6 Innovative Fabrics to Watch For in 2024-25

Sustainable, Innovative Fabrics We Love

While fast fashion and synthetic fabrics are usually the trends making headlines, innovative fabrics are still making their way into mainstream fashion. By using natural resources and recycling the typically discarded materials, eco-friendly textiles have the potential to change the clothing industry and their production. From fruit and vegetables to the ocean, forward-thinking brands are finding more and more ways to repurpose organic resources, here are 6 innovative fabrics to watch out for!

Our Favorite Innovative Fabrics For 2024:

1. MIRUM®

This plant-based material utilizes coconut fiber, natural rubber, and cork to replicate a texture similar to leather. It is completely free from plastic, fully biodegradable, and can be customized for a specific feel or durability. Minimum water and energy are needed to create the material, making it a more sustainable option.

We have a whole post dedicated to this textile if you want to read more!

How it can be used: car interiors, furniture, accessories, shoes, and clothing.

2. Bananatex®

Created as the world’s first biodegradable and regeneratively grown fabric made from Abacá banana plants. This durable fiber uses a part of the plant that typically goes to waste, but the banana fiber is very strong, naturally water-resistant, and functional for various uses. Bananatex is already making its way into mainstream fashion and is being used by popular brands like Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, and COS. You can watch the full process in their short film "A Textile (R)evolution"

How it can be used: backpacks, suitcases, tech accessories, shoes, outdoor gear, and clothing.

3. Orange Fiber

Who knew citrus peels were high fashion? Orange Fiber is a patented process and brand that creates textiles from citrus fruit discards that can be used as a biodegradable alternative to silk. Already squeezing its way into luxury fashion brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, this innovative fabric also provides an opportunity to reduce food industry waste.

How it can be used: scarves, blouses, drapery, pillows, interior handbag linings.

4. S.Café®

By using recycled coffee grounds and plastic, S.Cafe is a new solvent-free, UV-resistant, moisture-wicking innovative fabric. It also has natural odor control, can be spun into yarn, and reduces CO2 emissions compared to conventional carbonized materials. Creating S.Cafe fabrics allows an alternative use for coffee waste and turns it into a new resource. S.Cafe is widely versatile, with the ability to be made into fleece, thermal, and outdoor wear membrane materials while maintaining the same sustainable process. The technology was invented by Singtex in 2008 and has already received recognition from the top three global invention award organizations.

How it can be used: luggage, bedding, shoes, accessories, outdoor gear, and clothing.

5. OYSTEX

Created by the clothing brand Jetty, OYSTEX is bringing the ocean to your closet. By combining ground oyster shells, recycled plastic, and natural fibers, OYSTEX is created for functional performance fabric. It is anti-static, anti-odor, breathable, and moisture-wicking. OYSTEX makes a way to reduce seafood industry waste and create an innovative fabric from what is typically viewed as trash. While natural oyster shell waste isn’t much of an environmental concern, when large quantities of shells are dumped back into the ocean, it causes severe ecosystem disruption. On land, oyster shells take several years to break down, resulting in the quick filling of landfills.

How it can be used: clothing, activewear, outdoor gear.

6. Fibe

Just when we thought there was no other way to use a potato, Fibe proves us wrong. Skip mashed, baked, fried, and distilled potato fiber is one of the newest innovative fabrics on the scene. With the patent-pending technology, Fibe claims the fabric could replace and have the capacity to fulfill up to 70% of the world’s demand for natural fiber. Created from the unusable stems and leaves of the potato, Fibe has the potential to change the fashion and agricultural industry. Fibe is biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable, making it an exciting alternative to synthetic fabric.

How it can be used: everyday clothing and apparel.

About the Author

Karmen Flores is a creative entrepreneur based in Michigan. Karmen shares all about plant-based and sustainable, intentional living on her blog Karmen Collective. From recommendations for all things plant-based to tips for living more sustainably, Karmen makes living with intention less intimidating and more accessible. You can connect with Karmen on Instagram.

