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PROTECT YOUR DNA WITH QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
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We rate Brandy Melville “We Avoid” for its lack of transparency. But if you’re into more affordable, preppy basics, what alternatives are there? Here are 17 more sustainable brands you’ll love instead.
Brandy Melville’s practices are sealed shut
Fast fashion chain Brandy Melville launched in Italy in the ‘80s, but its real popularity began when it hit the streets of LA in 2009. It now has millions of Instagram followers and an extensive range of cheap, trendy clothes and accessories for teen girls or anyone who loves a ’90s throwback. But is the brand ethical or sustainable?
Unfortunately, like other fast fashion brands, Brandy Melville isn’t hitting the mark for people, the planet, or animals. Brandy Melville receives our lowest possible score of “We Avoid” because it doesn’t disclose sufficient information about its environmental, labour, and animal welfare policies. You have a right to know how the products you buy affect the issues you care about, and we recommend steering clear of this one. What’s more, there have been some pretty shocking reports from Brandy Melville’s employees about its working culture in recent years, including allegations of racism, antisemitism, anti-fast bias, and assault.
So if you like Brandy Melville’s youthful, preppy vibe but would prefer to support brands doing better then keep reading—we’ve got some “Good” and “Great” alternatives to Brandy Melville that’ll tick the boxes.
A note on affordability
Good On You wants to help you find sustainable options no matter your budget. But we recognise that many sustainable brands appear more expensive upfront. That’s because more goes into a price tag than the cost of fabric. Fast fashion prices are often low because workers are not paid living wages and sustainable practices are not followed in production, as is the case with Brandy Melville.
Fast fashion has also distorted our view of clothing prices. We now spend much less and buy far more garments of a lower quality than we did a few decades ago. But when you take cost-per-wear into account, high quality items you’ll wear frequently will end up costing less in the long run despite the initial investment.
We aim to highlight the range of more affordable sustainable brands, but we also encourage you to seek out the most sustainable options that work for you. Sometimes this means shopping secondhand, and other times rediscovering and restyling what you already own.
More sustainable alternatives to Brandy Melville
Whimsy + Row
Whimsy + Row is a US-based lifestyle brand born in 2014 out of a love for quality goods and responsible practices. The brand uses deadstock fabrics and short production runs, and it also reduces packaging waste and takes care of precious water resources.
Find most products in XS-XL, with an extended sizing range up to 3XL.
OMNES
OMNES is a more responsible and more affordable UK-based brand creating high quality womenswear. “We created OMNES to help change the way you shop, wear and think about clothing. And to encourage the rest of the industry to do it, too,” says the brand.
Find most items in sizes 6-20.
Seek Collective
Seek Collective is a US brand of thoughtfully made items with a dedication to transparency, authenticity, craft, and sustainability. Seek is focused on establishing connections between art, product, consumers, process, and makers. Its items are made in India through partnerships with like-minded communities and people.
Find most products in XS-L, with an extended sizing range up to 4XL.
COSSAC
COSSAC is a Spanish brand that believes in creating timeless, feminine, and versatile apparel responsibly. It promotes the minimalistic concept of capsule wardrobes, offering contemporary classics intended to be worn and cherished beyond seasonal trends. It uses organic or lower-impact materials and works exclusively with small factories on limited production runs to minimise waste and deadstock.
Find most of the range in sizes S-L.
tentree
Canadian brand tentree plants ten trees for every item purchased to help regenerate ecosystems and provide planting jobs in communities around the world, and has already planted over 65 million trees. All tentree’s products are created with an Earth-first approach, meaning they’re made in fair, safe working conditions, and constructed using lower-impact and recycled materials.
tentree’s clothes are typically available from XS-XL.
Purusha People
Purusha People adds dainty details to its range of activewear. The organic plant-based pieces will wick away sweat and keep your practice at that perfect level of “chill”.
Purusha pieces are stocked in sizes XS-4XL.
Not Basics (Pantee)
Not Basics is a women’s wardrobe essentials brand based in the UK with a focus on comfort. The brand, which began with a line of underwear made from deadstock t-shirts, incorporates a high proportion of lower-impact materials including recycled materials, and its limited production run minimises textile waste.
Available in sizes XS-3XL.
Yes Friends
Yes Friends is a UK-based fashion brand that creates more affordable clothing for everyone. Yes Friends’ first product, classic cut t-shirts, cost less than £4 to make and the brand only charges £7.99. Using large scale production and direct to consumer margins means Yes Friends can charge you an affordable price for its more responsible clothing.
Find the range inclusively sized in 2XS-4XL.
ABLE
ABLE is a US-based clothing and accessories brand that works with communities all over the world to make a meaningful impact, producing slow fashion that pays a living wage to women who have faced extraordinary circumstances. It uses lower-impact materials, and reuses water and materials to minimise waste. With thoughtful design and a level of quality that guarantees its products for life, its pieces aren’t just an investment for your wardrobe, they are an investment in women around the world.
Find the range in sizes 2XS-2XL.
Toad&Co
Toad&Co is a US brand working in a more socially and environmentally minded way. Its women’s and menswear is equally suited for the rigours of the trail or the tavern.
Most items are available in sizes XS-2XL.
Editor's note
Feature image via Whimsy + Row, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet and animals. Use our Directory to search thousands of rated brands.
We updated this article on 11 February 2026. Our editors frequently make updates to articles to ensure they’re up to date. We refreshed our selection to ensure we’ve included brands with recent ratings.
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