9 Latina-Owned Sustainable Fashion Brands to Throw Your Money At
Drop your Shein hauls and put your money into the community.
Story written by Angely Mercado
Fast fashion clothing items produce tons of waste every single year. It sits in landfills, it pollutes waterways, and some of it ends up in the world's oceans as well. Part of the problem comes from the fact that recycling, especially in the U.S., is difficult. And clothing is especially hard to recycle. More than 80% of all textiles in the United States are thrown away. According to The BBC, In 2017, more than 12 million tonnes were either dumped into landfills or burned.
Popular fashion sites like Fashion Nova, Shien, Forever 21 and others are all fast fashion. It's cheaply made clothing easy to cycle through trends that change at seemingly neck-breaking speed every year. Unfortunately, those articles of clothing are not meant to withstand the test of time– many rip after several uses or eventually lose their shape in the laundry. In response, smaller sustainable brands are bringing much-needed high-quality, ethical clothing items to the market. And more of those brands are being founded and run by Latinxs in fashion and creating Latin American-inspired clothing and capsule wardrobe-worthy basics.
So, drop your Shein hauls and put your money into the community (if you can afford to do so).
Here are some Latina-owned sustainable clothing brands to consider:
➀ All For Ramon
This California-based brand was founded by two Mexican-American sisters who decided to name their eco-friendly company after Juan Ramon, their brother who unfortunately passed away from cancer. Everything is sewn, assembled, and shipped out of California. The packaging material used is 100% recyclable. The items are colored with low-impact dyes that do not contain toxic chemicals. All For Ramon has also partnered with several organizations, including One Tree Planted, to help combat deforestation.
All For Ramon's items can be mixed and matched and would be a great addition to a capsule wardrobe– especially their essential t-shirt.
➁ Black By Maria Silver
This ethically produced brand is perfect for trendy streetwear with fun but streamlined designs. There are funky patterns and bold flowers that can be seemingly dressed up or down– its streetwear meets modern art exhibit in the best way possible. There are bathing suits, jumpsuits, and bold one-piece swimsuits. The founder, Maria Silver, was recently featured on a Cosmopolitan list for Latina designers.
➂ Circular
This brand is named for the “circular economy,” which means that items purchased are used, and if they’re still in good condition, are passed on or sold to someone else. Vanessa, the founder of Circular, wanted to make a difference in the industry while sharing amazing and unique finds with others who love fashion. This website makes thrifting easy and has a great selection of high-end brands at more affordable prices. There’s also a consignment program where customers can sell their own items to the site and get 50 percent of the profits once the items are sold.
➃ ESCVDO
This Peruvian-inspired luxury brand was founded by sisters Chiara and Giuliana Macchiavello, originally from Lima and studying fashion in London. Clothing items are ethically made and incorporate stunning ancestral weaving techniques to create contemporary fashion. The brand’s organic Pima cotton is sourced from the coastal region of Pisco. The eco-friendly Alpaca wool is sourced from the Peruvian Andes– ESCVDO partners with local craftspeople to support them in preserving traditional sheering and hand spinning techniques.
➄ Fresa Thrift
Fresa Thrift is not essentially a store that produces its own items, but thrifting is a financially inclusive way to shop sustainably because items are more affordable than many slow fashion retailers. Accessible for every eco-conscious shopper, it’s the perfect online shop for vintage lovers who aren’t afraid of tons of patterns, texture, and color.
The shop is Latina-owned and shows great behind the scenes for thrift finds and hauls on TikTok and Instagram that highlight luxury bag finds, unique home items, and scavenging at outdoor markets.
➅ La Gotta
La Gotta was founded by Puerto Rican designer Valeria del Rey who has a history of working with several high-end brands including Oscar de la Renta. Avid beachgoers can hit the beach in style and all while knowing their ensemble is great quality and won’t be hurting the beaches and waterways that they’ll be visiting. Their swimwear items and coverups protect skin as much as 50 SPF sunscreen would and the thread that makes up the different swimsuits, linen covers and sarongs are a derivative of natural fibers. The online store also includes a wellness section with CBD-infused sunscreen and hair oils.
The items in the shop are a variety of nature-inspired patterns and colors that seem universally flattering.
➆ Selva Negra
This brand was founded by Mexican Filipino American designer Kristen Gonzalez using materials sustainably sourced locally in LA and other items imported from Japan and Turkey. Selva Negra uses compostable packaging materials and fabrics sourced from deadstock wholesalers to reduce the amount of new fabrics purchased. Their collection also includes an upcycled section with hair accessories, underwear, and unique blouses.
Selva Negra is a must for anyone who wants to invest in funky home decor like multicolored rugs that could tie a room together or cool vases that look thrifted, but better.
⑨ Wasi Clothing
This California-based brand was conceived after founder Vanessa Acosta spent years working in the fashion industry. According to several TikTok videos about the brand, Acosta felt undervalued, overworked, and often underrepresented as a Latina in the fashion world. So she decided to create a brand that meshed her identity and her love for sustainability into one. In some of her videos, Acosta outlines sustainable practices, like sourcing the fabrics for the items herself, why sustainability is important to her, and how it has connected Acosta to her Bolivian heritage.
According to the brand’s site, “every part of WASI is intentional, from sourcing sustainable options in textiles, continuing into conscious packaging, and even representing Bolivian culture in a way that highlights an underrepresented community while also respecting the sacredness and magic of our Bolivian ancestors.” The brand has many Latin American meets cottage core meets 70’s revival themes found in most of its clothing, accessories, and household items.
➇ Sotela
This LA brand strives to be both body positive and sustainable for customers. Items are hand made from low impact materials like tencel, modal, and linen while packaging is made out of recycled paper. The founder, Hannah, created the brand after struggling with her own body image. She wanted clothing that fit her and made her feel comfortable, but wanted to avoid adding to the waste already present in the fashion industry. Sotela was born from that dream and is now a brand that carries sizes 0 to size 30 and clothing are often in beautiful earthy tones that warm up any complexion.