My first introduction to sustainable and ethical fashion was through a documentary, The True Cost. I’ve come to learn that this is a very common entry point into slow fashion, but things really branch out from there. One of my biggest struggles in my sustainable fashion journey was figuring out where and how to get more information. I was dying to learn more about what I could do in my own closet, what needed to change in the industry, and how to tell if brands are making a difference, but there was no master doc with that information. So I made a version of my own.
This page has documentaries, books, podcasts, organizations, guides, and more resources to guide you on your slow fashion education journey. You may click on any of the icons below to jump to a specific part of this page.
Sustainable fashion Documentaries & docu-series
The True Cost (2015) – available free on Waterbear
Riverblue (2017) – available on Vimeo On Demand
Fashion Reimagined (2022) – not yet streaming online
The Machinists (2013) – available free on Youtube
Sustainable fashion Books
Consumed: The need for collective change: colonialism, climate change, and consumerism by Aja Barber
Unraveled: The life and death of a garment by Maxine Bédat
Secondhand: Travels in the new global garage sale by Adam Minter
Loved Clothes Last: How the joy and rewearing and repairing your clothes can be a revolutionary act by Orsola de Castro
The Conscious Closet: The revolutionary guide to looking good while doing good by Elizabeth L. Cline
Overdressed: The shockingly high cost of cheap fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline
Make The Most Of What’s In Your Closet: A practical guide to starting your slow fashion journey with the clothing you already own by Megan McSherry
The Travels Of A T-Shirt In The Global Economy: An economist examines the markets, power, and politics of world trade by Pietra Rivoli
Consider borrowing these books from your local library, purchasing them secondhand (from Thrift Books perhaps!), or purchasing from a local book store.
Sustainable & Ethical Fashion Organizations
Fashion Revolution – a fashion activism movement that mobilizes citizens, brands, and policymakers through research, education, and advocacy. Founded in the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse disaster in 2013.
Garment Worker Center – a worker rights organization leading an anti-sweatshop movement to improve conditions for tens of thousands of Los Angeles garment workers.
Remake – a global advocacy organization fighting for fair pay and climate justice in the clothing industry.
Pay Up Fashion – an organization focused on paying garment workers and bringing about systemic reform in the fashion industry. #PayUp began as a campaign in March 2020 out of the fashion industry’s catastrophic decision to refuse payment for completed clothing orders heading into the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clean Clothes Campaign – an organization that offers direct solidarity support to workers fighting against specific worker rights violations and educates and mobilizes consumers to ensure the fundamental rights of workers are respected in the fashion industry.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation – a charity committed to creating a circular economy, which is designed to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.
Sustainable Fashion Brands
Making The Most of What’s In Your Closet is a practical guide to starting your slow fashion journey with what’s already in your closet. No expensive brand recommendations, no expectations, no BS.
