A practical guide to shopping for ethical fashion
Start with your needs, then compare fit, materials, sourcing evidence and care rather than relying on a reassuring green label.
The considered wardrobe
Style with
substance.
Fashion, materials and the stories behind what we wear. A closer look at the details that matter.
Find your first read01 — The journalThoughtful by design
The editor's selection
Look beyond the label.
Digital product passports: what fashion shoppers and small brands should know
What a product passport can contain, what a QR code cannot prove, and how to read the current EU timetable without turning plans into deadlines.
Traceability and transparency: what clothing evidence actually tells you
Separate a factory list, a supplier certificate and a product-specific record, then ask whether the information really describes the item you are buying.
A little perspective
Better questions. More considered choices.
A reassuring word on a label is only the beginning. Our guides help you explore materials, sourcing and the evidence behind a claim.
A route through the journal ↗From the journal
The latest reading.
Organic, recycled and conventional cotton: comparing the choices
Understand what each cotton description refers to, where a claim needs evidence, and why the finished garment matters as much as a fibre headline.
What a GOTS label tells you, and how to check it
Read the organic-content grade, certification details and product scope without confusing a fibre claim with certification of a finished garment.
Choosing clothing materials without a simple good-or-bad list
Compare materials against the job a garment must do: comfort, useful life, care, evidence and realistic end-of-life options.
Fairtrade and Fairmined gold: understanding the claims
Why older sources use both names together, how today's schemes differ, and the questions that connect a jewellery claim to a particular purchase.
Recycled gold: useful questions behind the claim
Ask what has been recycled, how the claim is documented and what it says about the piece, without treating recycled as a complete ethical guarantee.
Buying jewellery with better sourcing information
A practical conversation about metal, stones, documentation, repair and the limits of broad claims before you commit to a special purchase.
Our editorial approach
Curiosity, with context.
Original guides with sources you can follow, clear distinctions between a claim and its evidence, and practical ideas to make your own decisions.
How we work ↗A useful little tool
Put a clothing claim into perspective.
Work through five questions about the wording, scope and evidence behind a claim. Turn any unknowns into useful questions for the seller.
Clothing claim checklistStay curious
Good reads, by email.
A considered selection of fashion, materials and sourcing stories.