Hi friends! There’s been a lot of discussion in the comments about polyester in activewear, something I don’t discuss in the video (oops) and an incredibly valid point. Polyester activewear is one of the things where it’s not ideal but because of the lack of alternative options, sometimes the only solution. With that, if you need activewear I always recommend buying secondhand above all else. Also, here’s an article that I found online from one of my favorite websites, EcoCult, with some activewear brands that use natural fiber. I can’t personally endorse these because I haven’t tried them but they might be a good starting point if you’re interested in what other options are out there :) ecocult.com/plastic-free-sustainable-activewear-natural-fibers-organic/ Appreciate all the discussion, thank you all for your support!
I appreciate what you're trying to accomplish but to be honest I think you're going about it the wrong way. If your end goal is to be more sustainable we shouldn't be buying anything new, period, doesn't matter if its natural or not. Also there is no such thing as a bad fiber or fabric, what we have is a fabric that is more overused(or improperly used) in the industry then it should! Which is the case with synthetic fibers in general. What should be "put on blast" or criticized is consumerism, not polyester itself. Sorry if I come of as rude, that was not my intention. This is just a topic that I have some strong feelings about as a textile designer.
@@claclabpthat’s what a majority of my videos are about (and what the end of this video talked about) , showing people that the best way to be a sustainable “shopper” is to wear what they own over buying new. And if they have to buy “new”, to buy secondhand first. I hope you can check some of them out to know that we are very much on the same page!
@@claclabp I really appreciate that! I've worked my entire career in the fashion industry but generally on the business/consulting side, not directly in product/supply chain. So I'm grateful to have your wisdom here :)
@@FeelingGoodAsHail awsome, love seeing other people in the industry do their part! If you have any questions about textiles feel free to ask me if you want. I'm not a textile engineer but as a textile designer i do know a little bit more than most! 😊
THIS. I’m tired if plastic being given all these other names: vegan leather, acrylic, nylon, polyester, rayon, elastane, etc. It's like having different names for it makes people forget or not care that all their clothes are plastic.
They are called different names because they are different fabrics. Just because they come from the same raw material doesn't mean they have the same characteristics or made in the same way. It's like wanting cotton, linen and rayon/viscose to be called the same name just because they come from plants.
@@AngelicWitch444 that is not true, not all artificial fibers are created the same. Tencel for example has a closed loop production process that creates no final by product! Making it much more sustainable than rayon for example. Sure they are not as sustainable as natural fibers, but that doesn't mean it's a bad or not sustainable fiber!
Ngl I also hate synthetic fibers because of how brands have started putting it in **everything**. Cotton shirt? 60% polyester. Wool sweater? 96% acrylic. Anything linen these days is mostly synthetic fibers 😭 It’s so ridiculous at this point 😭😭😭
I do have old polyester fast fashion pieces which are still in great quality that I wear regularly. However it’s true that the standards of production have deteriorated in recent times.
I hear so many people say this, it's such a bummer how the production quality has gone down over the years. That's why vintage shopping is the best though!
I never used to pay much attention to what my clothes were made of, but more often things I bought from department stores within the past few years have started to pill quickly. I once wore a new shirt to work and it pilled over the course of the day where my forearms rubbed up against my work desk. I was livid. I've since noticed my lowest quality clothes have had a high polyester percentage. Now I'm reading what things are made of before I purchase them.
Yes!! Polyester SUCKS! I was going to film a similar video, because I’ve found that wearing synthetic fabrics send my sensory disregulation into overdrive. Natural fiber clothing is so much more comfortable!
