These cool and innovative Swiss eco-fashion brands are changing the industry in so many amazing ways. They repurpose waste into beautiful items, they try to create a supply chain that’s as ethical and sustainable as possible, and they create job opportunities locally, or in developing countries. One thing is true for all of them: they’re all extremely stylish!
During the time I was living in Switzerland I’ve discovered so many amazing eco-fashion brands there, they’re quite numerous compared to the size of the country.
You may have heard of some of them already without realizing they were Swiss. But don’t worry, I also included some hidden gems that aren’t as popular yet globally as they should be.
So here are the top 13 Swiss sustainable brands you need to know about whether you live in Switzerland or not!
1. Urbankissed
Categories: clothing. dresses, denim, outerwear, underwear, swimwear, activewear, shoes, bags, accessories, jewelry, sleepwear, loungewear
For: women, men
Sizes: XS – XXL
Price range: CHF 6 – 7895
Urbankissed is a Swiss-based online marketplace for slow and ethical fashion. They sell beautifully curated sustainable brands from all around the world all in one place.
Urbankissed provides a platform for artisans to sell their unique goods and to be seen by a larger audience. But they also want to help customers discover new, upcoming slow fashion brands on their carefully curated website. The Urbankissed online shop is loaded with stylish clothing, accessories, beauty products, and homeware with a sexy, Mediterranean vibe.
It’s a win-win for both the artisans who want to share their stories and promote their ethical collections and the sustainable fashionistas who are always on the hunt for stylish clothing that has a positive impact on the planet.
I love the concept behind Urbankissed and the gorgeous collections they stock. The brands are from different parts of the world and sometimes they use different traditional methods. Just looking at their clothes makes me want to pack my bag, visit these different destinations, and learn more about their culture.
If you love to travel, wear uniquely stylish clothes, and support brands who make a difference in the world, I’m sure you’d find something you like at Urbankissed.
They let you browse by destination or by ethical standards, and find you cool brands to shop from. Unfortunately, not all brands are vegan, so make sure you check the product details!
2. Raffia Swim
Categories: swimwear
For: women, men
Sizes: S – L
Price range: $97
Raffia is a luxury swimwear brand based in Zurich. They create timeless, long-lasting pieces you can wear year after year.
The brand’s eco-luxe swimwear is made using a high-quality, sustainable, and recycled fabric made in Italy. This regenerated nylon fabric is recycled from discarded plastic bottles, fishing nets, fabric scraps, old carpet flooring, and industrial plastic waste from landfills and oceans. And it isn’t only extremely sustainable, it’s also designed to be optimal for swimwear.
Raffia swimwear is hyper-resistant, stretchy, comfy, and breathable. Plus, it endures twice as much sun exposure, chlorine, and oils from sunscreen as average swimwear.
The fabric is also Oeko-Tex100 certified meaning it has been tested for harmful chemicals and is completely safe for your skin’s health.
3. Avani
Categories: clothing, dresses
For: women
Sizes: XS – L
Price range: CHF 65 – 229
Avani is a relatively new brand with a timeless, feminine style and very high standards for sustainability and ethics.
Avani means “Earth” in Sanskrit which is a perfect name for this brand that works so hard to be as eco-friendly as possible.
They source their materials from Europe, and design, create and sell their clothes exceptionally in Europe to keep their carbon footprint as low as possible. As materials, they use linen, hemp, and Tencel® which are made from natural, organic, plant-based fibers and which are also pesticide-, GMO-, and fertilizer-free. These are the most eco-friendly materials you can buy at the moment.
The brand uses “low impact fiber reactive dyes” that are more eco-friendly (they use less water) compared to traditional methods and don’t contain heavy metals and toxic products. Avani also makes attention to the smallest details: buttons. None of their clothing has zippers, they prefer using natural buttons made of European wood.
In addition to being sustainable, Avani is producing its clothes ethically in France where the people work in decent conditions and without the use of unhealthy, toxic chemicals.
