13 of the Best Plastic-Free Clothing Brands

Yes, we’ve heard of an enormous number of sustainable clothing brands. But what’s making them sustainable? How about recycled materials? That’s one fair way to think about it. After all, circularity is essential to sustainability.

Yet since most clothing is made from plastic, microplastic pollution remains very much a risk - even with recycled fabric. So why not highlight clothing brands whose focus lies in being plastic-free and using natural, biodegradable fabrics? Those brands are friendly to the ecosystems and societies threatened by microplastics.

Many brands focus on plastic-free fabrics but, more often than not, they still use synthetic materials in certain products. So in this first section, we’re covering 5 clothing brands that don’t use any plastic at all. Not a single shard. They deserve the spotlight.

Completely Free from Plastic

1. POMP

Makes: sustainable basics
Materials used: 100% organic cotton
Price range: £20 - £45
Newsletter offer: 10% discount
Send it back for recycling? Yes
Based in: United Kingdom (ships worldwide)
Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, SA8000

We’re a single-material brand that focuses on organic basics and affordable sustainable fashion. POMP is one of the few completely-free-from-plastic clothing brands out there. On top of that, your pre-loved clothes can be sent back for recycling. They add to our circular collection wherein each product is made from 50% recycled cotton and 50% virgin organic cotton. Did we mention that all of our cotton is certified? No exceptions!

And for the climate activists out there, the Show Your Stripes (SYS) range - with products featuring the famous warming stripes - is a perfect way to raise awareness of climate warming. Plus, all (SYS) profits fund rewilding and reforestation projects with Mossy Earth.

2. No Nasties

Makes: stylish wardrobe staples
Materials used: organic cotton
Price range: £5 - £55
Send it back for recycling? Yes
Based in: India (ships worldwide)
Certifications: Fairtrade, GOTS*, PETA

No Nasties is another brand that doesn’t use a single ounce of material other than organic cotton to bring their stylish clothing to life. They show us that you don’t need plastic-based materials to create beautiful, good-quality pieces. To promote circularity, they encourage reselling through their resale platform. And they’ll fix up any of your No Nasties that have minor stains or tears at a low cost! If an item is beyond repair, they “re-incarnate” it into new compostable clothing by combining it with factory waste and overstock yarns. The revived scraps are then hand-woven by artisans and hand-dyed using natural dyes. 

*No Nasties states that nearly all of their clothes are made by Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills, which is Fair Trade-USA certified and uses GOTS-certified organic cotton (pending recertification).

3. Alex Crane

Makes: breezy everyday clothing & sandals
Materials used: linen, organic cotton, merino wool, leather, cactus, natural rubber, corozo, coconut
Price range: £50 - £350
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: USA (ships internationally & has retailers worldwide)
Certifications: GOTS*

Instead of plastic, Alex Crane uses a bounty of materials given to us by nature to make their range of chic, almost island-vibe, clothing. Their focus is on biodegradable and renewable materials, which extends into the natural and botanical dyes they use (ex: indigo, wildflowers, and avocado). This is your go-to brand if you’re looking for standout matching sets, breezy and breathable outfits for a tropical vacation, a premium hipster look, or well-deserved attention at a semi-formal dinner. All while wearing clothing that is kind to your skin.

*Based on their website, it seems like the pigments Alex Crane uses are GOTS-certified, but regarding other materials, it’s unclear if they’re certified.

4. Industry of All Nations

Makes: everyday casual wear & homeware
Materials used: organic cotton, alpaca wool, sheep’s wool, natural rubber, leather
Price range: £30 - £930
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: USA (ships internationally & has stores in USA & Bolivia)
Certifications: None

Industry of All Nations (IOAN) makes 100% plastic-free clothing in a way that empowers people and honors local processes. The villages, towns, and countries where their raw materials are grown or bred are also where their products are manufactured and finished. IOAN’s products are divided into the following sections, also found on their website for easy sorting: undyed & unbleached, natural dyes, recycled fibres, organic cotton, alpaca fibres, wild cotton, natural rubber, vegetable-tanned leather, and farm-grown teak.

Bucking the trend for certifications, IOAN does not work with any certification or regulation body as they believe their standards are higher, as they work directly with producers and not with any middlemen. 

