9 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 of Plastic

1. POMP

Makes: organic basics
Materials used: organic cotton
Price range: £20 - £45
Send it back for recycling? Yes
Based in: United Kingdom (ships mostly worldwide)
Certifications: GOTS, 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-of-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 GOTS-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. Stain Studios

Makes: matching sets & patterned clothing
Materials used: upcycled linen, cotton, silk
Price range: £30 - £100
Send it back for recycling? No
Based in: Indonesia (ships worldwide)
Certifications: None

Another brand known for its matching sets, Stain Studios creates intentional ‘stains’ - to leave a lasting impression. Their fabrics are handwoven, go through a woodblock or screen printing process, and textiles are coloured using non-toxic natural dyes. Any offcuts are used to make zero-waste accessories or repurposed in other ways. Stain Studios works with independent suppliers, workshops, and artisans with shared values, to preserve traditions and celebrate ethical craft.

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.

And there you have it. Our picks for the top 8 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.