Avani is one of the very few brands that work with a fully traceable supply chain from the raw material to the finished product.
I am following Avani on Instagram for so long and I also had the chance the hear Delphine, the founder of the brand, talk at a sustainable fashion event. It is amazing to see how much effort they put into doing everything perfectly in terms of both aesthetics, ethics, and sustainability.
Store location: Rue Prévost-Martin 22, 1205 Genève
4. Lola Studio
Categories: clothing, activewear
For: unisex
Sizes: XS – L
Price range: CHF 19 – 159
Lola Studio wants to encourage you to take a deep breath, move your body, and enjoy life. And while you do all that, you don’t need to worry about who made your clothes, or what impact does it have on the environment.
The brand makes comfortable and sustainable yoga- and activewear with an on-trend aesthetic. All their pieces are made of either organic and natural or recycled fabrics without the use of any harmful substances.
Lola Studio’s clothes are produced ethically in Turkey and in Portugal where workers can grow their own vegetables in a beautiful garden, and they plant a tree for every new artisan who starts working there.
Store location: Europaallee 5, 8004 Zürich
5. Priya Wear
Categories: clothing, dresses, sleepwear, loungewear
For: women
Sizes: S – L
Price range: CHF 70 – 159
Priya was founded in 2019 by Priyanka Pradhan as a project for connecting the founder’s Indian heritage with her life in Switzerland. The clothes are designed in Switzerland and manufactured in India.
Priya makes sure that her beautiful clothes are made by producers who ensure ethical labor practices and dignified lives for their artisans.
The gorgeous patterns on Priya clothes are made using a traditional Indian block printing technique. Since this is a handmade technique, each piece is unique, and the little imperfections give a human touch to the items.
By the way, would you like to try block printing yourself? Check out these 3 Ancient Dyeing And Printing Techniques You Can Try Today!
6. Freitag
Categories: bags, accessories, clothing, dresses, outerwear
For: women, men
Sizes: XS – L
Price range: CHF 8 – 730
Freitag is probably the most well-known Swiss sustainable fashion brand, and in Switzerland, they are extremely popular. If you walk down the streets, you’ll see one out of ten people wearing a Freitag bag.
Why are they so special? Because they’re made of used truck tarpaulins, bicycle inner tubes, and car seat belts. Every bag is unique and made of 100% upcycled materials!
The first bag was designed by Markus and Daniel Freitag in 1993 inspired by “the multicolored heavy traffic” of Zurich. Since then, the functional, water-repellent messenger bag has conquered the world and became the favorite of urban bikers all around the globe. Today, Freitag has 24 stores and more than 400 resellers worldwide.
In 2014 Freitag has developed a new, fully compostable material called F-ABRIC. It is produced in Europe and made of linen, hemp, and modal in different ratios and weaves for different fabrics.
A circular economy is one of the core values of the brand:
We think and act in cycles.
But they are about so much more: social responsibility, smart design, storytelling, just to mention a few.
Store locations:
- Geroldstrasse 17, 8005 Zürich
- Rue Neuve 6, 1003 Lausanne
- Binzmühlestrasse 170b, 8050 Zürich
- Grünpfahlgasse, 4001 Basel
- Promenade 131, 7260 Davos
- Grüngasse 21, 8004 Zürich
7. Pura
Categories: clothing, dresses, swimwear, activewear, accessories, loungewear
For: women, men
Sizes: S – XL
Price range: CHF 13 – 165
Pura designs clothing, swimwear, and activewear with the purpose of not only creating the perfect fit and best style but also to make sure everything is made with the highest respect to humans and the environment.
Pura’s pieces are made with sustainable fabrics that are either natural or recycled from 50% post-consumer and 50% industrial waste. The fabric comes from a supplier in Italy and is sewn in Italy and in Switzerland.
For every purchase, Pura donates 1 CHF to a charity that fights global warming.
