We, ladies, communicate our personality through the clothes we wear. And we bet there’s no better idea and philosophy to express than the importance of saving the environment.

“Sustainable clothing” refers to the use of fabric derived from eco-friendly resources, such as recycled materials. This movement has started gaining traction in the West, particularly when our life peg Emma Watson, as part of her promotion for “Beauty and the Beast”, not only endorsed but also wore sustainable brands in her press tour.

There are also documentaries talking about the bane of consumerism, such as “The True Cost” and “Minimalism”, which are both available on Netflix.

Corollary to this, Organic Sound, a Barcelona-based textile company, has been recycling old concert tees and making new ones out of them. Award-winning musician Jason Mraz is among their clients.

Fashion brand H&M also has a “Conscious” collection which focuses on sustainable clothing. You may have noticed some brochures in their shops, asking for old clothes? Yup, they use recycled polyester and organic linen, even recycled silver, in this line.

So how and where do we find sustainable clothes in the Philippines, you may ask?

Well, here are some options:

1. Lazy Fare

There’s a shop in Glorietta 1 that sells sustainable clothes for only a few hundred bucks.

Their items are composed mostly of the basics — tees, pants, and cardigans, among many others. And for the really affordable prices, they’re actually comfy and easy to mix-and-match!

Their clothes are, as they claim, “made with reclaimed fabric rescued from landfills.”

2. Muni Studios

Through their online presence, Muni is “saving the world, one dress at a time.”

They take pride in the production of sustainable pieces and ethical manufacturing (i.e. respect for people and the environment).

3. Rags2Riches

Quite an old-payer in the sustainability biz, Rags2Riches is already an established brand that has been recognized both locally and internationally.

Every product is hand-crafted by the hands of artisans, mostly women living in Payatas, who used to weave rugs worth a fraction of a peso each.

What this brand does — aside from giving their workers a sustainable livelihood by cutting out middlemen in the picture — is marketing products made from upcycled fabrics to a more affluent market.

4. Candid Clothing

This online shop takes the extra mile in reducing waste by using factory surplus fabric, so you just can’t deny the quality of fabric is at par with that of branded clothes.

5. Thrift markets

Of course, we can’t ignore the original go-to shops for sustainable clothing: the ukay-ukay! Every town and city has it, and if you haven’t been to one, well, gurl, you’re missing out on some great finds!

It sure takes effort to choose from a wide array of possibilities, dusting off item per item, meticulously inspecting pieces in every rack. But where else can you find and purchase authentic designer brands at the fraction of their actual cost?

In fact, some enterprising ladies have made ukay-shopping profitable! Just take photographer Kimi Juan, for example, who started Hunt Village. There’s also Rarity, which sells great thrift finds that comes with fashion inspo!