Organic Basics Review - Sustainable & Ethical Underwear Review
When it comes to sustainable fashion, shopping secondhand fashion will always be a better alternative than buying new. Though this is the case, it can be difficult to get comfortable with the idea of thrifting underwear or swimwear. The next best option would be to mindfully replace your worn-out garments with new purchases from small, ethical and sustainable brands.
Organic Basics is one of the most credible sustainable fashion brands producing sustainably made and ethically-produced undergarments. They are a Europe-based company that produces simple garments, underwear, activewear, and swimwear.
I’ve tried out a few of their undergarments and here are my honest thoughts on the brand.
Sustainability:
Their products are created with organic cotton, Tencel, and other recycled materials that are selected on the basis of environmental footprint and lifetime durability. Each of the textiles used is cited on their website so it makes everything easier for the consumer to research.
Ethics:
Organic Basics only works with trusted and certified factory partners that strive to reduce the overall environmental footprint and ensure that all garment workers are treated ethically and respectfully. Again, each of their factories is listed on the website with information about certifications, working conditions, and employee benefits. You can learn more about each individual factory here.
Review:
The good thing about Organic Basics is that they offer packs, which are essentially clothing sets. If you need to replace multiple pieces in your closet, purchasing a pack can save you money.
Tencel Starter Pack Lite Bralette
I started off with the Tencel Starter Pack featuring one of their Tencel Lite Bralettes and two of their Tencel Lite Tangas.
Tencel Lite Bralette in Black & Dusty Rose
Hands down one of my favorite bralettes ever. So my chest is pretty small--32 A--and bralettes have been my favorite form of bra to wear (when I choose to wear a bra). This piece is light and comfortable and the Tencel fabric is really smooth and breathable. I like that the elastic band on the bottom is a little thicker and the cutout detailing is super cute as well. I actually enjoyed it so much that I got the exact same bralette in the dusty rose color.
I will say that I’ve had this piece for over a year and a half now and have been wearing it maybe two times a week. Because of that, the straps are starting to wear down and loosen, they’ll frequently slip off my shoulders, but for now, that’s easily fixed by tightening it. I think in the future, I’ll probably have to snip them and just re-sew them.
Tencel Lite Tangas in Black
Okay, so I got two pairs of these black Tencel Lite Tangas in the set. I like them...it’s just, the back kind of rides up and eats into your butt. Again, this is made with Tencel so it’s really smooth and soft and again it has that thicker elastic band for a bit of contrast and support. The one drawback is that it really just creases into your backside and makes it uncomfortable to wear under form-fitting clothes. I usually reserve these for wearing under flowy skirts or loose pants.
Invisible Cheeky Thong in Rose Nude
These Invisible Cheeky Thongs in Rose Nude are the perfect undergarments to wear under light-colored or thin pants. They fit much better than the Tanga style and lay flat against the body. The underwear is made from recycled nylon and elastane and is much smoother than the Tencel pair. This might be a little too much information, but I will say that for some reason, I’ve noticed an increase in infection rate when I wear these. It might be because the synthetic material is a little less breathable or maybe it traps more sweat in, but I try to wear these for shorter periods of time and when I’m on dryer parts of my cycle.
Overall:
Organic Basics is a brand that works hard to ensure that it’s doing the best in terms of ethics and sustainability and for that, I applaud the brand. They have a men's section, they publish transparency reports, and their website is low impact so again, this brand ranks highly on my list of sustainable brands to buy from.
The only thing is, my experience with their underwear has been pretty mediocre, borderline negative, but because they have quite a few other styles, would definitely try them again in the future. I’d be interested in trying their athleticwear and newly launched swimwear line as well.
Have you tried Organic Basics out? What were your thoughts? What are some things that you love about the brand and some things that you wish they would change?
