Arab and Middle Eastern fashion labels have been emerged to fame for decades now. Lebanese designers Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, and Reem Acra are one of the most recognisable names in the global fashion industry. They have transformed the face of haute couture and reached millions of celebrities and fashion icons around the world.
Less known however, are the more recently established, smaller sustainable and fair fashion brands which are definitely worth to keep an eye on. These brands not only design extremely stylish and fashionable collections, however, also produce locally and eco-friendly, using natural materials, recycled and rescued fabrics. They hire skilled artisans with modern or traditional techniques and guarantee fair wages in a healthy working environment.
ECOLOOKBOOK proudly presents the top ethical and sustainable fashion brands from Dubai and the Middle East.
ABADIA
Dubai | Ethical luxury. Bridging modern design with traditional craftsmanship. Abadia is an ethical luxury label that celebrates culture through timeless contemporary designs. With careful attention to fabric and detail, each garment is designed to be cherished and seen as an investment that you are likely to preserve and pass on.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Supports artisans
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
Shop here abadia.me
ALL THINGS MOCHI
Dubai | a youthful sustainable and ethical fashion label with contemporary pieces made by artisans using traditional embroidery from around the world.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Supports artisans
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Giving back
Shop here allthingsmochi.com
BLSSD
Dubai | ready-to-wear and one-size collections with bold expressions of reinterpreted sportswear codes and urban utility. BLSSD is giving back to charities supporting cancer sufferer and survivors.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Environmental footprint
✓ Giving back
Shop here blssdfashion.com
BY M.A.R.Y
Dubai | sustainable and ethical fashion label inspired by the founder’s African roots with a twist of modern rock and a bang up-to-date contemporary attitude. The collections are locally produced and made for all women who want to feel sexy and classy in a distinctive way. Women who love to wear clothes that are unique and designed for their shape. Women with colour and music in their heart.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Giving back
Shop here by-mary.co
DUST & HAZEL
Dubai | beautiful fashion and accessory label. Mindfully sourced from far and away.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Sustainable materials
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here instagram.com/dustandhazel/
DONNA HOURANI
Dubai | sustainable and ethical luxurious jewellery label. Only high quality, natural precious and semi precious gemstones, along with 18 karat gold, are used to create the pieces, which are handpicked and ethically sourced by the woman behind the brand herself, Donna Hourani. The brand is proudly committed and upholds high standards of environmental, social and economical sustainability throughout the supply chain.
✓ Supply chain transparency
✓ Ethical
✓ Supports artisans
✓ Sustainable materials
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here donnahourani.com
EMILIA OHRTMANN
Dubai | The founder and designer Emilia Ohrtmann is also the author of It’s Your Life – How to Choose Confidence. It is Emilia’s mission to help women feel confident, not only through fashion but in all areas of their lives. Every piece of her collection has a unique story and a message, either obvious or hidden.The collection is minimalistc with a lot of white and black and the fabrics that are used are high quality, natural fibre, vegan and organic wherever possible.. As a mother of four she loves to support mothers and their children by supporting charities that support safe child birth and prodvide education to all children around the world.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Animal Welfare
✓ Environmental footprint
✓ Giving back
Shop here emiliaohrtmann.ae
EURTHLIN
Dubai | luxury accessory label that creates premium collections of Earth inspired, signature printed luxury vegan handbags and pouches. All bags are cruelty-free, without compromising on quality or style. PETA approved and registered with the Vegan Society
✓ Ethical production
✓ Eco dyes and printing
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Animal Welfare
✓ Giving back
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here eurthlin.com
FLORENCE OWENS
Dubai | Florence Owens is the new transeasonal and transitional brand with a strong, sustainable stance from Studio K LLC and fashion-industry visual creator, Kristin Nystrom. Envisioned and put into production during the pandemic, it sets out to represent the fashion and culturally conscious, of any age, that hold a passion for refined relaxation and timeless style.
