Best Quotes on Sustainable Fashion to Inspire & Motivate You

Words have a huge impact on how we look at things and, consequently, the actions we take.

So, in a world of “Shop til you drop” and “You can never have too many clothes”, no wonder overconsumption is still glorified.

Let's flip the script! We collected our favourite quotes on sustainable fashion to help you look at clothes from a different perspective.

Whether you’re after some motivation to quit fast fashion, want to get a better understanding of what ethical fashion is, or just fancy feeling inspired… We’re confident we’ve got the right sustainable fashion quote for you!

Best quotes on sustainable fashion to help you ditch fast fashion

Through greenwashing or a lack of transparency, fast fashion brands hide the high cost of their cheap clothes. Instead, these quotes will show you and remind you of the reality behind them.

• “Cheap fashion is really far from that, it may be cheap in terms of the financial cost, but very expensive when it comes to the environment and the cost of human life.” – Sass Brown, author of ECO Fashion
• "Fast fashion is asking you to forget about other humans in favour of low prices." - Amanda Lee McCarty, co-founder of the Clotheshorse Podcast
• “There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.” – Mahatma Gandhi
•  “There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.” – Annie Leonard, environmental activist and Executive Director of Greenpeace USA
• “Fast fashion is like fast food. After the sugar rush, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.” – Livia Firth, Livia Firth, activist and founder of Eco-Age
• “Think about everything that goes into making clothes and then think about the price of your average garment… and then think about what is considered ‘expensive’.” – Zoe Hong, fashion designer and educator 
• “What if we started by slowing down and not consuming so much stuff, just because it’s there and cheap and available. It’s amazing how that process makes sense financially, it makes sense ethically, and it makes sense environmentally.” – Andrew Morgan, director of The True Cost 
• “If an outfit was made by exploited workers, it can never make you look and feel good.” – Marcella Wijngaarden (our co-founder)

Best quotes on sustainable fashion and what it really is

There’s this misconception that switching to sustainable fashion can only mean “replacing fast fashion garments with more expensive clothes”. That’s so not the point, though!

So, go through these sustainable fashion quotes to connect with its actual meaning and mission.

• “The most sustainable garment is the one already in your wardrobe.” – Orsola de Castro, fashion designer and co-founder of Fashion Revolution
• “Ethical fashion is the recognition that there are human beings behind the clothes that we wear.” – Elizabeth Joy, founder of Conscious Life & Style
• “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.” – Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer
• “Call it eco-fashion if you like, I think it is just common sense.” – Livia Firth, activist and founder of Eco-Age
• “Sustainable Fashion is not a trend but the future.” – Antonia Böhlke, founder of MOCHNI 
• “Sustainability is not an end goal, it’s a journey.” – Eileen Fisher, fashion designer 
• “Slow fashion is also about returning to a personal relationship with fashion. One where trends and seasons don’t matter, but where your ethics and aesthetics seamlessly unite, and you can escape the stress of constant consumption, focusing on the style that truly appeals to you.” – Emilia Wik, founder of BYEM 
• “Sustainable fashion is mostly a mindset shift: shop less and consciously.” – Marcella Wijngaarden, one of our founders

Best quotes on sustainable fashion to inspire you

Are you excited to reconnect with your clothes instead of seeing them as throwaway pieces (they’re not)? Do you want to feel as if your daily actions can have a big impact (they do)?

Then, these ethical fashion quotes are perfect for you:

• “We carry the story of the people who made our clothes.” – Ali Hewson, activist and co-founder of EDUN
• “Clothes could have more meaning and longevity if we think less about owning the latest or cheapest thing and develop more of a relationship with the things we wear.” – Elizabeth L. Cline, author
• “Think deeply about each piece you own, or are looking to own, and find a memory connected to it. This will encourage you to keep it and wear it longer, repair it when it’s worn, add more stories to it, and might make you more likely to hand it over to a new owner when you’re not in love with it any longer." – Simone Agius, founder of Simétrie
• “The goal of being a sustainable shopper or consumer isn’t perfectionism! It’s leading with an intention and effort, and taking small steps that in turn, will help to create the change we need.” – stylist and founder of CD Studio
• “Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you express by the way you dress and the way you live.” – Gianni Versace, fashion designer.
• “Care for your clothes, like the good friends they are” – Joan Crawford, actor
• “If you're really wanting to shop better and more affordably, then buy something of quality to keep forever and don't buy too much. No one needs millions of clothes.” – Livia Firth, activist and founder of Eco-Age
• “Wear clothes that matter.” – Solitaire Townsend, sustainability expert and founder of Solitaire Townsend
• “We should judge outfits beyond the way they look: how are they impacting the world and people?” – Marcella Wijngaarden, co-founder of Project Cece

Best sustainable and ethical fashion quotes to move you into action

Maybe you need some words of encouragement to finally start embracing an ethical lifestyle and wardrobe. Perhaps you want to take it one step further and be more vocal about it, too. 

Either way, here are some of the best sustainable fashion quotes to find (and keep) motivation!

• “It was never as easy as today to support impact-driven brands, and yet they’re still struggling. Be that change!” – Marcella Wijngaarden, co-founder of Project Cece
• “The revolution will look fabulous.” – Lucy Shea, CEO of Futerra 
• “To truly transform the fashion industry into a good one, we need to change the way we purchase, not just what we are purchasing.” – Kate Hall, founder of Ethically Kate
• “Realize the political power of your money and spend it with the brands you know are treating their workers and the environment in the best possible way.” – Lily Cole, model and author
• “Fashion can be a universal player in protecting the planet.” – Pharrell Williams, musician and fashion designer
• “Demand quality not just in the products you buy, but in the life of the person who made it.” – Orsola de Castro, fashion designer and co-founder of Fashion Revolution

We hope you found a quote on sustainable fashion that truly spoke to you. Why not write it down or turn it into a positive affirmation to keep yourself motivated?

And if you want to help more people embrace a sustainable clothing lifestyle, share these ethical fashion quotes through the social buttons below!