Non-Toxic and Plastic-Free Luxury Fashion Brands

Image credit: Gabriela Hearst. This post contains some affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, EcoCult receives a small percentage of the sale price. If this post is helpful to you, then check out: To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick — And How We Can Fight Back, by EcoCult founder Alden Wicker.

Luxury fashion is a tough term to define. It could mean something different for everyone.

It could refer to a high price, exclusivity and uniqueness, high-quality materials, design, or craftsmanship. Because of these associations, and the assumption that people will naturally buy fewer luxury items than mass-market items, luxury fashion can appear inherently conscious and top-notch in quality. Beyond just selling products, these brands sell an identity, and consumers typically partake as a way to be a part of the perceived affluent elite. That desire for the appearance of luxury can sometimes outweigh the factual quality of so-called luxury products.

A series of investigative reports (with the latest in 2020) by the Clean Clothes Campaign found “an immense gap between the legal minimum wage and the estimated minimum living wages” in European countries where Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and Armani produce their collections. In Italy, the head of a company was arrested in 2019 on charges of allegedly employing “dozens” of undocumented garment workers for luxury brands, including Armani, Saint Laurent, and Fendi. (All brands associated denied they had contracts with this factory, and the outcome of the trial remains unknown). 

In 2018, the New York Times exposed Italy’s luxury sector for having seamstresses produce fashion garments on a piece-rate basis from their homes for local factories without a contract or insurance and paid in cash monthly. There is no statutory minimum wage in Italy, but roughly €5-7 per hour is considered an appropriate standard. “In extremely rare cases, a highly skilled worker can earn as much as €8-10 an hour. But the homeworkers earn significantly less, regardless of whether they are involved in leatherwork, embroidery, or another artisanal task.” 

In 2024, major fashion houses including Armani and Dior found themselves under investigation by prosecutors in Milan for labor practices from severe underpayment for manufacturing workers to illegal immigration into Italy. Supply chains faced even more scrutiny once it was discovered that some workers had been working extended hours for minimal pay and were even sleeping at work. And Loro Piana stands accused of taking over the market for vicuña wool in Peru so it can pay rock-bottom prices to indigenous herders, who work for free to herd the animals in for shearing. In some instances, luxury goods are no different than mass-market ones. As HighSnobiety reported, a $15 t-shirt isn’t so different from a $500 one with a luxury logo — same materials, wildly different price.

Finding non-toxic luxury fashion

First and foremost, check the fiber content. Natural fibers, such as linen, wool, hemp, silk, Lyocell Tencel, and cotton, among others, can be processed with natural or low-impact dyes, while synthetic fabrics are considered to be more difficult to permanently color using natural dyes. 

While there are several major fashion brands promising to phase out toxic chemicals from production and wastewater, the shift to non-toxic and sustainable luxury could be a long one. A study conducted back in 2012 revealed that several luxury brands, as well as many contenders, produced garments that tested positive for toxins including phthalates, azobenzene dyes, and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), all of which have been linked to reproductive illness and cancer. Today, there are several luxury brands that seem to do nothing at all for chemical safety. 

Alongside transparency, some luxury brands maintain certifications that require them to meet certain standards—bluesign, B Corp, and Oeko-Tex, to name a few—in order to advertise those certifications. There are a variety of certification systems out there, but only a few truly hold their brands accountable.

We’ve rounded up several luxury fashion brands with the transparency and supply chains to offer non-toxic options for your wardrobe.

What we love: Another Tomorrow creates modern, sensual, high-quality, and timeless products with only organic natural materials that support soil health, ecosystems, and communities. It’s B-Corp certified, prioritizing materials with either a Global Recycled Standard or Global Organic Textile Standard label. It uses forest-based fibers from responsibly managed forests with zero net contribution to deforestation. The brand also offers resale to further extend its garments’ life and reduce raw material usage. 

Price range: $95 to $1,950

What we love: Nicholas K creates timeless designs that are made in a socially and environmentally responsible way, inspired by a mix of cultural heritage and inclusivity. It chooses natural and renewable materials over synthetic alternatives. The brand does not use fur and uses eco-friendly, low-impact certified dyes. 

Price range: $126 to $1,032

What we love: Founded in 2012, VOZ is a B-certified ethical fashion company that pays living wages for every textile and sewn garment. It uses sustainable fibers and processes to create its elegantly cut and free-spirited apparel and accessories collections. The company collaborates with politically and economically marginalized women to create fashion collections and provide design leadership, training, and opportunity for indigenous women in the rural regions where they reside.

