sustainable french fashion brands
28 Jan
sustainable french fashion brands

The 11 Most Ethical and Sustainable Clothing Brands from France

It’s undeniable: sustainability is becoming increasingly important. More and more people are trying to reduce their impact on our planet and, as a result, a growing number of ethical and sustainable fashion brands are arising to both meet the demand and help change the fashion industry for the better.

France is no stranger to the current fashion revolution: while many French luxury maisons have been slow to join the ethical fashion movement, an increasing number of smaller fashion labels are now leading the way. France is becoming an ethical fashion powerhouse and has even passed a legislation banning companies from destroying unsold clothes and electronics.

But which French clothing brands are ethical? First, let’s learn about what makes a brand ethical in the first place.

What makes an ethical brand?

But what do you need to look for to determine whether a brand is ethical or not? Long story short, an ethical brand makes sure it positively impacts on people, the planet, and animals.

This means making sure workers are treated fairly across the supply chain. This includes policies and practices on child labour, forced labour, worker safety, the right to join a union, and payment of a living wage.

An ethical brand also cares about its use of resources and energy, reducing its carbon emissions, impact on our waterways, as well as using and disposing of chemicals safely.

Finally, an ethical brand uses no or very few animal products, like wool, leather, fur, angora, down feather, shearling, karakul, and exotic animal skin and hair. Ideally, the brand is 100% vegan!

Now that you know what makes an ethical brand, you might decide to shop from companies located in your country or region. Whether it is to reduce your carbon footprint when shopping online or to support your local communities, shopping locally has many great benefits.

So if you live in France, you might be wondering which clothing brands are ethical. We know how you feel, which is why we compiled this list of eco-friendly and conscious fashion brands from France. These 11 brands have all been rated ‘Good’ or ‘Great’ using our first-class methodology and are amongst our favourites.

Not from France? Check out our favourite brands from the UK, Europe, LA, the USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, London, Switzerland, the Netherlands or Australia and New Zealand.

Hopaal

Rated: Great

Hopaal makes simple, timeless clothing for women and men . We give the brand a ‘Great’ rating for the environment because of its use of 100% recycled materials as wells as its efforts to use renewable energy. It even stocks Guppy wash bags so you can be sure you’re not sending microfibres into the ocean when you do your laundry. Hopaal also takes care of workers, paying a living wage at the final stage of production. A great example of a brand that puts ethics at the heart of the business, without compromising on style.

See the rating.

Shop Hopaal.

Veja

Rated: Good

Veja is a French brand designing ecological and fair trade footwear, and is also a sustainable fashion pioneer. The brand uses eco-friendly materials, like GOTS certified cotton and vegetable-tanned leather! Veja pays its co-operative cotton growers and rubber tappers between 30% and 100% above the world market price. By not advertising, Veja is able to invest more money into strengthening its ethical practices. You can find Veja shoes in women's EU sizes 35-46, and men's 35-47.

See the rating.

Shop Veja.

Shop Veja @ LVR Sustainable.

Shop Veja @ thegreenlabels.

Shop Veja @ Outerknown.

Shop Veja @ Threads 4 Thought.

Shop Veja @ Labell-D.

Shop Veja Kids second hand @ Retykle.

1083

Rated: Good

1083’s range of denims and shoes for women, men, and children are all made in France, using eco-friendly materials like organic cotton. 1083 is proud to support jobs in the French textile industry, pointing out that denim was invented in the French city of Nimes. If you want classic, comfortable, and casual look no further than 1083.

See the rating.

Shop 1083.

Bombón de algodón

Rated: Good

Bombón de algodón makes playful, casual womenswear with cute little details. It uses GOTS-certified cotton from Peru and has adopted the GOTS Code of Conduct to take care of the workers in its supply chain.

See the rating.

Shop Bombón de algodón.

caur

Rated: Good
man wearing khaki leggings by caur

One of sustainable French brand caur’s six core values is gender neutrality. It says “The goal is not to erase gender, but to reduce the impact of gender stereotypes that accompany gender labels.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Find the range in sizes 2XS-2XL.

See the rating.

Shop caur.

Les Récupérables

Rated: Good

Les Récupérables is a young responsible fashion brand, made in France. The driving force behind the business is not creating new waste, but rather reusing what has already been produced, hence the name - “The Recoverables”! By embodying this “circular economy”, the brand’s environmental impact is greatly reduced.

See the rating.

Shop Les Récupérables.

Marcia

Rated: Good
two women wearing french brand marcia dresses

Marcia wants to make clothes that rhyme comfy with sexy. All its pieces are carefully studied for multiple purposes: to dress you up during the day and make you twist at night by adding sheer stockings, lipstick traces, or just a dash of perfume. At Marcia, everything is 100% sustainable and made in France.

See the rating.

Shop Marcia.

La Queue du Chat

Rated: Great
kid wearing khaki la queue du chat tshirt

At La Queue du Chat, the entire production line from cotton blossom to weaving to garment-making is GOTS certified in order to guarantee healthy products without chemicals or toxic residues.

See the rating.

Shop La Queue du Chat Pre-Owned @ Retykle.

Shop La Queue du Chat.

Good Guys

Rated: Good

Good Guys creates cruelty-free shoes for women and men, founded and designed by Marion Hanania in Paris. Through Good Guys, Hanania aims to create the perfect cruelty-free, made in Europe closet, where no animal product is involved, and the production guarantees fair trade working conditions. Find most shoes in EU sizes 36 to 46.

See the rating.

Shop Good Guys.

Shop Good Guys @ Immaculate Vegan.

Shop Good Guys @ thegreenlabels.

émoi émoi

Rated: Good
woman and baby wearing emoi emoi sweatshirts

émoi émoi is a French brand that celebrates family life and great love, putting you at the heart of everything it does. The brand uses eco-friendly materials and produces clothes, jewellery, accessories, as well as homeware.

See the rating.

Shop émoi émoi.

Shop émoi émoi second hand @ Retykle.

Fashion Integrity by Galeries Lafayette

Rated: Good
view of paris from galeries lafayette's rooftop

The Galeries Lafayette is a French department store. Its Fashion Integrity line has good policies to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers. The Fashion Integrity collection by Galeries Lafayette is available in all Galeries Lafayette French stores, in Galeries Lafayette Berlin, and at BHV Marais.

See the rating.

Learn more about Fashion Integrity by Galeries Lafayette.

Want to find more sustainable brands from France? Find the best-rated brands near you with the location filter!

Editor's note

Feature image by Hopaal, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet and animals. Use our Directory to search more than 3,000 brands. We may earn a commission on sales made using our offer codes or affiliate links.

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