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What’s This About
Slow fashion for men means buying fewer, better-made clothes and keeping them in use, and this guide shows you how to check a brand’s claims before you pay a higher price.
It covers the practical side, such as
• Four checks to run before you buy, from factory names to repair terms
• What B Corp, Fair Wear, Fair Trade and GOTS do and do not prove
• Ten men’s brands and the repair, material and factory evidence behind each
• A priced first buy from every brand, checked on 11 October 2026
• How to work out cost per wear and keep your clothes in use
and many more!
A higher price only pays off when you wear the clothes often, so start with the gaps in your wardrobe.
Key Points
01Slow fashion can justify a higher price when you wear a garment often and the maker offers repairs and clear information about how it was made.
02Certification schemes cover companies, labour practices or textiles. B Corp assesses a company, Fair Wear checks labour practices and GOTS covers a textile, and none of them proves how long a garment will last.
03Repair terms vary, from free repairs on Nudie Jeans denim to Finisterre’s paid service and Private White V.C.’s repairs, which are assessed case by case and not guaranteed.
04Divide the price, plus any paid repairs and postage, by a realistic number of wears, then buy the garment that fills a real gap in your wardrobe.
Slow fashion can be worth a higher price when you will wear the clothes often, the fit suits your needs and the maker offers useful information and repairs. Start with clothes you need, check how they were made and keep them in use for as long as practical.
The writer Kate Fletcher helped popularise the term in a 2007 article for The Ecologist, borrowing the idea from the Slow Food movement. Our guide to what slow fashion is covers the background. This guide sets out how to check a brand before you pay and ten labels with men’s ranges and published manufacturing, material or repair information.
Every price below was read on the brand’s own UK or US site on 11 October 2026, and every repair term comes from the brand’s published policy. Prices and policies change, so check them again before you buy.
Stella McCartney and Slow Fashion for Men
Stella McCartney showed her first menswear collection at Abbey Road Studios in London in November 2016, and the picture above comes from her men’s collection for Spring/Summer 2020. The brand says it has never used leather, feathers, fur or skins, has used organic cotton since 2008 and stopped using virgin cashmere in 2016 in favour of recycled cashmere.
In January 2025 McCartney bought back the stake LVMH had held in the company since 2019. The UK store describes unisex ready-to-wear, denim and tailoring rather than a separate men’s section, but its UK unisex category listed zero products on 11 October 2026. Check the cut, sizing and current stock of a specific garment before buying.
How to Check a Slow Fashion Brand Before You Buy
Use four checks to compare the evidence behind a brand before you buy.
Find out where it is made, and by whom
The most useful brands name their factories, or at least the countries where their clothes are made. ASKET, Private White V.C. and Community Clothing tell you which country, region or building made each garment. When a product page gives no country at all, ask before you buy.
Ask for evidence, not adjectives
Words such as eco-friendly, conscious and responsible need an explanation of what the claim covers. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority’s Green Claims Code says environmental claims must be truthful, clear and backed by evidence, and since April 2025 the regulator can fine firms directly for misleading ones. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides tell sellers to avoid broad environmental claims that come with no qualification.
Independent schemes give you something you can check. B Corp certification assesses a company’s social, environmental and governance record. Fair Wear works with member brands on factory working conditions and publishes a rating for each one. Brands buying from Fair Trade Certified factories pay a premium that goes to the workers. Under GOTS, a garment labelled organic must contain at least 95% certified organic fibres. Look the brand up in the scheme’s own directory, then check whether the assessment covers the company, the factory or the garment. None of these schemes establishes how many wears your clothes will last.
Ask what happens when it tears
A repair service shows that a brand expects its clothes to last. Read the terms, because free repairs often still mean paying for postage, and some services only take a limited number of garments each month.
Work out the cost per wear
Divide the purchase price, paid repairs and postage by the number of wears. If you wear £245 (about $330 at October 2026 exchange rates) jeans three times a week for three years, the purchase cost alone is about 52p for each of 468 wears. A £40 (about $54) pair worn 40 times costs £1 (about $1.30) per wear before repair costs. Use realistic wear estimates and buy clothes that fill a gap in your wardrobe.
10 Slow Fashion Brands for Men, and What Each Can Back Up
1. Patagonia
Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia in Ventura, California, in 1973. In 2022 he transferred ownership of the company, and Patagonia’s ownership page now says the Holdfast Collective owns 98% of it, while the Patagonia Purpose Trust holds all the voting stock.
