Riding the wave of the world's love affair with Scandinavia, many brands are gravitating toward minimalism and versatility: clean colours, simple cuts and an absence of unnecessary detail make it easy to mix and match pieces and integrate them into any wardrobe without overloading a look.
Losko has gathered 5 brands that combine a minimal aesthetic with a commitment to caring for the environment and their employees.
Encircled — encircled.co
The concept behind this Canadian brand was born from the love of travel held by its founder, Kristi Soomer, and her desire to look stylish without being weighed down by excess luggage.
Encircled believes that travel clothing can be both stylish and functional — their signature pieces are transformable garments that can be worn in several different ways to create a new look every day. The brand's range also includes everyday minimalist clothing: wardrobe basics, workwear, leisurewear, homewear and activewear.
Our mission is to help you travel light and achieve more with less
Attention to production and retail plays an important role in how the clothing is made — all materials are sourced from local suppliers, supporting small family businesses; fabrics are chosen with their environmental impact and durability in mind; and offcuts and defective items are recycled into leg warmers and headbands.
The company's office also uses recycled paper and eco-friendly cleaning products, and even the server that hosts the brand's website runs on wind energy.
Tribe Alive — tribealive.com
This brand describes itself as a 'worldwide artistic collaboration.' Tribe Alive produces women's clothing in clean, simple cuts with geometric prints, alongside complementary costume jewellery, bags and homewares. The geometry of some pieces carries ethnic motifs in monochrome colour schemes — a nod that both the brand's name and its concept make explicit. 'We work with women we know. We work with women we respect,' is how Tribe Alive describes its team.
Tribe Alive's products are made by craftswomen in Guatemala, Haiti, India, Honduras and Texas, in workshops that allow the brand to ensure fair working conditions, stable incomes and genuine autonomy for the women involved. Tribe Alive avoids outsourcing its production, so every stage of making its clothing and accessories takes place in local workshops under the studio's direct supervision.
SiiZU — siizu.com
Although this brand is based in New York, SiiZU is committed to minimising the carbon footprint of its production, and so keeps its factories, sewing facilities and suppliers close to one another — in Mongolia, China and Japan — to avoid unnecessary freight.
'Our philosophy is simple. To create and deliver beautiful, high-quality clothing using sustainable practices, direct to your hands, at an accessible price.'
SiiZU produces dresses, blouses and sweaters in white, black, grey and pastel tones, in both classic and casual silhouettes, made from silk, cashmere and wool. All fabrics are 100% natural and non-toxic. Many of SiiZU's suppliers also work with major established brands such as D&G, Max Mara and Alexander Wang. The brand additionally makes substantial donations to American Forests, an organisation that plants millions of trees across America and in over 50 other countries.
Thisispaper — thisispaper.com
The Warsaw design studio Thisispaper produces bags and backpacks in calm, neutral tones that balance practicality with a refined aesthetic. All production is local — supporting domestic makers matters to the label, and it is also the only way to realise the concept with full precision. As the studio's website notes, the focus in production is not on ornamentation but on simplicity, functionality and sustainability.
Environmental responsibility is central to Thisispaper, which is why the leather used in its products is tanned with plant-based substances rather than chemicals. Organic cotton and linen are also used in production, and beyond bags the brand sells organic black and green tea.
Kestan — kestan.co
The aim of the Kestan label is to help customers express themselves through their personal style. 'Every woman is multifaceted,' the brand's website declares. The range is genuinely varied — from classic, time-tested styles to unexpectedly exaggerated trapeze silhouettes, near-invisible delicate jewellery and striking polygonal pieces.
Kestan takes particular pride in its use of organic cotton — grown without technologies or substances harmful to the environment. The brand works with the Global Organic Textile Standards organisation, which oversees production standards for organic materials, from ecological impact to the working conditions of those involved in manufacturing. Brand representatives also make regular visits to supplier factories to verify in person that humane working conditions are upheld and to build closer, more trusting relationships with every part of the Kestan team.
If the idea of understated restraint in dress resonates with you, read the biography of the most minimalist of well-known designers — Yohji Yamamoto.