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Sustainable, Organic Socks for Children

The day my son found his toes, my husband and I appropriately ooh-ed and ahh-ed and congratulated him… until we realized that in literally putting his foot in his mouth, he was also getting a tongue full of sock. Already sock-averse, my little infant now pulls his socks off with regularity, generally losing at least one per day. I’m sure other parents can relate to the sock drawer dilemma - lots of lone blue ones, a stray red one, and an assortment of animal-themed loners collecting at the bottom like a pastel zoo.

Like every item of clothing with babies, socks are outgrown fast, and the three-to-six-month socks quickly join the newborn socks in the box full of clothes that no longer fit. Buying baby socks in bulk is not the answer to my growing pile problem. The solution is to buy a handful of pairs in various sizes, allowing baby to grow in and out of them without adding a pile of waste to a landfill. (Most charities will not take used socks as a donation, so their life span is generally how long they last on your little one’s feet).

Why Buy Non-Toxic, Organic Socks For Your Children?

Finding the right fit in the right fabric can be a challenge for anyone, but especially for babies - their skin is delicate and new, and as parents, we want the fabric to be durable, as well as soft. Organic cotton and clothing made without toxic chemicals are best for the porous skin of a newborn. Socks are just as important to find in organic material as onesies, and luckily there are several brands that have created fun, soft socks for babies of all ages.

You can read more about organic cotton and why we love the textile here. Also, learn how to take care of your organic cotton clothing to make it last for years and years!

Note: We were unable to find a sock made from 100% organic cotton. The ones listed below will have a small percentage of synthetic fiber in order to make them softer and stronger.

Here are the best brands for organic socks for babies and kids:

1. Q for Quinn

Materials: Organic Cotton, Recycled Poly, Elastane (some pairs use 98% organic cotton with no dyes!)

Price: $8 - 27 (3-Pack)

Q for Quinn is a sustainable, non-toxic and GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) certified brand that is committed to creating basics that are gentle on our skin, our planet and our communities. Developed in an effort to create safe clothing for babies and children, the brand has kids' and grown-up basics for ultimate comfort including seamless socks. Q for Quinn goes above and beyond, donating a school meal (with every item sold) through Mary's Meals.

Shop Q for Quinn Organic Cotton Socks for Children

2. Conscious Step

Materials: Fairtrade Organic Cotton, Recycled Polyester, Elastane

Price: $11 - 35 (3-Pack)

With each Conscious Step purchase, a portion of the proceeds are donated to the charity associated with that pair of socks. From building homes to treating HIV, there is a cause everyone can attach themselves to. Their entire supply chain is GOTS and Vegan certified. This cotton is never treated with herbicides, insecticides, or pesticides and is not genetically modified. Their products are all Fair Trade Certified, which promotes a sustainable workplace to help producers achieve better working conditions.

Shop Conscious Step Organic Cotton Socks for Kids

3. Ten Little

Materials: Organic Cotton, Polyamide, Elastane

Price: $14+ for 5-Pack

Ten Little carries Everyday Crew Socks & Everyday Ankle Socks in a variety of colors & patterns. If you’re in the market for some socks with a little more flair but still made from organic cotton, this is your brand. Sized in S/M/L there will be some trial & error with sizing, but TL provides a helpful “Find Your Child’s Fit” Guide to assist you in shopping. The ethos of the brand is found in this guide - two women aiming to make buying children’s clothing easier by getting the fit right for your child - not “every” child.

Shop Ten Little Organic Socks for Kids & Babies

Related: Where To Find Sustainable Organic Socks For The Entire Family

4. Mori

Materials: Organic Cotton, Polyamide, Elastane

Price: $23 for 5-Pack

Mori’s commitment to sustainability starts with organic and sustainably sourced fabrics and ends with products designed to be passed on from kid to kid. Their signature fabric is a mix of organic cotton and bamboo from viscose and does not use any additional chemicals, making it both sustainable and safe for baby. The socks come in two sets of colors, shades of pink and shades of blue that lean toward neutral. The sizes range from 0-6 months to 4-6 years, making them ideal for kids of all ages.

