Top 7 Sustainable Fashion Brands: How To Use Social Media To Stand Out Online In 2024
How to use social media to stand out online is a popular question. For digital marketers and brands that want to succeed, social media creates many opportunities for elevating a brand’s positioning.
For most clothing brands, social media plays a critical role in raising brand awareness, boosting engagement, and creating customer trust and loyalty.
For sustainable fashion brands that are ethical in how they source and manufacture their products and integrate sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into all aspects of their businesses, it’s important to communicate these impacts via social media.
Whether sustainable fashion brands are nature-positive, carbon-positive, or have organic certifications or fair trade certifications, they can leverage the power of cause marketing using social media.
By communicating their positive environmental and social impacts, the best sustainable fashion brands can boost interest in their content. This helps them reach even more people and instill a real sense of trust and loyalty.
Below we look at 7 eco fashion brands that are transforming the way they do business and leading by example. They’re also using social media in unique ways. Many are entirely flipping the way commercial brands traditionally marketed themselves, using unique and innovative sustainable fashion campaign ideas based on purpose-driven marketing.
Leveraging social good through social media
What all of the slow fashion brands and ethical fashion brands below have in common is a great content strategy. In addition to a professionally crafted content strategy, they have a real sense of purpose, a commitment to creating social good, and the courage to be different in every way.
They’re also all using social media to amplify their reach, engagement, and impact.
From Patagonia which has given away all of its profits, to Amour Vert which discourages consumerism and the purchasing of more clothes than you need.
For many purpose-led brands that sell apparel, clothing, and footwear, it can be challenging to know how to leverage the power of social media.
On the one hand, these brands want to drive sales and profits, but on the other hand, they also want to increase their social and environmental impact and discourage consumerism.
Sustainable fashion brands are finding ways to bring these two seemingly divergent ideals together. They’re doing this by making a profit from selling goods that are actually good for people and the planet. And by reinvesting profits, these brands are also creating more positive environmental and social impacts.
The power of a purpose-led marketing strategy
Having a purpose-led digital marketing strategy is at the heart of what makes an eco-fashion brand stand out online and succeed.
Is your eco-fashion brand looking to get started with a kick-ass digital marketing strategy?
Then you may want to first get some inspiration from leading sustainable fashion brands and slow fashion brands around the world.
That’s why we’ve created the sustainable fashion case studies below.
If you need help designing a digital marketing strategy and a social media strategy for your sustainable business, then consider collaborating with an experienced eco-marketing agency in Australia.
Ideally, you’ll want to find one that specialises in social media management for eco brands, like Green Socials. And a digital marketing agency that offers bespoke and specialised social media management packages.
Working with an experienced online marketing agency for eco brands can give you the edge when it comes to content marketing that actually converts and elevates your brand and your impact. (See our best practice tips on content marketing in Australia).
Reasons why eco-fashion brands need to use social media
Before we look at how brands are using social media to elevate their brand awareness and impact, it’s important to understand why social media is so important.
Over the last 10 years, there’s been a major shift to online retail where shoppers can now buy the clothes and accessories they want directly from a brand’s website or online store. While many physical stores have opened online equivalents, there are also many fashion stores that are 100% online.
And with so many brands competing for consumer’s attention, it’s increasingly difficult for fashion brands to get noticed by customers.
That’s where social media comes into play.
Social media can help brands get discovered organically
Social media can help your brand be discovered through organic searches online. A Social media presence also helps brands be found through paid ads that can reach large and highly targeted audiences.
There are over 4.2 billion social media users in the world, which accounts for close to half the world’s population. If your brand doesn’t have a social media presence, then chances are it won’t reach its full potential in terms of any marketing goals.
Social media is an opportunity to leverage influencer partnerships
Social media is also a great place to connect with influencers. Influencers may support your brand and help others to discover it too.
If your brand is strategic about how it uses social media, the benefits can be very rewarding. Strong influencer partnerships can help drive increased traffic to your site and online store and can help to enhance your brand reputation and customer loyalty.
Social media provides an avenue for content marketing
Did you know that 65% of fashion consumers care about the environment, according to one study by Bain and WWF?
They just need to find brands that offer sustainable products and who they can trust to actually be as green as they say they are. Over a third of all people are willing to pay more for products that are sustainable, and would even pay up to 15% extra for those products.
