We scour the globe looking for brands that are as passionate about yoga as we are and that make products made especially for yoga so that you can focus on your practice and not on how your clothing feels. These brands also invest time and energy into creating products that reflect the values and ethics that are vital in caring for our planet and the people that make the clothing that we wear. Some of the fabrics that our featured brands use in their clothing include; organic cotton, organic bamboo, Tencel, Modal, recycled fabric from either plastic bottles or sea rescued nylon and bio-based polyamide.

Organic Cotton 

Organic cotton is a big step in the right direction. The strong plant fibre is derived from the cotton plant. It does not allow for the use of genetically modified seeds and restricts the use of many chemicals, such as insecticides and pesticides- making it safe for the environment and farmers and ultimately us the wearer. However, it still uses water but far less than conventional cotton. It also requires a lot of land, but it helps sustain the land it is grown on through crop rotations. It is GOTS certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) or Textile Exchange certified. Organic cotton is a natural fibre that is very soft, breathable and very comfortable. It is great for slower forms of yoga such as yin and Iyengar. Several brands use organic cotton in their products including Yogamii, Mandala Yoga Wear and Indigo Luna

Tencell^TM

Tencell^TM Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fibre with properties almost identical to cotton. The fibres are made from an environmentally responsible closed loop production process which transforms sustainably sourced Eucalyptus wood pulp into beautiful, soft fabrics. The closed system means that water and solvents are recovered and re-used reducing waste by 99% and production is resource saving. Production is done without the use of pesticides or insecticides. The material is super soft, breathable and biodegradable. TENCEL® fabric carries the Oeko Tex 100 certification. Wonderfully comfortable for slower forms of yoga. Mandala Yoga Wear uses Tencell in the leggings and tops.  

TENCEL™ Modal

TENCEL™ Modal is a wood-based fibre processed from sustainably managed beechwood forests in Northern and Central Europe. The fibre yield of beechwood trees is 2 times higher than that of cotton plants, they require less water and less fertilizers. Production is energy saving and resource friendly. The fabric created has a very soft silky feel and is breathable. It is wonderful for slower forms of yoga. Or for life off the mat! Mandala Yoga Wear  and Moonchild Yoga Wear use Modal for their yoga tops. 

Recycled Plastic Bottles

Over 50 % of all fibres used for textiles are made from non-renewable fossil fuels. By using using recycled polyester fabrics made from post-consumer plastic waste, conserves resources as crude oil is not used and eliminates CO² emissions into the atmosphere, conserves water and energy and stops plastic bottles ending in landfill and ultimately in our oceans. REPREVE is the leading, most trusted, branded performance fibre made from recycled materials. The fabric is very quick drying and has 4-way-stretch ease and feels like second skin. Leggings made from Repreve are great for more active styles of yoga and sweaty movement. It is preferable to hand wash these garments. Both NiyamaSOL and Mandala Yoga Wear use the high quality Repreve in their leggings and yoga bras. 

 ECONYL ® regenerated nylon

ECONYL ® is made out of 100% regenerated nylon which is derived from discarded fishing nets and fabric scraps. It actually rescues waste from the ocean and landfills. It conserves resources as crude oil is not used and eliminates CO² emissions into the atmosphere. There are several ecological benefits provided by Econyl. It doesn’t only clean up the seas and saves thousands of sea life every year. For every ton of raw material recycled, 7 barrels of crude oil are saved and 5.7 tonnes of CO2 emissions are avoided. It uses less energy and water than synthetic fibre production. ECONYL ® is Oeko-Tex certified which ensures that there are no hazardous chemicals used in dyeing the fabric. It is very quick drying and is 4-way-stretch which means it can extend in both directions – crosswise and longwise, which creates better range of motion and comfort. Leggings made from this fabric are great for more active styles of yoga or even for water based activities. Indigo Luna use Econyl in their Samsara range of leggings.

Bio-based Polyamide

The bio-based polyamide fibre is created from the castor plant. Castor bean plant is a totally renewable resource that is especially water conserving and does not use arable land which is needed for food uses.  It is a sustainable and innovative alternative to conventional production of synthetic fibres. The yarn created has high performance properties and is extremely quick drying, very light weight, and has 4-way-stretch for ease of movement and comfort. It also has odour control and thermo regulation properties. These products are great for active styles of yoga. Mandala Yoga Wear is the yoga brand to use this fibre in both their tops and leggings. We feature their Universe leggings and tops. 

Why natural dyes?

Today, the use of natural dyes is considered costly and time-consuming, with the entire process taking around 2-3 weeks. But we believe this is the right choice, and a necessary and positive step towards sustainable. 

The process of natural plant dyeing was developed over thousands of years of human civilisation as a method of transferring beautiful colours found in nature onto fabrics. It can be traced back to ancient India where it was common practice to collect plants, herbs and bark to create dye baths. 

Colours can come from using various plant materials such as Indigo Leaves, Mango Leaves, Indian Almond leaves & Indian Redwood Bark. Indigo Luna used natural dyes for their cotton products

Packaging

All of our suppliers aim to minimise waste by either having no plastic bags packaging at all for their products or by swapping all plastic bags for the use of biodegradable cassava starch for example at Indigo Luna.  Or at Mandala Yoga Wear products are individually bound with a paper banderol. This form of packaging is extremely resource-saving and environmentally friendly.

There is no better feeling than knowing your clothes are made sustainably. You can feel and smell mother nature with every movement and solace is to be taken knowing that you are making positive choices for our planet. The market place will reflect what customers want, so you have power in the choices that you make when purchasing products.

Sustainability is sexy – this we believe from the bottom of our hearts! Not only do the brands we feature look absolutely beautiful, they are also made from high-quality innovative fabrics. By taking great care in how natural resources are used, these brands are caring for our planet.