Shop Mori Organic Cotton Socks for Babies and Kids

5. Burts Bees Baby

Materials: Organic Cotton, Recycled Poly, Spandex

Price: $15 for a 6-Pack

I own several products from Burts Bees Baby and have never felt let down. The organic cotton is soft and gentle on baby and does not pull or fade in the wash. Like most socks, BBB contains a percentage of polyester, but they have stuck to their sustainable mission and used recycled material. In addition to ankle socks ranging in size from 0-24 months, they also carry baby booties in sizes 0-12 months. Both have eco-friendly grippers on the bottom, so once baby is on the move, these socks will keep them secure.

Shop Burts Bees Baby Organic Socks for Children

6. Mightly

Materials: Organic Cotton, Recycled Nylon, Spandex

Price: $22 for a 5-Pack

Mightly is a wonderful children's clothing brand that was founded by moms who are passionate about providing high-quality, sustainable clothing for kids. What sets Mightly apart is their commitment to ethical production practices. All of their products are Fair Trade certified in India and are made from GOTS organic cotton using non-toxic, kid-safe dyes. Furthermore, Mightly offers a wide range of sizes, catering to kids from 2T to 14, ensuring that children of various ages can enjoy their comfortable and sweet clothing!

Shop Mightly Organic Cotton Socks for Kids

7. Frugi

Materials: Organic Cotton, Polyamide, Spandex

Price: $6 - 26+ (5-Pack)

Frugi is an acclaimed British children’s clothing brand known for its dedication to creating high-quality pieces using GOTS-certified organic cotton. The brand's clothing is distinguished by its vibrant colors, whimsical prints, and exceptional attention to detail. Frugi offers a wide range of clothing, including socks, for babies and children up to 12 years old. The company has garnered numerous accolades for its unwavering commitment to sustainability and ethical manufacturing practices.

Shop Frugi Organic Cotton Socks for Babies and Kids

About the Author:

Kelsey Anderson is a new mom attempting a more sustainable life for her family. You can find her at home in Massachusetts where she is trying to grow a garden and learn to cook.

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Fashion Brands & Lack of Transparency on decarbonization Efforts

Despite ample pressure from activists, transparency is far from standard practice in the fashion industry. Yet, if there is something brands are remarkably tight-lipped about, it is their adherence to climate and energy-related policies. This lack of transparency and commitment is what emerges from the report 'What Fuels Fashion?' a special edition of Fashion Revolution's 'Fashion Transparency Index.'

The 'What Fuels Fashion?' report focuses on five themes: accountability, decarbonization, energy procurement, financing decarbonization, Just Transition, and advocacy. The industry approach to these is assessed in the report by zooming in on the publicly disclosed information shared by 250 of the world's largest fashion companies.

The authors' choice to include only info and data in the public domain is no coincidence. That is the type of information that shareholders can use to drive the change needed in the industry.

Transition away from fossil fuels is needed, but big brands are still falling short

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced by the fashion industry is enormous: about 2.1 billion tonsin 2018. At its current pace, this sector is on its way to keeping its emissions nearly double what's needed to remain within the 1.5-degree pathway. In spite of this, the report revealed how breaking away from the cause of this issue, fossil fuels, is not a priority for these big fashion brands.

Of the 117 fashion companies with publicly disclosed decarbonization targets, merely 105 disclose their progress toward their goals. 24% of the major fashion brands don't disclose anything on decarbonization, with 60% scoring 0% in the 'What Fuels Fashion?' report decarbonization section. In addition, less than 1% of these top brands disclose a target to electrify all energy-intensive manufacturing processes where feasible across the supply chain.

These data paint a grim picture, as according to the SBTi's Corporate Net-ZeroStandard, a climate-science-based framework for corporate net-zero, most businesses will have to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 90% to achieve net zero.

Transparency in terms of energy consumption is also lacking. 95% do not disclose an energy consumption breakdown by country in the supply chain, and 96% do not share a breakdown of energy consumption by supply chain process. With coal being the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, a phaseout from it is a crucial part of progress toward climate targets, but just 14% of fashion brands disclosed commitments to phasing out coal in their supply chain.

