My intro to ethical and high quality came from r/goodyearwelt and r/rawdenim .

Unfortunately, and I'm sure you'll come to find out, that both of those key terms usually come at a trade off. Those being price to how ethical you want to be, quality and how much you want to spend. Etc. Etc.

In terms of ethics, I can buy a pair of Goodyear welt leather boots that are chrome tanned that will last me years and years. However, an animal still had to die, and chrome tanning is terrible for the environment. The other options mean footwear that will not hold up as well, meaning I will need to buy more often, leading to more waste. Or I can buy some veg tanned boots that will no doubt cost a lot more than chrome tanned, but will require more maintenance to keep them from drying and cracking. Well, maybe I can buy a cheaper version, but then the labor practices are questionable, and maybe the quality isn't there and means I will need to repurchase or resole sooner. A lot of the same points can be made for every type of garment. Cotton is notorious for using up a ton of water, and being sourced from non ethical, and potentially contributing to China's ongoing slavery/genocide in Xinjiang. Wool is harvested from sheep, which can be resource intensive, but not as bad as cotton. However, its still coming from an animal that may or may not have been treated ethically. Linen is an interesting fiber, I've yet to hear a lot of negatives about it in terms of resources and ethics, but in my experience, it doesn't hold up as well as cotton or wool. I've heard others disagree on that point tho. And tree fibers lead to deforestation, etc.

Anyway. Best thing you can do is buy used, thrifted, etc. Take thee money out of the big companies that exploit for profit. And mend your garments before purchasing new ones.

In terms of caring for them. Wash infrequently, preferably by hand or on gentle settings, using cold water and mild detergents. Hang dry. That alone will prolong any garment. And mend mend mend. Cheers!