Do you have a special event or a wedding to attend to soon? A lot of formal evening dresses you find, today, are made from synthetics to give an appearance of silk or look more expensive than they actually are. They also use a lot of sequins and beadings made from plastic, which makes them even more difficult to decompose over time. Finding a sustainable and ethical formal gown is definitely harder to do, but there are a few handful of brands who are working to change this! You will be in a gorgeous party dress in no time!

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AGAATI

Price | $360-1500

AGAATI designs are thoughtfully produced with a zero waste philosophy. The makers are trained to reduce {& recycle/upcycle} waste while pattern making, cutting and sewing. They make it a point to have as little waste as possible, and with what they do have, they think of creative ways to reuse. AGAATI uses natural fibers & non-toxic dyes for all of their pieces. Biodegradable fibers like cotton, silk & wool are the most popular choices for the designs, & handwoven textiles are used for at least half of them. 

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La Femme Apero

Price | $125-395

Parisienne inspired NYC-based brand, La Femme Apéro is feminine, sophisticated, bold, and sensual.

They create exclusive pieces from silk and silk/cotton blends in small quantities. You know you won’t show up to an event wearing the same thing as anyone else!

They currently have two beautiful dress designs to choose from, and a range of blouses and skirts if you prefer to wear two pieces instead of a full dress.

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Transcend

Price | $130-695

Inspired by the colors and textures of India’s shopping bazaars, Transcend’s dresses and separates are handmade and embroidered by artisans out of eco-conscious fabrics like organic cotton and linen. Founder and Designer Nazia Siddiqui wanted to make high-quality embroidery and prints accessible to women through timeless silhouettes. These pieces are designed to last, with an incredible attention to detail—one dress can take up to 70 hours to make!

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Veronika Guardi

Price | $87-219

A UK-based brand, Veronika Guardi is combining luxury and sustainable fashion to flatter all figures. Their silhouettes are celebrating all female beauty, and are designed to empower the women who wear them. Each design is made from either sustainable, recycled or deadstock fabrics. Even their manufacturing is ethical, and is done in their own EU factory.

Their prices are also very accessible, so you won’t have to pay an arm and leg to dress ethically to your next event!

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Bohyne

Price | $500 - $2000

Boyne’s beautiful collection of elegant dresses, separates, bridal wear, and accessories are made to order exclusively from locally-crafted, plant-based, and deadstock fabrics. Each piece is handcrafted through their partnership with a Cambodian Fair Trade Certified co-op and is designed to be repurposed and reworn.

Plus, Bohyne will donate 25 kilos of rice for every item sold from their Deadstock Collection.

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Amour Vert

Price | $118-238

If you are looking for great little black dresses, Amour Vert is the place to start. They have some really sweet and sophisticated silk dresses, as well.

A classic favorite in sustainable fashion, Amour Vert makes 97% of their clothing right here in the US. This brand uses a lot of beautiful, sustainable fabrics like TENCEL, Organic Cotton, Certified Silk, Ethical Wool & Hemp. Even their packaging is eco-friendly & compostable!

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Eileen Fisher

Price | $158-458

This is a classic sustainable brand to refer to when shopping for new pieces.

Eileen Fisher is very inclusive on sizing - everything from petites to plus size.

Their range of dresses can work for outdoor ceremonies or you can easily dress up the georgette crepe designs with heels for indoor attire.

Everything is just so timeless, and they use the best in sustainable fabrics.

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Sezane

Price | $150-200

While not all of their dresses could pass for an evening gown or party dress, Sezane certainly has a few that would be perfect for special occasions - like this gold beauty!

“Sézane was born from a desire to offer all women high-quality, perfectly-cut pieces that can be worn forever. Born in Paris & crafted using the expertise of the best ateliers: we offer luxury quality at a fair & accessible price. Je ne sais quoi for all.”

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Made Trade

Price | $90-588

I actually have worn this dress to a wedding before, and plan to again this fall! It is from one of my favorite sustainable brands Left Edit.

Made Trade is home to hundreds of ethical and sustainable brands, and they have a great collection of special occasion dresses for all different sizes.

With Made Trade, you are able to easily shop your values since each product clearly indicates what you are supporting!

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Stella McCartney

Price | $665-5,600

I drool over these dresses. Stella McCartney is definitely on the pricier side of things, but I would LOVE to wear one of their dresses one day.

While this is the more luxurious side of fashion, Stella McCartney is very serious about sustainability. They work hard to source some of the best fabrics for their collections, and they hold a high standard of ethics for manufacturing. This is something I wish we would see more of in luxury fashion!

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Symbology

Price | $140-325

Another great ethical fashion place to check out for plus-sizes!

Symbology has a ton of beautiful dresses to choose from - and they even have wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses if you are in the hunt for those.

This sustainable brand is out to make fair trade sexy. They have merged artisanal fabric techniques with fashion forward designs that give you a one-of-a-kind item that connects women in a global community.

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ThredUp

Second-Hand

Looking for a really great deal!?

Why not try second-hand?

ThredUP has thousands of choices, and you can even shop by occasion. They have dresses for formal, cocktail, wedding… you name it!

This post is sponsored in part by La Femme Apero, Transcend, Veronika Guardi, Bohyne, & AGAATI and contains affiliate links. As always, views are genuine and brands are aligned with our ethos. Thanks for supporting the brands who are working to make this industry a fairer and cleaner place!

 

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Source:

Content Creator: Natalie Kay

Date: 2021-06-12T09:59:00+0000