You may be dressing more sustainably than you think.

My Marcs shorts in Tencel fabric - heavenly soft!

Yep, it's true. Here are my top 3 reasons why - and how you can do more of it!

1. Mainstream brands are choosing sustainable fabrics. 

This is great news for us clothes wearers as I genuinely believe sustainable fibres are softer and far superior to the synthetic or petrochemical-based ones.

I'm hopeful this is in response to consumer demand for more transparency, and sustainable options. But really I think it comes back to quality. These fabrics are durable, breathable, super soft, and they last. 

Tencel
Witchery 100% Tencel Shirt Dress
I scored a super-soft pair of classic black shorts from Marcs recently, with the main 100% Tencel. This fabric is lyocell (see my last post on bamboo-lyocell bedding!), made in a closed-loop system meaning waste is drastically reduced.

The makers say it's, "more absorbent than cotton, softer than silk and cooler than linen."
Check your clothes tags, you may be surprised!

Witchery is another mainstream brand using more Tencel in their garments.

Modal
From the same family as Tencel, Modal is also naturally silky soft, and popping up more in fashion chains like Country Road and Seed.

My favourite Australian made underwear brand NICO use Modal in most of their garments.

Country Road uses Modal fabric - Army Shirt
Organic alternatives
Though still a resource-intense fibre to produce, organic cotton is no doubt a better choice than non-organic or petrochemical-based fabrics.

Gorman has a small organic range using fabrics like organic cotton, Tencel, recycled polyester, non-mulesed merino, recycled cotton fibre, and raw rattan linen.

Bamboo 
You know how I feel about bamboo! Another superior fabric that's popping up in more places.


Try brands like Boody for underwear (find on The Iconic and in Wray Organic), We are Harper for men's shirts (check out my interview with the founder, Kevin Harper) and Bodypeace for clothing and homewares.

2. Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation

I bet you have at least one piece of Cue clothing in your wardrobe. Perhaps some Veronika Maine, Nobody Denim or a piece from Ginger & Smart

Cue is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia.
Image via Cue Instagram

All these brands and plenty of others that have no doubt graced your wardrobe are accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, a body that works with "local textile, clothing and footwear companies to ensure their Australian supply chains are transparent and legally compliant."

Many Australian shoppers are familiar with these brands, all accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia:

Jeanswest

3. Brands are giving to worthy causes.

Many brands are realising the need to give back, donating proceeds to different causes or fundraising with customers.

TOMS give a pair of shoes to a child in need
each time a pair is purchased. Image via TOMS Instagram

No doubt this is part of a corporate social responsibility mandate set from the top, but as consumers we can take advantage of this, choosing to support brands that make a clear difference.

These guys are known for their unique shoes, but they also have a clear 'One for One' initiative, meaning that for every purchase made they help someone else in need. Many of their shoes are also vegan.

WeWood

This Aussie company has a similar model to Toms - buy a wooden watch made from sustainable resources, and they plant a tree in different places around the world.
So far they've planted over 400,000 trees - not a bad effort!


WeWood give back by planting trees as watches are purchased.
Image via WeWood Instagram

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