Toning up your butt through yoga and Pilates is good for the mind and soul. Plus an hour of “me” time is always a treat. But the clothes we do this in often aren’t so good for ourselves or our planet. Most activewear is actually made of plastic, so finding eco-friendly activewear is essential.
Help – My Activewear is Made Of Plastic!
Next time you’re getting ready for a class, look at the care labels; they’ll reveal the fabric composition of your activewear. Now I appreciate that reading them might feel a bit like studying Latin. But if you read the words; polyester, polyamide, acrylic and elastane on the labels, you can be sure that your clothes are made from plastic.
What’s The Problem With Plastic Clothing?
Plastic is derived from petroleum oil, a fossil fuel which is a non-renewable resource. Carbon dioxide will have been released in creating your fabric, adding to global warming and climate change. Greta Thunberg’s claim that ‘our house is on fire’ is a reality. With 60% of our clothing being made from synthetic fabrics, and activewear having the most man-made fibres of any category, it’s important we find eco alternatives.
“Most activewear is actually made of plastic, so finding eco-friendly activewear is essential”
And it doesn’t stop there. When you wash clothing made of plastic, pesky little microbeads work their way into our ecosystems, food, water and air, doing no good to anyone. Now all activewear will have some form of elastane in it. It’s what makes it stretchy, keeps its shape and makes your bum look good. So you’ll always need to wash your activewear in a Guppy bag. But there are alternative fibres to polyester and polyamide.
Asquith’s Ethical Yoga Clothes
To be frank, clothing production will always impact our environment in some way. But there are companies who are striving to minimize this. One brand producing stylish, eco-friendly, activewear is Asquith. Care and respect for people and planet is at the heart of all they do. Their ethical yoga clothes are made from fabrics such as bamboo viscose and Bambor. Now Bambor is just bamboo combined with organic cotton and a small amount of elastane. I’ve been wearing their clothes for exercise both pre and during pregnancy and they’re really comfortable for a workout.
I’ve secured a special discount of 15% off Asquith’s eco-friendly activewear using the code AQUITHN4.
Bamboo, an Amazing Eco Fabric
I’ve talked about the wonders of Bamboo before. But in case you’ve forgotten, here goes. It’s a great fabric for producing clothes in a responsible and sustainable way. Bamboo grows quickly and absorbs more carbon dioxide than hardwood trees. It doesn’t require the chemical fertilisers and pesticides that other fibres need to grow. Plus it’s less water intensive to process. Bamboo is also durable, naturally breathable and, a term I’ve just learnt, sweat wicking. Sweat wicking basically means that the fabric takes the moisture off your skin to the exterior of the garment where it can evaporate more easily. So you’ll fell less sweaty.
Eco-friendly Dyes
All Asquith’s fabrics are dyed with dyes that comply with GOTS and Oekotex standards. Whilst these are not natural dyes, there are never any nasty chemicals used and certainly no testing on animals.
Asquith’s Stylish Bamboo Yoga Clothes
We all know eco-friendly doesn’t always equal stylish. But this is something I love about Asquith. They’ve managed to create timeless designs which look good, even when you’re 37 weeks pregnant. Their prints are classics, and their shapes flattering and seriously comfortable. After all, everyone wants to look good doing their downward dog.
Transparency Within The Supply Chain
In the fervour of worry about climate change, I often think we can forget about those making our garments. And for me, for a brand to be truly sustainable, good ethical working conditions are vital. All Asquith’s bamboo yoga clothes are ethically made in a GOTS certified factory in Southern Turkey. It’s great to hear that transparency is key for them and this is evident from their website, where they proudly tell you that their factory was:
“Established in 1997 by a wonderful Turkish businesswoman, the 50-strong team work 8.5 hours a day, have weekends off and paid holiday. Most of the employees have been there for 10-25 years and everyone is over 23 years old.”
The Cost of Ethical Yoga Clothes?
So often the elephant in the room when we talk about sustainable clothing is the cost. There is no denying that responsible business costs more to the consumer. However, Asquith’s prices are very competitive compared to other Highstreet activewear brands that place a high importance on quality and style. And to help you out, I’ve secured a special n4mummy discount of 15% off Asquith’s eco-friendly activewear using the code AQUITHN4. Please click here to shop.
Shop Asquith’s Eco-friendly Activewear
Be Grace Batwing in Leopard | Asquith
Divine Pants in Black / Leopard | Asquith
Don’t forget to use your discount code 15% off Asquith’s eco-friendly activewear with AQUITHN4
To read why I chose to boycott the highstreet and instead support brands who are eco-friendly and ethical please click here.
These look great but do you have suggestions for running gear?
Author
I wear Asquith’s Conquer cami with a pair of their relaxed pants for jogging in (in the days before pregnancy when I did 10ks) Asquith also sell “move with it” leggings if you prefer something close fitting x