Build an Eco-Friendly Wardrobe Foundation With These 11 Sustainable Lingerie Brands

Welcome to Vogue’s very first Lingerie Week, where we’re celebrating the pleasure of gifting no one but yourself this Valentine’s Day. Over the next 5 days, we will be highlighting a handful of our favorite brands, from the size-inclusive to the eco-conscious and everything in between–breaking down the traditional barriers of giving and receiving intimates and ridding the old codes of V-Day gifting.

In an effort to get your wardrobe to a more eco-conscious place, you might start to get familiar with sustainable lingerie brands. While you can shop vintage or secondhand clothes, shoes, and handbags, most prefer to buy new intimates for sanitary reasons. Fortunately there are plenty of sustainably made options among the overwhelming amount of brands and styles to choose from when selecting a new bra or undies. 

Take your pick between organic cotton briefs, biodegradable silk slips, and recycled polyester bralettes. Or go for limited-run lingerie sets made from surplus fabric from stylishly sweet brands like Knickey, Fruity Booty, and Mary Young. With brands like these, you can build your foundation for a more eco-friendly wardrobe from the inside out (literally). Whether you’re looking for yourself or a loved one this Valentine’s Day, the Earth and your Valentine will thank you.

Knickey

Not only is Knickey bringing awareness to the harmful chemicals and toxins that are found in synthetic fabrics used by manufacturers in the underwear industry, they’re also big on recycling too. Knickey’s certified-organic cotton undies are free of toxic chemicals, and come in a range of essential colors and limited-edition hues like teal and pomegranate. They’ll also accept old, unwanted underwear and recycle them for you so it doesn’t end up in landfills.

Mary Young

Mesh detailing and high-waisted undies are this Canada-based lingerie brand’s signature.  Mary Young’s signature rayon, made from organic bamboo, is OEKO-TEX certified with a reduced carbon footprint. Young also puts a great deal of thought when it comes to packaging her sheer, pastel lingerie sets too. Each bra or undie is carefully wrapped in compostable tissue and shipped in 100% recycled content packaging.

Araks Organic Cotton Collection

Araks’ sweet bralettes and undies just got sweeter. In the fall of last year, the brand launched an organic and recycled cotton collection, composed of 70% organic cotton and 30% upcycled cotton mixed with wood pulp (the wood pulp is “closed loop” resource meaning 99% of the solvent used is reused and all of the water is recycled). The initiative makes this selection of candy colored intimate sets one of the best options when it comes to sustainable lingerie. 

Organic Basics

Based out of Copenhagen, Organic Basics offers minimalist-inspired, eco-friendly bras, underwear, and essentials made from an array of natural, recycled, biodegradable, and renewable textiles and fabrics, all at an accessible price point. 

Brook There

In a soothing array of colors, Brook There’s organic cotton undergarments give a modern take on vintage-inspired silhouettes, such as full coverage triangle bralettes, high waisted briefs, and elastic waist boy shorts. All are milled and dyed in California and cut and sewn in the U.S. 

Botanica Workshop

Embracing a slow design practice, Los Angeles-based Botanica Workshop produces responsibly-made intimates with a retro meets minimalist aesthetic. They use a mix of natural, luxurious materials such as organic cotton, durable silks, and OEKO-TEX certified recycled nylons, plus everything is sourced and produced domestically. 

Fruity Booty

You may have seen UK-based brand Fruity Booty while scrolling on Instagram, but you may not know that over 80% of their flirty, small batch styles are made from surplus fabrics (this includes their elastics and hardware too!) Fruity Booty believes when customers know that their pieces are not replaceable, they’ll take better care of it. Plus they have a zero single-use plastic policy in their supply chain, and you can expect your package to be delivered in recycled mailers and packaging. 

Base Range

Base Range’s lingerie may come in easy silhouettes and clean lines, but it’s anything but boring. The brand prioritizes using natural, organic, or recycled materials and works with small, family businesses for production. One of the factories (which is close to the brand’s headquarters in France) uses a natural dyeing process with plant -based pigments and collects rain water from the roof for the process. The quality fabrics from natural fibers and recycled materials are ultimately crafted into their signature, laid back lingerie we love. 

Proclaim

For Proclaim’s line of nude-hued lingerie essentials, sustainability is all about the materials. The brand uses both Tencel and Repreve recycled polyester for their collection of super soft bralettes and mid rise briefs. 

Parade Universal Collection

The eye-catching colors of Parade’s size-inclusive underwear collection is now made from a sustainable, recycled fabric with an organic cotton lining. Plus, the brand offsets every pair to reduce the carbon emission footprint and your undies are shipped in compostable packaging made from 100% corn starch. 

NK Imode

NK Imode produces two limited run collections of timeless robes, slips, and bralettes a year. These slinky pieces are made from rescued stock materials or 100% biodegradable silk. Plus, their factory is WRAP Certified, which means their sleepware is being produced in an ethical environment.