We’re all looking for ways to become more natural and organic in our general consumption. Of course, once you factor the costs into your budget, it’s relatively easy to go organic and all-natural in terms of your diet. There are plenty of different organic brands available at the grocery store, as well as stores that only sell organic food products. And there’s a reason why grocery stores have come to offer this type of food so readily. There is a huge demand for organic food, as many consumers have come to realize its benefits.
For one thing, organic products are much healthier for us than non-organic products, as they lack the types of pesticides and growth hormones used to treat the typical types of food products you’ll find in the store. There is also a moral factor that needs to be kept in mind. Organic food, whether it’s made up of meat or vegetables, can be ethically sourced much more easily than non-organic products. This means that the animals involved in the production process were treated humanely and the employees involved in the processing or preparation stage received fair wages worked in fair conditions. Now, it’s one thing to keep these issues in mind when buying your food. Although not all organic food is ethically sourced, you can probably find ethically sourced, organic groceries relatively easily. Organic, ethically sourced clothing can be much more challenging to find.
Many people aren’t even aware that clothing can be organic. In this day and age, many of us buy fast fashion. Not only are fast fashion products made from synthetic materials like plastics that can be harmful to the environment and even our own bodies, but they feed into a system that is detrimental to thousands of people worldwide. With that being said, if you want to make an effort to buy organic clothing from ethical sources, you’ll have to make an effort and a change. With that being said, let’s look into what you should look for and how you can change your shopping habits to buy more organic, ethically sourced clothing.
What Is Organic Clothing?
You’ll have a hard time buying organic clothing if you don’t know what you’re actually looking for. Not all clothing is advertised as organic outright, although many clothing lines do market themselves as “clean” or “green”. Just because a particular apparel line is marketed this way, however, does not mean that it’s truly organic — and not all organic clothing is ethically sourced. Therefore, if you have any questions you should look up the clothing line before you buy, perhaps checking up on it through websites like Trustpilot.
Organic clothing ultimately isn’t very different from organic food. As many clothing textiles are made from agricultural products, organic clothing is made with the assurance that the clothes’ materials will be grown in accordance with organic standards. Organic standards require that the agricultural materials are grown as naturally as possible, with little or no synthetic substances. You can expect the types of textiles used to make organic clothing to include silk, wool, cotton, ramie, or jute. This means that a wide variety of clothing types can be made organically and whether you’re looking for women’s clothes — the number one top-selling item online as of 2017 — or men’s clothes, or even children’s clothes, you can probably find it organically made. With that being said, not all textiles have to be completely organic to be considered a part of organic clothing.
Is Organic Clothing More Expensive?
As with many clean or green products, there is a perception that organic clothing is inherently more expensive than typical clothing. It’s true that the materials used to create organic clothing is often of a higher quality and therefore it costs somewhat more. The point of fast fashion, in contrast, is for it to be made for as little as possible so that it can be sold at a high markup, achieving the maximum profit. Of course, the cost of relying upon clothes that are environmentally unfriendly should be considered.
While organic clothing may be more expensive than clothes sourced through fast fashion, you could consider it an investment in the environment, just as buying organic food is. Of course, clothing is a much longer-term investment than the food and it’s a more long-term investment than fast fashion as well. Organic clothing is, as previously mentioned, made from high-quality materials. Alpaca fibers, for instance, are rather strong and usually measure about 50 N/ktex. This strength means that clothes made from these fibers will typically last longer. For that matter, organic clothing looks no different from many high-end pieces that are not organic. If fast fashion isn’t to your taste and you’re already spending a good amount of money on clothes, why not redirect your buying power to organic clothing?
Where Can I Buy Organic Clothing?
As people become more concerned about being environmentally friendly, more organic clothing lines are coming into play. Shift to Nature, Kowtow, and Beaumont Organic are all organic clothing brands — though not all of them are found in the United States. Fortunately, even if you have to look internationally to find organic clothing, the internet is making them easier than ever to find. In 2017 alone, around 79% of American consumers reported shopping online. And as most new fashion shoppers are in younger age brackets — between 16 to 24 and 25 to 34 — we’ll see all types of clothes online in the future!
There are so many reasons why people are looking for organic clothing — and that’s a good thing. Know it is an option for you if you want it to be!
