Activewear: The Recs

Part II featuring the brands doing it right

This newsletter is a follow-up to a previous post on the material makeup of athleisure and activewear, and its toxic consequences for our bodies, in Let’s Talk Materials: Activewear.

In the weeks following my post on activewear, I have had tons of conversations IRL and online detailing the shock and disgust at the plastics and toxic chemicals dominating existing athletic garment production. As I began to share other articles that provided alternative brands we as consumers can feel good about putting on our bodies, which ranged from leggings and hoodies to hiking gear, I realized anyone who reads this newsletter deserved to have a direct follow-up without having to join me down the rabbit hole of research to determine if it’s a) a sustainable brand who walks the walk and b) to their specific taste in style. The last thing I want is for people to think that style goes out the window when I recommend a responsible brand — eco-conscious fashion is affordable and sexy!!

Below, I’m detailing a few of my favorite biodiversity + Bulgarian squat-friendly brands, relatively in ranked order. I tried to include as much as possible between materials, cost, size range, and style preferences because I truly believe you need the full picture. Full disclosure, I don’t have any bias as I am not affiliated with any of these brands, they are either ones on my wishlist or in my/my friends’ closets. If you have more questions on why things I have included matter OR have any feedback on what else we should consider when window shopping please comment!!

PANGAIA $45-$325

Pangaia is perhaps one of the most scientific brands on this list and are often used as an example of a leader in the textile and eco-materials industry. They have a wide variety of plant-based materials in their product range and use natural dyes and oils to treat and color the fabrics — they also consider water waste, and have a range of denim that has been made with rain-fed hemp (what the hell - so cool!!), as it uses 1/10th of the water used in traditional cotton. I am constantly going to their website to learn about new material innovations and blends, and it’s really exciting to see a brand refusing to rest its laurels on organic materials and experimenting with the future of circular fashion.

STRENGTHS I CARE ABOUT

• Certified B Corp + produce annual impact reports

• Create “all-season” clothing that isn’t trend focused

• Animal byproducts like wool are cruelty-free

• Fair Trade Certified + Socially Audited Working Conditions - Pangaia is audited by independent third-parties to ensure their factories are paying laborers a living wage as determined by international standards. Labor certifications are just as important as textile ones!

• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified, meaning the materials (like cotton) were grown organically and adhere to a set of social and ecological standards.

• All trims, labels and threads are recycled or responsibly sourced. This is crucial when considering end of life breakdown: not only is it harder for clothing to decompose when its a material blend, but synthetic trimmings and threads prove to be another piece to the puzzle and are equally as important.

• Compostable packaging

• GHG Emissions are measured against a reduction roadmap to achieve net zero by 2040 (which is lip service on its own, but their annual reports describe how they are phasing out non renewable energy + invest in external initiatives to supplement rather than replace this work)

• A focus on nature regeneration over extraction in their operations + supporting charities and initiatives that invest in nature conservation.

• Glossary: with all their new-fangled innovations and terminology, it can be easy as a customer to glaze over the details. On their site, they have a full glossary so customers can properly engage and be informed on what they’re buying.

STYLE NOTES

• They market their garments as gender neutral, though on site you can find men’s and women’s sizing.

• XXS-XXL (their size guide says this is UK 4-18/US 0-14)

• Plenty of color ways for their products, which may not be necessarily important but I think proves that sustainable dyes are showing what they’re made of.

• I would say their hero products are the hoodie/sweat sets, though over the years they have expanded to sports bras, leggings and cycling shorts, and even winter outerwear like trenches and puffers. I appreciate that the cut and styles aren’t too trendy, but would still make me feel confident in a cafe-after-Pilates scenario whether that’s next week or in 20 years.

• Their plant-stretch compression garments are definitely bang for your buck when you consider how expensive it all adds up to be (material research, production, dye, shipping, paying laborers a fair wage, etc) AND being effective during a workout without any of the toxic nasties like I talked about in the first post.

MATE THE LABEL $70-$150

Mate the Label is a staff pick in the Good on You app, so it automatically earned my attention. I’ve seen the brand in shortlists for a variety of their products, which range from tailored linens and fleece knits to basics and activewear. They have a really concise product offering that I think (judging by their IG) they market really well to prove their versatility isn’t outdated.

STRENGTHS I CARE ABOUT

• Restrict substances that are known carcinogens or endocrine disruptors

• No pesticides, formaldehydes, BPA + PFAS free material and dye… they recently came out with a Natural Dye collection made from Bio-indigo and other plant-based dyes

• Local (CA) manufacturers - they claim their main factory is 4 miles down the road from HQ

• GOTS Certified cotton

• In-house consumer recycling program to promote circularity

• Provide a YoY measurement of their carbon emissions, most of which are due to product manufacturing and other indirect aspects of the supply chain

• Invest in a carbon offset project, building wind farms in China — I’d mention while this isn’t an all-bases covered, it is a great supplementary measure as they continue to reduce emissions

• B Corp Certified and Climate Neutral

• Loads of positive reviews on their products!

STYLE NOTES

• XS-XL on most of the range, though full range is XS-3X (UK 4-24, US 0-20)

• Modern styles like unitard shorts + racer back dresses mixed in with more classic, seasonless styles

• Color range reflects a minimalist style

• I’m always looking for a Lululemon Align tank alternative and I think their Organic Stretch Racer Tank does the job!

