A few years ago we started paying a lot more attention to what is in our clothes, and thinking more about the companies we purchase them from. For one thing, I noticed that weird fabrics I had never heard of were casually making their way into my wardrobe, and that in many cases these pieces were not wearing very well. I have found the wide array of new, purportedly eco friendly fabrics confusing in terms of discerning how much processing their production requires and therefore how sustainable they actually are. We have also been paying more attention to the fact that synthetic fabrics are a significant source of micro plastics, including in the ocean. In addition, we have been making a more conscious effort to avoid fast fashion. Lastly, we have been growing weary of the amount of plastic packaging used to wrap each individual piece of shipped clothing, and taking notice of some brands that are making great strides in curbing that waste.
Like in other aspects of our lives, we are making a conscious shift toward choosing natural materials from better businesses. The old classics linen, cotton, hemp, wool and ramie (made from the nettle plant) are our very favorite fabrics, even better if they are organic, GOTS certified and fair trade. That said, there are times when we seek out synthetic fabrics for water sports and outdoor clothing, and there are some great brands that use recycled synthetics. Another factor for us is choosing simple, age appropriate items for kids.
Another great option for sustainable clothing is second hand, which doesn't even have to mean used. Some gals we know have a sister among them who purges her wardrobe regularly, and then they get together to divide up the spoils among them. We also have friends who get together periodically for the purpose of trading clothes they don't want anymore. I haven't made it to one of these clothes swaps yet, but friends who did have collected items for me they thought I would like. We like hand me downs between friends of all ages too, you don't have to have a formal clothing swap to pass things on to someone you think might use them. One of my favorite winter coats was given to a close friends by her cousin, and she in turn decided to give it to me. Giving clothing a seccond, or third, or fourth chance means consuming less raw materials and reducing the waste stream associated with making new clothes. We try to keep in mind though, that consuming less overall is the best way to reduce our impact.
Below we have listed our go to resources for clothing and hope that you find some new favorites here. Some of them may seem expensive, but like shopping at any retailer, you just have to keep an eye out for good sales, and also see our listing below for ThredUp. For the shops that offer referral discounts, we provided our referral links below so you get a discount on your first purchase and we'll get a little something too. We really appreciate hearing about other great resources from friends and family too.
When you do end up with plastic film bags and packaging pillows from your purchases, many grocery stores have an inconspicuous plastic film recycling bin near the carts by the store entrance. The bin at our local grocery store is sponsored by Trex, which upcycles post-consumer plastic film into composite decking and railing. They sponsor plastic film recycling challenges and other sustainability initiatives you can read about on their news page.
Patagonia seems like the obvious forerunner of sustainable clothing lines. Their website is chock full of reliable information about their company. We really like their NetPlus fabric for swim and outdoor clothes, as it's made from recycled fishing nets. Here is a link to their NetPlus clothing line.
Prana is another leader in sustainable clothing, and carries active and casual wear for Men and Women. They have an informative web page about their sustainability efforts (click here to go there) and major sustainable accolades and events in their company history. We like their recycled nylon swimsuits, and lots of their clothing. We also like that our orders come in minimal, plastic-free packaging.
Pact is another sustainable clothing company we have just recently begun to try. They make clothing for kids and adults, as well as bed and bath linens. Their products are GOTS certified organic, and you can read on their website about their carbon neutral and fair trade practices.
Hannah Anderson makes high quality, long lasting (through several kids at least), age appropriate clothing for children. They are at the top of our kids' clothing list for good reason. We also love their line of organic cotton pajamas for the whole family.
We found Primary through a flyer that came with some homeschool supplies and we have been loyal customers since our first order. They make really nice, quality basics that last from kid to kid and their styles don't change much through time. Every year when I see they are having a big sale I stock up on basics for our oldest, knowing that we'll be able to pass them on to our youngest, and then on to cousins and friends after that. From their website, "Every color for every kid. With no labels and no slogans. Super soft and sustainable fabrics, for clothes that all play together. And all backed by the kind of customer service you thought didn’t exist." They also have great organic cotton pajamas for the whole family. The last few orders we received were very refreshing in terms of packaging: the clothes were literally loose in a cardboard box (larger orders) or came in a biodegradeable shipping bag, no plastics whatsoever!
Boden is a UK company that is another source of high quality, long lasting, age appropriate clothes. While they have a sustainability website to let you know how they are currently doing, and what their goals are, I have to agree with them that what they have going for them most is that their clothes last so they can cycle through multiple kids. This is not fast fashion. They have great clothing for adults too.
ThredUP is an online consignment store that carries women's, girls' and boys' clothing, shoes and accessories. As noted above, buying second hand is another great option for sustainability. One of our close friends confessed to me her addiction to ThredUP and told me that eventually she had turned over most of her wardrobe with purchases there. Caution, that addiction is highly contagious! I find it hard to spend money on quality pieces for myself, and when I do, I almost never wear them for fear that they will get damaged. How silly is that? But, I have found that if I buy them second hand, I can get the brands and pieces I want at a price point I am comfortable with and because they were previously owned and didn't cost a fortune I'll actually wear them. What I enjoy most about ThredUp is their search features. I can save favorite searches so that I don't have to type in all the of the parameters for each family member every time I shop. I can shop by relevant size, material, and brand. I search on all the brands listed above, as well as other favorites and more eco friendly labels like Cotopaxi, Everlane, Toad & Co., Kotn, Tonle, TenTree, Vuori, and more. Sometimes I just want a white linen dress, so I'll search on that regardless of brand. Doing that let's me see what other brands make the kinds of clothes I like too. It's like someone else did all the shopping at your favorite stores for you and now you can go through and pick out what you want. Plus, if you don't like the idea of wearing something used, you can limit your search to new items with tags.
A few other things to note include their rewards program, shipping, and how to wash what you purchase. They have a rewards program that will give you free returns for up to three items per purchase, and discounts at certain price points. I always meet the free shipping mimimum, which is easy to do if you choose their bundle option through which you can keep adding items to your bundle for up to seven days. After that, they consolidate your order to ship it to you in as few packages as possible. Clothes come in a cardboard box wrapped in tissue, unless you have a small order which will come in a plastic film mailer (you can recycle that at most grocery stores - see "Got Plastic Bags" in the sidebar above). They can have that thrift store smell, which to me is a mix of staleness and overwhelmingly perfumed laundry chemicals. The first few times I put them through the wash, I just throw in a downy ball full of white vinegar and after a few washes I don't notice any lingering fragrance or odor. I do the same with kid hand me downs from friends who don't share my aversion to scented detergent.
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