A UK study on the fashion industry revealed that 67% of consumers look at sustainable materials when deciding which clothes to buy. And, 63% consider how brands promote their sustainability as important when buying clothes.
By having a positive social media presence and helping prospective customers learn about and engage with your brand, you have a better chance of converting supporters into customers.
For purpose-led brands that are all about environmental and social impact, having a social media presence also means you can scale your impact considerably through purposeful and strategic cause marketing.
The way messages are composed, the words you choose to use, the imagery you select, and the way you convey your brand message will determine the success of your social media campaigns.
How sustainable fashion brands use social media marketing
The power of social media makes it an indispensable tool for any purpose-led brand.
Some of the most popular social media platforms include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. In addition, most brands invest significantly in their websites, and for fashion brands that includes having a fast-loading and mobile-friendly online store.
Social media can be used to create more brand awareness, more engagement and to make more sales.
In addition, social media is a great place for fashion brands to “listen” to customers and find out what type of fashion resonates best with them. It’s also a great place to discover what’s trending, and what the latest fashion crazes are that can be incorporated into designs and campaigns.
If done right, social media marketing can turn fans and followers into brand ambassadors by encouraging user generated content. Having an active, responsive and transparent social media presence can also help build brand loyalty and trust.
Below we explore some of these viral social media strategies in more detail.
1) Share User-Generated Content
Leveraging user-generated content (UGC) is a way for sustainable fashion brands to raise brand awareness and enhance engagement.
That can be achieved by encouraging people to share photos or videos of themselves wearing your brand’s clothing. Or, brands can post positive customer reviews of products.
Fashion brands can also create targeted social media campaigns to actively elicit and encourage high levels of UGC and engagement.
This can be done through digital contests and competitions, or hashtag campaigns that encourage people to post pictures of themselves wearing your brand.
2) Create Dedicated Fashion Hashtags
Many social media platforms allow users to search and follow hashtags, which makes it important to have a hashtag strategy. Hashtags can help your followers see all of your content, and they can also help non-followers to discover your feed.
Each platform has recommendations about how many hashtags to use. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on trending hashtags and try to include some of them in your posts. For fashion brands, that includes hashtags like #styleinspo, #instafashion, #fashionista, and #outfitoftheday.
As an ethical and sustainable fashion brand, you’ll also want to include hashtags that show your uniqueness such as #ecofashion, #slowfashion, #sustainablefashion and #handmade.
3) Get Insights About Upcoming Trends
Social media is a great place for brands to employ active listening. That includes getting ideas and inspiration about the latest fashion trends.
Social listening helps to better understand how trends are changing and to monitor the different trends in regions or countries around the world.
Sustainable fashion is an example of a fashion trend. By understanding the principles of ethical marketing and what consumers are looking for, brands can improve how they reach and communicate with their audiences.
4) Align Your Social Media Posts with Trending Topics
Staying on trend is usually high on the agenda of fashion brands.
But when it comes to social media, you can also identify trends as they emerge that you may want to adopt. By posting content linked to the latest trends, you stand a better chance of attracting higher engagement and raising your brand awareness.
You’ll be happy to know that eco fashion is already a trend. But there are also many niches within eco fashion that you may want to jump on. For example, the use of natural dyes, and the use of bio-materials like tencel, organic bamboo and seaweed.
And in addition to fashion trends and trending topics, you may also want to plan content around trending events that are linked to both fashion and sustainability.
For example, Earth Day, World Biodiversity Day or Sustainable Fashion Week are all major environmental events with large followings.
By posting about trending events and incorporating their hashtags into your content, you may be able to connect with people who are already supporters of eco causes like yours.
5) Strategically Use Paid Ads
Another great strategy for elevating your eco-conscious brand, is to invest in some paid advertisements on social media.
You can use paid ads to promote your new range of eco clothing, or to launch your eco campaigns.
Paid ads can be highly targeted to help you reach your intended audience. They can also produce invaluable insights that can inform future campaigns and ads.
6) Great Storytelling on Blogs Can Drive Organic Traffic
Fashion brands can use content marketing in the form of blogs to drive targeted traffic to their websites using search engine optimisation.
Using a content strategy that incorporates SEO and great keyword research, fashion brands can attract visitors who are interested in all things eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable.
