A Guide To Ethical Lingerie & Underwear

Hands up, who’s found it difficult to find good, ethically-made lingerie? Yeah, me too. My collection started slow, with a few underwear sets in sustainable fabrics, but thankfully the number of ethical undie makers has grown, and I’m excited to finally bring you this much sought-after guide!

As I’ve said in previous ethical shopping guides, it’s easier to make an ethical t-shirt than it is to create a more complex piece, like shoes, or a bra. If you think about it, a bra is actually quite technical! You’ve got to think about the fabric, the elastic, the clasps, the straps, the cups… Oh and the fit!

I believe this is one of the reasons why there’s been a general lack of ethical options out there, but with some fervent searching, I’ve now been able to curate a full underwear-drawer full of fairly made pieces, and with it, this guide of the best places to update your underwear sets.

What To Look For In Ethical Underwear

So, when it comes to ethical fashion in general, there are a few things to look for:

• Publicly-available information on fair labour practices, wages, and treatment of staff
• US and European factories (although this doesn’t always guarantee fair labour)
• And of course, knowing that you really need a new piece – overconsumption isn’t ethical either

Alongside looking for all the above, it’s quite important to choose underwear made from natural materials. My reasoning is two-fold: first, save the planet. Natural materials are renewable and biodegradable. Second: these materials will be against your skin all day, so you probably want something that’s natural and more breathable than plastic-based fibres.

For me, the best sustainable fibres found in underwear are:

• Organic cotton
• Wool (or like Organic Basics, recycled wool)
• Silk (although there are issues around how silk is sourced)

Of course, there are plenty of other fibres that you’ll find being used too. Make It Last created a great guide to viscose, modal, lyocell, and Tencel, which all creep up under the natural fibre category, but in fact use a lot of chemical processing to turn wood and bamboo into these fabric threads.

So perhaps the middle-ground is recycled materials. They’re low in their environmental impact, and they tend to be recyclable once they’ve reached the end of their lifespan too.

And of course, there will usually be some kind of stretchy material involved too. These are complex pieces after all, so I’ll leave it to you to decide which materials you prefer.

What’s In My Lingerie Drawer…

So, while I tend to be quite a private person, I’ve dared to “bare all” in this post. I’ve shared my first ever photos that show my underwear (stretch marks and all) and I’m also going to talk about my own underwear collection. I hope you appreciate this!

Dusk pink triangle bra and briefs from Organic Basics*. The set I’m wearing for this post is my newest pair of bra and briefs from Organic Basics, who kindly gifted me the set to try. The Danish brand has been making waves across almost every ethical fashion influencer’s Instagram page recently – their clean style, paired with carefully-selected materials and factories in Austria, Italy, Portugal, and Turkey make them a winner on almost every front. Plus, they are so comfy to wear. Win win win win win.

Light grey thongs from Woron*. A few years ago I was introduced to Woron by my blogger friend Katie Vibes, and was also taken with their minimal and sustainable approach. I ordered a simple set to get started, and they’ve lasted well over time. The Scandi brand has gone on to create essentials, pyjamas, and even cute little sleep masks too!

Black basic bra and briefs from Boody*. Finally, what was potentially my first foray into sustainable undies – my basic black Boody set. Made from bamboo-based lyocell-fibre, I was torn about the material, but three years later and I’m still wearing the set – they really are as good as new! If you’re looking for long-lasting underwear, I’d highly recommend them.

25 Ethical Lingerie & Underwear Brands

And here we are! Alongside my own favourites, here’s a run-down of all the ethical lingerie brands that sell to the UK (many of which are on my wishlist!):

BAM*: Bamboo-based briefs alongside their yoga wear and crop tops.

Bare Boutique: Sustainable underwear brand by Kara Kupe, creating basics and underwear made with bamboo.

Boody*: Underwear basics made from bamboo fibres (rayon) and nylon. Full review →

Chantelle: Socially-conscious lingerie brand with new Motif range made from recycled fabrics.

Colie & Co*: Playful and cheeky printed lingerie made in Portugal and sold via Etsy.

Crease*: Feminine silk lingerie pieces made with sustainability and environmental impact at heart.

Elliot Organics: Soft underwear and camis made with organic fabrics and understated charm.

Hara the label: Australian-made bamboo-based underwear in rainbow brights.

JulieMay Lingerie: Ethically made, pretty bras and briefs made with sustainable materials that are allergy friendly. Get 10% off: JULIEMAY

Kayleigh Millar: Silk and lace lingerie and nightwear handmade in the UK.

Knickey*: Organic cotton knickers in a range of muted colours and styles.

La Perla: Intricate, sophisticated, luxury lingerie made in Italy and across Europe.

Magi: The first ever hemp underwear brand that’s cute! Comes in both neutrals and pastel brights.

ModiBodi: The most comfortable period pants I’ve tried. While they’re not perfect in terms of materials or manufacture, they do reduce the need for disposable period products!

Nude: Soft organic cotton underwear in a range of dreamy pastels, made in Spain.

Olly: Organic cotton underwear with fine detailing, made in Europe.

Organic Basics*: Underwear essentials made fairly from sustainable materials.

People Tree*: Ultra-comfortable organic cotton underwear in basic colours.

Project Pico: Organic cotton underwear, focusing on traditional artisanal techniques and supporting those communities.

Semi/Romantic: Italian-based lingerie brand working with European producers to make soft and cup bras in dreamy pastels with eco-friendy lace.

Studio Pia: Risqué, luxury lingerie made with structure and style.

Thought*: Simple, supportive bamboo and organic cotton jersey underwear.

The White Briefs*: Organic cotton basics made with GOTS certification across their supply chain.

Woron*: Essentials made from plant-based materials, made in a female-led factory in Hungary.

Y.O.U: Organic, Fair Trade certified and PETA approved vegan underwear, giving two pairs to charity for every pair purchased.

What About Period Pants?

A little extra note on period pants – which are something I get asked about a lot! While I haven’t been able to find any ethically-made period pants (the majority are made overseas, without much clarity around their labour practices), I do use period underwear which are washable and reusable.

Period pants are a sustainable alternative to mainstream period products, so if you’re set on having greener periods, try my faves – ModiBodi – which were kindly gifted to me, or another product such as a menstrual cup, or organic cotton products from Grace & Green or TOTM*.

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