Most of the brands we feature have ratings of Good or Great in the Good on You rating directory. This rating system, originated in Australia and backed up by Emma Watson, measures fashion brands’ journey to sustainability and circular economy. The three areas they look when evaluating are low environmental impact, fair labor practices, and animal welfare. This system protects against greenwashing, and you can read more about it here.
We’ve also been exploring and supporting small fashion businesses, often female-owned, on Etsy, a global marketplace for artisans. We do our own Etsy brand research guided by the same sustainability principles and reach out to shop owners to learn more about their practices.
How do we pick sustainable clothing?
When selecting items from sustainable clothing brands, we pay attention to materials and functionality.
Materials
Most of the environmental impact of the fashion industry comes from textile production. We aim to select clothing items that are made of sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, hemp, linen, bamboo, wool, organic silk, and recycled polyester. We like to pick accessories that are vegan, recycled or upcycled – whether it’s cactus or apple leather, or recycled plastic bottles.
Timeless and multifunctional clothing
We distinguish between a Base wardrobe and Accent wardrobe. For the Base we pick versatile and multifunctional clothing of neutral colors that can be styled in many ways. For Accent wardrobe we like to feature prints, colors, embroidery, and all things that make up your individual style.
How do we ensure product quality?
Our goal is to check all brands and products we feature, and you can see our ongoing product reviews on Instagram. We check shipping, packaging, product quality, and communication with the seller. If you shop with Sparkpick, please share with us your experience with brands and products. It will tremendously help our quality assurance process.
Read more about sustainable fashion and its pros and cons for us as fashion consumers in our blog post.