More and more ethical and sustainable clothing brands are entering the market. Yet we often get the question whether sustainable lingerie and underwear also exist. We found socks and stockings brands that you can find at the ethical Ghent entrepreneurs stores!
Do you know another ethical, fair and/or ecological brand? Or do you know a sustainable entrepreneur in Ghent who sells underwear and/or lingerie? Let us know!
Organic Socks is a specialised in socks young brand. It was funded in Sweden 2016 with a vision of fairly production. The manufacturing process happens in India with the certification of Global Organic Textile Standards-GOTS; which confirms that the process does not include (the most) toxic chemicals, child labour or environmental damage. The cotton used is naturally grown without the use of pesticides (organic) and the different collections are imaginative and colourful.
The Global organic Textile Standards-GOTS guarantee that the production chain, from the cotton to the weaving; knitting and trading is conducted with an environmental low impact. The GOTS label also speaks in general terms about working conditions, but not about fair prices, premiums and wages, and is therefore an environmental rather than a social label.
Oxfam Wereldwinkel Gent-centrum, Lammerstraat 16, 9000 Gent
Peregrine is a family-run business for over four generations. All their manufacturing process takes place in England. They advocate for wool as the most sustainable fabric regarding its biodegradable and reusable properties. Peregrine knits and socks are designed with the aim of lasting duration, functionality and adaptability. That’s why the designs are thought to suit every occasion, from the urban environment to the country side, by playing with the colorways and the structure to make the classic fresh and contemporary.
“Every step from the very first design to the finishing stitch has, and always will be executed here in the UK”. They make an effort to control the production chain by checking periodically their factories and team. On their website you can also find a guide on how to take care of the wool for a better and durable use.
Peregrine also makes an effort on the materials they use, which include British wool and organic BCI cotton, which is part of the initiative Cotton For Life and Better Cotton initiative movement. Some of their clothes also include Nilo organic Egyptian cotton which is stated to be fully traceable, on spite of its origin. They work on an interesting project regarding waterproof materials and the develop of eco-alternatives to chemical coatings, such as beeswax finishes, as well as Upcycled Cotton yarns.
Although Peregrine specifies where most of their materials come from, they also mention on their website the use of merino wool, which is not produced in the UK. In recent years, several scandals have come to light regarding the production of wool from merino sheep (read Sarah Vandoorne's article about this issue). So it remains necessary to be very critical when buying their wool products.
Lost in Pablos, Vrijdagmarkt 38, 9000 Gent
Vaude is designed and made in Germany and is committed to producing sustainable and environmentally-friendly products. Vaude strives to produce products with a long lifespan through timeless design, robust materials and easy reparability. The company actively takes a stand on socio-political issues such as climate change, and is committed to weighing in on the political debate.
Even though the manufacturing process takes place in Asia as the majority of the industry has been doing since the 80s, Vaude states that this decision took place in order to provide more affordable prices in Europe. Nevertheless, they remark the importance of the how over the where. Vaude is committed to a fair production in Asia that ensures good working conditions for the employees. Since 2010 the brand has been part of the Fair Wear Foundation; a non-profit organization that applies strict criteria regarding the working conditions in Asia. The audits that take place every year, support Vaude transparency and reliability.
For your information: Membership of the Fair Wear Foundation in itself does not suffice to label a brand as 'fair', as membership mainly implies a commitment to improve. It is always important to look up a brand on their website fairwear.org before drawing conclusions. Vaude has the leader status, and can be considered as a pioneer within the Fair Wear Foundation.
Vaude, Sint-Niklaasstraat 52, 9000 Gent
Woolpower is a Swedish brand which its principle is to provide functional products that resist any weather condition and any sportive activity. It is ideal for mountain activities or every other activity that requires resistant equipment. Their vision is to produce all kind of clothes that will warm you for a hundred years by adopting a long term perspective in their decision process. The manufacturing process takes place in their factory in Östersund, from the knitting to the shewing and storing; with a continuous improvement in regard to the impact that the production has on the environment. Woolpower has even developed their own fabric, called ullfrotté, which is made with a mix of wool and other materials. The leftovers of the production are pressed back together and they are used for other products.
