Fast fashion’s problems are extensive and well reported – from issues with pay and working conditions for producers to concerns about the environmental impact of factory processes and the waste caused by our throwaway culture. According to Wrap, an estimated £140m worth of clothes goes to landfill every year.

While finding fashion that doesn’t cost the earth – in terms of either the planet or your purse – has always been a challenge, there are an increasing number of alternatives. But how can they be sourced?

“I think there’s a lot of ethical fashion out there now,” says Ceri Heathcote, who runs ethical fashion directory Style Is and writes the Ethical Fashion Blog. “But you still have to look around a bit more than you do for other fashion.”

Different brands have strengths in different areas; one may focus on the sustainability of materials, another on reducing water use, and yet another on workers’ rights. Beyond Skin, for example, specialises in vegan and vegetarian shoes, while surfing brand Rapanui is one of the pioneers of the “traceability” map, showing the supply chain from seed to shop.

Websites such as Heathcote’s are a useful starting point if you don’t have a specific brand in mind. Other directories include Style With Heart and The Green Guide, while ASOS Green Room hosts a range of ethical names alongside its own reclaimed label – “reshaped dead stock pieces with fabrics and designs from decades past” - and its Africa label, which aims to support sustainable livelihoods.

“Gone are the days when sustainable brands aren’t designed well,” says eco fashion development consultant Elizabeth Laskar. “You’re getting beautiful designs with some great fabrics at some pretty fair prices.”

In terms of budget, most ethical fashion tends to range from mid- to high-end. But for those who want to keep costs down “the best way to shop for ethical clothes is to go for sale items,” Laskar explains. “You can pick up some excellent bargains. It’s also worth keeping an eye on eBay – many of these brands will sell old stock on there.”

On the high street itself, some tentative steps are being made towards sustainability. H&M’s Conscious Collection is made from “environmentally adapted and greener” materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester. This year’s Tailored Wages report from Labour Behind the Label suggests that the company still has some work to do in the pay department, but it still scores highly on the Ethical Consumer’s high street chart. Marks & Spencer is also making changes.

Another route, of course, is the secondhand and vintage marketplace, probably the cheapest and the least wasteful way to shop; reducing both the amount headed to landfill and the demand for new clothes to be produced. Wrap claims that extending the average life of clothes by just three months of active use per item could lead to a 5-10% reduction in each of the carbon, water and waste footprints.

Some charities now offer their own lines in sustainable fashion alongside second-hand items. Both the TRAID Remade label and Clic Sargent’s Fix Up Look Sharp range sell original upcycled designs. In terms of vintage, there are now a number of websites specialising in high-end designer items, including Vestaire Collective, Hardly Ever Worn It, Edit Second Hand and Fashion Bloodhound.

If you’re using somewhere such as eBay to shop secondhand, both Laskar and Heathcote recommend looking closely at the photographs. These could reveal information on the label, or detail showing the fabric or seams. Laskar adds that it’s a good idea to ask the seller questions if you’re not sure about anything.

To really minimise impact, clothes swapping – or swishing – events are a pretty good bet. “It’s the thrill of retail therapy without the undesirable side effects of debt and consumer waste,” says Ed Gillespie, co-founder of sustainability communications agency Futerra, which came up with the name “swishing” in 2007.

“Everyone brings something lovely and everyone leaves at the end with a new outfit or something that makes them look fabulous,” he says. “The collective impact is more or less zilch.” Independent swishing groups can be found all over the UK and Futerra’s Swishing website acts as a central hub, listing upcoming events.

Ethical fashion is not a perfect solution – at least, not yet. You might argue, for example, that there’s little point in having an organic product that doesn’t pay people fairly. Or that buying online takes business away from those independent shops on the high street that can help to build stronger local economies. Your view, says Laskar, will depend on what issue matters to you most. But this is a style direction worth investing in.

“See what the shops you love are up to, and whether it marries with what you consider to be ethical,” she says. “You might care about everything, but you can’t support everything. It’s about taking baby steps, starting small to change habits.”

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