12 Recycled Clothing Brands Turning Waste Into Fashion [2024]

We’re reader-supported. The following post contains affiliate links. If you click through a link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission. We only partner with brands who share the same values as we do.

Stylish recycled clothing from plastic waste? You bet! 2024’s best sustainable recycled clothing brands are on a mission to help us reduce our fashion footprint and embrace circular economy practices.

It’s not just plastic waste, though.

Our list of top-rated recycled fashion brands below is chock full of clothes made from recycled materials such as organic cotton and wool!

Gone are the days of sacrificing style for sustainability. With recycled plastic fabrics like rPET and recycled nylon, we can rock basics, swimwear, and activewear that have a lower impact on the planet than their virgin material counterparts.

Each time we support one of the many sustainable recycled clothing brands, we give plastic bottles, discarded textiles, and other materials a new life. This diverts tons of waste from landfills and oceans, making a substantial dent in our planet’s pollution problem.

To put this into perspective, landfills received 27 million tons of plastic in the USA alone in a year. On top of that, Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste a year, equaling just over six percent of total municipal waste. Europe is not very far behind. Every year, people in the European Union (EU) discard 5.8 million tonnes of textiles. It’s a simple decision with extraordinary environmental impact!

So, opting for recycled fashion is not just a style statement but a powerful decision with far-reaching impact! If you are new to the concept of clothing made from recycled plastic bottles and other materials, read on to find out more info.

Recycled clothing brands create fashion staples using materials given a new life instead of ending up in landfills. These ethical brands use recycled fibers like nylon, polyester, wool, and even recycled plastic bottles or fishing nets to craft stylish, eco-friendly clothes. By doing so, they reduce the demand for virgin resources and lessen the environmental impact. In other words, offering clothing made from recycled plastic bottles gives a second chance to materials that would have otherwise gone to waste! Zero-waste fashion at its finest!

Recycled clothing materials come in various forms, each contributing to a more sustainable fashion landscape.

♻️ rPET (Recycled Polyester)

Many sustainable brands offer clothing made from recycled plastic bottles! Yes, that’s exactly what rPET is. The bottles are cleaned, melted, and transformed into polyester fibers woven into fabric.

♻️ Deadstock Fabric

Not all clothes made from recycled materials are plastic-based. Deadstock fabrics are surplus materials from fashion houses, mills, or manufacturers. Instead of being discarded, these unused fabrics are rescued and given new life in creative and unique clothing pieces. Using deadstock fabric reduces the environmental impact of textile waste and encourages a circular fashion economy.

♻️ Recycled Cotton

Recycling cotton involves collecting old clothing, textile scraps, or post-industrial waste. These materials undergo a process where they are broken down into fibers and respun into new yarns. Recycled cotton conserves water and energy and reduces the need for new, notoriously resource-intensive cotton farming.

♻️ Recycled Wool

Wool is a durable and cozy fabric, but recycling it helps reduce its environmental impact. Recycling wool involves sorting old wool garments or scraps, then respinning them into new yarns for various woolen products, like sweaters, scarves, and blankets. Luckily for us, many clothes are made from recycled materials on the eco market.

♻️ Recycled Nylon

Recycled nylon is created by recovering nylon waste, such as old fishing nets, discarded carpet fibers, or industrial plastic. These materials are then transformed into nylon yarns, suitable for various clothing items, swimwear, and accessories. In fact, some of our favorite recycled fashion companies below solely use this fabric to create bathing suits in an array of vibrant colors.

♻️ Upcycled Fabrics

Upcycling is a creative way to give old textiles new life. Designers and brands take used clothing or fabric scraps and transform them into new pieces of super-stylish clothing. The end goal? To create unique clothing items, reduce waste, and promote circular fashion practices.

♻️ Recycled Leather

Some sustainable recycled clothing brands repurpose old leather garments or scraps to create new leather products, reducing the demand for new animal hides.

1.

Best for: Basics and outdoor clothing, fiber-to-fiber recycled into new materials

Materials: Recycled cotton, wool, and nylon from old garments

Ships to: USA

The recycled clothing brand prides itself on being a zero-waste operation. All of their products are made from sustainable and recycled materials and, in turn, are 100% recyclable. In addition, the company has an innovative recycling program.

No matter how old, ripped, or stained they are, you can opt for their $20 Take Back Bag and send them back to them directly. Then, the brand will determine whether to downcycle the items into fiber waste and insulation or resell them. Thus far, For Days has sold over 35,000 bags and saved thousands of items from landfill!

2. Wolven

Wolven recycled clothing brands

Best for: Swimwear and activewear clothing made from recycled plastic bottles

Materials: rPET, or recycled plastic bottles, recycled cotton

Ships to: Worldwide

Wolven aims to make sustainability sexy by creating stunning clothes made from recycled materials.

Their sustainable activewear and swimwear lines are created from recycled water bottles — and every order removes 1 pound of ocean-bound trash.

