12 Plant-dyed, organic clothing brands to support and wear for your wellbeing
As ‘eco-fashion’ becomes more mainstream, it's become more and more crucial to ask: What are the multifaceted goals of sustainability, and how do we actually get there with fashion?
The danger I see in having brands label themselves “sustainable” simply because they use organic fabrics or donate a percentage of their sales towards environmental causes is that we stop there.
After all, if “sustainability” is our ultimate goal and we're told such brands or products are “sustainable”, wouldn't that be it?
I say this not to diminish the progress being made and the hard work of every independent maker involved in challenging the current wasteful, exploitative, and polluting fashion industry, but simply in acknowledgment that there are always more parts of the process to improve to truly realize ‘sustainable fashion.’
We are all a work in progress, and to overuse the term meant to indicate the goal inevitably erodes its meaning, thus making us more likely to lose sight of our need to keep asking questions and keep pushing for better.
One aspect of the making process I've been fascinated by is the dying and finishing process. While most of the concerns expressed around microfibers bypassing our wastewater treatment systems to enter our rivers and oceans center around microplastics, the reality is that natural and even organic fibers, if dyed with toxic azo dyes and treated with toxic finishing chemicals, can similarly cause pollution when their fibers shed during the washing cycle and enter our waterways.
So beyond looking for low-impact, ecologically conscious fibers and ethical practices, I've also been keen to discover small brands that use plant dyes in their making process (and no toxic finishing agents), which would make the clothing more likely to be safely compostable at the end of their lives without causing harm to the soil ecology—and thus be more regenerative in supporting soil-to-soil circularity.
There aren't too many options just yet, but below are some of my favorites that I came across! Some have entire collections that use only plant dyes; others have some available options and are prioritizing it when feasible.
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The Hemp Temple
“The fundamental goal of the Hemp Temple is to be of service to our earth, our people, our neighboring species and ourselves. We aspire to operate as clean as possible. Meaning, at each point in our production we are continually working to minimize our footprint by reducing our use of natural resources, including our use of plastic, dyes, electricity, land and water. This is a goal we strive to achieve, yet it is a process that is capped by the development of our own capabilities, resources and timelines.”
Occasions: casual wear, loungewear for women and men
Highlights: Handmade by an independent maker;
Location: hemp grown in the Himalayan soils of Bihar, India and in Northern Nepal; clothing made and naturally dyed in India and Nepal.
Investment: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Wild Harvest Studio
“Wild Harvest Studio is the story of one woman's friendship with the Earth and all the beautiful creatures that share it. From Indigo to Hemp, all pieces are a celebration of the Earth's bounty and a dedication to honor all the intricate diversity within our ecosystem. Crafted amongst the ever changing trees of New England. Each piece is small batch, cut, sewn, hand dyed, and one of a kind. Using only organic natural fibers, plant dyes, sweet incantations, and love.”
Occasions: casual wear, loungewear, underwear for women
Highlights: Handmade-to-order by an independent maker.
Location: New England, USA
Investment: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Danu Organic
“Our clothing is a commitment to caring for the earth, our community and personal wellbeing. We partner directly with organic farmers in the USA to source the highest quality fabric being made. We believe that clothing should make you feel fabulous and be good for the health of everyone involved. Shouldn't be radical but it is in the face of fast fashion's largely hidden pollution and worker mistreatment.”
Occasions: casual wear, loungewear, underwear for men, women, and children
Highlights: Uses Colorgrown and plant-dyed organic cotton; made in the USA.
Location: grown in the U.S.; made in San Francisco, CA.
Investment: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing*
*Get 10% off your first order with code ‘GREENDREAMER’
Harvest and Mill
“Harvest & Mill was born out of a need for locally sewn and USA grown organic clothing. By supporting our USA organic cotton farmers, American heritage mills and our local sewing community, we are rebuilding supply chains based on ecological and ethical principles.
All of our designs are available in our natural undyed unbleached clean finish fabric. Our naturally-dyed clothing comes from farmers and dye artists in Indiana and California. Our low-impact black color is made with fiber reactive dyes in the USA.”
Occasions: casual wear, loungewear for women and men
Highlights: ‘Colorgrown’ organic cotton; made in the USA.
Location: organic cotton grown in the USA; clothing made in Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco.
Investment: $$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Hara the Label
“At HARA we believe in transparent supply chains, ethical practices and supporting local economies. All our products are naturally dyed, cut, sewn, packaged and shipped in Melbourne, Australia.
