Service Journalism: Break The Cycle Without Breaking The Bank

Break The Cycle Without Breaking The Bank

4 Local Designers Who Offer Sustainable Fashion At Affordable Prices

By this point, I’m sure we all know about the evils of fast fashion. Megalithic corporations paying unfair wages, polluting the environment, wasting resources, placing their employees in unsafe working conditions, the list goes on. We know all of this, and yet we continue to patronize their stores. Why is this? Because they offer us on trend goods at affordable prices. Over the past two decades, these companies have shown that stylish clothing doesn’t have to be expensive. What the next two decades will show may just be that stylish, inexpensive clothing doesn’t have to be unethical, or unfriendly to the environment. These four Toronto brands are ahead of the curve though, offering up ethically made, on trend styles at affordable prices. 

1.

KOTN:

Headquartered on our very own Queen Street West, KOTN provides beautiful, every day basics cut from luxurious Egyptian cotton. While their goods aren't made locally, KOTN ensures their practices are ethical, as they own all their Egyptian factories and commit to paying a livable wage to their employees. Furthermore, they purchase their fibres directly from family-owned farms in Egypt, and by cutting out the middleman, are able to pay fare-trade prices. KOTN is also committed to revitalizing the Nile region, investing their profits in community schools in an effort to curb child labour - and committing to the construction of fifty schools by 2028.

2.

Chez Bippy

This fledgling Toronto brand is certainly on the come-up. Having launched just a year ago, designer Jason Power has already forged a strong reputation for crafting cutting-edge menswear from ethically sourced fabrics woven from natural fibres. With all garments hand made in Toronto, the founders at Chez Bippy are able to directly oversee working conditions while working to keep manufacturing jobs here in the city.

3.

Mary Young

Certainly one of the rising stars among young Canadian designers, Mary Young’s namesake brand has garnered attention from the likes of Vogue, Elle, and Flare to name a few. Affordable, alluring lingerie & loungewear is the area to which Mary Young has staked her claim, but contrary to many of the brand’s competitors, Mary Young’s garments are designed to embrace the natural body, never to lift, flatten or conceal. Ethically sourced fabrics and Canadian manufacturing are important features of the brand, and their bold, body positive ad campaigns and “Self Love Club” series send a positive message to their audience. In addition, three dollars from each purchase is donated to “Raw Beauty Talks” a non-profit that promotes the mental and physical well-being of young women. 

4.

Encircled

Encircled proudly provides beautiful womenswear that is made in Toronto using fairly paid labour. Because most of their retailers are in North America, this keeps their carbon footprint low, as their deliveries don’t have far to travel. That’s not all though, Encircled also offers customers the option of choosing minimal packaging at checkout, and even if not, all shipping materials are recyclable, and will be made from recycled goods in the near future. In terms of fabrics, Encircled uses only tencel, modal and bamboo, which are biodegradable and made from crops that are low-impact and regenerate quickly. In addition, all dyes used in the manufacturing process are OEKO-TEK 100 standard certified, meaning they’re free from chemicals that are harmful to the environment, and our bodies.