Hallmarks in slow fashion

In the world of slow fashion, you’ll come across various labels and certifications that indicate that clothing has been made fairly and/or more sustainably. To earn these labels, clothing brands are evaluated based on a number of criteria by an independent organization that issues the certification. This is great because it helps us, as consumers, make informed choices when it comes to “slow” clothing.

Major clothing brands vs. start-ups

If a clothing brand is not affiliated with a certification program, this does not necessarily mean that the brand or its supplier is not conducting business ethically. A clothing brand may have various reasons for this. Certification programs are often expensive, and young clothing brands cannot always afford them, whereas larger clothing brands have the budget for them.

In addition, larger slow fashion brands that manufacture outside of Europe often have a certification to demonstrate that the workshops they work with are audited by independent organizations (the certification bodies). Fair WearandGOTS(Global Organic Textile Standard) are two well-known examples. This ensures that your garment was produced under fair conditions. However, it’s also common for slow fashion brands to operate their own factories. In such cases, a certification label isn’t necessary, since the brand itself knows exactly what conditions are like in its own factory: fair working conditions that respect both people and the environment. More and more slow fashion brands want to be as transparent as possible and provide a lot of information on their own websites and social media channels. We therefore recommend that, in addition to looking at certification labels, you also consider how transparent clothing brands are about their production processes and materials in their communications.

Hallmarks at Sophie Stone

At Sophie Stone, we primarily work with slow fashion brands that are affiliated with various certification programs and/or consumer labels. This allows both us and the brands within Sophie Stone to guarantee our commitments to you regarding working conditions and high-quality materials.

Although many brands strive to be as “slow” as possible, it’s difficult to operate in a fully sustainable way in today’s fashion industry. As a result, a garment is often not (yet) 100% sustainable, but it may be more sustainable in terms of materials, for example, or there may be strict oversight to ensure that production takes place in a socially responsible environment. If animal welfare is very important to you, you can also consciously choose vegan fashion, for example. At Sophie Stone, we understand that sustainability in clothing can mean something different to everyone. That’s why we’ve organized the various certification labels in our online store into categories, so you can make a conscious choice for slow fashion based on your own preferences. 

The labels in the Sophie Stone webshop can be divided into three categories:

• Good working conditions: BSCI, Fair Wear, Fair Trade cotton and GOTS
• Certified material: Global Recycled Standard, GOTS, Fair Trade cotton,and OEKO-TEX Standard 100
• Animal Welfare: PETA-Approved Vegan

Help! There are so many kinds of labels for clothing

Wij begrijpen dat je met al die verschillende keurmerken soms niet meer weet wat het betekent. Daarom hebben wij de keurmerken binnen Sophie Stone voor je op een rij gezet en geven we per keurmerk extra informatie. Ben je aan het shoppen in onze webshop en wil je graag weten welk keurmerk het kledingstuk in jouw mandje heeft? Bij Sophie Stone zie je per merk en product welk keurmerk het heeft (of juist niet). Mocht je naar aanleiding van het lezen van deze pagina vragen hebben wat betreft een van de keurmerken? Mail ons je vraag en wij beantwoorden deze graag voor je! Stel je vraag via: vraag@sophiestone.nl