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50 Eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable fashion, beauty and homeware brands & places to shop in Asia

Japanese fashion designer working in studio. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
Japanese fashion designer working in studio. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — Yes, sustainability and ethical shopping are a thing. It’s time to shake-up your shopping habits and look for clothes, beauty and homewares that are not only good for you, but good for the world.

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Modern Multi Ethnic Fashion Brands We Absolutely Love

Anita Dongre
Anita Dongre Grassroot

Anita Dongre Grassroot

This label supports traditional artisans in rural India using eco-friendly and sustainable materials; it also works with NGOs to help provide micro-finance and 5% of the purchase price goes to health and education programmes in the artisan villages.

Ayelli

This is where to go for pure, sustainably and ethically sourced Moroccan Argan oil to use for your hair and skin.

Baliza

Handmade, organic resort wear made from sustainable fabrics; plus all garments support women and children living in poverty in the Gudri communities by paying a fair wage and supporting education.

Bamboa Home

This website offers just about everything you need in your home and on your body that can be made with bamboo including bedding, sunglasses, bags, toothbrushes etc. Founded in Hong Kong, the bamboo is also locally sourced.

Biconi

This brand focuses on natural shampoos based on virgin coconut oil that is sustainably grown and processed in Malaysia; the products are cruelty-free and ethically managed and products include those for babies and ones for tackling hair loss.

Black Paint

This Singapore skincare brand creates ‘microbiome’ based products that also include Kishu Bichotan Charcoal, and other active plant and essential oils; they also have a natural sunscreen.

Comfee

Men’s shirts made from breathable, wrinkle-resistant and sustainable bamboo fabrics.

Coral Secret Swimwear
Coral Secret Swimwear

Coral Secret Swimwear

Multi-brand resort wear and accessories from brands that use natural and sustainable fibres, use eco-friendly vegetable dye which is azo-free, and also use traditional techniques.

Cuyana

This womenswear brand focuses on slow fashion and sustainable materials; plus the brand partners with an organisation to help victims of abuse where you can send in items you no longer need.

Diadem Candles

A Singapore brand producing toxin-free, soy wax candles with lead-free wick and phthalate-free fragrances; packaging is also upcycled, recycled or reusable like candles in enamel mugs or cut-bottle glass, you can also get these refilled with a new candle.

Doodlage

An Indian brand that features menswear, womenswear, accessories and homewares that includes recycling its own scraps, upcycling and sustainable materials; the brand also uses sustainable packaging.

EDEN + ELIE
EDEN + ELIE

Eden+Elie

Handwoven accessories for men and women with a transparent supply chain, and the sourcing of ethical and fair trade materials.

Eleven44

Focuses on slow fashion, fair trade and organic cotton clothes for men and women; both streetwear and activewear, and some accessories.

Esse

Esse combines classic womenswear with a focus on reducing textile waste through what they describe as a “progressive supply chain”, and transparency in its production. You can track everything on the website.

Etrican

One of Singapore’s longest-running ethical fashion brands; it only works with factories that pay fair salaries; offers sustainable, 100% certified organic cotton clothing for women and children.

Flo Jewellery

The brand works with ethical, family-run businesses to ensure their products come from fair and sustainable production; all the proceeds of special collections go to supporting underprivileged women and children.

Good Krama

Clothes for men and women made from Cambodian Krama fabric, made in a slow fashion production format with other traditional fabrics like Cambodian hand woven silk or cotton fabric plus upcycled fabrics from Cambodian garment factories.

Handmade Heroes
Handmade Heroes

Handmade Heroes

Beauty brand Handmade Heroes focuses solely on creating products that are 100% natural, vegan and cruelty-free, with no synthetic preservatives or chemicals.

Hoya Kerry

This brand produces eco-friendly sports bras and workout gear for women from sustainable fabrics; even their packaging sustainable.

Hush Candles

Hand-poured, handcrafted, natural soy wax candles scented with therapeutic grade essential oils, and sold in reusable glass jars with lids.

Journey East

An established furniture and home decor store that offers vintage, recycled, upcycled, recovered timber and more sustainably produced furniture items.

Just Gaya's
Just Gaya's

Just Gaya’s

Specifically set up to support Asian artisans, the platform supports traditional skills, while also supporting the environment via natural dyes.

Luxe Botanics

Natural skincare brand Luxe Botanics uses scientifically proven botanicals with “proprietary green chemistry”. The brand focuses on “efficacy, clean formulations and use organic or wild-harvested botanicals that protect the environment while giving back to our harvesting communities”, and all the packaging is fully recyclable.

