The idea of only buying clothing made from natural fabric is pretty new to me.

I used to focus on quantity over quality in terms of my clothing.

Everything was bought because it was cute and cheap. And therefore, disposable.

I never ever paid attention to the fabric composition listed on the tag.

I certainly wasn’t concerned about natural fabric or the longevity of my clothing. Instead, I was always thinking that I could just replace it if it got ratty.

If it remained in my closet long enough for that to happen. Which it never did.

Over the past few years I have had a major mindset shift in how I look at my wardrobe.

As a result, I have been focused on slow clothing purchases. I want to build a wardrobe of high quality pieces that I love and will have for a long time.

Some of my current pieces have been purchased from ethical makers, many of which only use natural fabric for their clothing. It is because of this exposure to these types of makers that I now understand the importance of natural fabrics when building a sustainable wardrobe.

My closet has been slowly evolving from a polyester abyss into one filled with natural fabric clothing. Pieces that will maintain their high quality for many years to come.

Transitioning from Synthetic to Natural Fabric

If you’re interested in transitioning your wardrobe from synthetic to natural fabric, please know that it doesn’t need to happen overnight.

You can continue to wear the pieces that you currently have and then replace them as they wear out. This is the most sustainable way to do things.

However, if you are wanting to start implementing natural fabric clothing right now, you can do it on a “1 in, 1 out” basis. For every piece of natural fabric clothing that you buy, send 1 piece of synthetic fabric clothing into the secondhand market.

Where should you start?

There are many types of natural fabric clothing out there but I have chosen to focus my attention on a select few. These are the natural fabrics that I purchase for my wardrobe.

These fabrics are quite common, and therefore, quite accessible. You’ve likely heard of them many times before.

Specifically, these fabrics are silk, cotton, linen and wool. Clothing made from these fabrics are easily found in secondhand shops, especially vintage shops.

Before the 70s, which was when polyester clothing became popular, and paved the way for the fast cheap clothing that were are drowning in, the clothing industry was quite different.

Clothes were made from natural fabrics, which were more expensive. As a result, women added items to their wardrobe much more slowly than they do now.

Which is why it’s easily found in vintage shops. It really makes me wonder what “vintage” clothing will look like 20 years from now…will it be a polyester paradise?

Natural Fabric 1 – Silk

Silk is a natural fiber that is produced by silkworms when making a cocoon. The fiber is collected to make thread and ultimately, fabric, from the process.

In my experience, silk come in various forms. I am most familiar with about four of them.

First there’s Silk Noil, also know as raw silk. This type of silk has a matte, nubby texture. It is the least processed type of silk which gives it the rough texture.

Clothing made from this type of silk feels much less precious than most silk clothing. I have quite a few pieces of clothing made from raw silk and I wear them for everything, including hiking and pulling weeds in the garden!

It is by far my favorite type of silk!

And then there’s Charmeuse Silk.

This silk has a sheen and feels more delicate.

It is more lightweight than raw silk and it has a beautiful drape.

I have some clothing pieces made from this type of silk and “past me” would have only worn them for special occasions such as dinner out or a wedding.

But “now me” thinks that every day is a special occasion so we should just wear our finery!

Silk georgette is a sheer, lightweight type of silk. It feels rough to the touch and it has a much stiffer drape than the other types.

Silk linen is a blend of silk and linen. I find that it has more structure than charmeuse silk but that it doesn’t wrinkle as easily as linen.

My personal favorite sources for silk are Jamie + the Jones, Ozma of California and Eileen Fisher.

Styling Silk

Natural Fabric 2 – Cotton

I can pretty much guarantee that you already have some cotton in your wardrobe.

It’s a pretty common natural fabric. Some might even argue (or jingle) that “it’s the fabric of our lives”.

I mean, I’m not so sure about that but I do know that I have a bit of it in my wardrobe.

Just like silk, cotton comes in many forms as well. And I’ve been making changes in two main areas of my wardrobe with respect to cotton.

One main change that I’ve been making in terms of cotton is to incorporate 100% cotton (or as close as possible) jeans into my wardrobe.

I’ve gotten rid of my previous jeans that have had a fairly high percentage of spandex because they would inevitably stretch out and look baggy.

And I find the all cotton jeans to be much more comfortable as well.

Another type of cotton that I have been incorporating is flannel.

A flannel shirt was not something that I have gravitated to in the past. But this year, I decided to incorporate a beautiful flannel shirt and I am very happy that I did. I actually find that it had more structure than I was expecting.

My personal favorite sources for cotton clothing are KOTN, AGOLDE (denim), Babaa (knitwear), and Tradlands.

Styling Cotton

Natural Fabric 3 – Linen

Linen fabric is made from the fibers of the flax plant. It comes in light, mid and heavy weight.

It is very absorbent and it dries quickly. So it’s a great fabric for summer as it is breathable and moisture-wicking.

