Sustainable Clothing Australia: 7 Brands Keeping The Planet Off The Barbie

The Very Good Bra

About The Very Good Bra

Price Range: $–$$

It’s no easy feat to be able to claim you’re the only organic underwear brand in the entire world that sells 100% plastic-free bras (in 28 sizes, no less), but The Very Good Bra has worked tirelessly to achieve it.

As a Certified B Corp, they don’t just support your girls but the planet and workers, too.

Get comfortable in their brief-style underwear (available in six colors) or lounge around in a pair of Go-Slower Pants. Or if you’re looking for maternity clothing , check out their compostable nursing bra (the first of its kind!).

The Very Good Bra’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

The Very Good Bra’s garments are made with 100% organic cotton sewn together with Lenzing TENCEL thread—and NO uncomfortable underwire!

What sets this brand apart is its use of natural tree rubber knitted into organic cotton instead of elastane, a material that’s found in almost all intimate wear. Everything is botanically circular—GOTS-certified dyes, custom-made hooks and eyepieces, and elastic—which means all of it can easily break down in your home compost and wont’ shed microplastics when washed.

They offer replaceable straps, since these components fail before the cups.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Materials are sourced globally from countries such as Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

They used to work with an ethically certified manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka, but they recently moved to a family-owned factory in Portugal. They intend on posting their certifications and labor practices soon.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

TVGB’s is easily one of the most innovative sustainable fashion designers Australia has. Their biggest initiative in spearheading the movement to develop the world’s first Australian Standard for Textile Composting. They utilize all fabric scraps to make small runs of sleepwear and underwear, and any sample fabrics get donated to The Social Outfit and Whitehouse Design.

Products are shipped using Sendle in compostable or recycled/recyclable packaging.

Inclusivity:

Panties run from 8-16 (XS–XL) and bras from 32B to 38E.

Community & charitable giving:

The brand partners with a social enterprise called The Avenue for warehouse fulfillment, which offers work opportunities to those facing barriers to employment. Sample bras are donated to Thread Together.

Velvety

About Velvety

Price Range: $$–$$$

Looking for a collection of sustainable vegan fashion brands all in one place?

Velvety has what you seek, offering over 55 vegan brands of men’s and women’s sustainable clothing in Australia—along with shoes, wallets, accessories, toiletries, and cosmetics. Shop by material, category of item, or brand, and make a fun arvo (afternoon) of online shopping.

Velvety’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Every brand that is under the umbrella of Velvety uses different materials, but they must have one thing in common to be a part of this site: being vegan and cruelty-free. They always prefer sustainable fabrics that are recycled/upcycled fabrics or organic.

Supply chain & labor practices:

All brands that Velvety stocks are committed to ethical and Fair Trade practices. Committed to ethical practices, Velvety looks for certifications and memberships such as PETA Approved Vegan, Fair Wear Foundation, fair trade, and GOTS.

Each product item has a small description of where it comes from, but to learn the full scope of any single brand’s labor practices, see each one’s website.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Velvety partners with Upparel, a Certified B Corp that upcycles donated clothes. You can get $25 for donating 10kgs of clothes. They also partner with AirRobe to promote circular fashion by re-selling, renting, or recycling your clothes all in one place.

Items are shipped in compostable packaging.

Inclusivity:

With so many different brands, sizes vary but in general, you’ll find sustainable men’s clothing Australia sizes S-XXL, with some fringe XS and 3X offerings.

Women’s sizes can be found XS–4XL and the size filter will help limit your search to what you need.

Community & charitable giving:

Velvety is part of the #whomademyclothes movement, and they also donate a portion of their profits annually to Big Sky Animal Sanctuary.

DK Active

About DK Active

Price Range: $–$$

Looking for sustainable cycling clothing in Australia? Or maybe something to wear for your beach yoga session? Based in Brisbane, DK Active is both one of the best sustainable Australian clothing brands and best sustainable activewear brands globally.

Take one look at fun prints available in the recycled Utopia Tights, and you’ll see why. Shop by activity or by fabric type across their range of bodysuits, sports bras, leggings, shorts, and heaps more.

DK Active’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Most activewear pieces are made of 65% ECONYL® regenerated nylon. Others sustainable materials utilized include organic bamboo, Fairtrade organic cotton, and modal—all bearing REACH and/or OEKO-TEX certification. Small amounts of lycra and virgin polyester are used where recycled substitutes cannot be.

Supply chain & labor practices:

DK Active is one of the few sustainable clothing manufacturers Australia has on its home soil. Their own factory is located in Brisbane, though some pieces are made at a partner factory in Victoria that is REACH, ISO9001, and ISO14001 compliant.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

This Australian sustainable clothing brand runs its HQ and Brisbane factory completely on solar power and offsets 100% of all supply chain shipping. For products not manufactured in AU, they use sea freight instead of air to reduce pollution.

They partner with Textile Recyclers Australia to donate all offcuts and scraps and ship products in compostable mailers. Their garment tags are made from recycled paper.

Inclusivity:

DK Active offers sustainable plus-size clothing in Australia in 3XL-6XL (14-20) for their Curve collection, as well as a special maternity line. Standard garments run XS-XXL (2-12).

88% of their team are women with 71% are in managerial roles.

Community & charitable giving:

They donate to a number of charities, including Women’s Legal Service Queensland, Hear And Say, and Sailability. They are also members of Thread Together, where they donate garments that don’t make the final cut to charity.

Nat’v Basics

About Nat’v Basics

Price Range: $

As a business that believes sustainability requires a holistic approach, Nat’v Basics makes sustainable and ethical fashion “basics that are better for bodies and planet”.