Our editor Bethany loves her Wolven leggings as they’re great quality for sport and lounging!

Their leggings, for example, feature 27 recycled post-consumer bottles, while other pieces feature recycled PET fabrics. In addition to being drenched in vivid eco colors and look-at-me-now prints, the entire lineup is also Certified STANDARD 100-label by OEKO-TEX, WCA & GRS. Breathable, incredibly soft, and ultra-stylish – what more can we ask from one of the best sustainable recycled clothing brands?

Wolven recycled clothing

3. Reformation

Reformation Deadstock clothing

Best for: Premium jeans and Everyday recycled clothing from plastic waste, deadstock and vintage fabrics + organic clothing

Materials: Recycled cotton, Deadstock & Vintage, linen, recycled cashmere, Tencel, and Viscose

Ships to: Worldwide

Reformation’s sustainable clothing collection features an array of sustainable and recycled fabrics, including recycled cotton, deadstock & vintage, linen, cashmere, Tencel, and Viscose.

They buy verified old, leftover, and over-ordered fabric from other designers and fabric warehouses. We also love their recycled performance fiber clothing from recycled plastic bottles and other waste! You can also use RefRecycling by selecting the products you want to recycle (shoes, bags, sweaters, tees, outerwear, active, or denim) and printing a free shipping label. So ultimately, Reformation recycles 75% of all their rubbish, composts organic wastes, and recycles or donates textile scraps. Now, that’s impressive.

Reformation

4. Tentree

Tentree recycled fleece

Best for: Underwear, bags, and casual clothes made from recycled materials

Materials: Recycled polyester, lyocell and organic hemp, and cotton

Ships to: Worldwide

Touted as one of the best affordable recycled clothing brands in 2024, Tentree uses recycled polyester to create casualwear, outerwear, underwear, backpacks, and more. The fabrics are often blended with eco-friendly materials such as lyocell, cotton, and hemp.

The recycled fashion company also offers a stellar bring-back program that allows us to send our worn-to-death prices back for recycling. Why do we love this sustainable brand so much? They are the only earth-first lifestyle apparel brand whose mission is to plant 1 billion trees by 2030 to reduce climate change drastically. Every Tentree purchase has a purpose, folks! Plus, they’re a certified B Corp.

Tentree recycled tshirts

5.

Best for: Swimwear and hiking clothes made from recycled materials

Materials: recycled nylon, polyester, cotton, and wool

Ships to: Worldwide

is amongst our favorite recycled fashion brands because they use nylon, polyester, cotton, and wool to create wardrobe staples as sustainably as possible.

They are also a Certified B Corp! You can find stylish clothes made from recycled materials – all fit for outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming, and more. On top of that, all pieces are Fair Trade Certified, meaning that the workers who helped produce the recycled clothing had safer working conditions, fairer pay, and other workers’ rights.

6

Best for: Fitness clothing made from recycled plastic bottles

Materials: Post-consumer water bottles, fishing nets retrieved from the seas, fabric scraps, and other waste

Ships to: USA

We are obsessed with the . In addition to being one of the best sustainable recycled clothing brands, they are also extremely size-inclusive! Their clothes, which go up to 6XL, are crafted from recycled materials, and each product proudly flaunts its unique mix of recyclables.

Plus, the woman-owned company also uses 100% recyclable packaging. You can find dozens of sustainable, ethically made activewear on their virtual shelves, from sturdy, squat-proof, super soft leggings to sports bras, shorts, and even undies. We particularly love their leggings and Streamlined skorts made from, you guessed it, recycled plastic bottles.

7. Patagonia

Patagonia recycled clothing brands

Best for: Outdoor clothing made recycled clothing from plastic waste & fabrics

Materials: Recycled cashmere, nylon from fishing nets, polyester, and recycled wool

Ships to: Worldwide

First and foremost is Patagonia’s fantastic recycled clothing collections: ReCrafted and Seconds!

At Ecothes HQ, we’ve got multiple pieces of Patagonia clothing made from recycled polyester, like the brand’s signature Synchilla fleece, and we love how excellent quality and long-lasting they are.

The sustainable fashion brand that’s known for its incredible outdoor apparel, including cold-weather gear, camping, and hiking equipment, gives used clothing a new lease on life through upcycling, creating truly unique pieces.

Their Seconds collection offers clothes with minor flaws like misplaced drawstrings or logos. Instead of going to waste, Patagonia rescues and resells them at a pocket-friendly price!

On top of that, they also offer hundreds of clothes made from recycled materials, including recycled cashmere, nylon from fishing nets, recycled polyester, and recycled wool. Thus far, it’s estimated that they’ve managed to save over 86 million plastic bottles from ending up in landfills by using recycled polyester in their clothing.

Patagonia mens recycled clothing

8.

