is the Earth’s third largest polluter after food and construction, which is not hard to believe considering the sheer volume of the modern wardrobe multiplied by seven billion people. The only way to fight fast fashion is by slowing down.

Purchasing multifaceted pieces like dresses from ethical companies is a great place to start, and waiting longer to replace them by avoiding the trend vortex is even more powerful. You’ll find peace in the transparency of knowing where your dress came from, and will develop an evergreen, luxuriously simple sense of style while contributing to saving the planet.

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

TAMGA Designs was founded by fiancé-fiancée team Yana Barankin and Eric Dales, who moved to Bangladesh in 2014 in the hopes of starting a responsible fashion company (Image: Tamga Designs⁷).

The couple built a production process that’s sustainable at every stage, from growing fabrics from renewable wood pulp to transparency regarding worker compensation to investing profits in reforestation efforts. The pieces even come in eco friendly packaging, including an organic cotton tote bag. TAMGA’s dresses come in a variety of styles, from maxi and mini to boho and business casual.

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

Founded in New York in 2015 by a group of women from diverse backgrounds with an affinity for retro style, Simple Retro offers affordable formal dresses made from ethically sourced materials. These elegant pieces are perfect for anyone with a timeless sense of style–a perfect alternative to the mainstream trend cycle (Image: Simple Retro⁸).

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

When Michael Preysman founded Everlane in 2011 at age 25, the company only sold cotton T-shirts, later expanding to a wider range of “modern basics (Image: Everlane⁹).”³

Everlane’s styles are simple, effortlessly chic, and moderately priced. The company, with transparency as its singular core belief, holds itself accountable to a strict set of environmental guidelines. Its distribution center is 100% landfill-free. Everlane holds several materials certifications including bluesign certification, meaning their products are free from over 900 harmful chemicals.

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

Based in Sweden, Nu-In was founded in 2019 by a group of friends working in the fashion industry (Image: Nu-In¹⁰).

The label strives to create sustainable pieces that are both stylish and affordable, and recently ran a campaign that raised €30,000 for Seaspiracy in support of protecting our oceans. Nu-In’s dresses balance youth and freshness with elegance, making them the perfect party number.

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

Founded by Christy Dawn Peterson and her husband Aras Baskauskas, Christy Dawn is committed to honoring Mother Earth with a farm-to-closet approach that promotes healthy soil (Image: Christy Dawn¹¹).⁴

The company seeks to push beyond sustainability into regenerativity. The rustic, flowy dresses of their Organic Cotton Collection are made in partnership with the Oshadi Collective in India using natural and organic dyes.

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

Australian charity The Social Outfit was founded in 2014 with the goal of employing refugee women, and has donated 100% of its profits back into doing so (Image: The Social Outfit¹²).

At least 44 Australian fashion brands contribute their deadstock fabrics to creating durable garments meant to last across seasons. But,The Social Outfit’s more summery dresses stand out with their beautifully loud patterns and unique pops of color. These dresses that support multiple important causes are sure to catch some eyes!

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

Founded by Alejandro Porras Martorell in 2015, Alohas’s model of on-demand, local manufacturing is revolutionary in terms of sustainability (Image: Alohas¹³).

The company encourages its customers to donate to causes like native forest regeneration and international renewable energy projects at online checkout, and encourages mindful, non-impulsive shopping. Alohas dresses are sleek with an understated playfulness, making them the ultimate eco-friendly party outfit.

If you want to erase your entire eco footprint, use an online calculator to figure it up, then partner with one of the best carbon offset programs to purchase a tree planting offset to go completely carbon neutral.

Why We Love These Sustainable Dresses

Founded in 2015, Siizu creates timeless pieces with a variety of unique sustainable materials (including recycled oyster shell) packaged in recycled paper bags. The label has partnered with American Forest to commit to planting 2.7 million trees (Image: Siizu¹⁴).

Its manufacturers are qualified under the ISO 14001 standard, which includes energy efficiency and limitations on waste output. Siizu’s dresses come in unique cuts and colors, including the puff-sleeve wrap dress, which is versatile across seasons.

What Are Ethical Dresses and Ethical Summer Dresses?

Truly ethical dresses come from companies that are completely transparent about their production processes and use only ethically sourced or recyclable materials. Companies that commit to clear goals and standards, like Everlane’s commitment to aligning with the Paris Agreement or Nu-In’s commitment to veganism, are trustworthy to produce pieces with minimal carbon footprint.

Buying ethical clothing is a holistic approach to fashion, because not only does it impact the lives of the people who work to fabricate textiles, it also reduces the cost to the environment. And, every little bit helps.

Finding Deals on Organic Cotton Summer Dresses and Organic Sundresses

Ethically-made, eco-friendly dresses are sometimes more expensive than their fast-fashion counterparts because factory workers are paid fair wages and higher-quality materials are used in production. However, sustainable dresses are worth the investment, especially considering they are designed to be purchased in lower quantities, durable enough to last for years, and timeless in style so they outlast trends. In order to achieve this quality in your wardrobe without breaking the bank, keep an eye out for sales, particularly at the end of the season.

Most sustainable dresses are designed to be relatively trans-seasonal anyway, so you’ll still be able to wear them right away. If you’re still struggling to find affordable eco-friendly dresses, consider buying secondhand or from local sellers in your city. Search for sellers on Etsy or similar online marketplaces who upcycle secondhand clothing. If you’re looking to save and indulge in the occasional trend, consider renting pieces from companies like Rent the Runway or labels with their own garment rental progam (like ba&sh, listed below).

We’ve included a list of some honorably mentioned sustainable brands below.

Fast Fashion Facts: Why Buying Sustainable Dresses Can Help the Planet

Some quick facts about fast fashion:

• 80% of all clothing ends up in a landfill or incinerator⁶
• One garbage truck of textiles is landfilled every second¹
• The ratio of tons of water used to tons of fabric produced is 200:1⁶
• Synthetic fast fashion pieces will become part of our fossil record, meaning archaeologists will discover them even after landfills are consumed by nature⁵
• The fashion industry is responsible for 1.2 billion tons of CO2 emissions annually¹
• 0.6% of the price of a garment goes to the factory worker who made it⁶
• Producing one cotton shirt creates the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as driving a car 35 miles⁶
• Even landfilling non-synthetic items (which will decay) matters, as it contributes to the emission of methane⁵
• The fashion year has subdivided into 52 micro-seasons, meaning new lines are released every week¹

The quickest antidote to the monster of fast fashion is simply its opposite: slow fashion. By slowing down our consumption of clothing, we can not only reduce our individual carbon footprint, but also contribute to crucial related causes, such as factory worker rights and animal welfare.

The emergence of ethically transparent, sustainably sourced brands has become something of a revolution, making eco-friendly clothing readily available online and locally at a variety of price points. When stocking your closet for any new season, consider reaching for any of these sustainable dresses… you’ll look great, and be helping the planet.