With summer in full effect, staying both cool and stylish can be a real challenge. And fast fashion – forget about it. Summer is the time to shed your layers, not your values.
Here’s a cool list of 12 brands putting people and the environment first. These brands offer stylish summer pieces made in factories that focus on worker well-being, and with materials that are more responsible to the earth.
Looking cool, feeling cool, and being cool – that’s what we call the triple bottom line.
Sustainable Men’s Clothing: Outerknown
Second only to ice cream, barbecues scream summer. With Outerknown’s BBQ shirt, you are sure to be the coolest cat at your next outdoor cookout.
Made from an organic cotton and hemp blend, this lightweight shirt gives vintage, silky vibes. So light up the BBQ and get ready for some major complements because this casual shirt looks equally great at the beach or in the city. Outerknown also has a great selection of swimwear, shorts, and tees.
Sustainable Menswear: Taylor Stitch
Taylor Stitch is one of our favorite brands for all seasons, but their summer clothes are truly exceptional. Their large collection of short sleeve button-ups, tees, shorts, and swim trunks are all made with the best of materials in the best of conditions.
“Constructed to perfection and responsibly built for the long haul,” Taylor Stitch will keep you looking stylish while keeping your environmental footprint to a minimum.
Organic Cotton Essentials: Colorful Standard
Nothing screams summer like bright and colorful essentials. Colorful Standard has your back this summer and beyond with their eco-friendly, quality shirts, tees, sweats, shorts, sunglasses and more.
Everything is ethically made in Portugal with organic or recycled materials. Plus for every order shipped 1 tree is planted!
Sneakers that Never Go to Waste: Thousand Fell
Well made sneakers are a must have, especially in the summer. Thousand Fell’s great selection of white sneakers and sneakers with a pop of color ensures you’ll find a lightweight shoe for all the activities summer brings forth, and all year long.
Their minimalist nature makes them the perfect choice for your style and their circularity makes them the perfect choice for the planet. Unlike most shoes, which end up in the trash, these kicks are designed to be sent back and recycled when you’re done with them.
Shoes with Fair Labor Practices: Adelante Made-to-Order
If there’s anything we know about Adelante, it is that they care about their people. Paying their workers above the Living Well Line and ensuring that all their shoes are made with the highest quality of materials, Adelante elevates your style and worker well-being.
The Luca is a timeless, lightweight, comfortable shoe that will keep your feet stylish this summer. These custom made penny loafers mold to your feet to ensure they stay prime even on the longest of walks.
Eco-Friendly Clothing: For Days
Basics are a summer must for lightweight gear that keeps you cool. For Days offers an assortment of circular basics like muscle tanks and shorts.
Did we say circular? Yes—that’s because For Days clothes are designed so they can be sent back and recycled after use. Just one of the ways they envision a more sustainable future.
While you’re shopping summer gear check out For Days’ linen collection. Linen helps make these the perfect live in pieces guaranteed to keep you cool all summer long.
B Corp Certified Sunglasses: Warby Parker
There’s nothing better than a nice surf or swim on a hot summer day. And no matter where your summer takes you, you’ll probably need some sunglasses.
Warby Parker offers stylish sunglasses and works towards a cleaner planet with a clearer future for all. They produce sustainable glasses through their carbon offset projects and give back through their ‘Buy a Pair, Give a Pair’ program.
Ethical Menswear (Shirts): Vustra
Short sleeve button-up shirts are a summer staple, and Vustra has you covered with their versatile Zest short sleeve button up. Made from 100% organic cotton, this classic wardrobe basic can be dressed up for a night on the town, or dressed down for a trip to your local barista.
For more on Vustra, check out Eco-Stylist’s video review.
Good for the Environment: Patagonia
For many of us, summer means outdoors, and when you need outdoor apparel Patagonia is a great choice. Their baggies shorts, tank tops, and swimwear offer high quality summer essentials.
Patagonia is an OG of sustainable fashion, offering high performance clothing with the highest concern for quality, people, and the planet. Their Wornwear program, a closed circle initiative, takes back, repairs, and resells their used clothes, keeping them in use and out of the trash.
Fair Trade Mens Clothing: Known Supply
Bring it back to the basics this summer with Known Supply’s 100% Premium Pima Cotton basic tees. Coming in a wide variety of colors, these t-shirts keep things simple and fresh.
Ethical Men’s Shoes: Nisolo
Looking dapper can be a struggle in the hot summer weather, but luckily Nisolo has great lightweight options that will keep you looking fresh. Their sneakers look great with khakis and are perfect for your summer travel adventures.
If you’re looking for more of a classy summer sandal, their Huarache sandal gives pre-Columbian Mexican vibes and will earn you tons of compliments. The Alajandro woven slip-on shoe is another perfect option for going sockless and keeping your feet cool, all while looking super stylish. Slay the shoe game this summer with a pair of Nisolo shoes.
Hats with a Good Impact: Topiku
Protect your head from burning this summer with Topiku’s collection of hats. These hats are all the rage as they are made from upcycled and recycled materials.
Moreover, they have colorful patterns on the bill of the hat to give each cap its own unique flair. For more information see Eco-Stylist’s unboxing video of Topiku’s newest hat collection.
Use discount code ECOSTYLIST10 for 10% off any Topiku hats.
Your Guide to Sustainable Men’s Fashion Brands for Summer
That’s 12 ethical and sustainable brands for your summer wardrobe. We hope this list helps you stay cool in the sunny days ahead.
What makes these brands sustainable?
If you’re new around here, we research all of our brands at Eco-Stylist using our sustainable brand criteria. It’s a comprehensive framework that evaluates a brand based on ethical manufacturing, living wages, supply chains free of child and slave labor, sustainable fabrics, sustainable manufacturing, and a whole lot more.
Looking for more sustainable menswear brands?
- Shop over 500 men’s pieces in our Shop
- Discover over 70 great men’s brands in our Brand Guide
Need help finding something? Let us know!
*Featured image via Colorful Standard.
**Article updated 4/09/23.
Eco-Stylist is reader-supported. If you make a purchase using our links, we may earn a commission. We only feature fashion brands that pass our sustainable brand criteria. Learn more here.
Asher is a writer at Eco-Stylist. In addition to sustainable fashion, environmental activism, and a zero waste lifestyle, Asher’s interests include cooking, nutrition, and learning about the human body and medicine. He’s pursuing a career in medicine while advocating for slow fashion and the environment.