Shout out to hemp, rattan, and curpro textiles since they’re all cruelty free and natural. Silk requires that the worms get cooked alive, and cupro doesn’t have that cruel component.
nowadays I always filter on thredup to only include cotton linen etc. polyester shirts and sweaters are just worse in every way. the only sacrifice is sometimes you miss out on the more interesting patterned pieces but ah well
I have some fast fashion I bought online when I didn't have time or transportation to shop a thrift store. I tried very hard to choose 100% cotton. The tshirts are not great and look older after a year then some I know are at least ten years old so I won't repeat that experiment. Some "linen" skirts and dresses I also got are still looking pretty good and since they are cotton I can practice visible and invisible mending to extend their functional lifespan. I also very rarely use the dryer and instead prefer to hang dry (outdoors, weather permitting) which seems to significantly extend the longevity of almost any fiber. I've even had great success with machine washing "dry clean only" items as long as they aren't washed with rough items like denim, no hot water, and drying on a hanger. Nearly all textiles can be reused too, though it could take quite some time to learn the many ways to do so. Consider gifting unwearable items to a fiber artist who can use them whenever possible.
when i’m thrifting i try my best to only get natural fibers unfortunately it’s hard! ☹️ but gotta be picky and choose your battles. but i’ve also noticed most of the pieces i gravitate to do end up being a natural fiber it’s just sizing that gets me.
Got two guppy bags a few years ago for my workout clothes. I still have not found any natural fibres in active wear, really. All my running gear is 100% synthetic, but I've heard about merino wool functional tops recently. Would love to see more videos on how to be more sustainable in sports, i.e., running, swimming, cycling etc.
The Rich will get quality fabrics and the less well off synthetic fibres. Notice shoes moving away from leather with cheap materials but not for the few. Fur for me and not for thee
I'm definitely not an expert on those fabric but in my opinion, I'd view them in the same category as cotton in terms of being better for biodegradability but still coming with their own set of environmental issues. Nothing will ever be perfect unfortunately so the best thing you can do is buy less and if you do buy, buy used! If anyone reading this has better insight on these fabrics feel free to chime in
As someone new to satin/silk I didn’t (and still don’t lol) know quite the difference but it’s important to really look at the composition of the garment bc sometimes as satin/silk like fabric is made of polyester or other synthetics
Over the past year I recently got more into silk items so from what I understand, satin is made up of synthetic materials or a blend of silk/synthetic materials. And silk is just pure natural fiber. The only bummer about silk is the price but I've found some great vintage options at the thrift store and new at Quince as well! Highly recommend. Thanks for watching :)
Polyester is dominating not only because of money. We have limited farm land on the planet. There's a limit in growing cotton. We are all buying too much clothes, synthetic the only solution. Besides, the condition to grow pima cotton is also the condition to grow peanuts. Farms would switch between the crops depending on the market prices. When you demand natural fibers but continue to buy the same amount of clothes, it can decrease food yield. We should just buy less.
I totally agree. Another thing, maybe not so related to polyester but to synthetic material in general. What about footwear? Or underwear? Any thoughts on how we can be more sustainable there?
I’m going to look more into that cause I feel like it’s nearly impossible to avoid in footwear! And same thing with underwear outside of cotton of course. It’s everywhere! 😅
Wait a minute, I thought I read that wrong. You’ve got it completely backwards as when your pores are open that’s when the polyester micro plastics can be absorbed. And don’t forget lingerie.
I do! I've been on the hunt for a used cashmere sweater recently but they're proving to be a bit hard to find at my local thrift stores. Hoping for some better luck soon!
Yeah I've found this especially true if they're an acrylic blend, it's the worst! One time I used hair conditioner to soften a a 100% wool sweater and it worked well. Otherwise I just wear a long sleeve shirt underneath to get a barrier between my skin and the fabric.