Captivating storytelling and optimised content require skill and experience. At Green-Socials, our team of sustainability and marketing specialists offer bespoke blog post-writing services to help brands succeed.
7) Get Great at Customer Service using Social Media
Fashion brands can use their social media presence to wow customers with great customer service. This can help convert people to becoming clients, and can help enhance your reputation and customer loyalty.
Many people want to connect with brands on social media to ask for support. By providing quick responses to queries and handling negative feedback, brands can keep on top of sentiment and handle their PR in a positive manner.
8) Link Your Online Store to Your Social Media Profile
Many social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow brands to directly link products to storefronts. That allows users to view and purchase products directly from social media pages, making it easier and quicker to purchase online.
Selling on social media and social commerce is a huge opportunity for brands to increase their conversion rates and is changing how fashion is bought and sold.
9) Collaborate With Other Brands and Influencers
Social media provides many opportunities to collaborate with worldwide partners, sponsors, collaborators, and influencers to reach different audiences. This is a massive opportunity for fashion brands to elevate their brands.
Not only does collaboration help brands reach a wider and different audience, but it can also help brands to innovate, reach higher engagement rates and create social proof.
10) Use the Power of Strong Visuals and Direct Messaging
By their nature, many social media platforms are increasingly prioritising strong visuals and direct messages to reach fans, followers and new audiences.
Fashion brands can use this to their advantage by posting images and videos of their product ranges to encourage engagement and direct sales.
When combined with creative storytelling and a strong social media strategy, visual content can have powerful impacts for a brand’s reputation, growth and customer loyalty.
Top 7 Eco-Fashion Brands and How They Use Social Media
Below are seven of the most iconic and well-known sustainable brands in fashion. They’re also brands that have captured large social media followings and have used platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn to elevate their brands.
By analysing successful social media case studies and fashion campaigns, brands can gain insights and ideas about how to create their own successful social media campaign strategies.
1) Tentree
Tentree is one of the best known eco clothing brands. Every time someone buys an item of clothing from Tentree, they plant 10 trees. That helps to regenerate ecosystems and mitigate climate change. To date, their customers have helped plant over 75 million trees.
Tentree is also committed to sustainably sourcing their materials. They use materials that are organic and recycled such as Tencel, organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Tentree’s commitment to sustainability also extends to social responsibility and sustainable communities. They support ethical labour rights and comply with international labour standards. Tentree is also a certified BCorp and was awarded Best for the world in Community in 2021.
🎯 How Tentree uses social media to engage its audience
With over 2 million Instagram followers, Tentree uses the power of cause marketing to promote its products while also advocating that people do what’s good for the planet.
Tentree uses social media to educate their customers on materials science and how their approach to sustainable sourcing of fabrics can create a better world. For example, this post about their ‘seafleece’, shows how they’re helping to protect oceans by making fabrics from recycled plastics to avoid them ending up in the sea.
Tentree has used viral and innovative campaigns to raise brand awareness and do good for the Earth. They made history when their ‘double tap to plant a tree’ Instagram campaign in 2019 resulted in them plating a million trees.
Launched during Earth Week, the campaign had over 15 million likes, which resulted in a 400,000 increase in followers. That also resulted in a 200% increase in website traffic from the USA alone.
Tentree has used viral and innovative campaigns to raise brand awareness and do good for the Earth. They made history when their ‘double tap to plant a tree’ Instagram campaign in 2019 resulted in them plating a million trees.
Launched during Earth Week, the campaign had over 15 million likes, which resulted in a 400,000 increase in followers. That also resulted in a 200% increase in website traffic from the USA alone.
2) TOMS
TOMS is a well known shoe brand, based in the USA that is famous for their ‘one for one’ model. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donated a pair of shoes to people in need.
In 2018 TOMS registered as a BCorp and evolved their model to include support for health, education and community development initiatives through a range of partnerships. They now give ⅓ of their profits for ‘grassroots good’.
Their impact to date has been impressive: TOMS has given away 100,000,000 pairs of shoes, touching the lives of millions of people.
TOMS is also committed to material sustainability and sustainability in design. They source the materials from which shoes are made using an Earthwise framework, which includes 100% organic cotton, recycled cotton, TENCEL lyocell REFIBRA, recycled polyester, eco-fiber, eco EVA from sugarcane, and other recycled components.
