You're in a fitting room, turning over the label of a dress priced at £19. Composition: polyester. Origin: complete silence. It sounds silly, but the question comes back every time: who sewed this, and under what conditions? Let's be honest, a low price proves nothing, and neither does a high one. Except that today we finally have some markers for building a look without closing our eyes.

Young woman in a fitting room turning over an organic cotton dress to read the inner label
What the label really tells you, once the fitting-room curtain is closed

What still doesn't sit right

The subject has lost none of its relevance, sadly. The collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in 2013 killed more than 1,100 people, mainly garment workers. Since then, there has been progress, but cascading subcontracting remains the norm across much of fast fashion: an order passes from one workshop to a subcontractor, then another, until no one knows who is sewing what. The result: days that are too long, wages that don't cover the rent, and materials chosen for their price rather than their drape.

Young woman seen three-quarters from behind in a bright interior, next to a pile of folded T-shirts on a bench
Behind the same T-shirt lie very unequal production chains

The labels that actually mean something

Three markers worth knowing, because they commit the whole chain, not just the label sewn inside.

Still life with raw organic cotton, ecru jersey and blank woven labels on a light linen cloth
A serious label leaves a trace, from spinning mill to sewing floor

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): at least 70% organic fibres, control of chemical substances, minimum social criteria among manufacturers and traceability back to the spinning mill. It is the label that says the most about the material you wear next to your skin.

Fairtrade: a guaranteed minimum price and a development premium paid back to cotton producer co-operatives. Strong on the upstream supply chain, quieter on garment making.

B Corp: a company certification, not a product one. Useful for judging a brand's governance, insufficient for validating a specific T-shirt.

Be wary, however, of vague wording. "Natural cotton", "conscious fashion", "eco-designed" without a logo: behind them, nothing verifiable. A label is a set of specifications, an independent auditor and a certificate number.

Before you get to the till, three questions: is the composition precise? Is there a label, and which one? Will this piece last three seasons in your wardrobe? If you answer "I don't know" three times, you know what to do next.

Second-hand and alterations: the move that changes everything

The most responsible garment is still the one that already exists. Charity shops, reuse centres, Vinted, Vestiaire Collective: for a statement piece or a print no longer in the shops, that's often where it happens. Another too-often-forgotten habit is alterations. Taking in a seam, cinching a loose cut, adjusting a drape: fifteen minutes at the machine and a piece is saved, with a look that's completely transformed. In the UK, textile collection and recycling is organised through local council schemes and WRAP's Textiles 2030 — the recycling banks at the end of your street are part of it.

Young woman seen three-quarters from behind walking down a quiet street, midi dress in organic cotton, golden morning light
A second-hand dress, a reworked hem, and the whole look changes

Brands, but no magic list

The names cited fifteen years ago have moved on. American Apparel, long held up as a model with its Los Angeles factory, went bankrupt in 2015 and again in 2016, and its local production stopped after the brand was bought. In other words, no list of "ethical brands" lasts ten years.

A cotton garment in natural tones.
A cotton garment in natural tones, from Faguo.
A raw denim jean, made in France.
A raw denim jean, made in France by Atelier Tuffery.
A slim raw indigo jean, men's cut.
A slim raw indigo jean, men's cut, from 1083.
Low-top trainers in organic cotton.
Low-top trainers in organic cotton, from Veja.

For current leads, look at transparency in production chains: Veja and its Brazilian organic cotton trainers, 1083 and its jeans assembled in France, Atelier Tuffery, Faguo. The idea isn't to worship a label, but to check who makes it, where, and with what written commitments. A full look can quite easily be 80% second-hand, and a capsule wardrobe of a few well-cut basics beats an overflowing cupboard.

Budget

  • T-shirt in GOTS-certified organic cotton: expect around £22 to £40, compared with £4 to £13 for conventional cotton. The gap comes from the price of the fibre, lower volumes and the cost of certification.
  • Trainers in traceable materials: from £85 to £140, in shops and online.
  • Jeans made in France: £80 to £155 depending on the denim and construction.
  • Alterations: £9 to £22 for a hem or a repair, at a local shop, cobbler or through the after-sales service of some retailers.
  • Second-hand: from £3 at a reuse centre to £70 for a designer piece on a resale platform.

Prices vary mainly by material (linen, wool, organic cotton), where it was made and the volume produced. A more expensive piece isn't automatically cleaner — but a £3.50 piece can't pay a decent wage, traceable material and transport.

Sources