Woolpower is concerned about shortening the production chain. That’s why the process takes place in Sweden. They also state a responsibility on caring about the labor condition of their workers to be fair and towards sustainability. Their responsibility goes across different areas, from the employment conditions to the supply chain and, ultimately, the final product. Nevertheless, the materials are not originally from Sweden and neither the dying companies or spinning mills. They are transparent about the origin of the wool they use; which is Argentinian and Uruguayan. The wool afterwards is washed and dyed in Germany, spun in Romania and finally goes to their factory.
Like Peregrine, Woolpower uses wool from merino sheep. However, the company makes it very clear on their website that -since 2008- they decided to stop purchasing Australian merino wool because of the animal-unfriendly mulesing technique that is used (read more about this in Eerlijk Textiel onder de Loep, in Dutch).
Vaude, Sint-Niklaasstraat 52, 9000 Gent
Choose beauty consciously, is the slogan of Swedish Stockings . We can also do our bit in choosing nylon stockings. Swedish Stockings makes its stockings from recycled yarn and promises consumers sustainable stockings, not tights that are full of holes from the first party. Every year, a total of about two billion nylon stockings are produced, which are thrown away as soon as the first hole appears. Swedish designers Nadja and Linn saw this as the perfect product to make it more sustainable and thus relieving the waste dump.
Swedish Stockings has its own 'recycling club', with which it wants to get rid of torn nylon stockings. Those who want to be part of that 'club' can send their broken stockings (at least three pairs each) to Sweden and be able to get a 50 percent discount on their next purchase. The recycled yarns from which 'new' nylons are made are produced by NILIT Ecocare, which has a “zero waste” policy, and certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). The recycled fabrics are non-toxic, because NILIT Ecocare recycled yarns meet the requirements of the Oeko-Tex 100 standard, which ensures that textiles do not contain harmful chemicals. The factories in Italy run on solar energy and the dyes are environmentally friendly.
Swedish Stockings are designed in Sweden and produced in Italy. However, the Clean Clothes Campaign warns that some factories in Italy are not paying living wages either. Not guaranteed fair trade, but the best option if you are looking for stockings.
Supergoods , Brabantdam 56b, Ghent
Tip: Supergoods collects old panties to be recycled to construction materials. Customers get extra points on their loyalty card if they bring in waste panties at the Supergoods stores !
Just Hazel , Burgrstraat 136, Ghent
Run since 2014 from a hidden office in Amsterdam, A-dam develops their clothing that is produced around the world. Under the statement of creating conscious choices, they assure that their workers have excellent labor conditions, clean production methods and friendly fabrics. Their socks have a button to tie them together in the washing machine, and the flexible material is made from recycled oceans plastic— Whatever we create, it should show character, in the way it’s made and in the way it looks and feels.
A-dam uses a wide selection of eco-friendly materials including Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton. This way they limit the environmental impact of their production. Their factories have the certificate of Social Accountability International of GOTS, that ensures fair wage.
Side-note: A-dam uses recycled ocean plastic. In the past, it has been shown that microplastics can be released when washing clothes made of plastic (recycled or otherwise) (see for example the article Fossil Fashion). Fortunately, there are special laundry bags that can prevent this.
Oxfam Wereldwinkel Gent-centrum, Lammerstraat 16, 9000 Gent
The brand was created in Denmark, Solosocks creators had the visionary idea of creating a sock brand to provide a sustainable solution to avoid waste and help the planet. They designed a pack with seven socks, if one disappear, you can still use the rest together. Besides, their packaging can be transformed into a storage box and with every order, they send one pair of socks to a homeless person.
ECOLOGICAL ? FAIR TRADE?
The cotton they use is GOTS-certified organic combed cotton produced in Turkey. The production takes place close to their offices in Copenhagen and their distribution centre in Germany, that way minimizing the transportation.
Oxfam Wereldwinkel Gent-centrum, Lammerstraat 16, 9000 Gent
Veraluna was born in 2012 with the aim of enhance the life condition of women and men by working together with the production team and respecting the environment. Veraluna makes a statement against fast fashion, they implement quality and naturality in their designs to raise awareness on the matter of conscious consumerism.
Their cotton is produced by the Chetna Organic Association. The organization works with small and local farmers to make agriculture a sustainable activity through a chemical free process.
Oxfam Wereldwinkel Gent-centrum, Lammerstraat 16, 9000 Gent