🎯 How TOMS uses social media to create brand awareness
TOMS has been successful at using their social media presence to generate immense brand awareness, engagement, consumer trust and loyalty.
Like some other sustainable brands, they focus a lot of their content on the impact that’s created when people buy their products. And their tag line of “Wear TOMS. Wear GOOD” reflects this cause marketing approach, and their focus on positive brand values.
Having a cause as a central pillar of your content marketing strategy can be a powerful way of achieving your goals, driving revenue growth and powering even more impact.
TOMS has also used influencers and celebrities to endorse their cause and this has helped them reach new audiences on social media and create a sense of consumer trust.
3) Patagonia
With its humble beginnings, Patagonia has grown into one of the most recognised outdoor clothing brands in the world.
Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is a household name in many countries across the globe.
They have a long history of research and development into sustainable fabrics, sustainable supply chains and sustainable manufacturing - and are known for their ‘business unusual’ approach of integrating sustainability throughout their business and work culture.
In 2018, the brand redefined their purpose statement as ‘we’re in business to save our home planet’. And in 2022, ownership of Patagonia was boldly transferred to a trust that aims to protect the planet, which has sparked significant global recognition.
As Patagonia celebrates 50 years of being in business, the company says that “together we can prioritise purpose over profit and protect this wondrous planet, our only home.”
🎯 How Patagonia uses social media to raise awareness for ethical fashion
Patagonia has over 5 million Instagram followers and uses environmental activism, environmental messaging and cause marketing to drive brand awareness. Social media is also used to create support for its mission and vision are at the core of Patagonia’s marketing strategy.
Its strong ethical views and values based on y acting responsibly and sustainably (including consumer choices), clearly appeal to a growing number of people.
Many of their social media posts include support for environmental activism campaigns. For example:“Let’s ditch growth for growth’s sake and turn capitalism on its head. Together, we can support communities in harm’s way, and save this wondrous, resilient planet, our only home. What’s next is unstoppable.”
Even Patagonia’s non-marketing advice and anti-consumerism stance (like campaigns called ‘don’t buy this jacket’) have resulted in boosted sales and brand support.
Patagonia puts a lot of effort into building transparency and an authentic voice, which all help to enhance customer trust and loyalty.
4) Alternative Apparel
Alternative Apparel is an established eco-fashion brand that uses sustainable materials and responsible manufacturing processes to create casual and comfortable clothing.
Launched in 1995, this eco-brand makes clothes from 100% recycled polyester, local US-grown cotton and TENCEL Modal wood fibre.
Their collection, known as Earthleisure, is marketed as non-conforming and sustainable. This is in direct contrast with fast fashion.
Alternative Apparel is dedicated to fair labour practices. They communicate how their clothes are made by people who are treated fairly and earn a fair wage, in accordance with their Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Fair Labor Association membership.
🎯 How Alternative Apparel uses social media to make an impact
Alternative Apparel has over 200,000 Facebook followers and over 75K Instagram followers. They’ve been strategic in using a campaign hashtag on social media, such as #WeAreAlternative, that encapsulates their uniqueness. This has helped them brand themselves as the better alternative to fast fashion.
Compared with big brands like TOMS and Patagonia, Alternative Apparel doesn’t spend as much time on activist content. They also don’t spend too much time on social media posts that are in-depth about their sustainability methods and processes. But, their posts about their commitment to using sustainable fabrics do seem to bring them higher engagement rates.
Where Alternative Apparel has been successful using social media is to create a community of fans and followers that are loyal to the brand and who trust in their brand and appreciate their commitment to sustainability. Their website isn’t very extensive and doesn’t have a blog, so their social media content is really what helps their clothing to sell.
5) People Tree UK
People Tree is a UK-based fair trade and ethical fashion brand that was started way back in 1991.
Not only are their clothes made with vegan, fair trade and organic certifications, but the brand is also all about supporting and reviving traditional garment-making skills. That includes weaving, knitting, and hand embroidery.
Highly committed to fair trade, People Tree does a lot to ensure fair wages, good working conditions, transparency, gender equality.
They strive to use environmental best practice and are believers in the fact that fashion can be a force for good when done right.
🎯 How People Tree UK uses social media to showcase their commitment to fair trade products
Compared with many other clothing and apparel brands, People Tree places a large emphasis on being transparent. That includes transparency about who makes their clothes, how they are made and what impact they’re having on the planet.