Every single piece we create is naturally plant dyed by us. Printing & dying the bamboo ourselves in our warehouse in Melbourne, Australia. Natural dyes are not only beneficial for the earth but also for your skin. The combination of bamboo and natural dyes is our secret recipe for nourishing the skin and protecting the body.”
Occasions: women's loungewear, underwear, accessories
Highlights: uses bamboo lyocell and plant dyes
Location: made and dyed in Melbourne, Australia
Price range: $$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Older Brother
“Our eco-conscious range includes organic cottons from Japanese farms, unique blends of wool and woven rice paper, and linen from the flax fields in Japan’s cooler climates - once the source of Imperial ceremonial robes.
Most importantly, each shares a defining trait – a natural material that knows the nature of your skin.”
Occasions: gender-neutral casual wear, tailored attire, loungewear
Highlights: uses plant-dyes; prioritizes organic natural fibers
Location: based in Portland, OR
Investment: $$$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Indigo Luna
“All of our garments are handmade in Bali, Indonesia in a small woman-run factory (unusual in Indonesia). We have strict environmental policy to cut back our impact on Bali and plastic use. All our natural dyes are sourced locally. We only use plants that naturally grow well in our tropical climate such as mango, indigo, secang wood.”
Occasions: athleisure and yoga wear, loungewear, underwear (at present, only their underwear are botanical-dyed)
Highlights: handmade; uses bioregionally appropriate dyes from plants grown locally to Indonesia.
Location: made in Bali, Indonesia.
Investment: $$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Gaia Conceptions
“Our goals at Gaia Conceptions are to ensure our clothing materials and production methods are rooted in sustainability and our garment designs are beautiful, comfortable, and highly versatile.
This means observing every step involved with making a garment, from seed to shirt. We are continually tweaking our system to the highest standard. Often similar to the Slow Foods Movement, Slow Clothing focuses on organic materials, a mindful supply of energy, and artisan quality goods and services.”
Occasions: casual wear, ceremonial, loungewear, underwear
Highlights: made-to-order in the USA; customizable lengths, sizes, fabric preferences, and color selections which include many plant-dyed options.
Location: made in North Carolina; fabrics made locally or purchased fair trade from abroad
Price range: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
California Cloth Foundry
"We will always dye and finish our fabrics with natural ingredients that do no harm to the planet: Eggshells instead of heavy metals, natural enzymes instead of Formaldehyde, and dyes made from madder root, weld, and chestnut instead of petroleum derivatives.
There's always a cleaner, safer alternative to the harmful chemicals used in most commercial clothing production. We are committed to using those alternatives, with the intention of making them viable options for the rest of the industry.”
Occasions: casual wear, loungewear
Highlights: Includes few pieces that are plant-dyed; works mostly with small family-owned operations
Location: based in California; sewn in India or California
Price range: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Nia Thomas
“After graduating with a BFA in Fashion Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, Nia Thomas began to explore realms in the New York City fashion/fine art scene. Constantly playing with warm earth tones, exciting textures and the concept of proudly wearing your heritage on your sleeve, she cultivated a safe space for her passion to cultivate. Furthermore, capitalizing on the opportunity of representing what a vegan and eco-conscious woman of color could create and positively share with the world.”
Occasions: swimwear, accessories
Highlights: Black-owned brand; uses recycled or deadstock fabric; uses plant dyes like avocado, onions, hibiscus, etc.
Location: based in New York City
Price range: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Sustain by Kat
“Sustain is built on the three main tenets of Slow Fashion - making GOOD, CLEAN, and FAIR clothing.
Sustain uses high quality organic fabrics and natural dyes, all locally manufactured in Los Angeles according to the highest quality standards. Our timeless basics last season to season, helping decrease the impact on the environment and your wallet.”
Occasions: casual wear, loungewear, underwear
Highlights: uses ‘Colorgrown’ (undyed but grown colored) fabrics and plant-dyed fabrics;
Location: based in and made in California
Price range: $$$
View their plant-dyed clothing
Ziran
“Ziran uses a proprietary silk called xiang yun sha (pronouced SHUNG YOON SHA). The silk has been made for the past 500 years in one town in China. Every yard of Ziran silk is different. It’s made in small batches, 15 yards at a time with no harsh chemicals, all natural ingredients, and a completely sustainable process from start to finish.”
Occasions: special occasion, casual wear, loungewear for men and women
Highlights: WOC-owned; made-to-order pieces; fabric made by Chinese artisans using 500 year-old traditional craftsmanship; xiang yun sha silk dyed with plant pigments and sunbaked in mud.
Location: fabric made in China; clothing designed and made in Los Angeles.
Investment: $$$$