Price range: $250 to $2,495

What we love: Each of Roopa’s vibrant, one-of-a-kind clothing pieces is designed as a future heirloom, to be thoughtfully handed down from one generation to the next, reinterpreted over and over again. All manufacturing processes occur under one roof in Bangalore, India, where skilled artisans collaborate on each collection and ensure the skills and craftsmanship like beading, embroidery, weaving, dyeing, and printing continues to grow, flourish and evolve. Natural fabrics, such as silk and recycled cotton, are dyed and block printed using natural, eco-friendly dyes.

Price range: $120 to $1,800

What we love: Lauren Manoogian’s knitwear collections are ethically crafted in Peru, where traditional craftsmanship intersects with experimental techniques. Offering small, specialty-focused seasonal collections, Manoogian’s focus ranges from signature hand-loomed wool, cashmere, and organic cotton knits to vegetable-tanned leather accessories.

Price range through La Garçonne: $250 to $950

What we love: Angel Chang is a zero-carbon womenswear line handmade by indigenous mountain tribes in China that follow ancient techniques. Its traditional craftsmanship includes organic and all-natural raw materials like cotton, ramie, flax, and hemp, making its wastewater chemical-free and non-polluting.

Price range:  $875 to $1,280

What we love: Gabriela Hearst launched her eponymous label, a luxury women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories collection, in 2015. Each garment is constructed with conscientious materials, including silk, cashmere, linen, and wool from her family’s Uruguayan ranch. The brand uses biodegradable TIPA packaging and is committed to being plastic-free and investing in zero-waste stores.

Price range through Yoox: $388 to $5,505

What we love: Founded in 2016, Ziran uses Xiang Yun Sha silk to create its sustainable garments. The founder discovered this type of silk while researching ancient Chinese techniques in college and instantly fell in love with its luxurious beauty and cultural significance. The silk is natural, wrinkle-resistant, and its production is only made four months out of the year. All of the Zian pieces are hand-cut and sewn in Downtown Los Angeles.

Price range: $30 to $1,100

What we love: Sailaal’s tightly-curated catalog is more environmentally-friendly than it seems at first glance. Silk, organic cotton, and hemp make up the brand’s material base, while sustainable trim materials including Tencel Lyocell and natural coconut shell fill in the smaller details. 

Watch out for: The brand uses small amounts of recycled polyester, elastic, and plastic, though these components are typically within hems.

Price range: $275 to $610

What we love: With a strong chemical management program, Fendi focuses on the omission of hazardous chemicals from its products, which are all made in Italy, alongside a robust waste management system that protects local waterways from production pollution. Its traceable supply chain is located almost entirely in Italy, and the brand holds its suppliers to high quality standards. 

Watch out for: Though Fendi is still using some synthetics including polyester and nylon, the brand has shifted to use recycled materials such as ECONYL.

Price range through The RealReal: $50 to $17,500

What we love: As one of the few luxury brands today using traceable fibers through FIBRETRACE, Ralph Lauren is committed to 100% sustainably sourced key materials by 2025, implementing natural fabrics from certified suppliers. The brand uses natural and responsibly-sourced wool, cotton, down, cashmere, and continues to develop more responsible design to minimize waste.

Watch out for: While around 6.6% of the brand’s fibers are synthetics, the nylon, polyester, and viscose it uses is gradually shifting to recycled content. 

Price range through The RealReal: $15 to $18,500

What we love: Gucci is committed to environmental benchmarks and guarantees that it will make 95% of its raw material traceable. Gucci is also committed to the sustainability objectives set out by the parent company Kering, which states several sustainability strategies including reducing its environmental footprint and choosing responsible and well-managed supply sources. According to Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index, it is the most transparent brand in the luxury category, coming in 28 out of the 250 large brands assessed. If you’re looking for a recognizable luxury logo that is more ethical than the rest, then Gucci would be the way to go. 

Watch out for: The brand doesn’t provide any evidence that it ensures a fair wage for workers along its supply chain, and still uses exotic animal skin.

Price range through Matches: $195 to $11,500

What we love: Caravana’s versatile, free-spirited and Mayan-inspired resort wear is handmade in Mexico by artisans honoring traditional techniques, each taking many hours to create. The brand uses a homemade dye manufactured in Mexico, which means less of an environmental impact on nature. 

Watch out for: The brand uses calf leather in some products, so be on the lookout if you’re looking for cruelty-free options.

Price range through Farfetch: $127 to $587