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Looking to shop sustainable fashion in Chicago? This article is for you!
We’ve done our research and found five of the best sustainable brands currently operating out of Chicago. Most of them have physical locations, sometimes pop-up stores, but even if you can’t pay them a visit in person they all have an online store.
These brands stock everything from shoes, to clothes, to a wide range of accessories.
Without further ado, let’s jump into the post!
Sustainable Chicago Clothing Brands
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.
1. Pareto
Location: Online store & Chicago HQ at 1 East Erie St, Suite 525-5317, Chicago, IL 60611
Sustainability: High-quality materials sourced and ethically made in the USA
What they sell: Womenswear, accessories
Did you know that women wear 20% of their closets 80% of the time? According to Pareto, that’s the stat that drives them to make it their mission to make ‘getting dressed the easiest part of your day.’ The brand does this by creating high-quality, well-fitting basics that you can wear with ease.
Pareto’s pieces are ethically created in the USA using USA-grown materials like organic cotton from Texas and fabrics spun in South Carolina.
Unfortunately, this Chicago brand doesn’t have a Chicago store, but you can easily shop online.
2. Mod + Ethico
Location: Chicago HQ. No permanent store but host multiple pop-up stores.
Sustainability: Stock a range of sustainable brands
What they sell: Womenswear, accessories
Mod + Ethico are a sustainable fashion marketplace based in Chicago. They host multiple pop-up stores in the city.
They stock the best modern, socially responsible brands, who make clothes that cater to the lifestyle of an active, urban woman. Some of these brands include Veja, Groceries Apparel, Thinking MU, and Umbrella Collective.
All designers on Mod + Ethico have to stand up to their rigorous sustainability and ethical guidelines.
They also collaborate with local artists, designers, entrepreneurs and businesses that share their ethical mission to provide a platform for exposure.
3. Stock Mfg. Co.
Location: Online store & 2136 W Fulton St. Chicago, IL 60612 (By appointment only)
Sustainability: Everything Made in Chicago
What they sell: Womenswear, menswear
If you’re looking to buy local, Stock Mfg. Co is for you. Everything they make is Made in Chicago and they cut out the middlemen to reduce costs.
Their core focus is on making clothes for the hospitality industry, however many of their shirts and trousers would also make for great casual wear, regardless of your profession.
4. Planet Access Store
Location: 4727 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Sustainability: Non-profit, stock a range of socially responsible brands
What they sell: Womenswear, Menswear, Accessories
Planet Access Co. Store is a social enterprise and non-profit that helps those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their full potential.
They stock a selection of socially responsible and sustainable brands, such as Toad & Co, Matt and Nat, PACT, United by Blue, Fjällräven, and Woolrich.
If you’re in Chicago we definitely recommend paying Planet Access Store a visit!
5. Greenheart Shop
Location: Online
Sustainability: All products made by artisans and use sustainable production methods
What they sell: Accessories
Greenheart Shop sources a wide range of sustainable products. Everything they sell, from a range of accessories and jewelry, to ceramics and glassware, are fair-trade, eco-friendly, or support a similar social mission.
Currently, they don’t have a pop up, but you can visit them online, where you can learn more about the unique products they stock.
The store is part of Greenheart International, a Chicago-based organization that connects people to promote and facilitate eco-fair trade purchasing, volunteer initiatives, environmental advocacy initiative, and more. In short, your purchase is for a great cause!
6. ILAVA
Location: Chicago based brand retailing online & pop-up stores
Sustainability: Fair Trade clothing sourced from artisans around the world
What they sell: Womenswear and accessories
ILAVA is a Chicago-based socially responsible brand utilizing the power of fashion to empower women. The female-founded brand partners with women entrepreneurs in Kenya and Tanzania to help them develop skills and gain economic security.
ILAVA’s designs are bold and unique, with founder Rachel incorporating her cultural heritage into her fashion designs.
You can shop ILAVA via their online store and keep an eye out for pop up shops around Chicago.
7. Cobalt Street
Location: Chicago based online store
Sustainability: Sustainable fashion made ethically in Chicago
What they sell: Womenswear, dresses, t-shirts, sweaters, and accessories
Cobalt Street (formerly Cobalt District) is a slow fashion brand creating all its pieces in Chicago.
The brand creates limited designs and utilizes sustainable fabrics like ethically sourced cotton and eco-friendly Tencel to create its pieces. As a result, cobalt Street’s collections are super flattering and perfect for dressing up or wearing casually.
Unfortunately, Cobalt Street doesn’t yet have a store in Chicago, but you can check out their designs online.
8. Mata Traders
Location: Chicago HQ, Online Store
Sustainability: Fair Trade clothing sourced from artisans around the world
What they sell: Womenswear and accessories
Mata Traders is a Chicago ethical clothing brand that works with partners in India to create unique, handmade, and sustainable clothing.
They focus on creating quality, stylish pieces that are ethically and fairly produced, while also giving back to their global artisan partners.
9. Valani
Location: Online
Sustainability: All vegan materials, GOTS certified facility, plant tree f or every item sold
What they sell: Womenswear
Valani is a sustainable plant-based, vegan clothing line based in California, but all of their garments are ethically produced in Chicago, as well as a GOTS certified facility in India.
They use hemp, Tencel and banana fabrics to create beautiful, flowy and flirty garments with the perfect amount of feminine flair.
All fabrics are biodegradable so they can be composted at the end of their useful life. As a brand built on compassion and self love, their collection is 100% vegan.
Wrapping Up – Best Eco-Friendly Brands in Chicago
These sustainable fashion stores and brands are all doing great things. If you want to support up and coming, sustainable businesses, then these brands are a great place to start on your visit to Chicago.
Know a Chicago-based brand that deserves a mention here? Let us know in the comments below!
Want to dicover more city shopping guides? Check out the best New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Nashville brands.
