Having spent months in elasticated waistbands and baggy sweaters, the return to denim might feel slightly strange. But it won’t be long before you fall back in love with the versatility and ease of the fabric.
And because it transcends ages, genders, countries and styles, it’s not going anywhere. In fact, for yet another year, it dominated the spring-summer catwalks. Wales Bonner opted for button-down dresses, Balenciaga went baggy with its jeans, while Victoria Beckham added denim to her collection for the first time ever. So, while you may think it’s a fabric of the past, there are in fact a host of new pieces to invest in now.
But before you embark on your pursuit on how to reincorporate it into your wardrobe, it’s worth considering the environmental and social impact of denim. According to Greenpeace, it takes an eye-watering 7,000 litres of water to create just one pair of jeans. Much of this water waste contains harmful chemicals, pesticides and coloured dyes that cause permanent destruction to ecosystems and local communities when put back into the waterways.
While there is a long way to go to make sure denim is less harmful, the good news is, we can make more eco-conscious decisions and invest in the right brands that are doing good. With denim one of the most wanted product categories when it comes to sustainable fashion, the growing interest in more ethical consumerism provides hope. Lyst, the global fashion shopping platform, for example, noted that searches relating to sustainable denim are up 108 per cent year-on-year.
Thankfully, you don’t need to spend hours trying to find your new favourite sustainable denim brand because we’ve done the hard work for you. From the increasingly popular Nudie Jeans to affordable newcomer nu-in, there’s something for every taste.
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You may notice that many of these brands aren’t at the same price point as high street alternatives, but this is because the reality is sustainable and ethical fashion does cost more. The items reflect the true cost of the materials used, as well as maintaining the high standards of the factories and caring for the people behind the clothing. While these pieces might set you back a little more than usual, they will stand the test of time and you’ll be able to enjoy them for much longer.
When selecting the labels for this round-up, we tried to choose brands that were more affordable. Beyond this, the most paramount thing was the brand’s sustainable credentials and its efforts to do better – namely opting for recycled materials and transparent supply chains.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.