Whether you’re planning for an upcoming wedding, prom, gala, or any other special occasion, these ethical formal dresses will be just the fit.
Finding consciously-made formalwear used to be (and to some extent still is) notoriously difficult, but this guide has curated the best of the best special occasion dresses for even the fanciest of outings.
These brands have party-perfect minis, chic cocktail dresses, elegant evening gowns, and even pieces that would make for fabulous sustainable prom dresses!
[Check out this guide for sustainable wedding dresses and this guide for more causal eco-friendly dresses]Before browsing this guide, though, remember to make the most of what you already have in your closet. Or, make the most of what already exists in circulation by borrowing from a friend/family member or swapping with someone you know has a formal dress that they won’t wear again.
Another great option? Checking out resale platforms like Vestiare Collective for designer brands or ThredUP for everyday and premium/mid-tier brands!
And if you just need a special occasion dress for one event, check out rental sites like Rent the Runway that offer affordable ways to get formalwear for a limited time.
If none of these options are available to you or you really feel ready to invest in an extra-special garment that you can wear for years to come, keep scrolling for our list of brands with sustainable and ethical formal dresses.
This guide contains partners and affiliate links. As always, all brands meet rigorous standards for sustainability and are brands we truly love — and that we think you’ll love too!
Brands With Sustainable Formalwear & Special Occasion Dresses
1. Rare & Fair
With elegant draping and feminine detailing, Rare & Fair’s dreamy dresses are certainly eye-catching — and the story behind each piece makes them all the more beautiful. Rare & Fair partners with artisans in Thailand, working closely with village co-operatives and small family businesses. [Read more about the co-ops, groups, and studios/centers they partner with!] The conscious UK-based brand sources sustainably-grown cotton from small-scale farmers following traditional agricultural practices (like crop rotation and natural pest control) and small-scale silk sourced from communities in Thailand using traditional methods. Each dress is lovingly handmade using traditional looms and ancient techniques like Ikat weaving. More than just a garment, Rare & Fair’s dresses are true works of textile art!
Conscious Qualities: Sustainable Traditional Fibers, Local Plant-Based Dyes, Craft Preservation, Ethical Production
Size Range: XS-L
Price Range: £££ / $$$
2. LOUDBODIES
LOUDBODIES is on a mission to prove that ethically and sustainably-produced clothing can be accessible to anyone and style knows no size. In addition to offering sizes up to 10XL, the brand also offers customizations free of charge. The brand’s garments are made from low-impact fibers like linen, cupro, Ecovero Viscose responsibly by LOUNDBODIES founder Patricia and two employees.
Conscious Qualities: Eco Fabrics, Size-Inclusive, Carbon-Offset Shipping & Eco Packaging
Size Range: XXS-10XL
Price Range: $$
3. Bastet Noir
Making each piece to order using upcycled materials, Bastet Noir is a zero-waste fashion label. The brand’s sustainable formal dresses and other elegant apparel — including silk jumpsuits — are made by women in North Macedonia. 100% of Bastet Noir’s profits are reinvested into the women’s businesses and their children’s education.
Conscious Qualities: Repurposed Materials, Made-to-Order, Gives Back
Size Range: 4-10 plus custom sizes
Price Range: $
4. AMUR
Standing for A Mindful Use of Resources, AMUR uses earth-minded fabrics including hemp, linen, cupro (a silky fiber made from cotton linter, a byproduct of cotton production), modal, and recycled polyester. AMUR has some seriously stunning gowns that would make for great sustainable prom dresses or black tie-dress code outfits. AMUR could use more information on their labor standards and production practices though.
Conscious Qualities: Earth-Minded Fabrics
Size Range: XXS-XL
Price Range: $$$$
5. Christy Dawn
Christy Dawn’s feminine dresses are vintage-inspired but totally timeless. Their flowy versatile frocks can be worn as house dresses or semi-formal wear to weddings, bridal showers, baptisms, or other not-quite black-tie occasions. Their dresses are either made from reclaimed fabrics ethically in LA (the brand even shares that they pay wages of about $21 per hour — well above the average of $6-7/hour) or from regenerative organic cotton that is sourced in partnership with a small collective in India.
Conscious Qualities: Reclaimed or Organic Fabrics, Ethical Production
Size Range: XS-3XL (extended sizing collection)
Price Range: $$$
6. Hope for Flowers
Hope for Flowers was founded on three guiding principles: the health of people, health of the planet, and equity in profit. The brand uses thoughtfully considered materials for their ethical formal dresses and other apparel like organic cotton, organic linen, and Tencel. Hope for Flowers also sources only from factories that pay living wages and ensure safe conditions.
