Six Online Stores To Love and Six To Avoid

I love shopping and since staying inside for the past month, I’ve been having some serious withdraws. I miss sifting through clothes racks in thrift stores and visiting my favorite local ethical brands.

I’m sure I’m not alone, so I’ve put together a list of six online stores to entertain your shopping needs and six stores that you should avoid.

Stores to Love While Online Shopping:

GoodFair.com

I just recently discovered this online gem. Goodfair is passionate about ending fast fashion and they believe in creating #nonewclothes. This company offers you variety packs of used and vintage clothing based on your personal size and taste. Their site is also a great place to read about the benefits of second-hand fashion.

I recently subscribed to their newsletter and ordered three variety packs.

ThreadUP

I’ve mentioned this online thrift store before, but it is the largest online thrift store. You can find all your favorite brands and styles available on their site or in their app. You can even sell your own clothes through this company.

TheReformation.com

Reformation is an eco-friendly clothing brand that puts sustainability at the center of what they create. They outline all of their efforts on their website and are super passionate about the environment and their workers.

Right now Reformation is partnering with city of L.A. to manufacture masks that you can buy or donate to essential workers to help fight COVID-19.

Patagonia

Patagonia is an outdoor brand that is very passionate about our environment. They also offer facts about the fast fashion industry here. The brand is fighting for ethical and sustainable clothing that won’t end up in landfills in less than a year. According to their website, 72% of the materials they use in their clothing is made from recycled fibers. Now that’s a brand worth supporting.

The RealReal

The RealReal is a luxury consignment shop. This company is a little costly, but you can buy and sell luxury brands on their app or on their site. The company wants to revolutionize resale and make fashion circular. You can find sustainability calculator on their site to prove the positive impact of consignment on the environment.

You can find brands like Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and more for men, women, and children on their site.

UO Vintage

While Urban Outfitters is not a sustainable brand, they are partnering with Urban Renewal to offer used and vintage and recycled clothing for conscious shoppers. They travel the world to find vintage pieces for their customers and offer clothing and home products.

Stores to Avoid While Online Shopping:

Shein

Shein is a very popular online store and app that offers shoppers cheap, fashionable clothing. However, these clothes come at a cost. The brand has gotten in trouble for copyright issues–stealing from other brands–and not releasing any information on their impact on the environment.

Zaful, Fashionova, and Romwe

I’m grouping these three online stores together because their issues are very similar. Like Shein, these brands have become very popular in the last couple of years. The brands offer cheap, fashionable clothing that is constantly changing. Most of their clothes are cheaply made and never show up how you expected, so they tend to end up in landfills quickly.

Boohoo

Boohoo is a UK based brand that has been shamed in parliament for their encouragement of throw-away culture. Like the other brands on this list to avoid, Boohoo is constantly creating new fashion trends which encourages consumers to throw out their old clothing. The brand is TERRIBLE for the environment.

Zara

Growing up, Zara was one of my favorite brands, but like other fast fashion brands, they are creating cheap, poorly-made fashion trends that expire in two-four weeks. The brand has been accused on several occasions of having slave-like working conditions. This brand should be avoided at all costs.

These brands–to avoid and to love–are obviously not the only brands out there, so do your research and become a more mindful shopper!