Ethical Fashion Brands Are Struggling: Free & Paid Ways to Help

I’m not going to sugarcoat it because, after partnering with hundreds of sustainable brands, I know this for a fact: it’s HARD for them to stay in business.

It broke my heart to see so many go bankrupt, especially over the past few years. So, since I can’t go back in time to prevent it, I created this guide to help eco-conscious consumers like you support ethical clothing brands that are still trying to make a positive impact.  

And I know first-hand we can’t always do that with our wallets, especially when our budget is tight. So, I’ve also included plenty of free ways to support sustainable fashion brands.

Why are ethical clothing brands struggling?

These resourceful brands are trying their best to make a difference for the planet and garment workers. Unfortunately, it’s particularly challenging for them to stay in business:

• It’s hard to compete with fast fashion – This industry got consumers in the habit of seeing clothes as cheap throwaway items, buying new ones regularly to chase micro-trends, discarding them and… same again
• Ethical brands go beyond trends and frequent purchases – As well as designing timeless items, they literally encourage you to buy less and keep their clothes for longer (because that’s the most sustainable approach!). So, of course, they can’t rely on the same repeat purchases as ultra fast fashion brands 
• They have much lower margins – From the outside, we see more expensive price tags. In reality, that’s simply because they have higher costs: they use more eco-friendly materials, pay their workers fair wages, and design higher-quality and durable clothes. So, they don’t actually make that much money from a new purchase. And because they have lower marketing budgets and can’t afford to keep physical stores, they often struggle to reach their target customers

As a result, many ethical fashion brands are struggling or downright closing down. 

For example, we lost Vanilia, an iconic Dutch company operating since 1991, and many British brands, especially because they were affected by post-Brexit tariffs (like the UK subsidiary of People Tree, the slow fashion pioneer, and the popular Thought Clothing, which fell into administration).

How can we support ethical fashion brands?

Don’t get me wrong: we can’t put this responsibility entirely on our shoulders. At the same time, it’s easy to underestimate just how much of an impact we can make.

It’s like when we see a cute indie cafe in town: whenever we walk past it, we’re glad it’s there… until, one day, we’re disappointed to find out it closed down. But when it was still open, did we actually pop in to get our coffee from them? 

It’s the same when supporting ethical fashion brands. So, here are some free and paid ways to do that. 

Free ways to support ethical fashion brands

• Engage with their social media posts – Whenever you like, save, share, or comment on their posts, the algorithm will show them to more people. So, you’ll help these brands reach more eco-conscious consumers and… who knows! A few of those might even be looking to buy from them right now
• Tag them – Posting a photo, story, or video wearing their clothes? By tagging the brand, you won’t only make their day: you’ll help more people find out about them
• Recommend your favourite ethical clothing brands – In a world of Shein hauls, be the kind of friend, colleague, or family member who helps people fall in love with more sustainable brands 
• Leave them a fabulous review – Have you already bought from them? Rave about that brand online. When you do this on Google, it has a positive impact on their SEO, which is a fancy way of saying “you’ll help their online store reach more people” 
• Add their clothes to your wishlist – Even if you haven’t got the budget to buy from them right now, someone else might. So, when people ask you what they can get you for your birthday or Christmas, share that wishlist (forget about Amazon: you can include items from all kinds of online stores using free websites like Things To Get Me or Moonsift)

Different ways to vote with your money and support ethical fashion brands

• Buy new clothes from them – My advice? Buy less but better, sticking to ethically made and high-quality clothes that will last you for years and that you actually love. When you keep rewearing them, your cost per wear will become lower and lower (so, you’ll probably save money in the long run, especially if you’re used to spending hundreds of € on new clothes every month). And don’t worry: you won’t need to waste hours scouting for these small online stores. On Project Cece, we brought hundreds of fairtrade brands in one place and added filters to narrow down your choices, from Price to Material and more
• Support them when buying presents – Instead of another last-minute present, plan ahead, and find the perfect sustainable garment or accessory for your friends and loved ones
• Choose their gift cards – Keen to buy that dress that’d look fantastic on your eco-conscious friend but aren’t too sure about their size? Don’t want to run the risk of getting them something similar to what they already have? Lots of sustainable brands offer gift cards of different amounts, perfect to match any budget!

Ethical brands are struggling, but there’s so much we can do to help, both for free and by choosing their products. 

Whenever you want to do the latter, you know where to find them (why not bookmark Project Cece right now?), and we’ll keep doing our best to support these sustainable fashion brands, boost their visibility, and connect them with more eco-conscious consumers like you.