Conscious Qualities: Black Woman-Owned, Organic & Eco Fabrics, Ethically-Made
Size Range: XS-L
7. Lahive
Bold and unique, Lahive’s stand-out dresses and other ethical formal wear will make a statement at cocktail hour or a night out downtown. The LA-based brand produces their luxe, textural pieces in small batches using upcycled materials in a factory run by solar power.
Conscious Qualities: Upcycled Fabrics, Renewable Energy, Local Production
Size Range: XS-XL
Price Range: $$$
Check Out Lahive @ ourCommonplace
Use code CONSCIOUS10 for 10% off!
8. Symbology
Symbology partners with women artisans who handcraft beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces. These artisans use traditional techniques such as block printing and hand-embroidery and are all paid living wages. The fair fashion label has striking dresses made with flattering silhouettes and many styles are offered up to size 3XL.
Conscious Qualities: Cultural Preservation, Fair Trade
Size Range: XS-3XL
Price Range: $$
9. BAACAL
Frustrated that brands often stop their size range at 12 despite the average American woman wearing size 16, BAACAL creates conscious clothing for the “true majority”: women who wear sizes 10-22. The plus-size sustainable fashion brand uses upcycled, vintage, and other existing materials for their collections.
Conscious Qualities: Upcycled Fabrics, Small-Batch Collections, Size-Inclusive
Size Range: 10-22 (unique sizing system of 1-4)
Price Range: $$$
10. Valani
Valani’s plant-based clothing is perfect for warm-weather special occasions like spring weddings, summer soirées, and date nights. The vegan fashion brand uses mindful fabrics like hemp, Tencel, and banana viscose (a silky-feeling fiber made out of discarded banana tree stems). Each piece is made in Valani’s GOTS-certified factory that follows socially and environmentally responsible practices.
Conscious Qualities: WOC-Owned, Earth-Minded Fabrics, Non-Toxic Dyes, Eco Packaging
Size Range: 0-12
Price Range: $$$
11. Smart Glamour
Smart Glamour is a size-inclusive brand not only offering XXS-15XL as well as custom sizing options for inseams, sleeve lengths, and hem lengths. Since the pieces are made-to-order, you could also get entirely customized ethical formal dresses designed to your specifications! Each piece is responsibly made from start to finish in Queens, NY.
Conscious Qualities: Ethical Production, Made-to-Order, Size-Inclusive
Size Range: XXS-15XL + custom
Price Range: $
12. Cécile de Fleur
Elegant, sophisticated, and designed with sustainability in mind, Cécile de Fleur’s eco-friendly wedding dresses are designed to be worn again and again. [Check out the full guide to sustainable wedding dresses.]
The brand’s chic dresses are crafted in New York City using cruelty-free peace silk and intricate French leavers lace, and are colored with GOTS-certified dyes.
Conscious Qualities: Peace Silk, Eco Dyes & Packaging, Local Production, WOC-Owned
Size Range: 0 – 12
Price Range: $$$$
13. Stella McCartney
Sustainable designer label Stella McCartney utilizes mindful materials like organic cotton, recycled fabrics, and cellulosic fibers for their ready-to-wear garments. The company also uses an Environmental Profit & Loss Statement, which is a “breakthrough decision-making tool” that helps Stella McCartney take a deeper look at their environmental impact, their progress, and the ways they can improve.
Conscious Qualities: Low-Impact Materials, Transparent Reporting, Social Sustainability
Size Range: 0-8
Price Range: $$$$
14. wearwell
wearwell is a sustainable fashion marketplace that curates conscious brands across a range of categories. They have a fabulous dresses collection, which includes sustainable formal dresses and workwear dresses.
They also have their “wearwell again” program where you can either sell your preloved wearwell garments or buy secondhand pieces that were sustainably made in the first place!
Conscious Qualities: Vets Brands for Sustainable Materials & Ethical Production, Resale Program
Size Range: XXS – 3XL
Price Range: $ -$$
15. Eileen Fisher
For simpler sustainable formal dresses, take a browse through Eileen Fisher’s collection of minimalistic trans-seasonal dresses and skirts. The earth-minded designer uses fabrics like cupro, organic cotton, and Tencel and colors garments with Bluesign-certified and non-toxic dyes. Plus, Eileen Fisher has a takeback program where they resale or upcycled used garments.
Conscious Qualities: Organic & Eco Fibers, Non-Toxic Dyes, Circular Brand
Size Range: XXS-3XL
Price Range: $$
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