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April 26, 2024
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Yes, for the planet, we should practice minimalism and buy as little as we can. It is also a good idea to explore second-hand options first before making the decision to buy newly produced items. But when we do, it is important not to become a slave of fast fashion and focus on pieces of clothing that are ethically and environmentally-friendly produced. This means ditching stores like Zara, Mango or Topshop and look for brands that are trying to reduce their impact on the planet. In general, these brands only use organic fabrics or recycled materials, cut down their use of water and electricity, try to keep their transport CO2 emissions low, are vegan and have fair work conditions for the people producing their designs. Do you think finding shops and brands like that is hard? Well, in Berlin it is definitely not! There is an amazing green fashion scene in Berlin with dozens of sustainable fashion stores all over the city. Berlin even hosts an annual sustainable fashion show that runs synchronically to the conventional fashion week. When traveling, this city is the top pick to explore the sustainable fashion movement and we compiled a Sustainable Fashion Berlin Guide for you with our favorites. Here it is!
Below you can find 10 great hotspots in Berlin where you can buy slow, ethical and eco-friendly fashion. These shops are spread out across Berlins districts so be prepared to take out a day in your schedule if you want to visit them all!
Corvera Vargas is an ethical designer shop owned by Bolivian Maria Corvera Vargas. The clothes they design are simple but sophisticated, ranging from tops and pants to amazing dresses and jumpsuits.
Their collections are small with limited numbers of pieces. This is because they only work with surplus fabrics. They source leftover stock from luxurious and exclusive fashion houses around Europe that would otherwise go to waste to use for the production of their designs. This provides the clothes with a really unique feel.
For the surplus collection, they work together with a small Polisch family-run company to produce the items. All production is fair. Aside from the surplus collection, they also produce an alpaca knitwear collection in Bolivia. The wool is ethically sourced in Bolivia and the pieces of their alpaca line are manufactured by Andean Aymara and Quechua artisans, so it supports the local economy in the country.
The vibe in the store is warm and friendly. Entering the store there is a cute little dog who will greet you… and get very excited!
Corvera Vargas
Pflügerstrasse 70, 12047 Berlin
Closest U-bahn: U8 Schönleinstrasse
Opening hours: Mon to fri 11h-17h30 sat 11h-19h
Webshop: Corvera Vargas
Sustainable fashion in Berlin: Merz b. Schwanen
If you’re traveling to Berlin, then certainly don’t forget to pay a visit to the beautiful store of Merz b. Schwanen located in the Rosenthaler Strasse in the heart of the city.
When it comes to sustainable fashion, the Merz. B. Schwanen store in Berlin stands out as one of the top-notch brands regarding ethical craftsmanship. Merz b. Schwanen has gained popularity for producing durable and comfortable garments using traditional manufacturing techniques. The brand distinguishes itself from other companies by using circular knitting machines from the 1889s to 60s, which produce seamless garments.
Moreover, the main fabric they use to produce their garments is organic cotton which is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Work conditions are fair since the clothes are produced in Germany and Portugal and even the packaging is eco-friendly, made of recycled materials.
Gitta and Peter Plotnicki, the owners, wanted to design their store in a sustainable way so they chose high-quality vintage pieces of furniture for the store. The products on sale range from clothes, bags, accessories, books and pens to key chains, room sprays, and soaps. A must-visit when in Berlin!
You can read my personal review of Merz b. Schwanen to find out more!
Merz b. Schwanen Flagship Store
Gormannstr 25 10119 Berlin
U-bahn: Uhlandstrasse
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 11h-19h
Website: Merz b. Schwanen
Slow Friday is a fair fashion store located in Mitte. They opened up in 2019 so they are relatively new to the scene but they stole our hearts with their amazing shop and collection. Hendrik and Hannah work together with bigger certified brands (GOTS, Peta-approved,…) but also try to support small brands who can’t afford certifications. Brands are mainly German including pieces from Armed Angels, Recolution and Melawear.
They also present a beautiful collection of jewelry made of recycled silver. The vibe in the store was cheerful with songs playing like “Always look on the bright side of life” from Monty Python, making you feel in good spirits.
Their name “Slow Friday” refers to doing things in a slow, more conscious and mindful way and serves as a contradiction to brash shopping events like Black Friday.
Slow Friday
Gormannstrasse 25, 10119 Berlin
U-Bahn: U8 Weinmeisterstrasse
Opening hours: Mon to sat 12h-19h
Webshop: Slow Friday
Deargoods is a concept store with seven outlets spread out over Germany. You can find the Berlin store in Prenzlauer Berg. We really wanted to include this shop in our sustainable fashion Berlin Guide because everything here is 100% vegan!
This means they don’t sell clothes using fabrics like silk, leather, wool, or fur and they also make sure that all the other details like dyes and glues used for the production are 100% animal-free.
In addition, all the pieces they sell are fairly produced and made of certified organic materials. At the time of our visit there seemed to be like a million great fashionable T-shirts to choose from, beautiful Tencel blouses from Armedangels, and awesome locally-produced jewelry with an inscription of the word “FREI” which for us represented the feeling you get about Deargoods and Berlin in general. Anyone who thinks fair fashion is boring should visit this shop and will surely reconsider.
The lady working at the store has a warm and enthusiastic personality and will go out of her way to help you. Next to Deargoods you can find a department store of the Vegan supermarket Veganz.
