It’s rough out there for the ethical fashionista. I can’t count how many variations on “sweatshop free + non-sucky + non-American Apparel + clothing” I’ve Googled over the last 10 years, and I’m still waiting for that lottery ticket/inheritance/best-seller that will allow me to start my own line.

Keep in mind, is a fair ammount of sweatshop free clothing online, and National Green Pages has a listing of over 100 clothing companies that are organic, sustainable, and/or use fair labor practices. Problem is, most of them look like this:

There may have been a brief moment in college when I would have considered the latter, but I don't particularly want to scream to the world “NO ANIMALS OR HUMANS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS GARMENT.” I would rather look classic, professional, and stylish while coincidentally wearing responsible clothing. I’m not a huge American Apparel fan, for reasons I’ll detail below, but I do realize that they’re on to a good thing. I also realize that Europe is way ahead of the curve when it comes to such things (unfortunately, it can be hard to find these brands in/ have them shipped to the US).

But I continue to look.

So, keeping style, quality, and frugality in mind, here’s a breakdown of the options I’ve found so far:

American Apparel – In spite of their creepy, slightly porn-ish ads and the sexist escapades of Dov Charney, American Apparel still manages to offer decently-priced basics and an ever-expanding repertoire of short shorts. Quality is rather…meh. Most of their stuff is very thin cotton/ jersey without much attention to cut, but they're good for basics like sweatshirts, socks, and the like.

Alternative Apparel: Also offers the basics (sweaters, tees, loungewear, etc), but with fewer options than AA. They seem to be on the right track, but still only cater to the very casual (there are very few items you could wear to work or out on the town). I do own a few Alternative Apparel sweaters, and I must say that the quality far surpasses that of American Apparel. So if you’re looking for long-lasting basics, give your money to a company with better ethics (not to mention better web design).

Stop Staring! Vintage Inspired Fashion: Made in Los Angeles and female-owned and operated, Stop Staring offers a ton of vintage styles including dresses, skirts, blouses, and capri pants. Many of the styles are too theatrical (or too form-fitting) for everyday wear, and you certainly need to embrace the rockabilly/ burlesque look at least a little bit to feel comfortable in them. That said, they have some very cute options. I own two of their dresses, and both have enjoyed plenty of use at parties and other formal occasions.

Heartbreaker Fashion: To the same tune as Stop Staring, this LA-based boutique offers adorable vintage inspired dresses, skirts, knit tops, sweaters, bathing suits, and accessories. I only stumbled upon Heartbreaker recently, but it is way cleaner and easier to navigate than Stop Staring’s SEO nightmare. Heartbreaker’s styling is all very rockabilly (not really my thing anymore), but they have some very cute basics (halter dresses, pencil skirts, blazers) that would be fantastic for work or a classy evening out. I’m a fan of this houndstooth pencil skirt:

Crossroads/ Buffalo Exchange/ other consignment stores: Of course these are always great options – they offer gently-used, reasonably priced items and often feature some great labels. But they also circumvent the ideals of the sweatshop-free movement. Almost all of these items at one point came from stores that use sweatshop labor. In fact, I’m seeing more and more H&M and Forever 21 items appearing at Crossroads and Buffalo (these are almost always the cheapest, too, at about $5 to $7 a pop). On the one hand, it’s great that these flimsy items are getting a second life instead of ending up in the back of one’s closet or, worse, a landfill. On the other, we’re still encouraging unfair labor practices by demanding them in resale form. Not that I have any room to talk here – plenty of items in my closet sport a F21 label – but also I don’t think it’s a good idea to get to start patting ourselves on the back for scoring cheaper versions of already cheap shit. It’s a good alternative, but certainly not a solution.

Conclusion: I’ve scoured many a “green” directory and fashion blog, and have yet to find a solid directory of reasonably-priced, responsible clothing. So, among other things, that is one of my goals with this here bloggy. Let the fashion adventure begin!