UAE brands redefining fashion with sustainability and ethics

While fast fashion sweeps markets worldwide, sustainability and ethics-led fashion trends are making their mark on the global fashion landscape, including UAE-based clothing brands that are combining stylish designs with eco-driven practices.

This trend follows several changes in consumers' attitudes in terms of preferring ethics-driven brands over the years.

Consumers have become more conscious of their environmental footprint, inspiring business entrepreneurs founding their own brands to step up, offer stylish, high-quality clothing made with eco-friendly materials and produced under fair labor conditions.

From using organic fabrics to embracing circular fashion models, these brands are redefining the region’s fashion scene and proving that looking good can also mean doing good.

Here are a number of UAE-based brands making waves with their commitment to sustainability and ethical fashion.

Kaleidoscope by Mimi

Kaleidoscope is a Dubai-based sustainable fashion brand founded by Mimi Shakhashir. The brand reflects a deep commitment to ethical manufacturing, cultural appreciation, and preserving artisanal traditions.

Its collections are inspired by global artistry and retro styles from the 1960s and 70s, blending bold patterns, vibrant colors, and intricate details.

Mimi incorporates hand-embroidered and beaded elements created by artisans from cooperatives and NGOs worldwide, ensuring fair compensation and contributing to community development.

Kaleidoscope by Mimi is known for its striking kaftans and timeless designs that highlight cultural stories and the interconnectedness of regional and global identities.

The brand emphasizes slow fashion, using locally and ethically sourced materials. Mimi draws inspiration from her travels, which fuel her creativity and help her craft designs that reflect both individuality and cultural heritage.

Their target audience is women who value confidence, style, and sustainability, ensuring that its ethical ethos resonates with its clientele.

Mimi’s work supports female empowerment by engaging women-led communities in the production process. With a focus on mindful fashion and social impact, Kaleidoscope by Mimi exemplifies how fashion can merge aesthetics with responsibility.

What makes Kaleidoscope by Mimi unique is its fusion of cultural storytelling, ethical production, and bold, vintage-inspired designs, combining a distinctive fashion label that goes beyond clothing, offering a blend of cultural celebration, ethical impact, and timeless style.

EDOS Swimwear

Founded by Mihaela F Ungureanu, EDOS Swimwear is an ethical and eco-conscious brand based in Dubai, launched with a commitment to sustainable fashion.

The name EDOS, short for "Endless Days of Sun," reflects its inspiration drawn from nature's timeless beauty. The brand's product line includes versatile, feminine swimwear designed to transition seamlessly from day to night.

EDOS champions slow fashion, promoting seasonless designs made to last.

The brand incorporates sustainable materials such as regenerated fabrics like Econyl, aiming to minimize environmental impact and waste. It also advocates for a circular fashion model, with plans to recycle used swimwear into new products.

The founder envisions EDOS as empowering women while maintaining a strong environmental ethos, balancing style with sustainability.

The company has become known for its minimalist yet elegant designs and its strong messaging on ethical consumption. EDOS pieces are available in multiple sizes and are accessible via its e-commerce platform. You can learn more or shop the collection at edosswimwear.com

Only Ethikal

Only Ethikal is a Dubai-based online platform dedicated to promoting ethical and sustainable fashion. Founded with the vision of revolutionizing the fashion industry, Only Ethikal focuses on creating awareness about the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion. It connects conscious consumers with brands that prioritize fair trade, eco-friendly production, and transparency.

The clothes and accessories promoted by Only Ethikcal are manufactured using natural fabrics like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen and much more. Designs are made from textile waste or from donations of excess fabric produced by garment manufacturers.

The brand promises to avoid harmful agricultural pesticides used for cultivating fabric materials, and choosing an up cycled/ recycled fabric we can also stop contributing to the landfills.

Unlike conventional retailers, Only Ethikal prioritizes slow fashion—highlighting quality over quantity and timeless designs over fleeting trends. It encourages customers to make thoughtful purchases, aligning with its mission of reducing fashion waste and minimizing carbon footprints.

Finally, Only Ethikal expresses its commitment to fair trade, including fighting forced labour, and paying fair and living wages, in addition to providing healthy working environment. The brand is also committed to not employing children and to empowering people to make a good living.

Good Chic

Conscious Fashion is the first word this Dubai-based brand highlights in its mission.

The sustainability-focused brand promises that its shoes are made of recycled tennis balls, swimshorts are made of coconut husks, T Shirts made are of Recycled Polyester and more, explaining that their products are either using organic or recycled/upcycled materials.

It also encourages customers to make orders, saying that by each one they make, they plant a tree in the location of their choice.

Do you know any other brands in the UAE?