Deargoods
Schivelbeinerstraße 35, 10439 Berlin
S+U-bahn: Schönhauserallee
Opening hours: mon to fri 11h-20h sat 11h-18h
Website: Deargoods
Supermarché is a huge green concept store in Kreuzberg. They showcase a particularly diverse range of brands with a lot of names you cannot find in other sustainable fashion stores in Berlin. Next to brands like Armedangels, Recolution and Mela Wear you can find their own clothing line called Hirschkind and other green brands like Earth Positive, People Tree and Kings of Indigo.
Suppliers and brands are handpicked carefully with great attention for transparency regarding fair production. They also like to highlight brands that are not just fair, eco and ethical but also give back socially like for example Thokk Thokk, who fights actively against child labor in the fashion industry together with the Indian NGO Save.
Supermarché also has a specific focus on vegan, organic and fair jeans with a great range of brands like Kuyichi, Mud Jeans and Fevervogl. Next to Supermarché you can also find a zero-packaging supermarket.
Supermarché
Wienerstraße 6, 10999 Berlin
U-Bahn: U1 Görlitzer Bahnhof
Opening hours: mon to fri 11h-19h sat 11h-18h
Webshop: Supermarché
Avesu is a vegan shoe store on Warschauer Straße in Friedrichshain. All shoes in their range are made from environmentally friendly materials that are ethically sourced and the workers who produce the shoes do this in fair working conditions. Aside from the physical store they also exploit a webshop offering worldwide shopping.
Not very eco-friendly, you’re saying? Well yes, it is, they ship only using DHL GoGreen 100% carbon-neutral shipping. By using this shipping method, CO2 emissions are compensated by investing in projects to protect the environment.
Next to shoes they also offer a nice range of backpacks (for example Ethnotek <3!) and accessories like wallets, belts and socks. In the same building you can also find a branch of the vegan supermarket Veganz and Secret Garden, a vegan sushi restaurant.
Avesu
Warschauer Straße 33 (1th floor), 10243 Berlin
U-Bahn: U1 U3 Warschauer Straße
Opening hours: mon to sat 13h – 18u
Webshop: Avesu
© Fidelis Fuchs
Loveco is a green concept store with outlets in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg. While the shops in Friedrichshain and Schöneberg mainly focus on clothing, the Kreuzberg outlet concentrates on shoes. They present a broad collection of T-shirts, trousers, jeans, vests, and shoes from brands like Armedangels, Veja, and Nudie Jeans both for men and women.
Next to clothing and shoes they also sell accessories like belts, sunglasses, and jewelry and useful green lifestyle products like water bottles, soap, bed linen, candles, and cosmetics. My favorite Wayks backpack is for sale here too!
Every item they sell is fairly produced and made of eco-friendly materials. Good for the planet and good for yourself! What more can you wish for? They also extend their values of sustainability to the interior of their shops, which consists of secondhand furniture combined with pieces made of ecological materials. On their webshop they ship carbon-neutral. A perfect guilt-free shopping experience!
Webshop: Loveco
Opening hours: mon to fri 12h-20h sat 11h to 19h
Loveco Friedrichshain
Sontagsstraße 29
10245 Berlin
S-Bahn: Ostkreuz
Loveco Kreuzberg
Körtestrasse 14
10999 Berlin
U-bahn: Südstern
Loveco Schöneberg
Eisenacherstraße 36/37
10781 Berlin
U-bahn: U7 Eisenacherstraße
Wesen is a fair fashion store in hip Neukölln. They started out in 2008 producing their own sustainable clothing line called “Format”. They only use eco-friendly materials, have timeless designs, and cater both to men and women.
In their shop, they complement this collection with other sustainable fashion brands like Rifo and Maska, brands we didn’t come across in any other of the sustainable fashion stores we visited in Berlin.
The owner will greet you warmly when entering the store and will give advice if needed. They also implement sustainable good practices they use at home: they recycle, eat vegan or vegetarian and use green gas and energy. Definitely worth checking out when traveling to Berlin!
Wesen
Tellstraße 7, 12045 Berlin
U-bahn: U8 Hermannplatz
Opening hours: mon to sat 11h-19h
Webshop: Wesen
Standard Saubere Sachen is a eco concept store in Neukölln. All the products and clothing in the store are eco-friendly and fairly produced. You can find clothing brands like Lanius, Jungle Folk and Melawear and they sell cool lifestyle products and gift ideas like water bottles, cookbooks and lunchboxes.
Other sustainable good practices are implemented regarding operating the store like using green energy and office equipment and ban plastic packaging. Their webshop offers carbon-neutral shipping. We can agree with their motto: “Fair fashion should be standard.”
Standard Saubere Sachen
Reuterstraße 53, 12047 Berlin
U-Bahn: U8 Hermannplatz
Opening hours: tu to fri 14h-19h
Webshop: Standard Saubere Sachen
© Wertvoll
If you want to be inspired to create great green fashion looks then Wertvoll is the place to go. As they were the first green fashion store in Berlin we just had to feature them in our sustainable fashion Berlin Guide praising them for their pioneering work.
Their knowledge about the fair fashion industry is extensive and selected items are carefully picked based on their values of fair production and use of organic sustainable materials.
Actually, their name says it all. Wertvoll means “valuable” in German. And they carry out those values even further in their store by using green energy, upcycle furniture and shipping plastic-free on their webshop. A must-go when visiting Berlin.
Wertvoll
Marienburgerstraße 39, 10405 Berlin
S+U-Bahn: U2 Senefelderplatz
Opening hours: mo to sat 11h-18h
Webshop: Wertvoll
There you go! I hope you enjoyed this sustainable fashion Berlin Guide!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page.
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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