As mass-market clothing becomes cheaper and easier to produce, the fashion industry has been accused of putting cash before conscience.
Many popular high-street retailers have been criticised for their unethical practices and customers are now looking for an alternative.
Holly Allenby, 24, set up ethical fashion website The-Acey last month to provide shoppers with fashion that is stylish as well as sustainable.
"The idea behind the site is to offer affordable luxury with strong ethical values," said Holly, of Hessle.
"A lot of people think ethical fashion is just for hippies, but there are a lot of great brands out there that do take care with their products."
The former South Hunsley school pupil abandoned the idea of going to university in favour of gaining real-world experience in the fashion industry.
Holly interned for ethical clothing brand Toms in Los Angeles and then travelled to Australia to gain work experience at Cosmopolitan magazine.
After landing a job at high- end fashion retailer Temperley, Holly returned to work for the Toms marketing department in London, where she was inspired by their commitment to social enterprise.
Holly said: "The whole idea for the company came from when I was working at Toms.
"For every shoe sold, Toms donate a shoe to needy children and it was through working with them that I realised I wanted to start my own ethical fashion company."
Each hand-picked label on The-Acey is committed to reducing and improving their social and environmental impact.
Holly said: "We look for the brands out there that have a culture of conscience and all the brands we work with embody the philosophy of ethical fashion.
"We sell clothes that are timeless and which will last forever."
The-Acey is also inspired by the retailer Wholefood's concept of informing customers where its products are from. The company's website highlights the story behind each of its brands available online.
She said: "When we start researching the brand, we look at everything from who runs the company to where the raw materials come from and where the products are manufactured."
Holly said that launching her own business has been more difficult than she realised, but that all the hard work has been worth it.
She said: "There have been a few hurdles in getting the business up and running, but my real-world experience in the fashion industry was a good grounding to understand how it all works."
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