Over the past four years I have read a lot, watched a lot, and listened to a lot of things about sustainable and ethical fashion. I have an ever-growing list of topics I still want to learn about (like eco-feminism and materials sustainability), but over the past year especially I have doubled down in my free time and have started tackling this list to educate myself on these issues that I find so important. Below are my top 10 recommendations of podcasts, documentaries, books, and online resources if you want to learn about sustainable and ethical fashion.

1. The True Cost – documentary

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this documentary changed my life. Before watching The True Cost, this blog was dedicated to the last fast fashion sales and trends, and tips for finding stores where you can spend the LEAST amount possible (while getting the MOST possible). After watching this documentary my Freshman year of college I changed the course of my studies, changed my entire blog focus, and I completely changed the way I consume. The True Cost explores both environmental and ethical issues caused by the fashion industry and is a great introduction to this topic. Read more about the film on their website and stream The True Cost on Netflix.

2. Conscious Chatter – podcast

Conscious Chatter has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts. It’s all about living and shopping more consciously, and the host Kestrel Jenkins has some of the most fascinating and raw conversations with thought leaders in this industry. Some of my favorite episodes include a discussion with the founder of Boyish Jeans (who also helped launch Ref Jeans), a discussion about the secondhand clothing market with leaders from ThredUp, and a discussion with the founder of the Sustainable Fashion Forum.

3. The CFDA Guide To Sustainable Strategies – online guide

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) has one of the most comprehensive sustainable fashion resource pages that I have ever come across. In particular, the Guide to Sustainable Strategies is chock full of information (including the business case for sustainability, steps to creating a sustainable strategy, designing for sustainability, packaging and material sustainability etc). It’s a long guide, but well worth the read.

4. RiverBlue: Can Fashion Save the Planet? – documentary

I put off watching this documentary for the sole reason that it costs $3.99 to rent on Amazon, but this past weekend I finally bit the bullet and boy, am I glad that I did. This documentary shows raw footage of leather tanneries in Bangladesh, goes in-depth into the health crises caused by polluted rivers in India, and how brands – despite their high standards for sustainable and ethical manufacturing – continue to circumvent what’s right. Most films about sustainable fashion place a large focus on ethical issues with manufacturing, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that RiverBlue focused much more on the environmental issues with clothing production (including how the enviornmental issues impact the people directly and indirectly involved in the industry).

5. The Good Trade – online magazine

I only regularly open four brand e-mail newsletters, and The Good Trade is one of them. I am constantly learning about cool new sustainable brands, conscious influencers, and other topics related to slow living and slow fashion on The Good Trade. Some of my favorite articles on here include “How sustainable can fashion be? A look at best practices for sustainable supply chains“, “Let’s talk about buyer’s remorse – what it is and how to avoid it“, and “The 6 conscious questions to ask yourself before buying new things“.

6. Fashion: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – video.

When I decided to write a paper on sustainability in the fashion industry my Freshman year of college my professor recommended that I watch this John Oliver clip. He breaks down a very complicated issue in an incredibly digestible way and uses his classic John Oliver humor to keep your attention. This is a perfect beginner/intro to sustianble and ethical fashion. Watch it here.

7. The Machinists – documentary

ATTN: all of my fellow empaths, this documentary will get to you. The Machinists is a documentary about female garment workers in Bangladesh, a labor union, and their quest for living wages. I watched this documentary a few days ago and have not stopped thinking about it. So much of what I have learned about ethical fashion has been told to me by large companies or researchers, so hearing directly from women in the garment industry in Bangladesh is incredibly powerful. Watch the 50-minute documentary here.

8. “Give A Shit” by Ashlee Piper – book

This book focuses a bit more on sustainable lifestyle as a whole, but there was so much that I learned from Ashlee Piper in “Give A Shit” about conscious consumerism, the role women play in the garment sector, and responsibly disposing of unconventional waste – like textile waste! A quote that stuck with me (so much so that I wrote it down) was that fast fashion isn’t all about keeping up with the trends; “it’s about creating so many options that no matter how vigilant a shopper you are, you’ll always feel inadequate and ill-equipped”. Damn.This book is a quick read full of facts, recipes, and realistic expectations of its readers (no, Ashlee isn’t expecting you to go vegan and stop shopping as soon as you finish reading it).

9. How I Built This – podcast

I have always been interested in learning about why brands decide to share so much (or so little) about their sustainable and ethical standards and practices, and what better way to learn about that than hear the answers directly from the founders? Guy Raz of the How I Built This podcast interviews founders of innovative companies across all industries, but I have especially loved the interviews with founders of sustainable companies like Patagonia, Allbirds, Method, and Eileen Fisher.

10. Fashion Revolution – website

I tried to pick a certain report or article from Fashion Revolution to share in this post but everything on this site is that good and insightful and well-researched and thought-provoking that I had to include the entire site. Fashion Revolution has everything from guided steps to becoming a more active and involved conscious consumer, they produce a yearly transparency index report, and an exhaustive “resources” section on their website. Take some time (or a lot of time) and really read through the reports and guides that Fashion Revolution is churning out on a regular basis and do what you can to get involved locally or globally.

• The Next Black – A documentary film about the Future of Clothing – documentary. This film talks about innovation in fashion. Sustainability isn’t the main focus but it plays a central role in the film. Materials sustainability is covered the most, from waterless dyeing, growing textiles from organic materials, and combatting textile waste. It’s only 45 minutes long and beautifully filmed. My friend even described it as the Chef’s Table of fashion.
• Live Planted – podcast. This podcast is all about living a practical vegan lifestyle, but Alyssa also talks about conscious consumerism, thrifting, and reducing waste by using what you already have in her podcast and on her Instagram.
• Stuff You Should Know: Planned Obsolescence – podcast. This podcast isn’t about sustainable or ethical lifestyle across the board, but this one episode, in particular, re-opened my eyes and reminded me about some of the first things I learned about fast fashion. The episode Planned Obsolescence: Engine of the Consumer Economy (released on June 25th 2019) talks all about planned obsolescence, how it came to be, how long it has been around, and what we can do to combat it as consumers.
• WearILive – YouTuber. Jenny talks a lot about living a more sustainable lifestyle, from vegan beauty to sustainable fashion to living and shopping more consciously to living more in the present.
• “Start Something That Matters” by Blake Mycoskie – book. This book isn’t necessarily about eco/ethical fashion, but it is about starting a social impact business. A lot of what Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, discusses in this book is about doing more with a business than purely making a profit.

• Made In Mexico by Remake – documentary
• This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein – book
• Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan – book
• The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade by Pietra Rivoli- book
• Toxic Threads: Pulling Paradise by Greenpeace – online report
• Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline – book
• Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price – documentary