15 sustainable Canadian fashion brands to shop this season
A little retail therapy is always fun, especially when you feel like your wardrobe needs a bit of a refresh. While it may seem like an innocent splurge, there’s more to worry about after shopping than buyer’s remorse. The reality of fashion’s impact on the environment is becoming more and more evident as the years go by. But these Canadian brands are making waves by helping the environment through the clothing they design. With these thoughtful purchases, you can not only support local brands but also help reduce fashion’s overall environmental impact.
Let’s take a look at some of the best Canadian fashion brands that are eco-friendly, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing to boot.
Meemoza
In 2011, Meemoza founder Emilie Riouz launched the company with a mission of creating designs with a lower impact on the environment, while making them accessible to a community of women that are looking for value behind the clothes they wear. They specialize in casual and vintage-inspired clothing for men and women and all their pieces are manufactured in Montreal, Canada.
If you're looking for an everyday piece, look no further than the Angular Cardigan. Its noble kit is so easy to wear and elegant, while remaining completely practical.
SHOP: Angular Cardigan; $99 at Meemoza
Ana + Zac
This Halifax company wears its company values on its sleeve. Ana + Zac started their clothing brand in 2019 after being inspired by living a sustainable lifestyle. The brand focuses on quality Pima cotton loungewear, T-shirts and underwear that are ethically and sustainably made in Peru.
These waffle pants will become your spring staple. They are high rise and feature a tapered fit. Get your lounge on all season long with these comfy pants.
SHOP: Waffle Pant in Coal; $108 at Ana + Zac
Buttercream Clothing
Candice Munro started sewing aprons at her kitchen table and selling them on Etsy. From there she grew her Calgary-based business known as Buttercream Clothing and now ships garments around the world. This ethical clothing brand focuses on creating pieces for everyone— with sizing up to 3X.
Be bold this season with their Circle Skirt (it even has pockets!). This sweet skirt may call for a twirl or two, plus it's high-waisted so you can wear it as a skirt, or even convert it into a strapless dress.
SHOP: *Freshly Baked* Circle Skirt/Dress; $89 at Buttercream Clothing
Tentree
Tentree is a sustainable brand for women, men, and children based in Vancouver. They combine reasonably priced garments, great everyday wear, and sustainable production practices. Tentree is an ethical brand that designs clothing through its unique use of recycled materials and organic fabrics such as hemp and cotton. But what sets Tentree apart is its commitment to planting trees for every purchase made on the website. Every single piece produced by the brand is 100 percent vegan and has collectively removed millions of tonnes of CO2 in the air through 50 million trees planted.
This sustainable clothing brand partners with many global charitable organizations to rehabilitate natural organizations and plant trees. It's also B Corp certified. Tentree aims to empower and guide you on your journey to protect and enrich our environment. We love that they truly want to make the world a better place and this shows in their efforts to be more than a fashion brand.
We love the TreeFleece Bamone Women’s Sweatpant made with cozy organic materials that feel as good as the way it was made. With these pants, you can easily go from lounge to lunch without a worry.
SHOP: TreeFleece Bamone Sweatpant; $78 at TenTree
Kotn
Using international fabrics is what makes Kotn, a clothing brand based in Toronto, so unique. They ethically and sustainably craft their clothing line from Egyptian cotton while using transparent and inclusive practices. Average prices per piece range from $30 to $80, so the brand remains affordable. Kotn caters to both men and women, focusing on elevated basics that are produced using a fully transparent supply chain.
This eco-friendly brand created its range of products around the principles of considered design, honest value, relentless quality, and a positive impact above all. Kotn only uses cotton materials and refuses to ever use animal-derived materials. Giving back is also a focus for Kotn. The brand regularly works with an Egyptian NGO to build schools and provide all children in its farming communities with a convenient, safe, and quality education.
We recommend going for the High Neck Tank for the effortless and elegant vibes. The high neck accentuates the neck and jaw, producing a chic look that you can easily dress up or down depending on where you want to wear it.
SHOP: High Neck Tank; $32 at Kotn
Thief&Bandit
This brand is all about exploring and challenging the norms of both excitements in fashion and production integrity. All of their fabrics are printed by hand, garments are sewn by hand and they only use organic textiles like jerseys, cottons, raw silks, georgette and French Terry. Based in Halifax, their prints are immediately recognizable, with sporadic and lively patterns that make you feel empowered when wearing them.
We love these high-rise bellbottoms that hug your body in the softest organic cotton/bamboo blend, flaring dramatically below the knee in true 1970s style.
SHOP: Shroom Bellbottoms; $182 at Thief&Bandit
Encircled
Encircled is an intelligent and sustainable fashion brand based in Toronto that focuses on basics, loungewear, dresses, outerwear, knitwear, accessories, and sportswear for women. With prices ranging from $70 to $300, women looking for higher quality garments that remain sustainable have found their new favourite brand.
It is a stylish yet sustainable brand that sells comfortable and high-quality women’s clothing made by and fully owned by women, with all of the collections proudly 100 percent sewn in Toronto. All sewing studios are in the GTA and benefit the people involved and the planet by being one of the few female-led B-corporations in the fashion market.
Encircled is all about a transparent process to make its fabrics sustainable. They use low-impact dyes that positively impact both your health and the planet. Better yet, Encircled is size-inclusive, which helps promote body positivity.
Whether you are off to brunch, a picnic, or a grocery run, these cute and comfortable shorts are all you need to look glamorous yet comfortable. They are the ideal go-to for every single occasion this summer.
