The Next Step in Sustainability: Regenerative Clothing
The Next Step in Sustainability: Regenerative Clothing
Made to enhance the earth, the regenerative movement marks a fresh approach to eco-friendly fashion. .
“Recycled,” “repurposed” and “secondhand” often describe eco-friendly fits, but regenerative apparel takes eco-conscious clothing a big step further. “Regenerative clothing means using natural fibers that can return to the earth, transparent supply chains that support biodiversity and production that gives back more than it takes,” Forbes explained. It also enriches soil health while minimizing pollution.
The simplest example is a natural fiber like cotton, which complements the planet’s carbon cycle. Cotton grows from the earth and can return to it without harming the environment. According to Cotton Incorporated, a not-for-profit research and marketing firm for U.S. upland cotton, cotton microfibers biodegrade up to 90% in 40 days. Yet polyester and nylon live on for decades, causing microplastic pollution.
To avoid greenwashing, any company claiming regenerative status must be either Climate Beneficial™ Verified or Regenerative Organic Certified®. Read on to learn more about some innovative fashion brands that have regenerative apparel down to a science.
Specializing in in textiles and apparel crafted from regenerative plants, minerals and proteins, California Cloth Foundry® (CCF) uses an exclusively American supply chain. A for-profit Beneficial Corporation, the Los Angeles company launched in 2014 to make “fossil-free and Climate Beneficial™ soft goods for A Healthy Wardrobe®.” .
Founder/design director Lydia Wendt’s mission is to revamp fashion’s supply chain to benefit nature. Because the skin absorbs what we wear, CCF uses only botanical ingredients and fabrics like Cleaner Cotton™ and Lenzing® Modal. Along with biodegradable paper, its compostable packaging includes plant-based cellophane and cardboard plus vegetable-based inks.
Known for its limited-edition, vintage-inspired women’s dresses and apparel made in sustainable fabrics, Christy Dawn owns and operates a downtown Los Angeles factory. Founded in 2014, the company introduced Farm-to-Closet, its regenerative fashion collection, five years later.
For Farm-to-Closet, Christy Dawn has partnered with Oshadi Collective, a textile manufacturer specializing in lightweight cotton and natural dyes, in southern India. At Oshadi Collective’s farm, cotton plants are grown to nourish the soil for future plants.
A pioneer in regeneratively grown, U.S.-made organic cotton apparel for men and women, Harvest & Mill launched in Berkeley, CA, in 2012. Citing clean and ethical supply chains “from seed to stitch,” the company works with U.S. organic and regenerative farms, as well as a domestic supply chain. It also partners with Fibershed, a textile manufacturer in San Geronimo, CA., which develops local fiber systems to build soil and protect the biosphere.
Having launched her zero-waste brand in 2019, designer Italia Hannaway recently partnered with textile manufacturer Fibershed for a regenerative capsule collection. The San Francisco, CA-based company also works with Bare Ranch, a sheep farm in northern California that uses a soil-to-soil farming method. Made in undyed Climate Beneficial™ wool, each style is handcrafted and ethically produced.
“Plant Your Pants®” is the mantra of KENT, which makes compostable underwear for men and women. Free of plastic and synthetic materials, the Los Angeles brand uses 100% natural, plant-based and organic fabrics. Its products last as long as regular underwear; the difference is that when a pair of briefs wears out, it can be composted into nutrient-rich soil.
The company’s “Compost Club” helps customers compost their KENT underwear at the end of its lifespan. Just purchase a Compost Club shipping label and send used KENT briefs to the company with carbon-neutral shipping. A team sorts, sanitizes and preps them for compositing, and customers receive a credit for future KENT purchases.
Featured on “Shark Tank,” the brand has also appeared in Vogue, WWD and The Financial Times.
With a “farm to finish” approach, Maggie’s Organics opened in 1992 in Dexter, MI. Spanning five continents, its supply chains and farming and ranching partners use regenerative farming techniques to produce organic wool and cotton. The company recently added a 100% Regenerative Organic Certified® cotton line of men’s and women’s apparel. ROC™ cotton comes from farms working toward the highest organic farming standard, which helps restore and build healthy soil.
Committed to organic cotton since 1996, Patagonia also supports farmers in growing cotton with Regenerative Organic Certified® practices—focusing on organic, no- and low-till methods that build healthy soil. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, the company has piloted a crop of Regenerative Organic Certified® cotton in India—working with more than 150 farmers to implement the highest organic standard. Since 2022, Patagonia has sold ongoing collections of Regenerative Organic Certified® apparel.
For its Splendid Kind collection. the Los Angeles women’s wear brand recently partnered with Fibershed. During one of Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial™ tours. Splendid’s design team walked the fields of a local farm and saw firsthand what soil-building agriculture looks like in practice. Splendid committed to regenerative cotton and began building a domestic supply chain—the first step of which required purchasing U.S.-made fabric.
Fibershed worked with Splendid’s compliance team to add Climate Beneficial™ certification, develop accurate product claims (the verified language brands can use to describe environmental and sourcing practices) and ensure regulatory and industry standards.
Vanessa Groce