They use imagery and creative storytelling to showcase all the makers of their clothing - providing a real sense of purpose behind their brand.
With over 123,000 followers on Instagram, and a range of social media channels, People Tree is leveraging the immense power of social media to reach a wide audience of fellow planet protectors.
Many of their social media posts show how this mission-driven brand benefits the Earth They also manage to break many stereotypes through their choice of models, creating a more authentic brand personality.
6. Amour Vert
Real, authentic connections and respect for people and planet are at the heart of what the Amour Vert brand is all about.
They’re committed to avoiding the waste that often plagues fast fashion, by creating small batches of curated fashion items. They also actively encourage the re-use and re-selling of pre-loved clothing through a dedicated Re Amour marketplace.
For every tee shirt you buy, Amour Vert plants a tree to help offset their carbon emissions. To date, they’re managed to plant over 140,000 trees. They also take sustainable manufacturing seriously - using non-toxic clothing dyes. And they use sustainable fabrics like ethical wool, modal and plant fibres.
Their tag line “with every stitch a purpose” succinctly summarises their commitment to artisan-made products, circular design, and sustainable supply chains.
🎯 How Amour Vert uses social media to promote slow fashion
Amour Vert promotes reduced consumption as a way of living more sustainably. This ethical, transparent and authentic approach seems to have great appeal with their fans and followers.
Building a sustainable wardrobe is “all about buying fewer, better things”. That’s according to Amour Vert’s VP of Product and Sustainability, Aylin Beyce.
Amour Vert also uses strategic social media collaborations to cross promote their brand with other sustainable and ethical brands. Their user generated content on social media provides inspiration and creates a sense of community and brand trust.
7. Reformation
Passionate about helping to mitigate climate change, Reformation has elevated its brand by being 100% carbon neutral and setting targets for waste and water minimisation. In doing so, it has helped educate consumers about how dirty fashion can have a detrimental effect on the health of both people and the planet.
Reformation uses sustainable materials to make their garments and even incorporates rescued and repurposed clothes and fabrics into their designs. They’re also transparent about their products - providing customers with information on how much carbon and water was used to make each item (or saved by buying them over other brands).
Even their well known slogan “Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option, We’re #2” pitches them as the transparent second best thing to owning nothing, or buying nothing.
🎯 How Reformation uses social media to encourage carbon-neutral clothing
With a strong following on Instagram of over 1.9 million, and over 330,000 Facebook followers - Reformation uses lots of user-generated content and authentic, playful humour to drive engagement and brand awareness.
The brand also doesn’t take itself too seriously on social media. In addition to loads of funny memes, authentically entertaining videos, and user-generated content - their personality is quite edgy and real, which is quite refreshing for a fashion brand.
Reformation has loads of celebrity endorsements and many influencers have featured them in their content on social media.
Reformation also creates environmentally-focused campaigns like “Carbon Is Cancelled”. This campaign gives shoppers credits that they can use to buy clothes when they reduce their carbon footprints.
Their social media posts show how much water and carbon customers can save the Earth through buying their clothes. This type of visual storytelling links their brand to a cause (and a practical call to action) very effectively.
How To Elevate Your Ethical Clothing Brand Using Social Media
These leading examples of ethical and sustainable fashion brands and how to use social media to stand out online, should provide a bounty of inspiration for any aspiring small business owner.
These fashion case studies show that brands can leverage social media to boost business goals and scale impact. That can be particularly impactful for purpose-driven brands.
Social media is a powerful tool for transforming brands. That’s why online marketing is a priority for eco-friendly businesses.
But, being present on social media, posting regularly, and actively engaging with your audience isn’t enough. You need a carefully crafted social media marketing strategy to convert your audience of customers, brand influencers and supporters.
What’s required is a social media strategy that incorporates a bespoke content strategy, an eco influencer strategy, a paid ads strategy and creatively designed purpose-led campaigns.
While you might be able to do some of this marketing on your own, leaving it to experienced marketing agency experts can also help you free up time to focus on your core business.
👉 If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency Melbourne, Sydney, or anywhere in Australia, then Green Socials can provide you with bespoke social media marketing packages.
Connect with us to find out more about how Green Socials can help you create tailored social media content and campaigns to elevate your sustainable, mission-led brand.
