9 Sustainable Fashion Apps To Green Up Your Clothing & Closet
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We all know the phrase, “There’s an app for that,” and dressing clean and green is no different.
These sustainable fashion apps make curating a conscious closet easier than ever.
Whether it’s shopping for preloved clothing, finding new clothes by ethical brands, or recycling unloved garments, there’s an app to turn your smartphone into a sustainable fashion superstar.
Our Curated List Of Sustainable & Ethical Clothing Apps
1. Good On You
Good On You’s Sustainable Fashion App
Good On You is one of the best sustainable clothing apps for finding ethical brands that put their money where their mouth is.
More than a million people use it to shop ethically and share their views on popular brands.
Use it to check and compare brands based on their comprehensive rating system which scores them a number out of five from ‘We Avoid’ (1) to ‘Great’ (5) based on their impact on people, planet and animals.
The app has over 3000 ethical brand ratings; if you can’t find one, you can ask them to rate it.
You can also discover sustainable fashion tips and edits, browse ethical brands and receive exclusive offers from highly rated brands.
2. thredUP
thredUP’s Fashion Resale App
thredUP brings all the fun of thrifting as a means of sustainable clothing shopping to your cell phone.
The online consignment store has an app which lets you buy and sell secondhand clothes and accessories from over 55k name brands, including Zara, Patagonia, and Gucci.
Find vintage and secondhand styles with prices up to 90% off the retail price.
Currently, the app only supports women’s and kids’ clothes but there are over 1,000 new arrivals daily. You can also set up notifications for price drops and sales.
If you’re based in the US and doing a closet cleanout, order thredUP’s Cleanout Kit and earn cash or credit for your preloved items.
3. 30 Wears
30 Wears’ Sustainable Fashion App
Say hello to one of the top slow fashion apps you can have on your smartphone.
30 Wears is based on the #30WearChallenge, a concept by Olivia Firth from Eco-Age which encourages you to wear all your clothes at least 30 times.
The challenge is designed to replace overconsumption with a slower approach to fashion. Instead of buying lots of low-quality fast fashion pieces, you choose durable clothing you can see yourself wearing at least 30 times.
You might not think 30 wears is a lot, but the average garment is worn just seven times—and some are never worn.
So, the app allows you to organize your clothes, track each wear, and keep on top of what’s in your closet.
4. Depop
Depop’s Sustainable Clothing App
Depop started as a UK-based marketplace for secondhand finds—but they’ve since gone global with their unique social-media-meets-secondhand-shopping app design.
Mimicking the layout of Instagram, this thrift store’s app lets you browse contemporary styles for men and women from well-known brands and up-and-coming labels.
Browse thrifted gems for men and women plus bag a bargain on designer wear. One of the best fashion resale apps out there, you can also sell and earn cash from preloved garments in your closet.
Depop’s app focuses more on the community and creative side of fashion.
You can follow friends and influencers, get style suggestions based on your interests, and receive updates about your favorite stores.
5. Save Your Wardrobe
Save Your Wardrobe’s Ethical Fashion App
Do you ever feel like you have nothing to wear despite having a closet filled with clothes?
We can all feel uninspired from time to time, so Save Your Wardrobe aims to tackle this.
One of our favorite ethical fashion apps for closet organization, Save Your Wardrobe allows you to upload your clothes, plan outfits and connect with local clothing care and repair services.
Upload your virtual closet and label each garment in relevant folders, experiment with outfit combinations and create outfits for every occasion so you’re always prepared.
The app can also give you insights into the impact of the brands you wear based on Good On You’s sustainability rating to make it easier to go shopping for sustainable fashion.
6. reGAIN
reGAIN’s Sustainable Fashion App
reGAIN is a UK app which gives you rewards for recycling your old clothes.
All you need to do is drop off at least 10 pieces of clothing at your closest drop-off point, of which there are over 25,000 across the UK.
