You are probably wondering why anyone in their right mind would try to stop shopping at Lululemon. And rightfully so. Their clothes are fashionable, comfortable, breathable and last forever. And did I mention adorable?
Okay, here is my reasoning: Man-made synthetic dyes and materials in our clothes are touching our skin 24/7. And our skin is more ‘open’ when we exercise as our bodies are sweating and working hard to get rid of toxins. I started thinking about how harmful these chemicals could be to my health over time, especially with daily exposure. It’s ironic actually to think about how we exercise to be healthy while often wearing clothes made from ‘unhealthy’ materials.
I decided to start looking for alternatives to my (many) Lululemon workout leggings and tanks. I knew I had a tough road ahead of me as I LOVE Lululemon (if you couldn’t tell from the intro). Here were my top concerns as I began looking for new workout clothes:
#1: Could I actually find safe, organic alternatives that were stylish and inspired me to exercise?
#2: How could I justify to myself (and my husband) that I could no longer wear the hundreds of dollars in workout clothes that I purchased not that long ago?
It turns out that #1 was challenging—so challenging that I never even made it to #2. It was surprisingly difficult to find clothing brands made of all organic, clean, and safe materials. There seems to be more of a focus on sustainability in the clothing industry since manufacturing produces so much waste and negatively impacts the environment. Many companies use organic cotton, bamboo and other fabrics, but their clothes are often combined with non-organic and/or recycled materials.
I had to sift through tons of eco-conscious and semi-organic brands to find ones that were close to 100% organic and (almost) as fashionable as Lululemon. Here are the promising brands I discovered online: Green Apple, Groceries Apparel, Lily Lotus, Pact, and People Tree (and yes, I wish there were more). I purchased a couple great items from Lilly Lotus and Pact and look forward to trying the others soon.
If you have any stylish and mostly-organic clothing brands that you would recommend for exercise apparel, please let us know in the comments below… I am still on the hunt! And next time you’re shopping for ath-leisure or workout clothes, I would encourage you to move toward a more health-conscious wardrobe made of quality and natural materials.
Full disclosure: I have bought some Lululemon clothes since writing this article (and am very tempted when I walk past their stores), but am trying to slowly transition to cleaner, more organic brands as I find clothes that I am excited to wear and workout in.
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