Speaking of nuance, you should also point out that choosing e.g. wool over synthetic means you are encouraging animal exploitation (vegans would choose synthetic over wool any day) - I'm personally not vegan myself but simply saying "microplastics" wouldn't win people over because there are other ethical considerations (Unnatural Vegan did a great video called "Sustainability Discourse is Getting Stupid" which explores this murky moral territory so you should check it out)
I would add...whatever you buy, treat it with care when washing etc, make it last as long as possible. Stick to your rules for clothing purchases as much as possible, you'll be buying less overall. I still buy polyester when it ticks all my other style rules as being a small woman i just cant find much anyway. I just keep to a certain number of purchases and look after all of them. Im considering keeping my extra favourites as they wear out and getting them remade with a good dressmaker in fabrics of my choice...ie preferably cotton etc. No, its not a perfect system but there is not a one covers all solution right now, so we need to try our best with what we have. Sorry for long comment..ive also started learning sewing by mending and altering things myself, i think we all need to learn this skill if we want better control ! Greetings 🦘
When it comes to clothing it is possible to avoid it completely with a ton of effort. But the goal isn’t perfection, even I don’t avoid it all together if it’s a smaller % as mentioned in the video
Hi friends! There’s been a lot of discussion in the comments about polyester in activewear, something I don’t discuss in the video (oops) and an incredibly valid point. Polyester activewear is one of the things where it’s not ideal but because of the lack of alternative options, sometimes the only solution.
With that, if you need activewear I always recommend buying secondhand above all else.
Also, here’s an article that I found online from one of my favorite websites, EcoCult, with some activewear brands that use natural fiber. I can’t personally endorse these because I haven’t tried them but they might be a good starting point if you’re interested in what other options are out there :)
ecocult.com/plastic-free-sustainable-activewear-natural-fibers-organic/
Appreciate all the discussion, thank you all for your support!
I appreciate what you're trying to accomplish but to be honest I think you're going about it the wrong way.
If your end goal is to be more sustainable we shouldn't be buying anything new, period, doesn't matter if its natural or not.
Also there is no such thing as a bad fiber or fabric, what we have is a fabric that is more overused(or improperly used) in the industry then it should! Which is the case with synthetic fibers in general.
What should be "put on blast" or criticized is consumerism, not polyester itself.
Sorry if I come of as rude, that was not my intention. This is just a topic that I have some strong feelings about as a textile designer.
@@claclabpthat’s what a majority of my videos are about (and what the end of this video talked about) , showing people that the best way to be a sustainable “shopper” is to wear what they own over buying new. And if they have to buy “new”, to buy secondhand first. I hope you can check some of them out to know that we are very much on the same page!
@@FeelingGoodAsHailI did see another video of yours afterwards and I'm now subscribed. Love to see this kind of content being spread out!
@@claclabp I really appreciate that! I've worked my entire career in the fashion industry but generally on the business/consulting side, not directly in product/supply chain. So I'm grateful to have your wisdom here :)
@@FeelingGoodAsHail awsome, love seeing other people in the industry do their part! If you have any questions about textiles feel free to ask me if you want. I'm not a textile engineer but as a textile designer i do know a little bit more than most! 😊
THIS. I’m tired if plastic being given all these other names: vegan leather, acrylic, nylon, polyester, rayon, elastane, etc. It's like having different names for it makes people forget or not care that all their clothes are plastic.
rayon is not plastic, its plant matter (celulose)
@@molihua15 🤯 Well, I learned something new today!
They are called different names because they are different fabrics. Just because they come from the same raw material doesn't mean they have the same characteristics or made in the same way. It's like wanting cotton, linen and rayon/viscose to be called the same name just because they come from plants.
@@magicivy but is actually a semi synthetic bc of the chemicals needed for its production, it’s no longer environmentally friendly
@@AngelicWitch444 that is not true, not all artificial fibers are created the same. Tencel for example has a closed loop production process that creates no final by product! Making it much more sustainable than rayon for example. Sure they are not as sustainable as natural fibers, but that doesn't mean it's a bad or not sustainable fiber!
Ngl I also hate synthetic fibers because of how brands have started putting it in **everything**. Cotton shirt? 60% polyester. Wool sweater? 96% acrylic. Anything linen these days is mostly synthetic fibers 😭 It’s so ridiculous at this point 😭😭😭
This is why I started sewing my own clothes. I can control the quality of the clothing. Polyester is also easier to hide crappy seam lines.
