From women's reproductive rights to the climate crisis, it's easy to feel helpless about social and environmental issues right now, but one small way you can help is through the brands you choose to shop from.
A little bit of research goes a long way, and many are doing good with ambitious sustainability goals, gender equality measures and partnerships with global charities (plus donating huge amounts of profits). As well as this, an increasing number are using their platforms to highlight important issues around the world.
From huge fashion houses to British department stores, royal-approved fashion brands and celebrity-loved jewellery, scroll on for our favourite brands that are giving something back.
Louis Vuitton
Since their partnership launched in 2016, Louis Vuitton has donated over £16 million to UNICEF. The French fashion house has a Silver Lockit bracelet collection and donates £120 of each sale to the charity, which supports the most vulnerable children around the world. They've most recently been created in collaboration with House Ambassador Millie Bobby Brown.
M&S
Marks & Spencer has a long-standing partnership with Oxfam. To encourage customers to donate their unwanted items to the charity shop, you'll receive a £5 M&S voucher to go towards a £35 spend on clothing, home and beauty products in store, when the donation contains at least one item of M&S labelled clothing or soft furnishings.
© Kiehl'sKiehl's
Sustainability has always been a huge part of Kiehl’s brand ethos, from their own successful recycling schemes to partnering with the Carry Me Back initiative, which is working to solve the waste problem in the Mount Everest region. As well as using post-consumer recycled materials whenever possible, if you take your own full size empty Kiehl's products into store you'll receive points to use towards your next purchase.
© RixoRixo
Not just coveted occasionwear, Rixo is also a proud supporter of gender equality. Women are at the forefront of every part of the company, including 11 out of 14 head of management roles, and next year they will join the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles initiative. The brand also has a partnership with SmartWorks, donating clothes to the charity every year, which are then passed on to women in need who are entering the workplace.
© PatagoniaPatagonia
Not only are 87% of royal-approved Patagonia's products made with recycled materials, they also have a self-imposed Earth tax - 1% for the Planet - which provides support to environmental nonprofits working to defend air, land and water around the world. The activewear brand creates high-quality, long-lasting products, as well as encouraging repairing over replacing, offering free repairs on any of their items via their website.
© SketchersSkechers
Skechers are widely considered the most comfortable shoes around, and if you shop from their BOBS collection, you'll be giving back too. The footwear brand has donated over $10 million to animal organisations so far in the US, and is now working to do the same in the UK, donating 25p per item to dog charity Woodgreen, which rehomes unwanted, stray or injured pets.
Mejuri
Mejuri's beautiful jewellery is handcrafted using the same premium materials and craftsmanship as luxury brands but without the traditional markups. Not only that, founder Noura Sakkijha has loudly supported women's reproductive rights in the US, and the brand has been asignatory of the UN Women's Empowerment Principles since 2023. Celebrity fans include Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift and we're right there with them.
TOMS
TOMS has always been at the forefront of philanthropy, previously famously donating a pair of shoes to a child in need with every purchase. More recently they changed this to donating 33% of their profits to grass roots charity organisations, including Save The Children and Tom's Trust, which provides mental health support to children and young people with brain and other central nervous system tumours.
