7Mins Read By Anya Zoledziowski A family fell on such hard times after a cyclone that when a man offered their daughter, 17, a job, they agreed. They later learned she was forced into the sex trade. In May 2020, when the catastrophic Cyclone Amphan tore through her village in West Bengal, a state in eastern India, Seema […]
4Mins Read VWS Pathfinder, the world’s first pitch competition for female vegan founders, has recorded a 25% rise in women of colour founders this year.
5Mins Read She Changes Climate was founded in 2020 by Bianca Pitt, Antoinette Vermilye and Elise Buckle, with a mission to bring diversity into the COP international climate negotiations. Right now, the organisation is laser focused on broadening inclusion at the upcoming COP26 in November, with a goal to achieve a 50:50 split between men and women […]
4Mins Read By: Theresa Gusman An enormous transfer of wealth is underway in America that presents an historic opportunity for the financial services industry and specifically for women advisors and customized ESG investing. Female advisors – though they are outnumbered by their male counterparts by more than four to one – are better positioned to guide the […]
4Mins Read Warren Buffett helped to reject a shareholder resolution that would push his multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway to inform investors about climate risks. In addition to defending the dirty oil and gas industry, the billionaire CEO also tore down a resolution that called for greater diversity and inclusion efforts, putting the old-fashioned firm out of step […]
It’s time to take the “either/or” out of inclusivity and sustainability. Consumers are demanding fashion brands to tick more than one box, telling them it’s not enough to preach about transparent supply chains and ethical sourcing if blind spots still remain when it comes to exclusive marketing, racist brand culture and non-diverse sizing and fit.
While there’s still so much progress to be made in the fashion industry, some brands have stepped up and championed both inclusivity and sustainability, and we’re here to highlight some of the best for every size, every occasion.
Source: Eileen Fisher
Best for workwear & wardrobe essentials:Eileen Fisher
Clean supply chain, ethical and made from sustainable fibres? Eileen Fisher checks all three boxes, plus one more – a dedicated collection for larger sizes up to 3X, proportioned to fit all women perfectly. These Fair Trade organic certified pieces are great for your wardrobe staples, coming in varied muted naturally-dyed colours, tones and easy-to-match cuts. What’s more? The brand offers a renewable program to allow customers to return their old clothing, which gets repaired and refurbished as new garments sold for a discount.
Source: Made Trade
Best for variety:Made Trade
If you’re looking for an entire library of ethical and sustainable plus-sized clothing to browse through in one accessible place, then Made Trade is for you. The curated online store boasts a wide collection of brands that are all environmentally-conscious and value-led, with each product page also showing the materials used, whether the product is plant-based or suitable for vegans, and the measures the brand takes to avoid human rights violations. The range in their plus size apparel section is impressive, running up to 6XL for everything from your everyday casual wear to date-night looks.
Source: Hara
Best for lingerie and underwear: Hara
We’ve got you covered for lingerie and underwear too, with Hara topping our list for offering the dreamiest underwear sets made sustainably from bamboo. The Australian-made label ranges from trendy bandeaus and bralettes to sexy low-cut bras, high waist undies and even leotards and loungewear – all coming in earthy tones and sizes running up to 5X.
Source: Mata Traders
Best for boho dresses: Mata Traders
Everyone loves a good boho dress, but finding a chic, non-tacky, eco-friendly and inclusive boho dress can be a challenge. Mata Traders has come to the rescue, offering a plus size collection of sleek and retro-modern boho dresses in a number of different patterns, bright colours, lengths and cuts – maxi, short and everything in between. In addition to running a wide variety of sizes up to 2X, the brand even offers a motherhood-friendly line of extra-stretchy garments, all made from ethically-sourced cotton and hand-made by female artisans in Indian and Nepalese rural co-ops that ensures fair pay and flexible work-from-home opportunities.
Source: Girlfriend Collective
Best for activewear: Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective is the go-to for plus-size activewear, outerwear and athleisure pieces, with its line-up of recycled leggings and workout gear offered in sizes up to 6X. Committed to supply chain transparency, the American brand has made public its entire production process, from production in Taiwan, where recovered plastic bottles are turned into their new yarns, to the workers who sew together the material to make their minimalist leggings, sweats, windbreakers and sports bras.
Source: Mara Hoffman
Best for swimsuits & statement pieces: Mara Hoffman
Looking to stand out in a crowd or at the beach? Check out Mara Hoffman, whose collection is made from natural, organic and recycled materials like hemp, Tencel and cotton (even the tags and labels are made from 80% recycled paper printed with soy-based inks) and boasts an extended-size line up to 3X. Expect to be wowed by the brand’s stand-out ready-to-wear pieces and gorgeous swimsuits, two-pieces and beach dresses.