I've been wanting to start making my own clothes (and filming the process here). You've inspiring me to get started!
@@FeelingGoodAsHailTake your time learning. It’s a pretty difficult skill if you want to make good quality items. But it’s worth it.
It's so difficult to avoid polyester in lining! This is where I usually give up and take it if it's not something that's going to touch my skin.
I do have old polyester fast fashion pieces which are still in great quality that I wear regularly. However it’s true that the standards of production have deteriorated in recent times.
I hear so many people say this, it's such a bummer how the production quality has gone down over the years. That's why vintage shopping is the best though!
Yes please make a video with the pros and cons of each natural fabric. Very interested in this information.
I never used to pay much attention to what my clothes were made of, but more often things I bought from department stores within the past few years have started to pill quickly. I once wore a new shirt to work and it pilled over the course of the day where my forearms rubbed up against my work desk. I was livid. I've since noticed my lowest quality clothes have had a high polyester percentage. Now I'm reading what things are made of before I purchase them.
I feel like we've all had that "aha" moment with an item! Mine was also with a shirt that pilled too soon. Lesson learned!
Yes!! Polyester SUCKS! I was going to film a similar video, because I’ve found that wearing synthetic fabrics send my sensory disregulation into overdrive. Natural fiber clothing is so much more comfortable!
It's the worst! Couldn't agree more
If I thrift I’m okay with a small percentage of synthetics if it’s something I really love. If I buy new I never buy synthetics.
That's the best way to go about it imo!
Shout out to hemp, rattan, and curpro textiles since they’re all cruelty free and natural. Silk requires that the worms get cooked alive, and cupro doesn’t have that cruel component.
nowadays I always filter on thredup to only include cotton linen etc. polyester shirts and sweaters are just worse in every way. the only sacrifice is sometimes you miss out on the more interesting patterned pieces but ah well
This is an option other brands really need to have! So smart
I have some fast fashion I bought online when I didn't have time or transportation to shop a thrift store. I tried very hard to choose 100% cotton. The tshirts are not great and look older after a year then some I know are at least ten years old so I won't repeat that experiment. Some "linen" skirts and dresses I also got are still looking pretty good and since they are cotton I can practice visible and invisible mending to extend their functional lifespan. I also very rarely use the dryer and instead prefer to hang dry (outdoors, weather permitting) which seems to significantly extend the longevity of almost any fiber. I've even had great success with machine washing "dry clean only" items as long as they aren't washed with rough items like denim, no hot water, and drying on a hanger.
Nearly all textiles can be reused too, though it could take quite some time to learn the many ways to do so. Consider gifting unwearable items to a fiber artist who can use them whenever possible.
when i’m thrifting i try my best to only get natural fibers unfortunately it’s hard! ☹️ but gotta be picky and choose your battles. but i’ve also noticed most of the pieces i gravitate to do end up being a natural fiber it’s just sizing that gets me.
Got two guppy bags a few years ago for my workout clothes. I still have not found any natural fibres in active wear, really. All my running gear is 100% synthetic, but I've heard about merino wool functional tops recently. Would love to see more videos on how to be more sustainable in sports, i.e., running, swimming, cycling etc.
It's definitely an untapped market! Hopefully in the next few years some activewear brands will come out with better options
The Rich will get quality fabrics and the less well off synthetic fibres. Notice shoes moving away from leather with cheap materials but not for the few.
Fur for me and not for thee
Poliester takes 200 years to degrade.
The teflon in the airfryer , pots and pans takes 800 years and you wash it out in your sink
That's just awful!
That's why we should avoid both. Cast iron ftw :)
What about clothes to exercise in, like swimwear, running pants, cycling shorts, etc?
I’d say those are definitely exceptions but still want to make sure you’re caring for them to last as long as possible
Could you inform us about ramie and bamboo. Are they less polluting?