Matter Prints

Matter Prints is focused on supporting traditional textile producers by helping to make ‘rural artisan production sustainable’ and make people care more about the origin of the clothes they buy.

Merdi Sihombing

This Indonesian label uses natural fibres and traditional hand-weaving traditions for womenswear that mixes east and west.

Mmerci Encore
Mmerci Encore

Mmerci Encore

A spa product brand made from raw ingredients and essential oils hand-blended in Singapore in small batches.

Mountain Teak

This Singapore furniture brand uses only recycled teak for its pieces, is VOC-free since they don’t use chemical lacquers; the majority of its timber is also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Negative Ions

A slightly unusual product made from ‘oekotex-certified toxin-free’ fabric which means the clothes are free from ‘chemicals, carcinogens and pesticides’, and can help by ‘absorbing negative ions’.

Protesta

Minimalist jewellery made of recycled aluminum cans, and inspired by nature.

Purnama
Purnama

Purnama

Accessories and bags that are handmade, eco-friendly and ethically produced; there are different collections that empower developing communities in Nepal and Indonesia that focus on returning profits to support education and water conservation. They even have dog collars.

Purple Impression

This Pakistani brand is all about eco-consciousness, fairness, and transparency; it practices sustainability from the raw materials to production and packaging as well as fair trade for its artisan producers.

Sifr

Sifr is known for tees created in its own sample room; plus the brand packaging is made of Avani Eco Bio-cassava products.

Six Degrees

Multi-brand platform for fair trade and handmade jewellery sourced from artisans in developing nations that are also made from upcycled materials. Six Degrees also donate 10% of their annual profit to supporting charities.

Skincare Co
Skincare Co

Skincare Co

This brand makes solid shampoos and conditioners from natural materials that are plastic-free and zero-waste in production.

Skin Inc

Award-winning customised skincare brand Skin Inc, use glass bottles for their products so customers can return for a rebate; the bottles are then recycled by the brand.

Sojao

Sojao sells 100% organic cotton sheets, with environmentally low impact dyes that use no resin or toxic chemical finishes. Sojao works with non-exploitative factories, and supports fair-trade practices and the economic and social rights of all workers.

Soul and Tables

This furniture store in Singapore offers its own brand Ethnicraft that makes furniture out of ethically-sourced, sustainable Indonesian plantation teak and European (French and Serbian) oak that doesn’t lead to deforestation; plus also has eco-friendly bedding products like organic natural latex mattresses.

Source Collections

Source Collections is 100% transparent, shows you exactly how much the items cost and where they were made in factories that have been “socially certified by third party non-profit organization, uses no forced or child labour, mandates fair working hours and safe working conditions”.

Stand
Stand

Stand

This Singapore brand produces eco-friendly customisable shoes in a variety of styles; they are handmade in Korea with sustainable materials.

Studio Membrane

If you are looking for fashion-forward sustainable fashion, this Japanese brand is for you. The designer uses biodegradable fabrics, primarily wool, weaved together to produce the garments so there’s no sewing involved and the items can be totally recycled.

Sunday Bedding

This Singapore bedding company owns its own factories so it can control the production system to ensure reductions in using water, electricity and creating carbon emissions; its materials are Oeko Tex certified and are fully transparent.

Sven Island

This bodycare and skincare brand’s products are made of 100% natural and sustainably grown materials grown on an island in New Zealand; its face, body, foot and lip care products can be used by the whole family.

The Fashion Pulpit

A clothes and accessories swapping space in Liang Court; there are workshops on upcycling clothes or making shoes too.

The Spirit Haüs

This online store features home decor and jewellery from around Asia that is ethically sourced and handmade; the creators get a fair price for their work.

Touch The Toes
Touch The Toes

Touch The Toes

Eco-friendly products for all your yoga and sports needs including clothing, mats, towels, bags and bottles, made from organic cotton, bamboo blends, recycled or upcycled materials.

Trove of Gaia

Multi-brand store, Trove of Gaia focuses on zero-waste, eco-friendly homewares and beauty products, including those that have biodegradable and recyclable packaging.

Utama Spice

This brand uses traditional skincare ingredients and essential oils from Southeast Asia, making all natural products that include lip balm and masks, moisturisers and even insect repellant.

Wardrobista

An online platform with a ‘rent-the-runway’ concept allows you to rent clothing for particular events; you can also share your own garments for others to rent too.

Zerrin

A multi-brand store Zerrin, “curates conscious brands from around the world”. The focus is on sustainability, fair trade jewellery and organic skincare.

Zero Yet 100

This bodycare brand produces chemical free natural deodorant that is aluminum, chemical, and paraben free for men and women; it’s also safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women.