Madewell is an American clothing retailer that creates good-quality, longer-lasting clothing for women and men. It's headquartered in New York and is now an iconic American brand with a cult following.
Madewell focuses on quality, design, and style to create pieces that cater to young, hip women and men. It offers reliable, cozy clothing and accessories that help with creativity, inclusivity, and self-expression.
More ethical, sustainable, and affordable alternatives to Madewell exist if you want to build an eco-conscious wardrobe with great style without breaking the bank.
Many apparel brands similar to Madewell are more environmentally responsible, committed to being as eco-friendly as possible, and making sustainability efforts to protect people and the planet.
Check out our selection below of the best ethical and cheap alternatives to Madewell that make similar beautiful and stylish garments under high standards.
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1. Everlane
Category: Basics, denim, knitwear, outerwear, activewear, underwear, bags, shoes, accessories
For: Women, men
From: San Francisco, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $10-$130
Everlane is an ethical fashion brand creating modern and beautiful essentials, at the best factories, without traditional markups. It's a great destination to buy high-quality, affordable, sustainable clothing similar to Madewell.
The clothing retailer is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and sells primarily online. It uses a high proportion of sustainable and vegan materials such as organic cotton and recycled fabrics.
The apparel brand offers ethically made and designed-to-last clothing and accessories for women and men. It believes in exceptional quality to make a difference.
Everlane is widely known for its radical transparency. It educates consumers on its supply chain, factories, employees, and the price breakdown of each product.
SHOP EVERLANE
2. LA Relaxed
Category: Basics, loungewear, sleepwear, accessories
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, inclusive, made in the USA
Prices: $30-$90
LA Relaxed is an ethical and sustainable women's clothing brand that offers super soft clothes ethically made in Los Angeles, USA. It offers a wide range of cute and comfy clothing similar to Madewell and made from eco-friendly materials.
LA Relaxed creates affordable, sustainable, inclusive clothing that offers comfort and quality. It helps you be comfortable with yourself, body and mind, and soul.
LA Relaxed makes choices that take less away from our planet and avoid unnecessary damage to the Earth and pain to human beings making our clothes.
SHOP LA RELAXED
3. Reformation
Category: Basics, denim, knitwear, outerwear, swimwear, activewear, loungewear, underwear
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, Fair Trade, carbon-neutral, made in the USA
Prices: $10-$250
Reformation is a clothing brand that makes sustainable and affordable clothes similar to Madewell. It offers a collection of stylish jeans and dresses for petite up to extended sizes.
The clothing retailer designs effortless silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure with the most beautiful and sustainable fabrics possible. It pays attention to minimizing its social and environmental impacts.
Reformation uses sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, linen, and Tencel lyocell. It also makes some of its clothes with upcycled and recycled materials, such as regenerated nylon or deadstock fabrics.
Six of its suppliers have attained a social compliance certification like Fair Trade, SA8000, or WRAP. They are working to increase participation in social certification programs to ensure good working conditions.
SHOP REFORMATION
4. Symbology
Category: Basics, loungewear, outerwear, maternity, bridal, accessories
For: Women
From: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Values: Organic, inclusive, artisan craft
Prices: $50-$80
Symbology is an ethical fashion label that offers figure-flattering designs ethically made by women artisans in India and developing countries. It produces modern designs with beautiful and soft fabrics.
Symbology is committed to preserving handmade crafts and providing sustainable employment and fair wages. It creates sustainable women's clothing using natural fiber textiles dyed with AZO-free dyes and then block-printed or embroidered by hand.
SHOP SYMBOLOGY
5. People Tree
Category: Basics, dresses, outerwear, knitwear, underwear, activewear, nightwear, accessories, jewelry
For: Women
From: Tokyo, Japan
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, artisan craft, give back
Prices: $20-$110
People Tree is a sustainable clothing brand making affordable and eco-friendly garments from environmentally-friendly materials, including Fair Trade, certified organic cotton, and recycled fabrics.
In 2013, it became the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) product label, guaranteeing dedication and compliance with the principles of Fair Trade.
People Tree offers a wide range of stylish, chic, eco-friendly clothing similar to Madewell. It also sells accessories and jewelry to dress up.
The ethical clothing brand is committed to working with disadvantaged farmers and workers to promote fairer trading conditions. It helps combat poverty and employs people in underserved communities around the world.
SHOP PEOPLE TREE
6. Poplinen
Category: Basics, knitwear, sportswear, loungewear, accessories
For: Women, children
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, inclusive, BIPOC, made in the USA, give back
Prices: $20-$100
Poplinen is a clothing brand that makes eco-friendly apparel in Los Angeles, USA. It creates effortless, cozy, comfortable alternatives to Madewell for women up to extended sizes.
Poplinen only works with sustainable materials to design each new product. It uses plant-based GOTS-certified fabrics, compostable and recycled materials, and low-impact, Oeko-Tex-certified dyes.
Poplinen makes size-inclusive garments to help women feel beautiful. It fosters a space of celebration towards differences. It also gives a portion of sales towards environmental organizations.
SHOP POPLINEN
7. Ninety Percent
Category: Basics, loungewear, outerwear, knitwear, underwear
For: Women, men
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, give back
Prices: $30-$120
Ninety Percent is a sustainable womenswear and menswear label that shares 90% of its profits. It uses organic cotton to make beautiful and eco-friendly clothing similar to Madewell.
Ninety Percent is GOTS and PETA Vegan certified and is on a mission to be the best for customers, producers, and the planet. It distributes profits between the causes it supports and the people who make its collection happen.