8. Calida
Categories: underwear, sleepwear, loungewear
For: women, men, kids
Sizes: XXS – XL
Price range: CHF 12.90 – 399.00
If you don’t know Calida yet, it’s one of the biggest underwear brands in Europe. They are in business for over 75 years now and they claim that sustainability is not a new idea for them, it was always the core of their business.
The Swiss brand designs contemporary underwear, sleepwear, and loungewear for everyone. Their pieces can be easily mixed and matched with each other so everyone could find what fits their needs best. Calida provides premium Swiss quality and durability and that’s one of the main reasons why they’re pioneers in sustainable European underwear. But they also embrace innovation and sustainable and ethical production.
In Switzerland, Calida is everywhere. They have stores in major cities and you can also find them in almost every multi-brand retail store around the country. Buying local is usually more sustainable than having something shipped from another country because it reduces the impact of shipping (especially if you shop in-store, not online). And, as a plus, you also support the local economy.
Calida is aware of the impact of transportation on the environment, that’s why they source all their fabrics from Europe. 75% of that comes from Switzerland and neighboring countries: Austria and Germany. They produce 80% of their collection in their own factory in Hungary which is also pretty close to Switzerland, but the wages are much lower there than in Switzerland. Sourcing and producing everything in a close radius is a great solution for keeping low the environmental effects of transportation.
Calida was the first underwear brand to use the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® label in 2016.
They also put a huge emphasis on innovation. They have developed a Cradle to Cradle®-certified collection of fully compostable T-shirts using cellulose-based Tencel®. The cellulose used for this collection is sourced from sustainable forestry, and the fabric is produced in a closed-loop process. The range of fully-compostable, basic T-shirts is available for the whole family in different colors.
Want to know what these sustainable fashion certifications mean exactly? We have written a whole article about the most popular sustainable and ethical fashion certifications you should look out for!
Check store locations and retailers here.
9. Dilly Socks
Categories: socks
For: women, men, kids
Sizes: EU 36 – 46
Price range: CHF 9.90 – 54.90
Dilly Socks are playful, colorful, and fun! And they are also socially- and environmentally conscious!
The socks are made of Oeko-Tex 100 certified organic cotton which means that no toxic pesticides were used on the plant and no harmful chemicals very used for dyes or at any part of the production, and it is completely safe for your skin.
Plus, the brand replaced every little detail in the packaging with sustainable alternatives: the labels are printed on recycled paper, and the plastic packaging and even the small plastic hook are compostable!
Dilly Socks are produced in Portugal by a family business specialized in high-quality hosiery.
Unsold Dilly Socks don’t go to waste either. The brand has set up a collaboration with a foundation for handicapped people. They upcycle the socks into toy monkeys which are sold without a profit to support the organization.
10. Oy Surf
Categories: activewear, swimwear, accessories
For: women
Sizes: XS – XL
Price range: CHF 5 – 135
If you’re looking for sustainable swimwear that’s truly functional, you should put Oy Surf on your radar. Oy surf bikinis were designed with the surfer in mind by siblings Zelia and Dario Zadra. Both founders are enthusiastic surfers and their expertise and background in product design give them the perfect foundation to build their functional and sustainable surfwear line.
Oy Surf swimwear is designed to stay on, to be comfortable, and to look good! These are qualities, I assume, everyone would appreciate about their swimwear pieces whether they are a surfer or not!
In addition, Oy Surf puts plenty of effort into reducing its impact on the environment. The brand makes its high-quality bikinis with recycled plastics such as Econyl® sourced from Europe. They have also moved their production from Indonesia to an ethical factory in Portugal to lower their shipping-related emissions.
As for the packaging, everything is plastic-free. Your order arrives in a recycled cardboard box, and an organic cotton dust bag.
Until 2020, a leather patch was included on Oy Surf items as part of their branding. The brand decided to remove this small detail in order to make their line more animal-friendly!