Patagonia has been a certified B Corp since 2011. On its footprint page, the brand says more than 90% of its products are made in Fair Trade Certified factories, that preferred materials, including recycled inputs, made up 86% of its Fall 2025 line by weight, and that all the virgin cotton in its clothes is grown using organic practices.
Repairs are the strongest reason to buy here. In the US, Patagonia covers the repair work in most cases and charges $15 (about £11) for round-trip shipping, according to its repair page. In the UK, the repair service is currently free, though a carrier fee may apply and repairs take four to six weeks. US customers can also trade in used Patagonia gear, with most trade-ins valued at around 20% of the original price.
The Men’s Better Sweater Fleece Jacket is the obvious first buy, $169 in the US and £140 in the UK, knitted from 100% recycled polyester.
2. Outerknown
Kelly Slater launched Outerknown with John Moore in 2015, starting with menswear. The Fair Labor Association lists the company as joining in 2015 and gaining accreditation in 2017. Outerknown’s About page reports 98% preferred fibre usage for 2024 under its own fibre policy.
The Highline Slim Jean in Rinse, from the brand’s SEA Jeans range, costs $168 (about £125) in the US. Read the current warranty before buying. The FAQ sets a two-year warranty for SEA Jeans bought through Outerknown or a registered retailer in the US and its territories, with proof of purchase. The return process covers manufacturing faults, excludes normal wear and tear, and offers store credit for the original purchase price once the damaged jeans are received. For jeans bought before 21 February 2026, Outerknown asks customers to contact the company about their terms.
3. Pact
Pact was founded in 2009 and is now based in Boulder, Colorado. It makes everyday basics, and for men that means underwear, socks, T-shirts and flannel shirts. Pact says its clothes are made from certified organic cotton in Fair Trade Certified factories, and Fair Trade USA lists Pact among its certified brands.
Pact runs Pact Circle, its official resale marketplace, where sellers in the US can take cash, less a 20% fee, or Pact credit with a 10% bonus. Ask Pact about repair support before buying. The Men’s Softspun Essential Crewneck Tee costs $24 (about £18).
4. Nudie Jeans
Nudie Jeans was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2001. Every pair comes with a promise of free repairs at Nudie’s Repair Shops or Repair Partners, and jeans must be freshly washed before being handed in. Nudie’s repair FAQ currently limits free repair kits to c/o members and delivery to EU countries. Use the brand’s store finder to check the nearest repair shop. The brand says it repaired 66,567 pairs in 2025.
Nudie has been a Fair Wear member since 2009 and holds Fair Wear’s top rating, Leader. Organic cotton made up 93% of its total fibre use in 2025, according to its sustainability report. Nudie’s 2025 report describes a 20% trade-back discount on full-price denim purchases when returning an eligible denim garment.
A pair of Gritty Jackson jeans in Aged Indigo costs £145 in the UK and $195 in the US.
5. Hiut Denim
David and Clare Hieatt founded Hiut Denim in 2011 in Cardigan, West Wales. The brand makes its jeans in its own factory, and the Von Loeper family now owns the company.
Every pair comes with Free Repairs for Life. UK customers pay £10 (about $13) for shipping and handling, repairs run in a limited number of monthly slots, and jeans must be washed before they are sent. Hiut’s No Wash Club is a separate challenge for raw denim owners to go about six months before the first wash, for stronger fades.
The Benjamin Tapered Fit in organic denim costs £245 in the UK and $300 in the US. Its product page describes 12oz raw denim in 100% organic cotton, woven at the ISKO mill in Turkey and made by hand in Cardigan.
6. ASKET
Jakob Sazon Dworsky and August Bard Bringéus founded ASKET in Stockholm in 2015. The brand makes and keeps refining a single permanent collection. ASKET’s manufacturing page places its garment production within the EU, mainly in Portugal and Italy, with knitwear made in Romania. Check the manufacturing entry for the garment you choose.
Repairs are free in ASKET’s stores, and its Revival scheme takes back any ASKET garment, whatever its age or condition, for a voucher worth up to £20 (about $27). You pay the postage to Stockholm. ASKET says it now sources only organic cotton, so check the fibre content of the jeans or shirt you pick.
ASKET’s men’s jeans cost £160 in the UK and $230 in the US, with customs and duties included.
7. Private White V.C.
Private White V.C. is a Manchester menswear label with its own factory on the River Irwell in Salford, which the brand says was founded in 1853. It makes coats, jackets, knitwear, shirts and trousers. According to its own account, every garment is hand-cut, sewn and finished there, and more than 90% of its materials come from within 20 miles. The label takes its name from Jack White, who won the Victoria Cross in the First World War and was the great-grandfather of its chief executive, James Eden.
