Top Five European Slow Fashion Brands

The sister duo founded brand SIZ is a haven for those inspired by nature and fashion. They draw their design inspiration for the mountains and coasts of Portugal, mixing natural hues and dyes and sewing pieces with care and love. The latest fall/winter drop ‘beneath the canopy’ is a beautiful example of how SIZ incorporate ecological research into their design and production pieces. The utility-style is a reminder of the danger to our tropical forests and jungles and as a warning against palm-oil plantations.

Cold Laundry is the Black-owned UK based, gender-neutral brand born by the husband and wife Ola and Cerise Alabi, who describe their love-hate relationship with fashion as the driver behind the brand. The products are minimalist with clean-cut lines and warm, earthy tones inspired by time spent in Korea and a commitment to “putting people of colour at the forefront and a message of unity and diversity in the fashion community ”.

This adorable brand was founded in East London by designer and seamstress Amy Ward who sought to “create garments by hand that reflects the ideology that we should all buy less and admire quality and consideration over quantity”. Pieces are made with only natural fibres and by hand on the most minimalist scale meaning each piece is unique. Materials are recycled from dead-stock designer factory waste meaning BUG items run via a circular economy production process. Since becoming a mother, BUG has recently expanded into designing cute and functional sustainable children’s items too

This Welsh denim company’s ethos is “do one thing well” which for HIUT means making only the best jeans for people and the planet. Unfortunately, denim gets a bad rep, with fast production promoting poor working environments and releasing toxic chemicals. HIUT’s ingenious response to the water-waste involved in denim production is addressed by their NO WASH CLUB, which promotes abstinence from denim washing. The Breaker Club initiative sees people paid to wear jeans for six months, only to return them to be sold on the market. They take denim design back to community base levels through innovative thinking.