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Anthropologie makes lifestyle products and clothes for smart, creative-minded women who have a sense of spontaneity about themselves, what they purchase, wear, and the space they live in.
The products include clothing, accessories, and home décor—Anthropologie is a hub for a homebody.
The store has more than 100 locations worldwide—its first international store opened in London, the UK in 2009. The brand is part of URBN, a community of globally established stores like Anthropologie, such as Urban Outfitters, Free People, and others.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at this brand as well as other stores like Anthropologie and present you with more options that perhaps fit your personal aesthetic and preferences.
Overview of Anthropologie
Empowering women to stay curious, adventurous, and their own has been Anthropologie’s mission since its opening in 1992.
The first standalone Anthropologie store opened in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in a space formerly a car dealership! The headquarters are now in Philadelphia.
Currently, Anthropologie offers many neat perks to its shoppers:
- Worldwide shipping
- It offers a 60-day return policy
- Collaborations with both new and established designers and artisans are frequent
- Many stores like Anthropologie have very frequent display rotations.
- Anthropologie has auctions and the money is donated to charity (e.g. the store donated all the proceeds collected on Earth Day to American Forests).
How We Chose the Best Stores Like Anthropologie
Anthropologie and its products know how to speak to both the adventurer and the homebody—the entire home décor section says “get everything here”, plus it looks like someone well-traveled designed it, maybe someone you trust to design your space.
At times, we bring the products home and our living room feels like a happy place. On certain occasions though, the price might fall just outside our budget or the style doesn’t hit quite right, so it’s good to check out stores like Anthropologie, but cheaper or stylistically more in tune with what we need.
As shoppers, we naturally tend to focus on a few aspects that inform our shopping preferences, like what to look for and where to purchase it—whether at our featured brand or stores like Anthropologie.
In the next section, we break down those questions to further consider price range, style, quality, selection, and how well aligned the brand is with your own personal values, which makes a difference.
Price
Admittedly, Anthropologie prices can at times feel a bit out of reach, but it all depends on what you’re looking to shop for. If you’re looking to invest in something long-term, then paying more is usually the name of the game.
Buying a towel you’ll only take to the beach two times this summer might leave you feeling like you’re overspending. Or not, if you know you’ll hit the beach a bunch, so it’s worth it!
Stores like Anthropologie sometimes take time to figure out—what works better in the short or long run and what’s in line with how much you’re comfortable spending might be a spur of the moment decision.
Style
Stylistically, stores like Anthropologie capture everyday life in their brand aesthetic. Maybe it’s for someone who is stylish and comfortable in their skin, likes to stay home, and ventures out when they feel like it.
The fits are sometimes form-fitting, sometimes baggy to maximise coziness. Their home décor has a bohemian flavor to it.
Quality
Quality standards came back into focus when fast fashion started raising questions surrounding its environmental and social impact. Anthropologie and stores like Anthropologie started creating policies, after pledging their commitment to improving their practices.
Production is at the core of the problem and so, stores like Anthropologie are in the process of recognizing the importance of maintaining a standard of quality that is in line with their mindful shoppers.
Selection
Our featured brand offers a lot of variety! They have a big wedding section, garden and outdoors, as well as home and furniture. Other stores like Anthropologie offer a lot to choose from as well.
Convenience
Anthropologie’s website is easy to navigate and it makes online shopping enjoyable. You can track your order directly on the website and the sale of the week shows right at the top banner.
Stores like Anthropologie make an effort to foster good relations with their shoppers and use social media to solicit feedback, improve customer service, and revise their policies.
Diversity & Inclusion
Anthropologie supports artisans of different ethnicities. They recently created a scholarship program for Black students pursuing a fashion design degree.
They have an extensive list of charities they’ve contributed to support marginalized communities and they facilitate Diversity and Inclusion training sessions similarly to what other stores like Anthropologie have done.
10 Best Stores Like Anthropologie
Anthropologie is a feel-good brand. It offers a range of feel-good, look-good products. It is accessible and great for shopping for yourself or buying housewarming gifts for others (or for yourself, why not).
They offer more than just house décor, but a homebody will immediately be drawn to Anthropologie Home. The apparel and accessories also stand out.
Since stores like Anthropologie can feel like a much-needed self-reward, it’s worth taking a look at the list of other stores like Anthropologie that also have that feel-good ring to them.