SHOP NINETY PERCENT
8. Warp + Weft
Category: Basics, denim, outerwear, underwear, maternity, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: NYC, New York, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $40-$60
Warp + Weft makes size-inclusive, sustainable jeans like Madewell that are good for you, the planet, and your wallet. The family-owned company from NYC has been in the denim industry for three decades.
Warp + Weft is committed to sustainable practices, fair wages,
reasonable hours, and ethical working conditions for all its people. It uses cotton, Lycra, Tencel lyocell from the U.S., and quality European dyes.
Warp + Weft designs for all bodies, informed by customer data and specific needs. It fit-tests each style on customers of all ages and sizes to create fabulous clothes for everybody.
SHOP WARP + WEFT
9. Thought
Category: Basics, knitwear, outerwear, loungewear, underwear, sportswear, nightwear, accessories
For: Women, men
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $10-$90
Thought is a fashion label offering ethically-made and sustainable clothing similar to Madewell. It creates stylish and affordable ready-to-wear for women and men with eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and hemp.
Thought makes timeless pieces in a flattering shape and breathable fabric that work wherever you are. The organic brand offers many pure cotton and vegan options.
Thought is committed to responsible design, ethical sourcing, and fostering change. It aims to show there are more sustainable ways to live, dress, and be.
Thought supports TRAID, a UK charity that works to minimize, improve, and transform the environmental impact of clothing manufacturing. Send your clothes back to TRAID to support the people and places making your clothing.
SHOP THOUGHT
10. Etica
Category: Basics, denim, outerwear, loungewear
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $40-$220
Etica is a sustainable lifestyle brand that ethically makes affordable, slim-fit, stylish clothing like Madewell but from GOTS-certified organic cotton.
Etica uses innovative design and cutting-edge technology to minimize waste, water, and energy consumption. It focuses on making beautiful apparel with fair labor, environmentally conscious manufacturing, and social responsibility.
SHOP ETICA
11. Kotn
Category: Basics, dresses, knitwear, loungewear, bags, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Toronto, Canada
Values: Organic, recycled, B Corp, give back
Prices: $30-$180
Kotn is a sustainable clothing brand that ethically and sustainably makes stylish apparel similar to Madewell. It's committed to supply-chain transparency and give-back initiatives.
The eco-friendly label creates clothes around considered design, relentless quality, honest value, and positive impact. It aims to set the standard for conscious creation and consumption.
Kotn also uses cotton and no animal-derived materials. It's working with an Egyptian NGO to build schools and provide every child in its farming communities with safe, convenient, quality education.
SHOP KOTN
12. Amour Vert
Category: Basics, denim, loungewear, knitwear, outerwear, bags, accessories, shoes, jewelry
For: Women
From: San Francisco, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, made in the USA, give back
Prices: $90-$130
Amour Vert is a slow fashion brand that makes ethical and cheap staples like Madewell in timeless colors like navy, white, black, heather gray, and more.
The sustainable brand creates fabulous clothes in limited quantities to contribute to a more eco-friendly future. Its clothing pieces are affordable, chic, comfortable, and better for the planet.
Amour Vert is committed to making fashion thoughtful, versatile, and sustainable. You'll want to keep its timeless pieces in your wardrobe forever.
The eco-friendly label has been planting trees in North America since it first opened its doors with its partner American Forest. It promotes sustainable practices and positive environmental impacts.
SHOP AMOUR VERT
13. Tonlé
Category: Basics, outerwear, accessories, jewelry
For: Women
From: San Francisco, California, United States
Values: Recycled, zero waste, inclusive
Prices: $30-$100
Tonlé is a sustainable clothing brand that makes zero-waste womenswear entirely from surplus fabric discarded by apparel manufacturers in Cambodia. It uses collected and resold pre-consumer textile waste from large garment factories.
Tonlé uses bags made from recycled materials to ship all its products. Its hangtags and promotional materials also contain recycled paper. The brand also uses many natural dyes in apparel production.
Tonlé is passionate about creating zero-waste upcycled textiles from scraps of reclaimed fabrics. It partners with design and quality assurance teams to ensure the integrity and intention of each garment.
SHOP TONLE
14. PACT
Category: Basics, dresses, knitwear, loungewear, activewear, underwear, sleepwear, maternity
For: Women, men, children
From: Boulder, Colorado, United States
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled
Prices: $20-$140
PACT is a leading sustainable fashion brand using organic fabrics and fair trade factories to design stylish essential clothing. It creates ethical and fashionable alternatives to Madewell.
The fair trade clothing brand chooses the best ingredients, such as organic cotton and recycled materials, to make the best clothes. It promotes organic and ethical clothing for everyday use.
PACT considers the people who make the clothes as important as the people who wear them. It encourages people to care about what they put in their bodies and what they put on their bodies.
PACT designs fair trade clothes that are affordable, practical, comfortable, and effortless. It offers ethical alternatives that fit the lifestyle of conscious consumers because doing good should be easy.
SHOP PACT
15. Frank And Oak
Category: Basics, denim, knitwear, loungewear, outerwear, shoes, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Montreal, Canada
Values: Recycled, organic
Prices: $50-$120
Frank And Oak is a brand of eco-friendly clothing, ethically sourced and designed for good living. The Canadian clothing label works to save the planet and offers more sustainable products to Madewell.
Frank And Oak designs innovative products that reduce fashion's environmental impact through a lighter footprint and longer lifespan. It aims to slow down climate change with eco-friendly garments.
The Canadian clothing brand creates comfortable, lightweight pants and dresses from sustainable materials. It also uses eco-friendly fabrics made from regenerated fibers.
SHOP FRANK AND OAK
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About the Author: Alex Assoune
What We're Up Against
Multinational corporations overproducing cheap products in the poorest countries.
Huge factories with sweatshop-like conditions underpaying workers.
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