9 Affordable & Ethical Minimalist Clothing Brands
Affordable and ethical don’t always go hand in hand, especially when we’re talking about minimalist clothing. Once this minimalist style started getting uber popular, the prices skyrocketed and started profiting on our desire for luxurious, minimalist clothes.
I personally can’t afford a $300 dress that is supposed to change my life because it’s made of recycled fabric and looks like a sack. I like my sacks affordable, please and thank you.
In my quest for more affordable and ethical brands that fit my style, I’ve found that these 9 brands do a pretty good job with ethics and producing well-made but still affordable clothing in that minimalist style. Heck, I consider some of these luxurious to boot!
1 | Alternative Apparel
Ethical | Fair wages and employment, WRAP Certified, low-impact dyes, and eco-friendly and natural materials in their fabrics
Price Range | $20-148
Alternative Apparel is my favorite place to find casual and simple basics in every shape, color, and size you could imagine. This is where I go for basic tees, joggers, sweatshirts/jackets, etc. but they also have a small but mighty selection of dresses and jeans.
They’re incredibly affordable to start with, and they’re practically always having a 30-40% off sale.
2 | Able
Ethical | Publishes wages, empowering women in fashion, transparent manufacturing and production
Price Range | $34-158
ABLE has a huge selection of classic and minimalist clothing, but I really like how they put an interesting detail on some of their basics. Like a textured fabric, a tie, an interesting seam.
Their prices are affordable, though on the higher end of affordable. This is because they use more luxury fabrics than some of the other affordable brands on this list. They also pair more than fair wages, and you are paying to support that.
ABLE has great clothes, but they’re most well known for their handbags and jewelry! I love that the jewelry is simple but still makes a statement. The Tortoise Collection is my current favorite.
3| H&M
Ethical | Member of Better Cotton Initiative, Recycled clothing program, uses renewable energy, pays livable wages to workers, and transparent supply chain
Price Range | $10-200
Yep, you read that right. H&M is on this list, because they’ve earned their spot. Yes, they had a pretty nasty reputation as a fast fashion retailer, but they’ve made great strides environmentally and for their employees to revitalize their reputation.
H&M sells a lot of different styles, which includes minimalist style clothing. Their Conscious Collection and lines labelled “Premium Quality” are particularly minimalistic, and as a plus use higher quality and more sustainable fabrics.
The sustainability of these lines is reflected in the price, but it’s still peanuts compared to many sustainable clothing brands. I like shopping at H&M because it’s close to home, I know their sizing, and they carry a wide variety of sizes and fits. Not many of the small brands can compete, and I feel comfortable knowing H&M is improving.
4 | Frank & Oak
Ethical | Designed in Canada, recycled packaging, diverse employers, sustainable fabrics and efforts to limit carbon emissions, and donates portion sales to Equitas
Price Range | $25-149
Frank & Oak offers a subscription box of ethically sourced and made clothing and supports sustainable initiatives in their manufacturing and packaging. So, basically they win the ethical and minimalist game.
However, you don’t have to sign up for their subscription box (though it is awesome). You can still shop their collection without a subscription, and it is always expanding. I find their dress and skirt options to be a bit limited, but the vast majority of their clothing is minimalist.
My personal favorites are their jumpsuits and basic tees. I’m a sucker for a good tee, and Frank & Oak offers that perfect minimalist boxy fit.
5| Aday
Ethical | Seasonless clothing, plant based fabrics, double use clothing, recycled fabrics, high standard factories
Price Range | $68-175
ADAY truly strikes that scandi minimalism vibe that you’re longing for. Their claim to fame is that their clothing is the most versatile because it is seasonless. They are on the pricier side, but most of their clothing would work across seasons. Obviously, you won’t be wearing a sweatshirt in the summer heat, but most things cross seasonal lines.
They are on the pricier side of affordable, but the construction is top notch. ADAY also has multi-use clothing, meaning it can be reversed or worn some different way that gives you more than one piece of clothing. Saving you space and money!
ADAY is where I go when I want to make a little bit of a higher investment or be treated to some luxury.
6| Vetta Capsule
Ethical | Multi Use clothing, solar power factories, Made in the USA, Recycled Packaging, Deadstock fabrics
Price Range | $90-180
Okay, hear me out. I know that price range is high. But the pieces from Vetta Capsule are some of the most unique I have ever seen, and almost all of them can be worn multiple ways.
Like a jumpsuit that can be worn 5 ways or a dress that has a skirt that zips off and turns into a shirt. It’s seriously magical the things they come up with. You can buy single pieces, or you can buy one of their “Capsules” which is 5 pieces and has a bit of a discount for buying in bulk.
The capsules are pricy, but I love that Vetta shows you the number of combinations you can make with everything. It would be entirely feasible to wear one of their 5 piece capsules for an entire month.
7| Everlane
Ethical | Transparent Pricing, Made in LA, Top Quality Materials, Ethical Factories
Price Range | $16-250
I couldn’t leave off Everlane, the minimalist clothing mecca. You’ve probably heard of it, but it always worth a mention. Everlane was really hyped up a few years ago and people went wild for it, but I think it has fallen off some of our radars.
They’ve really expanded the styles and types of clothing they offer and now offer quality, affordable cashmere, denim, shoes, and way more. I love that they manufacture in the US and have transparent pricing. What can I say, I’m a geek about sustainability and profit margins.
8| Kotn
Ethical | All Cotton, work directly with farms, Certified B Corporation, Fair & Equal pay for employees, profits help fund schools in Egypt
Price Range | $28-78
Like the name, everything at KOTN is made from Egyptian cotton. Excuse me while I die from excitement. Is it weird to have a favorite fabric, because cotton is mine. It’s just versatile and light and breezy. I may be biased because I live somewhere where the humidity and heat are always at an all time high.
Enough about my love affair with cotton, let’s talk about my love affair with KOTN. Their company ethics are impeccable, and so is their clothing. It’s all so simple, but it doesn’t feel boring or plain. Not to mention their prices are some of the lowest on this list of already affordable brands!
9| Encircled
Ethical | Made in Canada, Reversible Clothing, Eco-Friendly Fabrics, Certified B Corporation
Price Range | $29-248
Encircled’s Tagline “Versatile, Minimalist Clothing Ethically Made” is all you need to know, but I’ll tell you more. They have a small collection, but each piece is versatile and perfectly unique. '
One of their best selling products is the Chrysalis Cardi, which despite it’s name, is not just a cardigan. It can be worn as a shawl, cardigan, dress, blouse, skirt. Basically, if you were to only own one piece of clothing, it would be this one.