I'm definitely not an expert on those fabric but in my opinion, I'd view them in the same category as cotton in terms of being better for biodegradability but still coming with their own set of environmental issues. Nothing will ever be perfect unfortunately so the best thing you can do is buy less and if you do buy, buy used! If anyone reading this has better insight on these fabrics feel free to chime in
As someone new to satin/silk I didn’t (and still don’t lol) know quite the difference but it’s important to really look at the composition of the garment bc sometimes as satin/silk like fabric is made of polyester or other synthetics
Over the past year I recently got more into silk items so from what I understand, satin is made up of synthetic materials or a blend of silk/synthetic materials. And silk is just pure natural fiber. The only bummer about silk is the price but I've found some great vintage options at the thrift store and new at Quince as well! Highly recommend. Thanks for watching :)
Silk is the fiber, satin is the woven structure of the fabric. Meaning you can have a satin fabric with polyester, rayon and silk.
@@claclabp also with cotton. Cotton satin is used mostly for bed linen and pillow covers and is regarded as a more luxury material.
Thanks for the vid, really enjoyed this one!
I‘d love a video about natural materials
Adding it to my list! Thank you for watching :)
Polyester is dominating not only because of money.
We have limited farm land on the planet. There's a limit in growing cotton. We are all buying too much clothes, synthetic the only solution.
Besides, the condition to grow pima cotton is also the condition to grow peanuts. Farms would switch between the crops depending on the market prices.
When you demand natural fibers but continue to buy the same amount of clothes, it can decrease food yield. We should just buy less.
Couldn't agree more, we need to buy less at the end of the day. I didn't know about the farm land, thank you for the info!
I totally agree. Another thing, maybe not so related to polyester but to synthetic material in general. What about footwear? Or underwear? Any thoughts on how we can be more sustainable there?
I’m going to look more into that cause I feel like it’s nearly impossible to avoid in footwear! And same thing with underwear outside of cotton of course. It’s everywhere! 😅
Polyester is a must for exercise or if you generally sweat a lot. They have saved my good quality shirts from getting soaked in sweat.
Agreed! That’s definitely an exception
Wait a minute, I thought I read that wrong. You’ve got it completely backwards as when your pores are open that’s when the polyester micro plastics can be absorbed. And don’t forget lingerie.
Do you like cashmere?
I do! I've been on the hunt for a used cashmere sweater recently but they're proving to be a bit hard to find at my local thrift stores. Hoping for some better luck soon!
Wool and cashmere make me itch.
Yeah I've found this especially true if they're an acrylic blend, it's the worst! One time I used hair conditioner to soften a a 100% wool sweater and it worked well. Otherwise I just wear a long sleeve shirt underneath to get a barrier between my skin and the fabric.
Speaking of nuance, you should also point out that choosing e.g. wool over synthetic means you are encouraging animal exploitation (vegans would choose synthetic over wool any day) - I'm personally not vegan myself but simply saying "microplastics" wouldn't win people over because there are other ethical considerations (Unnatural Vegan did a great video called "Sustainability Discourse is Getting Stupid" which explores this murky moral territory so you should check it out)
I would add...whatever you buy, treat it with care when washing etc, make it last as long as possible. Stick to your rules for clothing purchases as much as possible, you'll be buying less overall. I still buy polyester when it ticks all my other style rules as being a small woman i just cant find much anyway. I just keep to a certain number of purchases and look after all of them. Im considering keeping my extra favourites as they wear out and getting them remade with a good dressmaker in fabrics of my choice...ie preferably cotton etc. No, its not a perfect system but there is not a one covers all solution right now, so we need to try our best with what we have. Sorry for long comment..ive also started learning sewing by mending and altering things myself, i think we all need to learn this skill if we want better control ! Greetings 🦘
Polyester is in everything. Not even practical to avoid it completely. This take is laughable.
When it comes to clothing it is possible to avoid it completely with a ton of effort. But the goal isn’t perfection, even I don’t avoid it all together if it’s a smaller % as mentioned in the video