We all know a ‘Little Black Dress’ is the perfect staple for a night out on the town. It’s classy, simple, elegant and can make a pretty bold statement for what it is, but do you ever wonder how your garment got on to the shelves and into your wardrobe, or whom it may have affected in the process? It seems as though there’s an ‘unwritten rule’ when it comes to sustainable fashion. That it’s poorer quality, that the way in which you dress will have to change dramatically and that you have to stop purchasing from all your best-loved labels. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, some of the most popular brands on the market right now are highly sustainable, you just need to do your research first.

Barbour

The famous Barber jacket has become one of the most renowned pieces of clothing in fashion history since the J Barbour and Sons shop opened in 1894 in South Shields. The family run business has provided us with the classic wax jackets, suits, knitwear and shirts which have been used in all fields of sport, recreation and even war. It began as a popular motorcycling brand in the Thirties, which was then developed into the wax suits that were occasionally worn in the second world war, to who have now become the established countrywear brand we know it as now, worn by many celebrities and royals. One of Barbour’s most admirable qualities (alongside being the most luxurious outerwear for a walk in the woods with your dog) is that it belongs to the Sourcing and Ethical Compliance values. In other words, it’s a piece of legislation ensuring that labour standards and human rights in the workplace are met, complying with the Modern Slavery Act of 2015 to prevent unfair labour and discrimination.

Barbour is a brand we should take plenty of influence from, as it offers many services which help our environment, through reusing materials, they can ensure that when their customer damages their jacket, they don’t need to throw it away and buy a new one. Which would result in damaging the planet and making unnecessary waste. ‘Repair & Rewax’ is the service that Barbour proudly provides to its buyers. It gives people the choice of either rewaxing a jacket, rewaxing a small item or getting a quote on a repair. At just thirty five pounds, a jacket can be fully rewaxed, with the customer saving both money and the earth, from not purchasing another one. Twelve pounds can rewax a hood, bag, hat or dog coat and depending on the requirements for your repair, can help you save a substantial amount on worn stitching. Buying from Barbour proves that sustainable fashion doesn’t need to be as complicated as you think.

Patagonia

One of my personal favourite sustainable brands is Patagonia. The acclaimed brand has been worn by celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Reese Witherspoon, Prince Harry and of course, Shia Labeouf. Founder Yvon Chouinard began rock climbing at just fourteen years old. He noticed that when climbing, that the only pitons available at the time were made of soft iron, placed once and then were left in the rock. After meeting a fellow climber, Chouinard decided to make his own reusable hardware, he then went to a local junkyard and began to teach himself how to blacksmith. He built himself a small store in his parent’s backyard selling climbing tools he had made and he became widely known. Fast forward to the Seventies, Chouinard realised that not a lot of men were wearing colourful clothing at the time and after sporting a team rugby shirt to go climbing in, he started buying items from brands like Umbro in England and once these clothing pieces became a success, Patagonia was formed.

Patagonia is known for how environmentally friendly their fashion is. In 1988, they initiated their first national environmental campaign and every year since, they have undertaken a major education campaign on an environmental issue. They have supported wildlife projects to preserve ecosystems and every eighteen months, they hold a ‘Tools For Activists’ conference to teach marketing and publicity skills to groups they work with. Their distribution centre in Reno achieved a 60% reduction in energy use through solar-tracking skylights and radiant heating. They have also switched to organic cotton materials and continue to search for the most eco friendly sources. 68% of their line uses recycled materials and their wool, nylon, cashmere and polyester is all recycled.

Programs and processes

It’s almost impossible to keep up with the amount of programs and processes that Patagonia go through to enable a sustainable fashion brand. They work with fair trade to make sure apparel workers have fair living wages through paying a premium for every Patagonia item that carries the ‘Fair Trade’ label. The extra money goes directly to the workers. They currently have 66,000 workers supported by the Fair Trade Programme. Another program out of the many is the ‘Supply Chain Environmental Responsibility Program’ which measures and reduces the environmental impacts of manufacturing Patagonia products and materials. They have reduced environmental-related impacts in the supply chain for years and their main goal is to become carbon neutral by 2025. They also seek to reduce their carbon footprint and through a wide range of resources and incentives that prioritise energy efficiency and renewable energy in order to reduce their collective impact on the climate.

Hunter Boots

Most of us have owned a pair of Hunter Boots at some point in our lives. They just make those cold, muddy walks that little bit more stylish. Hunter is a country brand that was founded in 1856. It’s a British Heritage brand that is known for its famous welly boots and how it holds two royal warrants of appointment to the Queen herself. Hunter is a brand a lot of us all know and love but what we may not know is how sustainable this country brand really is… and the answer is very. Much like Barber, Hunter have their own recycling programme for their products. Hunter ‘ReBoot’ is a programme where you can drop off your old Hunter Boots at one of their stores and they can be recycled instead of wasted. You package up your old boots, book a free courier with ‘RecycleBox’ and by handing them in, you get 15% off your next purchase with Hunter. Once you’ve given them away, they’re taken to Cheshire where they are processed, shredded and transformed into playground surfacing, roads, kickboxing bag filler or they are mixed with other upcycled materials. They say, by using one tonne of rubber from recycled rubber boots to surface an arena, we’ll save three tonnes of C02 from being emitted into the atmosphere. Over one hundred thousand boots have been donated so far, which has had a massively significant impact on the environment, while also helping you save money when you buy your boots!

Through seeing how Fast Fashion is becoming increasingly more popular, it should be giving us even more reason to start looking at Countryside brands and their effect on the environment. From recycling to using sustainable materials to make their products, these Country brands are paving the way for a healthier fashion industry that will not only be vital for our planet but will also remain as trendy and up to date as every other fashion brand who perhaps aren’t as ethical as they are. If you want to improve your wardrobe, you need to look inside your heart before you look inside your closet. Your guide to a better outfit starts with sustainability and where better to look than in Countrywear.

Written by Holly Turner