#1 – J. Crew
J Crew has consistently managed to create an equilibrium between classic and trendy without compromising their signature brand styles. The brand promotes neutral colors that are quite prevalent, but you can also spot a pop of color, stripes, and other prints.
The price is suitable for a working professional, but also for someone about to go on maternity leave, as J Crew offers a great maternity line that isn’t often incorporated by other brands.
Sourcing great materials sustainably is at the center of their values and they carry cottons, linens, and cotton-linens.
#2 – Amour Vert
Amour Vert has figured out how to put a fashionable spin on basics and essentials. It features both form-fitting and baggier fits. The color palettes are bold and they offer great sale deals. Well, that just about checks all of our boxes.
There’s an accent on sustainable loungewear at Amour Vert. And with that, it’s easy to notice that sustainability is at the brand’s forefront with an initiative like Tees for Trees— a campaign to promote environmental consciousness.
#3 – & Other Stories
If it was a TV show genre, & Other Stories would be a feel good sitcom. Something about this brand says “we are a fun group of friends—your friends!” They create apparel and accessories, give sound style advice, and share fashion stories on their website.
Also, their prices are accessible. The brand’s designs feature embroidery, lace, and knits—the attention is on details at & Other Stories.
Now, it’s not enough to simply say that they offer a great selection of bags. What stands out the most are their vegan bags and shoes! One of the brand’s main goals is to continue to use vegan and recyclable materials, with an intention to be 100% vegan by 2030. Right now, they use 100% sustainably sourced cotton.
#4 – Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters sells lifestyle products and apparel with a huge accent on alternative fashion. The brand is popular amongst the younger crowd, but there’s something for everyone here.
Their selection is wide—as wide as Anthropologie’s. They carry graphic t-shirts, vinyls, and wall art at decent prices (to name a few categories of goods). The brand also ships worldwide and has a solid delivery time.
They feature a diverse group of models and they support young and emerging artists and designers, which is extremely important and we can’t talk about it enough, but alas, we must shine the spotlight on our next brand too.
#5 – Reformation
Feminine figure is the main muse of Reformation’s creative minds. They seem to be moving towards making sustainable fashion accessible to women everywhere.
Their sizes include petite and plus size. The brand is great for shopping staple pieces, which is why the prices can feel high at times.
They stand for creating a safe and fair working environment for workers throughout their supply chain and they partner with organizations such as the Fair Labor Association to achieve that.
They are a certified Climate Neutral company and they pledge to be Climate positive by 2025.
#6 – Farm Rio
Farm Rio originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (quite fitting, we know). Local culture is at the center of their creative decisions. They are about details and are the ultimate feel-good brand.
Their collections are colorful, well-curated, and the price seems to match the “one-of-a-kind” intention behind their products. They offer free returns and free shipping for bigger orders.
The brand is in touch with nature and their land and it informs their sustainability practices.
They’ve formed a partnership with the Yawanawa people living in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest to work together on reforestation projects, inclusion, and cultural festivals.
It looks like Farm Rio has a firm grasp on how the fashion industry affects the environment and is committed to continuing to introduce more responsible fibers into their collections.
#7 – Sezane
Sezane is a French luxury brand that carries tops, bottoms, dresses, and neat accessories. Its founder, Morgan Sezalory, infused her love for vintage into a wide range of products.
The brand’s cable knit sweater line gives off nostalgia and slight cottage-core energy. They offer free deliveries and free returns for larger purchases.
Sezane has great recycling programs and policies. 100% of their shipping boxes are made from recycled materials, their store locations are powered by renewable energy, and they have reduced the carbon footprint of their garments by 22% in the last year. Great news for the planet!
#8 – Madewell
Laidback and relaxed, Madewell is great if you’re shopping for jeans and things you can pair up with denim, like bags, tees, jewelry, and shoes. Their prices vary on each product (for example, jackets are more expensive), but they offer great deals as well.
They value their community and show love to their collaborators and supporters through their Humans We Heart page they have online. This kind of commitment to fostering relationships with their community makes the brand feel that much more genuine!
They also promote sustainable fashion through selling second-hand jeans on their sister website Madewell Forever and through this initiative, they try to reduce each pair’s environmental impact by 82%.
