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You use a Nalgene water bottle and a reusable coffee cup. Your coffee is fair trade and you only eat organic. But what about the clothing you wear? Have you put as much thought into what goes on your body as what you put in it?
Vintage and second-hand is great and buying from companies that recycle fabric or are completely vegan is also the rage. But the next big trend in sustainable fashion are brands that make clothing out of recycled plastics using sources such as polyester, soda, bottles and even fishing nets.
A plastic bottle in a landfill will outlive us for generations to come unless they are repurposed, and unwanted fishing nets are polluting the oceans and harming marine life. Finding new ways to use them is the right thing to do.
You can find work-out wear, bathing suits, and even recycled polyester warm outerwear. Check out these new and established socially conscious brands.
1. Girlfriend Collective
This up and coming athleisure company is committed to making its clothing out of sustainable materials in ethical processes. Girlfriend Collective launched its line by giving away free leggings. The original leggings were made from 25 post-consumer recycled plastic bottles from Taiwan. The newly released range of lightweight work-out clothing – the Lite Collection – is made from recycled fishing nets.
2. Batoko
This brand is literally made of trash. Batoko is a British swimwear brand that makes its products entirely out of recycled plastic. The waste that would have otherwise polluted our waterways is given a new life as swimwear for women and kids. Purchases support the Marine Conservation Society and the products are 100 percent vegan.
3. Patagonia
This company has been making recycled polyester from post-consumer soda bottles since 1993 making it Patagonia the first company to turn trash into fleece. Now the company makes its recycled polyester fibers from a blend of soda bottles, manufacturing waste, and worn-out apparel. Recycled polyester is in a wide range of Patagonia's products from t-shirts to cold weather gear.
4. Ellie Evans
This company makes nature inspired innovative swimsuits to order in their ethical workspace in Melbourne, Australia. Using ECONYL® 100 percent regenerated nylon yarn made from ocean and landfill waste that was sorted, cleaned, regenerated and purified back to its original quality in a process that is less harmful to the environment than the production of virgin nylon. Sustainable practices are the backbone of Elle Evans.
5. ADAY
ADAY makes clothing that is strong, comfortable and long lasting that is made in the most sustainable way possible. The Waste Nothing jacket is made from 41 post-consumer recycled water bottles and can be worn as a shirt or jacket and it feels lightweight and breathable
6. Ecoalf
This Spanish brand was founded on the principals of recycling to make a truly sustainable fashion brand. Ecoalf uses discarded fishing nets, post-consumer plastic bottles, worn-out tires, post-industrial cotton, and even coffee grinds to create their outerwear and swimsuit lines. The website says: "In order to ensure 100 percent transparency and provide the highest levels of quality, our team manages the full process from waste collection to recycling technologies, manufacture, design and retail.”
7. Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman is a lifestyle women's designer clothing brand that is long-lasting and high quality. The company uses a large range of earth-conscious materials including recycled nylon, recycled polyester, GOTS certified cotton, and some of the products are Oeko-Tex STePcertified too. The swimwear is produced from recycled materials with block colors and bubbly patterns.
8. Gucci
Designer brand Gucci was one of the first luxury fashion houses to use ECONYL® - a 100 percent regenerated nylon yarn made from recycled fishing nets in their men's outerwear. In Gucci Equilibrium, a platform that highlights the brand's work to bring positive changes to the fashion industry, the brands switch from virgin to recycled plastic beginning in 2015 is highlighted.
(Creative Lab / Shutterstock.com)
9. Repainted
Italian brand Repainted's collection is handmade in Italy and uses ECONYL® 100 percent yarn. The company makes maxi dresses, playsuits and bikinis that are designed to last a longer time than clothing made of regular materials and what’s really great is that the clothing resists chlorine, sea salt, and sunscreen.