Source: Warp + Weft
Best for denim: Warp + Weft
What’s a wardrobe without a good pair of jeans? Powered by their brand ethos of “inclusivity, sustainability, affordability”, Warp + Weft wins as one of the best sustainable plus-size denim makers out there. The range is incredible to ensure that every woman gets the perfect fit with more than 75 different sizes, body types and cuts – sizes run from 00 to 24. All their stretchy jeans and denim jackets are made ethically and sustainably from materials like lyocell and cotton sourced from the Better Cotton Initiative, sewn together at the UNDP social equality-compliant factories in Pakistan.
Source: Hours
Best for jackets & outerwear: Hours
New York-based upcycled plus-size brand Hours is great for outerwear pieces, from sleek-cut jackets to relaxed cardigans and on-trend “cardi-dresses”. All their pieces come in at least three to four shades, from deep reds and purples to dark blue, mustard yellow and earthy brown, and sizes range 14 to 28. Minimalist in design, these garments are meant to stay as wardrobe staples that last from one season to the next, and are sustainably made from upcycled fabrics in their WRAP-certified local mills in China and packaged in 100% recycled and recyclable paper (totally plastic-free!).
3Mins Read Atlas Monroe, the Black woman-owned Los Angeles startup that turned down a US$1 million investment on Shark Tank, is now set to become the largest manufacturer of plant-based fried chicken. Acquiring a multimillion dollar facility in San Diego, the firm will be churning out a whopping one million pounds of its vegan fried chicken by […]
3Mins Read Impossible Foods and Vegan Women Summit (VWS) are teaming up to launch a new initiative aimed at spotlighting women pioneers in the field of food tech and sustainability. Designed as an inclusive program, Women Building the Future is now searching for nominations from diverse backgrounds across the food, agriculture and sustainability industries to be selected […]
4Mins Read Existing titleholder in the middleweight division of professional boxing, Claressa Shields, who recently won again at the junior middleweight division thus becoming the first woman fighter to win an undisputed championship in two weight classes, made use of the occasion to raise awareness about plant-based diets. On March 5 2021, American professional boxer Claressa Shields […]
3Mins Read Lia, the women-founded startup developing eco-friendly reproductive health and wellness products, has just launched the world’s first biodegradable and flushable pregnancy test. After years of research and development, the much-anticipated 100% plastic-free product that takes aim at the 20 million pregnancy tests thrown away annually in the U.S. alone, is now available to consumers. Lia […]
12Mins Read Lisa Feria is CEO and General Partner at Stray Dog Capital, an impact venture capital firm investing in startups innovating healthier, sustainable and ethical solutions across the food and protein supply chain. After working at big firms like P&G and General Mills, Feria took her experience and expertise to Stray Dog Capital, where she has […]
4Mins Read Recently, Amazon India, a subsidiary of Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer launched a special storefront that will focus on highlighting women sellers. To mark International Women’s Day 2021 and in partnership with UN Women, Amazon India unveiled a female-focused storefront on its existing online platform, to promote around 80,000 products sold by over 450 […]
3Mins Read A newly published book aims to remedy the gender investing gap by empowering women to invest in a sustainable future. Authored by sustainable finance expert Jessica Robinson, who formerly led the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in Asia, Financial Feminism: A Woman’s Guide to Investing for a Sustainable Future comes with step-by-step explainers […]
16Mins Read The two biggest plant-based protein startups in the world are run by men. The majority of the rising cell-based protein startups are also run by men, alongside most of the vegan investment groups that fund them. The leader of the NGO think tank, which represents the interests of both, The Good Food Institute, is also […]
5Mins Read Last December, Blackpink, the all-girls K-Pop band millions of fans recorded a message showing their support for the climate, and recently the band-members were appointed as advocates to raise awareness for the global campaign against climate change, in conjunction with the 26th Climate Change Conference, set to take place in November 2021. Recently, Blackpink members […]
4Mins Read Politically charged young adult magazine Teen Vogue recently published ‘No Planet B: A Teen Vogue Guide to the Climate Crisis’, a new anthology that sheds light on climate justice and the youth-led fight for our future. Compiled by politics editor Lucy Diavolo and released by Haymarket Books, the book, dubbed ‘No Planet B’, contains 28 […]
3Mins Read Vegan Women Summit recently announced that it will host the VWS Connect event series, the world’s first job networking series aimed at connecting mission-driven employers to underrepresented individuals thus building a diverse workforce in the plant-based field. Vegan Women Summit (VWS), a media & events company that works towards empowering women to build a sustainable […]