A sustainable fashion company that knows what it’s doing

Here is the deal: most ethical fashion brands are ugly. I don’t like the clothes and if I ever bought them, it wouldn’t be for style or beauty. Some brands feel the need to “look” sustainable, using unfortunate fabrics like hemp and designing clothes for a tree hugger, not a fashionista. As I have said before, the sustainable fashion movement has made a few mistakes that have kept it from reaching a broader audience in areas like marketing and design. I had yet to find a brand that moved seamlessly in the two worlds of chic fashion and sustainability. Until I find Reformation.

Here are my 3 reasons why Reformation is kicking butt:

The selling point is not “eco”, it’s “cool”

Just take a look at their designs and who is wearing their clothes. They don’t look any different than any other “non-eco” dress, they are stylish with an edge and freaking Rihanna is wearing Reformation left and right. Did you hear me well, Rihanna is wearing this stuff!!! Other famous bloggers like Rumi Neely are also digging the Reformation relaxed street chic vibe.

Rihanna in Rhodess dress. Source: hauseofRhianna

Rumi Neely in Rhodes dress. Source: fashiontoast.com

Rumi Neely in Reformation White Taurus dress. Source: fashiontoast.com

Reformation’s founder, Yael Aflalo said they are a “green fast fashion brand”, they are fun and keep up with trends, but they do it decreasing the environmental impact, from using recycled paper and fabrics to modifying old clothes to make them cute again, you can’t help but fall in love with these people. I wouldn’t consider them a fast fashion brand, just because of the collections turnover big fashion retailers operate with, but I do see the fast fashion in their trend spotting and fun prints. They even did a collaboration with Nasty Gal.

Here is the brand’s approach in a nutshell:

Our secret weapon to sustainability and cuteness – the materials. The textile industry is one of the most chemically dependent industries on earth and the #2 polluter of clean water. Yuck. We make our clothes from three different types of materials: 1) new bad ass sustainable materials, 2) repurposed vintage clothing and 3) rescued deadstock fabric from fashion houses that over-ordered.

From: Reformation.

They found a simple way to do sustainable

Some eco brands go to many different countries to find suppliers of organic cotton, manufacturers that comply with certain regulations and then stop in Africa to make people think they are helping poor villages by giving them jobs. Did you really have to go to Cambodia? There are people in the US and the UK that need a job just as much. The real reason to go and “help” third world countries is to get cheap labor, which is fine and it’s a legitimate business practice, but I have seen many people selling this as “we are helping them”. I find it hard to trust such business models, just because it’s virtually impossible to be completely sure of what they are doing.

Reformation makes everything in LA. Yes, LA. Recycling and saving water is not location dependent, and in LA you can find as much vintage clothes to revamp as you want to.

We incorporate green solutions in everything we do. We recycle, use clean energy, eco friendly packaging, energy-efficient fixtures and appliances, recycled hangers, eco-friendly tote bags, unbleached/chlorine free paper products, organic and sustainable kitchen products, 75% recycled paper content, FSC certified paper, soy-based inks, recycled/sustainable office supplies, non-toxic janitorial products…just to name a few.

…we make our stuff in the factory ensuring not only quality but sustainability and ethics are upheld. We don’t have to worry about where or how our clothes are manufactured. Literally we just walk a few feet and see the clothes being made by our own team. We offer our entire staff fair wages, health insurance, ping pong tables and basketball hoops.

From: Reformation.

Price point

For being cool and sustainable, the prices aren’t really that bad. While they are far from Nasty Gal’s under $50 anything, they are still cheap compared to an Alexander Wang or Stella McCartney, making it an accessible option for those who want to be awesome without spending too much.

Ok, now you know that these guys are awesome. Now, to what we are here for: these are my favorite three Reformation pieces:

Reformation Cora Dress

Made of viscose.

It’s a natural fiber and therefore biodegradable, which is super important because petroleum based synthetics like polyester can take over 200 years to decompose. Talk about a hand-me-down. This viscose is woven in a mill free of harmful substances such as heavy metals, dyes and formaldehydes. It’s weird when you wear formaldahyde anyway. Source: Reformation

Viscose is a type of rayon, which is considered a semi-synthetic fiber but is more biodegradable than cotton, for example. Read more about the biodegradability of rayon here and here.

Source: CIRFS

Reformation Black Taurus Dress

This is made from deadstock materials. Every season, thousands of yards of fabric go to waste from fashion houses that over-ordered. The textile industry is one of the most chemically dependent industries on earth and the #2 polluter of clean water. We’re trying to lessen the blow by using fabric that already exists, because we heart dolphins. Source: Reformation.