But it does wrinkle easily. If you’re not bothered by wrinkled clothing then you’ll love it!

Linen is a fabric that I feel like I should have been wearing a long time ago. But I have only recently discovered it!

I live in an area where the summers are quite hot (normal temperatures in the summer are 80+ F). And as a pant lover, who hates the heat, I feel like I could have been much more comfortable in the past haha.

My desire to be more comfortable in the summer led me to buy a pair of linen pants and I’ve never looked back!

Linen clothing is also easy to incorporate into your winter wardrobe by layering it with other fabrics.

A few of my favorite ethical makers to buy linen clothing from are Filosofia and Linenfox.

Styling Linen

Natural Fabric 4 – Wool

Wool fabric is made from yarn that is spun from shearing a sheep’s fleece coat.

Wool is an awesome natural fabric for the cold winter, which I appreciate since we get very cold, snowy winters.

It is a great insulating layer, but breathable at the same time. It has a tight weave that keeps the cold air out.

As with the other natural fabric types, there are many different types of wool, which appear to be categorized by their softness.

One type that I’ve been trying to purchase more of is cashmere which is a very soft type of wool. It feels very soft to the touch and luxurious on the skin.

Cashmere can be quite expensive to purchase new but I have found it quite reasonably priced in the secondhand market.

I have purchased the majority of my wool clothing, including a few wool coats, in the secondhand market, either locally or online. The only thing I caution here is to inspect a secondhand item carefully for her presence of clothing moths. If a wool item has random holes or a pock-like appearance, steer clear!

If you are looking for new, Eileen Fisher has some beautiful wool clothing. Keep your eye open for their sales as I’ve been able to get a few pieces that were discounted.

Styling Wool

How do you incorporate natural fabric clothing into your wardrobe without spending a fortune?

I used to buy so much polyester clothing because it was cheap. I always thought of most natural fabric clothing as being too expensive.

And some of it is! Especially when it’s brand new.

I have three approaches to buying natural fabric clothing.

1. The Local Secondhand Market

If I want to add something new to my wardrobe, the first place that I check is the local secondhand market. I have a handful of local thrift/consignment/vintage shops that I visit on a fairly regular basis.

Whenever I go to one of these shops and I find something in a style that I am looking for or I like the look of, I first check the fabric tag.

If it’s synthetic, which happens 9 times out of ten, I will move on.

But, if the fabric is natural, then it will definitely get a try on.

And if I find something that I really like and it fills a void in my wardrobe, I purchase it. When I get it home, I immediately wash or dry clean the item.

** To repeat what I said earlier, if you are buying natural fabric clothing in the secondhand market, it is very important to check the clothing for any signs of moth damage. This is especially important with wool clothing. If you see holes, pits or any other unnatural markings, it may be affected by clothing moths. If you choose to buy it, take it to a dry cleaner immediately after purchasing.

Visit this post for tips on shopping in the local secondhand market.

2. The Online Secondhand Market

If I am unable to find the item in the local secondhand market, I turn to online secondhand markets like Etsy and eBay.

Etsy is a great resource for vintage clothing, and definitely my favorite.

A lot of vintage clothing was made in a time when fabric was very importance in clothing production. A time when women had smaller wardrobes consisting of beautifully constructed garments made from beautiful, natural fabrics.

As an example, this fall I wanted to find 2 garments made out of 100% wool: a wool coat and a wool plaid blazer. I turned to Etsy and I was able to find both. And the cost of each of the items was drastically lower than if I had purchased them new.

Some tips when you are purchasing an item through Etsy or some other online market.

1. Search for the specific item that you are looking for. For example, “wool plaid blazer”.
2. Check the listing for the fabric composition. Is it 100% of the material you are looking for or is it a blend?
3. Check the measurements. I always find it helpful to have a measuring tape on hand so that I can check the measurements against myself.
4. If anything is unclear, ask questions. I like to ask questions about the smell of an item (which I think is important when buying vintage to avoid that “musty” smell). I also ask about any signs of damage to the clothing (such as moth damage) and whether the seller has cleaned the item.
5. Once you purchase an item and it is delivered, if it hasn’t been done before shipping, wash or dry clean the item.

Check out this post for tips on shopping in the online secondhand market.

3. Ethical Makers

Talking about incorporating natural fabrics wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the makers who are ethically making garments using beautiful fabrics and paying their workers a fair wage.

I have listed some of my favorite makers in the above fabric descriptions.

Some of the clothing from these makers can be quite pricey. I have managed to get a few pieces over the past year by budgeting for the pieces that I love the most and luckily, I’ve gotten a few of them on sale.

It’s been a slow process, but the patience has paid off and it’s made me much more intentional with what I’ve added to my wardrobe.

Please let me know if there is any thing that you would like to know further about transitioning away from synthetic fabrics. Or if you have any additional tips, please share them in the comments.

Until next time,

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