✓ Supply chain transparency
✓ Ethical production
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here florence-owens.com
FYNE JEWELLERY
Dubai | The Middle East’s first lab grown diamond jewellery brand, purposefully created using conflict-free, sustainably created diamonds. FINE JEWLLERY uses only the highest caliber, sustainable lab grown diamonds and ethically sourced 18K gold, to giving back to the communities in which the brand operates. The ethical luxury jewellery brand works exclusively with suppliers who share its values and never compromise on its standards and neither should you.
✓ Supply chain
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable materials
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here fynejewellery.com
KALEIDOSCOPE BY MIMI
Dubai | sustainable and ethical glam-boho collections for the stylish people, designed and made from artisans around the world. This carefully curated explosion of colour, pattern and texture stands out in every design, cherishing age-old textile customs whilst giving the figure supreme comfort, perfect for every day wear. Kaleidoscope by Mimi is not just about fashion, it’s about global bohemia, carefree joie-de-vivre, and pleasure, designed to make you smile and leave a lasting impression.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Supports artisans
✓ Environmental footprint
✓ Giving back
Shop here kaleidoscopebymimi.com
LEA THE LABEL
photo: leathelabel.com
Dubai | sustainable premium swimwear label that creates collections with eco-friendly Italian fabrics in collaboration with ECONYL®. Léa the Label exudes an ethereal sense of understated elegance by offering timeless collections designed with intention. The brand values meticulous craftsmanship and provides a diverse range of silhouettes designed to mix and match, while maintaining a balance of comfort, quality and style. All swimsuits and bikinis are resistant to chlorine and sun-tan oils. They are UV protective and feel ultra smooth—ensuring the best-fit and long lasting wear. Léa the Labe believes in sustainability and protecting our planet.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Giving back
Shop here leathelabel.com
NOMADIC STATE OF MIND MIDDLE EAST
photo: @nomadicstateofmindme
Dubai | original Australian rope sandals handmade by small communities in Nicaragua creating employment and income, which suffered from massive poverty. “Nomadic State of Mind puts a lot of focus on sustainability and environment in the production process. One of its major goals is to operate with “No waste at all”. The brand also secures employment and income for all employees outside the sandal season. Nomadic State of Mind is a small but flourishing company and will continue to design and deliver excellent quality for affordable prices, handmade rope art made for happy and stylish people.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Supports artisans
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable materials
✓ Eco dyes and printing
✓ Environmental footprint
✓ Giving back
Shop here nomadicstateofmind.me
OHOY SWIM
photo: ohoyswim.com
Dubai | OHOY swim was founded 2016 by two Scandinavians living far from home, where the desert meets the sea. Henna and Anna created OHOY for everyday girls like them, to wear both on land and in the water. With a focus on Scandinavian simplicity & a responsibility to look after the environment, all OHOY products are made sustainably and ethically.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Eco dyes and printing
✓ Giving back
Shop here ohoyswim.com
ONLY ETHIKAL
photo: onlyethikal.com
Dubai | ONLY ETHIKAL is an online marketplace for sustainable fashion. The company is committed to work only with brands, who are already bringing the required radical change in the fashion industry with their designs and methods of production. Here you will find unique products for every occasion in life, made by handpicked artisans and designers from all over the world. ONLY ETHIKAL aims to provide a selection of clothes and accessories that will make it comfortable for everyone to chose ethically produced fashion wear. All brands produce their designs using natural materials, rescued fabrics, using skilled artisans with modern or traditional techniques and guarantee fair wages in a healthy working environment.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Eco dyes and printing
✓ Environmental footprint
✓ Giving back
Shop here onlyethikal.com
RONI HELOU
photo: ronihelou.com
