Words by Alek Rose
In 2021, we seem to have hit a climax of stuff. Content, advertising, clothing, choices, litter, air pollution. There’s so much to think about, and we think there’s one solution to that: buy less, buy better. A rather scary statistic is that second to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world. Luckily, in the world of clothing we’ve seen a huge reaction to the malaises of fast fashion and the connected pollutions and human injustices. Many sustainable menswear brands are pioneering a more fair, ecological way to dress ourselves, and no, you don’t have to sacrifice quality or aesthetics. For the good of the planet, your conscience, and your wardrobe, we’ve put together 4 of our favourite sustainable menswear brands below.
Unrecorded
Amsterdam, and The Netherlands in general, has long been a place that prides itself on being ecologically conscious and ground-breaking. This doesn’t stop at attaching huge importance to making cycling easy and accessible, it extends to clothing now. Jolle and Daniel founded Unrecorded in 2016 and have since built an internationally respected sustainable clothing brand. By approaching the basics with an eye for detail, and only using high-quality materials, the duo have carved out a space for their brand which we can’t see disappearing any time soon. Our favourite piece at the moment is the Unrecorded Green Wool Scarf, it’s getting us through this cold stretch handsomely.
Neutrale.
Nacho, Jaime, and Rodrigo founded Neutrale in 2018. The Madrid-based brand is still young, but through a dedication to sustainably sourced high-quality materials, they have built a strong customer base already. Focussing primarily on the essentials done well, the trio of young designers recently released their first homeware collection, too. We love the colour of the Neutrale. Green Vintage Tee, and the substantial collar does not go amiss.
Dick Moby
With backing from the likes of iconic Paris boutique, Colette, Dick Moby has proven their credentials in 6 years that they have been producing stylish and sustainable eyewear. To accompany the tag line “the sunny side of plastic”, Dick Moby only uses recycled or bio-degradable acetate frames and micro-fibre cleaning clothes from reused plastic bottles in the way of sustainable materials aiming to combat pollution. This iconic pair of Recycled Black BCN Sunglasses have a striking shape while not being too ‘outside the box’. You can read more about Dick Moby's story when we sat down with founders Tim Holland and Robbert Wefers-Bettink earlier this year.
Satta
Joe Lauder, founder of Satta, uses London and Barcelona as inspirations for his 5-year-old brand Satta. Currently based in Barcelona, Joe produces regular collections of premium quality staples crafted in Portugal from organic cotton, and featuring a colour palette inspired by plant and earth tones. These tough cotton twill Dark Olive Utility Pants are the one for us, the relaxed shape is a refreshing change and will look great with a plain white t-shirt and sneakers.
Discover more of the world's best sustainable brands at OPUMO.
If you're looking for more ways to improve your wardrobe, then check out the 10 winter essentials you'll need in 2019.