11. Jungle Folk
Categories: clothing, dresses, outerwear, accessories
For: women
Sizes: XS – XL
Price range: CHF 30 -750
Jungle Folk is another brand that embraces Swiss perfectionism. They create clothing that’s timeless, high-quality, and also sustainable. They don’t care about trends and launching new collections throughout the year, but they are all about offering stylish classics that are easy to mix and match and are suitable for different occasions.
The brand was founded in 2013 by Swiss designer Pauline Treis. She was inspired by a trip to Colombia where she got captivated by the talents of local craftsmen. So she decided to work with rural and urban artisans and sewers in Colombia and Peru.
Jungle Folk’s mission is to “create social change through business, not aid”. By providing job opportunities to a community of artisans, Jungle Folk helps them to improve their skills, increase their income and as a result, improve their lives as a whole. They work with each craftsman individually in small workshops which allows them to maintain a relationship with the artisans, and to get to know their needs and situations. The personal relationship between the brand and the workers also creates an opportunity for the workers to have an input in the development of the collections which can be very beneficial for both the brand and the employees.
I love this mindset and the way Jungle Folk invests in people, treats them with respect and changes their lives. It may seem insignificant on a global scale where millions of people work for less than a living wage in the fashion industry, but it surely has a huge impact on the lives of these artisans!
But Jungle Folk doesn’t only care about its impact on people, the brand also wants to reduce its impact on the environment. By creating long-lasting, timeless collections, and by using materials like organic cotton, organic linen, and peace silk they have a much more positive environmental impact compared to popular fast fashion brands.
However, they use a lot of alpaca wool for their sweaters and sell leather items which I wouldn’t consider sustainable, nor ethical.
If you want to know why I think leather and wool are problematic, check out the following posts:
- Leather VS Fur: Same Cruelty Perceived Differently
- Are Goats Killed to Make Cashmere? The Dirty Secrets of Wool
12. Sanikai
Categories: clothing, dresses, outerwear, accessories
For: women
Sizes: XS – L
Price range: CHF 12 – 590
Sanikai is a Switzerland-based, high-end fashion brand that creates extremely stylish clothes with great quality and sustainability standards.
The brand was founded in 2015 by Sanaz Wasser and Kai Wasser. They feel a huge responsibility for our planet and they love natural and recycled materials. The brand aims to “represent style & quality in a conscious way” by creating timeless designs that meet the highest ethics and quality standards and using Swiss perfectionism at every stage of the process.
They manufacture their beautiful clothing locally in Switzerland at a family-owned company.
Sanikai claims to use only the most sustainable materials. Their current collection consists of pieces made of regenerated nylon, Lycra®, recycled plastic bottles, organic cotton, organic linen, and leftover denim. Their threads are also made of recycled plastic bottles or organic cotton, and they use coconut shell-, corozo-, or wood-based buttons.
Everything Sanikai does is perfection, it should be a blueprint for all other fashion brands out there to follow!
13. AgentSpécial
Categories: bags, accessories
For: women
Sizes: one size
Price range: €15 – 229
I discovered AgentSpécial during a Fashion Revolution Week, at a sustainable fashion fair in Geneva. Their bags are so special and unique, the brand was love at first sight!
AgentSpecial upcycles the Doypack® which is a packaging material used for food and beverages. The Doypack® is that small bag that’s used to keep olives and fruit juices and has a silver-colored interior. It is a very strong material that’s also very resistant to temperature changes, water, and sunshine. AgentSpécial buys the waste materials from the food industry, cuts them, folds them, sorts them according to color, and weaves them into beautiful bags and other accessories.
The bags are created by Philippino artisans using the traditional basket-weaving method. And the result is gorgeous! The bags come in different shapes and sizes ranging from small makeup bags to huge beach bags. They stock basic styles as well as trendy pieces so everyone can find their perfect match.
The coolest thing about using Doypack® as the main material is that it makes so many color combinations possible, and as a result, each bag is unique and “spécial”. Their original collection mixes and matches the different colors and the silver in many fun variations, while their “nude” collection is all about chic, minimal, completely silver bags.