#9 – Christy Dawn
Christy Dawn offers a great selection of staple pieces starting from boho dresses, jumpsuits, to shoes. They also sell things we haven’t seen on this list yet, like books!
The connection to nature is at the root of Christy Dawn’s values. Their fits look cozy and effortless and although priced quite high, there’s a huge reason behind it: longevity.
The brand puts a huge emphasis on using long-lasting fabrics. All of their garments are made from upcycled fabrics and organic cotton.
Their Farm-to-closet initiative focuses on forming and maintaining partnerships with cotton farms and local craftsmen who engage in organic techniques to produce materials. High-quality is prevalent all around with this brand.
#10 – Free People
Last on our list is Free People, a brand known for its streetwear. The brand’s vision has always been to connect to people who are looking for something new and contemporary and live through music, fashion, and art.
Their collections are accessible to working professionals who are looking to experiment or add something new to their wardrobe at an affordable price—be it basics, jeans, or intimates.
In the past year, Free People has been vocal about highly condemning any discriminatory behavior at their stores and they have implemented mandatory Diversity and Inclusion training for all of their employees.
It’s been a long ride, but we’ve reached our final stop. Before we go, there are a few things we want to cover. Anthropologie and stores like Anthropologie have a lot to offer and it wouldn’t be fair to leave without sharing these next few details.
Which Stores like Anthropologie are the Closest in Comparison?
Stores like Anthropologie that best compare to the brand would have to be Free People, Reformation, and Christy Dawn.
Reformation matches Anthropologie’s overall aesthetic well. Both brands offer clothes you can dress up and down. Anthropologie does have a wider selection, just like Free People, for example.
Anthropologie and Free People have a range of products that cover everything from blazers to intimates. Free People does have two separate categories for activewear and then loungewear like the former, but Anthropologie’s loungewear feels more like something you can wear both indoors and outdoors.
Christy Dawn’s loungewear compares better to what Anthropologie offers in this category. Both brands feature styles that could be worn to a summer party or a night in with friends.
They are a great addition to any wardrobe regardless of whether your style is maximalist or minimalist. The perk of loungewear is that it could be dressed both up and down.
Which Stores like Anthropologie are the Most Affordable?
& Other Stories and Urban Outfitters offer products at prices that are a bit more accessible than other stores like Anthropologie we have on the list.
& Other Stories’s sales go up to 70% off and you can find coats and shoes at a decent price. They even have a section of curated pieces to help you style their products while staying within a reasonable budget for what they offer.
Urban Outfitters runs frequent sales in-store and online. They often reduce the price of their pants while the style is still in season! It’s great if you’ve looking to add a new pair of pants or accessories as well.
You can often find their shoulder bags as well but even the regular priced ones come at an affordable rate.
Which Stores like Anthropologie are the Best for Home Goods?
The URBN stores like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People have home décor figured out (if you’re looking for a small home transformation). They offer a lot of variety and decent prices.
Urban Outfitters has bedding, pillows, lamps, planters, plus they come in many striking colors and beautiful color patterns and could often be purchased at a great price.
Urban Outfitters is known for its collaborations with artists and regularly featuring prints and posters from emerging talent. Urban Outfitters is definitely one of the go-tos for home goods.
Free People is also great for finding home products. They have a crystal shop! They’ve tapped into something niche here and it speaks to the way they are constantly coming up with new ideas.
The books and games section is pretty sweet—did you know you can purchase a leather ping pong set from Free People?
Final Thoughts
Shopping mindfully is definitely a huge part of the ultimate feel-good shopping experience.
There’s a notable step forward towards being more eco-friendly, developing more ethical practices, and paying more attention to everyone who’s participating in bringing the product to the shopper.
Our featured brand and all the stores like Anthropologie are taking the necessary steps to improve their selection because their shoppers are invested in knowing exactly what they’re getting when they shop at Anthropologie or stores like Anthropologie.
Shopping mindfully doesn’t always mean that we can afford to buy a lot, but spending sensibly can still allow us to purchase sustainable products that suit our style and material preferences. We just have to spend some time looking and narrowing options.
Recycled fabrics, preloved garments, and quality over quantity are all more present in the mainstream and a big part of the conversation, so it’s become increasingly easier to make more educated choices when shopping at stores like Anthropologie.
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