Best for: Activewear, jewelry and outerwear clothes made from recycled materials

Materials: bamboo, hemp, wool, and cotton

Ships to: Worldwide

Touted as one of the best sustainable recycled clothing brands in 2024, Thought’s lineup of eco-conscious clothing is crafted from clean, natural, and recycled materials only. From leggings and skirts to jumpers & cardigans and shorts, and recycled tops, dresses, and jumpsuits, the ethical fashion company has been creating slow fashion from natural and sustainable yarns since 1995, and everything looks so darn stylish.

You can also find dozens of underwear, jewelry, and clothes made from recycled materials such as reduced poly. Lastly, they recently partnered with TRAID to create a way to give your pre-loved clothing a new lease of life.

9. Colorful Standard

Colorful Standard Recycled Clothing Brands

Best for: Hoodies, trousers, and t-shirts made with recycled wool

Materials: Recycled Merino wool and organic cotton

Ships to: Worldwide

Made ethically in Portugal, Colorful Standard’s lineup is entirely made from high-quality organic cotton clothing and recycled merino wool.

We’re huge fans of C.S at Ecothes. Bethany lives in her C.S shorts in summer and recycled sweater in winter!

Colorful Standard is very transparent about their production practices. The brands’ casually cool high-quality essentials are available in up to 45 colors to easily match every aesthetic.

Sweaters, shorts, tops, hoodies, t-shirts – you name it they have it! This, and the quality materials, ensure the clothes have long (and colorful) lives! Who said that sustainable fashion should be all about muted tones?

Colorful Standard recycled merino wool jumper

10

Best for: Sustainable basics and knitwear

Materials: Sustainable and recycled organic cotton, linen, TENCEL, ECOTEC Cotton

Ships to: Worldwide

Next up is , one of the top affordable recycled clothing brands for men and women. Designed in Canada and ethically made in the Nile Delta, the brand only uses BCI better cotton from Portugal and Egypt farms and non-toxic dyes. They also use recycled cotton to make some of their clothes. Here’s something you probably didn’t know:

The B-certified corp uses a special yarn for all of their Fine Knit pieces, created from a mix of certified cotton fibers (BCI or GOTS) and pre-consumer clippings. The production process to create an ECOTEC yarn emits 46.6% fewer greenhouse gases, expels 46.9% less energy, and uses 61.6% less water.

11

Best for: Dresses, skirts and blouses

Materials: Recycled poly, wool, cotton, organic cotton, linen, lyocell, modal & more

Ships to: USA

proves that sustainable fashion can be conscious, timeless, and ultra-stylish!

Women-led and made in California with zero-waste, the conscious company has an official marketplace for buying and selling your pre-loved products. But that’s not all. They have plenty of wardrobe staples made from 100% recycled cotton, 100% recycled wool, and recycled poly.

The brand has a fully transparent supply chain, and each product is traceable from raw materials. As for the packaging, they solely use compostable mailers to minimize their impact further.

12. Organic Basics

Organic Basics recycled sweater

Best for: Underwear and activewear

Materials: Recycled nylon, wool, cotton, cashmere, polyester, and sustainable virgin materials

Ships to: Worldwide

Organic Basics will be your circular fashion go-to. Known as one of the most affordable recycled clothing brands, they have it all! From underwear to swimwear, they opt for recycled nylon, wool, cotton, cashmere, and polyester, using minimal virgin materials which is awesome!

Only 9% of their clothing is sourced from virgin materials.

All staples are made ethically and ethically in Europe to “build a community that celebrates and supports environmental activism and more responsible living.”

The sustainable brand is also Certified by Global Recycled Standard, OEKO-TEX, GOTS, B Corp, and 1% for the planet.

Organic Basics sustainable shorts

Granted, at first, clothing made from recycled plastic bottles might sound a bit out of the ordinary. However, it’s becoming the norm in clothing production! Using recycled plastic waste in clothing reduces the demand for new polyester production, which helps conserve natural resources and energy. It also diverts plastic waste from landfills and oceans, reducing pollution and its harmful environmental effects.

Plus, recycled clothing from plastic waste, like rPET (Recycled Polyester), are versatile and durable, making them suitable for various clothing items, including activewear, swimwear, outerwear, and more.

On the other hand, however, it’s important to note that clothing created from recycled polyester still isn’t biodegradable and will hang around in landfills for many years. If you choose recycled polyester clothing, recycle your clothes again, rather than sending them to landfills.

We hope you enjoyed our guide on the best sustainable recycled clothing brands.

Whether you’re looking for clothing made from recycled plastic bottles or prefer natural recycled materials such as wool and cotton, these fashion companies have you covered. Please let us know if you have any feedback in the comments below.

Looking for recycled shoes? We’ve got a post for that too, check it out here!

Konstantina Antoniadou
Konstantina Antoniadou

Konstantina Antoniadou is a sustainability writer focused on helping conscious readers discover the best fashion, beauty & home products on the eco market. When she’s not crafting ethical shopping guides she’s either trying to perfect her roller skate dance moves, thrifting, or bingeing series for the hundredth time.

Articles: 17

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.