You also have the option to donate clothes directly to charity shops or arrange for a home pick-up at a time that suits you.
In return, you get access to discount codes and coupons on selected partners, including fashion, food, travel, accessories, sustainable homewares, and more.
7. Rent The Runway
Rent The Runway’s Fashion Rental App
If you’re someone who always craves something new in your closet, why not rent instead of buying your clothes?
Rent The Runway is one of the most popular fashion rental apps for access to designer clothes at a fraction of the price.
Subscribe and receive between five and 20 items per month from over 750 designers. You can get 1:1 personal styling tips and keep your clothes for as long as you want.
One-off rentals are also available, which is ideal for weddings and other special occasions.
Every order includes a free back-up size and all clothes are dry-cleaned.
8. RCGD Global
RCGD Global’s Ethical Clothing App
RCGD stands for Red Carpet Green Dress. It’s a women-led global initiative inspiring positive change in the fashion industry.
The app connects anyone with an interest in sustainable fashion to the latest eco-fashion news, interviews with pioneers and designers, insights on eco-textiles and discussion forums.
Use this free app to find educational resources on what sustainable and ethical fashion means then test your knowledge in interactive games.
Stay up to date with industry news, discover designers to watch, and be a part of the conversation.
9. LOOP Digital Wardrobe
LOOP Digital Wardrobe’s Sustainable Fashion App
Prefer not to have lots of apps for sustainable fashion?
LOOP Digital Wardrobe is for you.
On the app, you can browse over 500 different stores and add items you like to one wishlist. This includes clothing from secondhand marketplaces like Depop and thredUP for sustainable clothes shopping.
Add price alerts to your wishlist to save money, share your digital closet with your friends and follow your favorite influencers for style inspiration.
The app also lets you give old clothes a new lease of life by connecting you with alteration and repair services, swapping with friends and reselling or upcycling clothing.
This keeps clothes in the LOOP for as long as possible and gives your closet a circular fashion makeover.
Our Considerations For Choosing The Top Sustainable Fashion Apps
How do we know which apps are moving the needle for sustainable fashion?
Sustainability doesn’t just just focus on the product or service. We take a look at the entire approach to sustainability across all areas of the business to see how they match up.
Not every app ticks every box in our criteria but just like clothing, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all.
Carbon Goals & Achievements:
The fashion industry contributes between 2-8% of global CO2 emissions, so sustainable clothing apps should take active steps to discourage fast fashion and promote ways to keep clothes in circulation.
Cell phone applications also have a digital carbon footprint. On average, they account for ‘0.75 grams of CO2 equivalent.
Brands will need to monitor and improve their app’s efficiency and reduce their overall carbon footprint across their business.
Supply Chain:
Fast fashion is built on the exploitation of garment workers. We like to see apps hold fashion brands to account by promoting ethical businesses over ones with a murky track record.
We know it’s not always possible with thrift stores and secondhand marketplaces, and in those cases, we prefer clothes to be kept in circulation rather than sent to landfill anyway.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
It’s common sense for an app to be intuitive and easy to use. They also get bonus points from us if they add accessibility features, inclusive sizing, and show a diverse range of body types.
Sustainable fashion is for everyone, after all.
Closing Thoughts On Ethical & Sustainable Fashion Apps
The rampant consumption of clothes is a symptom of a throwaway culture.
We buy more clothes than ever before and wear them less—amassing 92 million tons of clothing waste every year.
Discarded clothes are burned or dumped in landfills where they sit and rot for over 50 years, meanwhile releasing CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the environment.
Sustainable clothing apps aren’t just another fashion accessory.
They’re tools that empower consumers to not only shop for clothes more consciously, but to keep the clothes we buy in the circular economy for longer.
Plus, they’re free to download and use, so what are you waiting for?
And while you’re waiting for your download, be sure to give this article a quick share so more people can APPly the principles of slow fashion right from their pocket.