SHOP: The Comfy Paperbag Shorts; $88 at Encircled
Matt and Nat
Matt and Nat is a stunning brand for both women and men based in Montreal that we love for its use of recycled, vegan, and natural materials. The prices range from $90 to $110 and focus largely on bags and other leather accessories.
All of the products are cruelty-free, made with recycled materials, and fashion-forward. This brand’s values include excellence, social responsibility, inclusiveness, and an overall focus on the environment. They pride themselves on their transparent business model that highlights the workers that make their products while utilizing more unique materials like recycled bottles.
The ALEXIS Women’s Rain Jacket is not just our normal rain jacket. It is luxurious, elegant, and will make any woman feel like a celebrity when she is walking through the streets. Stay warm, dry, and comfortable while still looking absolutely beautiful.
SHOP: ALEXIS Women's Rain Jacket; $160 at Matt and Nat
Ureshii
Emily and Amanda founded Ureshii from their home-based studio in beautiful Prince Edward Island to bring sustainability, durability, comfort and great fitting clothes to the market. They design, draft, cut and sew everything from their studio, and we love their passion for fashion.
Bring the beach vibes to your wardrobe with the Shore Tunic. It's an easy-fit tunic with a short dolman sleeve in a lightweight woven fabric - your choice of linen, hemp, or lyocell twill (plant-based silk). The stand collar and button-down front make it easy to layer - you can even wear it open as a vest.
SHOP: Shore Tunic; $148 at Ureshii
Nomads Hempwear
Nomads Hempwear, as the name suggests, is a pioneer of hemp that makes earth-friendly urban fashion for a sustainable future. The brand is based in British Columbia and prices range from $40 to $100 for its organic hemp and natural cotton pieces.
Nomads Hempwear takes great pride in employing fair labour in the construction of all garments. Nomads Hempwear uses modern and innovative designs to perfectly reflect its time and place on the planet.
The Axiom leggings are perfect for those looking for a pair that are both functional and sustainable. You get to enjoy the comfort of leggings plus the features that cargo pants would have.
SHOP: Axiom Leggings; $89 at Nomads Hempwear
LONDRÉ
LONDRÉ is a well-known Canadian minimalist sustainable swimwear brand based in Vancouver that makes pieces from recycled plastic bottles. As of now, LONDRÉ has recycled around 90,000 plastic bottles from the beaches and streets in Taiwan that they use in their production in Canada.
All water used in the brand’s process is reused and recycled in order to make the smallest impact possible. They’re also working to create positive change within the global community by using their business to raise awareness and funds for women’s health and environmental initiatives.
So far, LONDRÉ has donated over $10,000 to organizations such as the Yellow Hammer Fund and Amazing Watch. With prices ranging from $30 to $180, the brand has items for anyone looking for a quality swimsuit.
The Multiway is marketed as the most versatile travelling companion. Instead of packing 6 different swimsuits, you can pack one and wear it 6 different ways. It is a silky material and is flattering to many different body types.
SHOP: The Multiway; $158 at LONDRÉ
The Good Tee
The Good Tee makes classic, fair trade, and organic shirts and tees for children, babies, and parents. As an excellent homegrown brand from Toronto, The Good Tee remains extremely affordable with prices ranging from $20 to $35.
This makes it so much easier to purchase guilt-free and responsibly made fashion, sourced from fair trade territories. We love that the team delivers fashion that doesn’t hurt the planet or the people that produce it and has certified itself as a B-Corporation, maintaining the highest sustainability standards.
We love the Everday Fair Tunic, which is carefully crafted from the softest organic cotton material. It will become the item that you want to pluck out of your closet every single day.
SHOP: Everyday Fair Tunic; $64 at The Good Tee
Parade Organics
Parade Organics is a stunning Canadian fashion brand that prides itself on being eco-friendly and sustainable. It makes certified, pure, organic, and comfortable accessories for babies and toddlers which makes it the perfect place for moms and bubs to shop. If you’re a new mom looking for your new arrival, Parade Organics is the place to be.
With everything ranging from only $15 to $50, it is a cost-friendly and sustainable place to shop. No pesticides or harsh chemicals are used where the cotton is grown in India. This means that you get to enjoy the benefits of Indian fabrics in a sustainable and well-made way.
The Tank Rompers truly are essential for every new mom to have around. They are simply a warm-weather staple whether you’re playing at the park or relaxing at home.
SHOP: Tank Rompers; $21 at Parade Organics
The Saltwater Collective
Going to the beach this summer is going to be much more stylish with The Saltwater Collective, based in Toronto. It’s natural, vegan, recycled, innovative, and, better yet, has affordable prices that range from $100 to $170. It’s a sustainable swimwear brand that redefines the image of sustainable fashion one swimsuit at a time.
This clothing label makes collections of well-thought-out designs that have been made to reframe the story around swimwear. The brand ultimately aims to allow you to connect with your inner confidence and beauty all while minimizing your carbon footprint.
The Julia Top is simple yet elegant which makes it a bestseller. It is also sitting at a very nice price point which makes it affordable while still being luxurious. You can even wear it in different ways to help showcase your style versatility!
SHOP: Julia Top in Azul; $75 at The Saltwater Collective
Native Shoes
Comfort goes hand-in-hand with style, and Native Shoes is an excellent shoe brand for those looking to combine both. Located in Vancouver, this is an ethical fashion company founded in 2009 that makes its shoes out of lightweight, seamless, and breathable recycled materials. Ranging from $100 to $170, each of their shoes is crafted with care and consideration in mind.
These boots are one of the shining stars for Native Shoes. They are waterproof yet extremely elegant. We can’t help but adore these shoes for your quick adventures out in the sun.
SHOP: Nova Hydroknit; $135 at Native Shoes