Based in Gold Coast, Nat’v Basics provides sustainable bras, underwear, and bodysuits with seamless designs to keep you comfortable in the hot Aussie summers.

Nat’v Basics’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

The Nat’v Basics range includes designs made in their signature TENCEL™ modal fabric made from sustainably grown birch tree wood pulp. They also have a range created with 95% GOTS-certified organic cotton and a Recycled Materials range that is 80% Recycled Materials + 20% Elastic + 100% GOTS Organic Cotton Gusset.

Some items still incorporate recycled polyamides and elastane, but they are working on substituting these with eco-friendly materials. All dyes are low-impact and non-toxic.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Their TENCEL™ modal is sourced from Austria, where it’s made in Fair Trade and ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certified factories. Final products are made in Hefei, China.

This ethical brand meets regularly with its suppliers but relies on third-party auditing through Amfori BSCI to uphold its ethical standards and fair wages.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Nat’v’s goal is to create a circularity program for garments at their end-of-life. They use Shopify’s Planet app to monitor and 100% offset shipping. Funds go to the Jarí Para Forest Conservation Project in the Amazon Rainforest. All shipping materials are FSC-certified and compostable, down to the soy inks

Inclusivity:

Women’s sizes run S-3XL (6-20 AUS).

Community & charitable giving:

Nat’v donates to charities such as OzHarvest, One Tree Planted, and Thread Together. Their Charities of Choice program allows the customer to choose who to donate to at checkout.

All The Wild Roses

About All the Wild Roses

Price Range: $$–$$$

All the Wild Roses was created by an Australian refugee from Vietnam who wanted to build a better fashion industry, having seen the poor working conditions for Vietnamese garment workers.

Producing timeless, vintage-inspired designs, this brand offers the luxurious yet affordable sustainable clothing Australia has been begging for, from boho dresses and vintage blouses to skirts and maternity wear.

All The Wild Roses’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

All the Wild Roses designs eco-friendly clothing in Australia using upcycled and vintage fabric from deadstock and surplus stock. They cover buttons with off-cut fabrics or incorporate biodegradable coconut shell buttons.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Designed at headquarters in Sydney, the Australian eco-friendly clothes are then manufactured by an all-women team in Hai Phong, Vietnam. As a Certified B Corp, women are paid above a living wage, have safe working conditions, and work reasonable hours.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

All the Wild Roses has carbon-neutral shipping, worldwide working with GreenFleet, a non-profit dedicated to restoring the Australian Forest. Their goal is to be carbon-neutral across their whole brand by 2030.

To cut production waste, they operate on a limited collection or custom-made order basis. They also use plastic-free compostable mailers from The Better Packaging Co.

Inclusivity:

Sizes run 6-20 (XS–4XL).

Community & charitable giving:

They work with Opportunity International Australia, providing micro-loans to women-led businesses in developing countries.

Elk

About ELK

Price Range: $$–$$$

For true fashionistas in need of sustainable clothing, Melbourne based ELK has it all on the rack, and then some. Australians are lucky to have its eclectic, artsy range including clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, and accessories.

Hit up one of the dozens of Melbourne museums, and look like a budding artist yourself in this unique Deili Pant.

ELK’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

ELK uses Naia™ cellulosic fiber, which is responsibly sourced from sustainably managed forests. Other materials used are organic cotton, TENCEL™, recycled polyester, recycled nylon, hemp, and ethical wool.

Supply chain & labor practices:

ELK has a full transparency report, but some main highlights are that 100% of their Tier 1 Core suppliers have certifications such as SA8000, Fairtrade, Fair Wear Foundation, WRAP, and B Corporation. They use third-party audits to meet the criteria set out by SMETA, Better Work, and ELEVATE.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Promoting slow fashion in Australia, they manufacture bi-annual collections to keep waste minimal and are developing a (RE)NEW resale program that will later expand into a take-back program.

They work with Pack4Good initiative to be 100% plastic free and use 99% recyclable or compostable packaging. ELK has a 100% carbon reduction goal by 2030.

Inclusivity:

They offer sizes 6-20, through uppers sizes aren’t available in all styles,

Community & charitable giving:

ELK is a member of 1% for the Planet and donates to Positive Change for Marine Life, TREEPROJECT, and Take 3 for the Sea.

Indigo Luna

About Indigo Luna

Price Range: $$–$$$

With a determination to create comfortable clothing that doesn’t harm the Earth, the family-owned business, Indigo Luna, is an adored name in the Australian ethical fashion world.

Drawing inspiration from Australian and Balinese flora and fauna, their flowing yoga clothing, sustainable swimwear, and ethical intimates capture the essence of living as one with nature and slow fashion in Australia. And with oh-so-comfy looking products like the Layla Flares, you’ll almost certainly be living in them, too.

Indigo Luna’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

100% vegan Indigo Luna uses mostly recycled or natural materials, such as certified organic cotton and deadstock nylon. Their sustainable yoga clothing and intimate lines include 10% of spandex, but some are 100% natural. The Earth-colored hues are produced by plant-based GOTS-certified dyes.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Pieces are cut, sewn, and dyed by hand by local artisans in Bali. They “ensure that every person involved in production works in comfortable, safe conditions”, but there is no information on wages or certifications.

They place a strong emphasis on women’s empowerment, which is why 93% of staff and two of three directors are female.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

To reduce deadstock and offcut waste, they create their collections in small, conscious runs until they’re gone. Everything is packed in cassava bags (a type of root vegetable), and nothing is individually wrapped, before being sent via carbon offset shipping.

Inclusivity:

You’ll find sustainable women’s clothing Australia sizes 6-16 (XS-XXL).