Prices are high. The Ventile Harrington jacket in Midnight Navy costs £695 (about $930), and US prices include duties and tariffs. The Harrington product page advertises a lifetime repair service, while the brand’s FAQ says repairs are assessed and are not guaranteed. Ask which damage is covered and what charges apply before you buy.
8. Finisterre
Tom Kay started Finisterre in 2003 in a flat above a surf shop in St Agnes, Cornwall. The brand has been a certified B Corp since 2018 and publishes a list of the factories that make its clothes.
Its Lived and Loved service repairs worn kit for a fee of £10 to £130 (about $13 to $175) and mended more than 2,900 items in 2025. Faults covered by the Finisterre guarantee are repaired free in the UK, and used clothing can be traded in for resale through its partner Reskinned.
For a first purchase, the Men’s Stormbird Waterproof Jacket costs £250 or $320 and is made from 100% recycled polyamide with fluorocarbon-free waterproofing. The product page names the factory that makes it, in Jiangsu, China, which is the kind of disclosure to look for.
9. Community Clothing
The designer Patrick Grant launched Community Clothing through Kickstarter in 2016 to keep British clothing factories busy and skilled jobs alive. The brand now works with 28 partner factories, mostly in Lancashire, Yorkshire, the East Midlands, Scotland and South Wales, and each product page says where the garment was made.
The Men’s Heritage Sweatshirt in navy (£70, about $94) is cut and sewn in Lancashire from cotton jersey knitted in Leicestershire, and the Men’s Shetland Jumper (£87, about $115) is knitted, hand linked and finished in Scotland from Scottish-spun yarn. The Darren jeans (£115, about $155) are hand cut and sewn in Lancashire from recycled denim spun and woven in Turkey.
Community Clothing only ships within the UK, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands for now, and it has paused shipping to the United States.
10. Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood promoted buying fewer clothes. At London Fashion Week in 2012 she said her message was buy less, choose well, make it last, and the brand’s sustainability page still carries those words. Westwood died on 29 December 2022, and the house still sells menswear and shows men’s collections designed by Andreas Kronthaler.
Westwood publishes season-specific material disclosures. For its Spring/Summer 2026 ready-to-wear, the brand says over 60% of the main materials are preferred materials and over 80% of the cotton it buys is recycled, regeneratively farmed or organic. These are the company’s own reports, so check the fabric, construction and any certificate for the particular garment you intend to buy.
The Two Button Krall Shirt in Primavera Cherubs, cut from 100% cotton, costs $520 (about £390) in the US. Its product page carries no garment-level sustainability note, so judge it on the fabric and the make.
Two Designers Who Shaped the Idea
These two designers provide historical and social context for slow fashion. Check current garment availability before treating an archive photograph as a buying recommendation.
Bethany Williams
Bethany Williams studied menswear for her MA at London College of Fashion, where her graduate collection, Breadline, was made with the Vauxhall Food Bank and Tesco. She launched her label in 2017 and won the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in 2019.
Her work is built around social projects, with partners including San Patrignano, Making for Change and The Magpie Project. In a 2020 interview she said the label gave 20% of its profit to the charities it worked with. Her collections often go beyond gender, and her own site now leads with her art, so check current stockists before you look for a garment.
Dries Van Noten
In May 2020 the Belgian designer Dries Van Noten led an open letter with Andrew Keith, then president of Lane Crawford, asking the industry to align seasonal collections with the weather, discount at the end of the season, and reduce fabric waste, excess inventory and unnecessary production.
Puig took a majority stake in the label in 2018. Van Noten announced his retirement in March 2024 and showed his final collection, for men’s Spring/Summer 2025, in Paris that June. Julian Klausner, who had worked at the house since 2018, became creative director in December 2024, and the label still sells menswear.
How to Make Slow Fashion Work in Your Wardrobe
Start with the gaps in what you already own, not with a brand. The clothes you wear most, usually jeans, a knit and an outer layer, are where a better-made version pays back fastest. Our step-by-step guide to building a capsule wardrobe helps you find those gaps.
Buy one garment at a time and wear it hard before you buy the next. Wash less, dry on a rack and fix small damage early, since a loose button or a split seam costs far less to mend than a blown-out knee. Use the repair services above, or a local tailor, before you replace anything.
When something no longer suits you, pass it on. Patagonia in the US, Nudie Jeans, ASKET, Finisterre and Pact all take back or resell their own clothes, often in exchange for credit or a discount, which keeps each garment in use.
Our guide to fast fashion covers the other side of the story, and our list of British menswear labels adds more makers worth knowing.