Feel free to send back your IOAN clothing for repair, no matter the time of purchase. It’s part of the deal.

5. Olderbrother

Makes: high-end, unique everyday wear
Materials used: organic Japanese cotton, linen, tree fill, recycled cashmere, recycled wool, peace silk, hemp
Price range: £75 - £590
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: USA (ships internationally & store in California)
Certifications: None

Olderbrother is a brand that prioritises detail and care. They use materials like organic cotton from Japanese farms, unique blends of recycled wool with woven rice paper, and linen from the flax fields in Japan’s cooler climates. Natural dyes include mulberry wood extract, mustard seed, tannins, and oak galls. Plastic-based materials like polyester are harder to replace in certain pieces of clothing, like jackets and socks, but Olderbrother manages to do just that - using hand-beeswaxed Japanese broadcloth and tree filling instead. 

Pretty Much Free from Plastic

Now it’s time to get to some more brands that are almost entirely plastic-free but decided to use a bit of plastic-based fabric in a limited number of products. In most cases, they’ll soon be replacing the paltry amount of plastic they’re using.

6. Mate the Label

Makes: mostly natural basics
Materials used: linen, Tencel, organic cotton, spandex
Price range: £25 - £280
Send it back for recycling? Yes
Based in: USA (ships internationally)
Certifications: B Corp, Climate Neutral

What we liked about Mate the Label is that they’re more transparent than other brands about their use of plastic-based materials. They’ve owned up to it on their sustainability page. That said, they only use spandex (not polyester, nylon, or polyamide) in small percentages for a limited range of products. Which products are those? Their activewear, intimate wear, and Tencel rib collections. Every other range, organised neatly by fabric on their site, is completely plastic-free. Mate the Label even uses cotton thread instead of polyester thread, so that’s a big plus!

7. kowtow

Makes: creative everyday styles
Materials used: organic cotton
Price range: £25 - £200
Send it back for recycling? Yes
Based in: New Zealand (ships worldwide & 2 stores in New Zealand)
Certifications: GOTS, OEKO-TEX, B Corp, Fairtrade

Not only is all clothing by kowtow made with 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton clothing, but they also take note of the minute, yet just as important, details. They use agoya shell, mussel shell, or corozo nuts to make their buttons, nickel-free metal hardware for garment finishings, natural rubber in place of synthetic elastics, and GOTS-certified organic cotton for garment labels. The only plastic-based material here is the industry-standard, cheap, and durable polyester thread. But they aim to replace this with organic cotton thread by the end of 2023.

8. Thought

Makes: socks, contemporary clothing, accessories
Materials used: organic cotton, bamboo, wool, ecovero, Tencel, modal, SeaCell, hemp, recycled nylon, recycled polyester, elastane
Price range: £5 - £210
Send it back for recycling? Yes (through TRAID)
Based in: United Kingdom (ships internationally & has retailers worldwide)
Certifications: GOTS, GRS, Fairtrade

Thought uses a parade of innovative materials to make their mostly natural and plant-based clothing. According to their materials page, they use a total of 4% recycled nylon and 3% recycled polyester. There’s some elastane present in certain products, but at Thought you’ll still find a plenitude of products that contain zero plastic. They’re affordable and accessible, and there’s no shortage of style options for your everyday clothing.

9. Palava

Makes: vintage style, unique print clothing
Materials used: organic cotton, hemp, Tencel, linen, polyamide, elastane
Price range: £20 - £250
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: United Kingdom (ships internationally, has retailers worldwide & a store in London)
Certifications: OEKO-TEX, GOTS*

All of Palava’s clothing is made using natural materials and free from plastic - except for their socks, which contain polyamide and elastane, and the plastic buttons in their knitwear. Those buttons will be replaced soon, to follow the buttons used on their dresses, made from Corozo nuts! This low-waste brand reuses their fabric scraps to create homeware and accessories. Their leftover fabric is also available to purchase.

Palava has a dizzying selection of clothing, ranging from vintage-style dresses and trousers to jumpsuits and even dogwear, so it’s safe to say that you’ll have plenty of plastic-free options to choose from. The use of hand-illustrated prints bring their colourful and expressive yet high-quality clothing to life. And you’ll receive your items in plastic-free packaging that’s compostable.