Beirut | upcoming fashion label with edgy and unique designs made out of dead stock materials. Engaging in methods of sustainability and local action, RONI HELOU is a brand for a proactive generation. RONI HELOU creates forward and androgynous ready-to-wear pieces while shedding light on social and environmental issues, and maintaining a system that preserves values of eco-friendliness and ethical practices. The label sources materials from vintage and/or dead stocks. RONI HELOU also supports its local Lebanese community by producing and working exclusively with tailors and artisans from all over the country.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Circular
Shop here ronihelou.com
SADEEM
photo: bysadeem.com
Riyadh | SADEEM is an eco-conscious, sophisticated Pret-a-Couture fashion brand by Saudi designer Aljawharah (Sadeem) Alshehail. The line is centered on creating nonseasonal, collectible high-end pieces for a woman who is confident, elegant and sophisticated. SADEEM’s garments are designed and created with a focus on quality and a very acute attention to detail, resulting in clean lines and a luxurious feel. As an advocate of sustainable design, SADEEM embraces ethical practices, collaborating with companies that share the same principles. SADEEM’s fabrics are non-toxic and are sourced from companies that employ sustainable practices. The core value of SADEEM is to provide fashion that has a positive impact on the global environment and society.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Circular
✓ Giving back
Shop here bysadeem.com
SOUND.ON
photo: soundonstreetwear.com
Dubai | SOUND.ON is an environmentally conscious brand that creates collections made out of reworked vintage, deadstock, recycled, and pre-loved pieces. Here you will find cool and one-of-a-kind upcycled pieces. The brand encourages its audience to think more responsibly about their shopping habits through exploration of upcycling and eliminates the need for production of raw materials.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Circular
✓ Giving back
Shop here soundonstreetwear.com
SARAH’S BAG
photo: sarahsbag.com
Beirut | Sarah’s Bag is a Lebanese fashion house and social enterprise that creates one-of-a-kind luxury hand crafted bags and accessories that empower both the women who make them and the women who wear them. Sarah’s Bag handbags combine a colourful and sophisticated aesthetic with luxurious, meticulous craftsmanship. Each collection is both an exploration of new materials and techniques, and a revival and reinterpretation of traditional crafts such as hand beading, embroidery, sequining, crocheting and fabric manipulation. We love the quirky, cool and oversized handbags and accessories made by artisans who are all either ex-prisoners, prisoners or women from underprivileged backgrounds, living in Lebanon
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fabrics
✓ Supports artisans
✓ Giving back
Shop here sarahsbag.com
THE GIVING MOVEMENT
photo: thegivingmovement.com
Dubai | Sustainable street and activewear brand that’s designed and manufactured in the UAE. The label is very passionate about our planet and uses two sustainable materials; recycled nylon which is made from waste plastic water bottles and certified organic bamboo which is made from biodegradable bamboo pulp. THE GIVING MOVEMENT also donates $4 to their partner charities for every item sold. Yep, that’s right, not the total amount, but for every item in your basket.
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Environmental footprint
✓ Giving back
Shop here thegivingmovement.com
MODIBODI UAE
photo: modibodi.ae
Dubai | world’s first sustainable period proof underwear label. Brought over to Dubai in September 2018 by Australian expat Natalie Hobbs. Comfortable, better for the environment, cheaper in the long-run, safer, looks great and works! The label Modibodi wants to empower all women and teens and caters for all body shapes and sizes. Refusing to photoshop their models, you’ll see models that look exactly like they do in real life. Modibodi believes that cellulite, freckles and stretch marks are natural and should not be seen as ugly and erased.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Animal welfare
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Eco dyes and printing
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here modibodi.ae
GOSHOPIA
photo: goshopia.com
Dubai | GOSHOPIA is a fashion online marketplace for slow, sustainable and socially responsible fashion. Here you will find designers and brands that embrace not only beautiful and stylish collections but also not mass produced items, eco-friendly production and fair working conditions. The platform offers exclusive luxury products that support the local economy, respect mother nature and exude quality and design. This is what GOSHOPIA calls sustainable style.
✓ Ethical production
✓ Sustainable fibres
✓ Eco dyes and printing
✓ Environmental footprint
Shop here goshopia.com
Original Article by: ECOLOOKBOOK