• Certified organic cotton (at least 92% of the product)

T/ALA $46-96

This one is for the girlies. Founded by Grace Beverly, it’s hard not to find someone in a London gym wearing Tala’s scrunch leggings or so-called “boob job” built-in bra tank. Fun fact, one of the organizers for the UK Remake ambassadors (that helped organize the Rana Plaza march I went to last month) is actually the social media exec! Demand for them is incredibly high right now, in no small part to the viral presence of Beverly + (my guess) their Gymshark-esque shorts and leggings.

STRENGTHS I CARE ABOUT

• Recycling and repair program with partner Reskinned

• Recyclable mailer bags and packaging

• Partner with accredited factories that align with the Ethical Trade Initiative Base Code and regulations set by the International Labor Organization (ILO)

  • On their People page, you can see the countries they partner with and the measures those manufacturers take that align with their social and environmental standards

• Using innovative materials like Tencel - buttery soft and has great stretch to it!!

• GOTS Certified organic cotton

• Rather than adhering to a seasonal calendar or pushing 1000s of styles a month, Tala works in collection drops and leans on their community to restock or create new styles. They have made plenty of adjustments to existing styles in new drops based on feedback and general demand.

• Use post-consumer & pre-consumer recycled materials in their garment fibers, certified by the Global Recycled Standard. Not as stunning, particularly in comparison to some of the materials a brand like Pangaia is experimenting with, but recycled materials are still necessary at this stage to prevent more clothing going to landfill without being reused.

STYLE NOTES

• 2XS-4XL

• Hats! Socks! Loungewear! Activewear!

• …and knits and bomber jackets? There are some hits in the mix, but as they’ve grown and experimented with their product offering I think there are some spaces where they’ve overextended. They do a great job of providing double layered and seamless sets reminiscent of Skims + Set Active; their university logo and health club collections don’t give the same air as Sporty & Rich, but are still cute.

• Their DayFlex and SkinLuxe lines are their bestsellers, providing V-cut waistlines on everything from shorts to flared pants, and sculpted bras and tanks modeled on a variety of body types.

• Overall one of the more Gen Z trend-focused brands on this list, and despite not being fast fashion Tala seems to move at incredible speeds to respond to culture shifts like ballet core and courtside chic while continuing to update their internal design and operations processes to charge a new path in the industry.

GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE $36-108

One of the first on this list that I began to follow, Girlfriend Collective is perhaps one of the most size-inclusive, ranging from 2XS-6XL. Much of their collection is made from recycled water bottles ‘diverted from landfill’, as the site suggests, also providing measurements for how much water is saved and carbon emissions prevented because of their process. Similar to what I said above about recycled polyester/fabric scraps, it’s always a great step but not the strongest avenue a business could take to make fashion greener. There’s existing discourse surrounding recycled water bottles/fishing nets and ocean plastic having a more effective second or third life in systems outside fashion, considering it’s entirely plausible that the clothing could end in landfill again. That said, Girlfriend has a great rewards program with their Re:Girlfriend recycling, which encourages customers to recycle their old or unused clothing (from ANY brand) with them and receive store credit. Perhaps this is implemented to transition away from water bottles to upcycling old fabric scraps? I hope so.

STRENGTHS I CARE ABOUT

• SA8000 (Social Accountability International) certified factory, meaning laborers are guaranteed a living wage and work in safe, regulated conditions

• Recyclable packaging

• Their fabric is Oeko-Tex certified, so even though it’s recycled plastic, Girlfriend Collective tests to regulate potential harmful substances. They also use eco-friendly dye!

• They provide extensive information on their recycled fabric and factories in Vietnam and Taiwan on their sustainability page, which is a great way to learn about post-consumer plastic waste and how it’s then sorted and ground into chips that then undergo the process to become yarn.

• 1% of each purchase goes to a variety of nonprofits the Girlfriend partner with, ranging from categories like climate justice to racial equity and animal welfare.

• Carbon neutral via offsetting projects in partnership with EcoCart

• BPA free!

STYLE NOTES

• Similar to Mate the Label in their relatively timeless silhouettes with neutral color ways, occasionally breaking the mold and dropping a limited collection with vibrant hues like Berry or a sea foam Breeze.

• 2XS-6XL

• Sweat-wicking fabric perfect for long hikes or hot yoga! I have a one-shoulder sports bra (wear at your own risk) that I wear to everything from Pilates to boxing.

• Unitards, cycling shorts, halter tops and micro bralettes, skirts and dresses… despite expanding their product offering, they never lose their signature style which really makes you believe they mean what they say when they claim to focus on seasonless design.

• This is a great brand for someone looking for thicker, more supportive straps and coverage

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There was a laundry list of brands I could have included solely based off of desk research, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going too far into detail on products I haven’t worn myself or heard direct feedback about. I think there’s a long road ahead for performance clothing and athleisure, from everything related to women’s health to sustainability, but I think the ones listed above are covering serious ground to changing the industry and promoting community-led slow fashion.

Personally, I’m excited to start using the take back programs and converting more of my workout kit to feel as confident in what I’m wearing as how I look and feel in the gym! If you have a brand you’d recommend or like more info on, please comment - otherwise, have a look at how I sussed out a leather handbag a friend of mine wanted my approval on:

Hope you’re all enjoying your week - I’m on the last day of a long weekend stay in Ireland and feeling very grateful for some of the peace and quiet I’ve gotten. That said, I’m ready to get back to London!! See you all soon.

Ryann x