*Palava’s knitwear factory is GOTS-certified and all the dyes they use are OEKO-TEX certified.

10. Colorful Standard

Makes: colourful basics
Materials used: organic cotton, recycled merino wool, linen, polyamide, elastane
Price range: £9 - £120
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: Denmark (ships internationally and has stores worldwide)
Certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GRS, PETA*

Colorful Standard is now found in major cities around the world, and deserves that fame! Their pieces come in 50 colours inspired by nature. Clothing is separated into two types: organic, which is made from 100% organic cotton, and recycled, which is made from 100% recycled merino wool. This is what makes up almost the entirety of their range, but linen is also used in some summer t-shirts.

Their range is not entirely plastic-free because they use a miniscule amount of polyamide and elastane in their socks. And recently, the brand introduced an activewear range, made from recycled polyester and small amounts of elastane.

*only cotton clothing

11. Thinking Mu

Makes: creative everyday clothing
Materials used: organic cotton, recycled/regenerated cotton, hemp, Tencel, REFIBRA, ECOVERO™, recycled polyester, SeaCell, wool, corn leather
Price range: £17 - £200
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: Spain (ships internationally and has retailers worldwide)
Certifications: GOTS, OCS, GRS, RWS

You can spot Thinking Mu’s clothes from a mile away because their pieces are creative, colourful, and a little quirky. They’re different - and, done sustainably. The only plastic they use is post-consumer recycled polyester, mainly in swimwear. Even their socks only contain an impressive 1% spandex, whereas other brands normally use a heftier percentage of plastic-based fabrics like polyamide and elastane.

Thinking Mu shows us one of the most responsible forms of doing business. They are more than just a brand; they foster community by working with artists, hosted the first conscious music festival inspired by endangered sounds of nature, and partake in projects committed to regeneration.

12. Indigo Luna

Makes: yoga-lifestyle clothing
Materials used: ECOVERO™, organic bamboo, organic cotton, ‘responsible cotton’, Pantelleria, VITA, ECONYL™, REPREVE™, deadstock acrylic, linen, spandex
Price range: £23 - £94
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: Indonesia & Australia (ships internationally and has stores in Bali & Australia)
Certifications: GOTS

Indigo Luna creates beautiful clothing thoughtfully. A big part of their collection is made using ECOVER™, a plant-based, biodegradable viscose, and organic cotton. This includes their yoga wear and intimates - items that are typically difficult to make plastic-free. Where plastic is ‘needed’, they use recycled or upcycled instead of virgin (apart from small amounts of spandex). These include Pantelleria, VITA, ECONYL™, and REPREVE™ (all sourced from recycled nylon and plastic bottles) - and unused, deadstock acrylic.

13. Kings of Indigo

Makes: jeans and other clothing
Materials used: organic cotton, recycled cotton, Tencel™ Lyocell, recycled polyester, recycled wool, linen, hemp, recycled elastane, elastane, PBT, polyester, LYCRA
Price range: €45 - €395
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: The Netherlands (ships to certain countries only)
Certifications: GOTS, GRS

At Kings of Indigo, just 1.8% of total materials consists of synthetic fibres. And out of that, 58% are recycled synthetics. The rest? 98% of KOI's materials are either organic or recycled. 87% of their materials are cotton: 62% organic and 38% recycled. These stats are extra impressive because although the brand focuses on denim jeans (which are fairly easy to make with minimal plastic-based fibres), they also create other clothing. Think jackets, coats, jumpers, T-shirts, dresses, and more, which are arguably more difficult to make plastic-free. As a plus, the use of polyester and elastane in KOI's clothing line has decreased from 2022 to 2023, and they have managed to eliminate a number of synthetic materials completely, meaning they are successfully depending less and less on plastic-derived materials.

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And there you have it. Our picks for the top 13 plastic-free and mostly plastic-free clothing brands. What are your thoughts on these brands? Did we miss any that should’ve made this list? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll keep this article up to date.

And if you’re behind a brand that’s free from plastic and feel that you deserve to be part of this post - then just get in touch and we’ll see if we can get you some attention for getting rid of one of the planet’s most problematic materials. It’s a noble cause.