The industry, though, does not support the fossil fuel industry just through its energy consumption but also via the materials it utilizes. According to the Changing Markets Foundation, synthetic fibers, ubiquitous in the fast fashion industry, make up 1.35% of global oil consumption. In this context, just 33% of these fashion companies share the breakdown of the fibers they source annually.

What is needed for decarbonization and a just transition?

The climate crisis directly impacts workers. By 2030, it is estimated that the total working hours worldwide could decrease by 2.2% because of climate crisis-induced high temperatures. The extreme weather caused by the climatecould also prevent the creation of 1 million new jobs in the apparel industry, according to a report by the GLI and Schroders.

The colonial, profit-driven business model of big fashion brands contributes to a climate crisis that directly impacts the livelihoods and well-being of workers, including garment ones. In the face of the climate crisis's burden on garment workers, only 3% of the companies analyzed in the report disclose what they are doing to compensate workers impacted by the climate crisis economically.

From the 'What Fuels Fashion? 'report, it is clear that the fashion industry has to decarbonize in a socially sustainable way across its value chain. The report asks large fashion brands to invest at least 2% of their yearly revenue into decarbonization and Just Transition efforts to achieve this goal. «By investing at least 2% of their revenue into clean, renewable energy and upskilling and supporting workers, fashion could simultaneously curb the impacts of the climate crisis and reduce poverty and inequality within their supply chains. Climate breakdown is avoidable because we have the solution - and big fashion can certainly afford it,» said Maeve Galvin, the Global Policy and Campaigns Director at Fashion Revolution, to the press.

About the Author

Roberta Fabbrocino is a journalist specialized in climate change and sustainability-related topics. Her articles have been published in several international eco-publications. Roberta also works as a content writer for sustainable companies.

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The #SpeakVolumes campaign

In this age of information, there is one unanswered question central to the issue of fast fashion. How many clothes are made every year? We don't have an exact number; we have varying estimates. Calculating the number of clothes every brand on Earth produces annually might sound like an arduous task, but how many clothes a brand creates shouldn't be a secret. Still, according to the non-profit movement Fashion Revolution, 89% of the world's largest brands don't share their production volumes with the public.

This lack of transparency hides a reality of overproduction and overconsumption, numbers likely too big for the public not to visualize the sheer amount of waste these companies generate yearly. Transparency on annual production volumes, like transparency as a whole, is a single piece of the puzzle of the complex systemic and structural change in the fashion industry. Yet, data is essential to assessing and tackling the problem of fashion's environmental and social impact. This data gap is precisely what the #SpeakVolumes campaign is trying to rectify.

What is the #Speak Volumes campaign?

The #Speak Volumes campaign is an initiative run by The Or Foundation, a charity that has been working between the United Kingdom and Ghana since 2011. The #SpeakVolumes campaign is their latest active campaign running since 2023 in parallel with their #StopWasteColonialism campaign, and more than 90 fashion industry insiders have endorsed it.

This campaign focuses on transparency and accountability regarding fashion brands' annual production volumes. To do so, the Or Foundation has organized an open call to global industry giants to make transparency on production volumes the new normal in this sector.

The choice to ask brands to publish production volumes is not coincidental. This piece of data is needed not only for the development of adequate policies pushing a shift from a linear economy to a circular one, but production volumes are also something that affects all the actors along the fashion value chain, and it's directly connected to the issue of textile waste. In addition, this is a piece of info that is pretty easy for fashion companies to calculate.

How is the campaign trying to achieve its goals?

The Or Foundation sent their open letter to big fast fashion brands like Nike, Gap, and Primark in August 2024. Artist Jeremy Hutchison also hand-delivered this letter as the "Textile Zombie" in 2023 to the British headquarters of Boohoo, Marks and Spencer, Adidas, George, Primark, New Look, Asos, Puma, and Tu clothing. People can also participate in this initiative by either emailing or delivering the letter in person to the brands nominated in the campaign.

To share the campaign, they organized the 'I Can Count, Why Can't You?' social media challenge that people can participate in by counting the number of garments in their wardrobes. The #SpeakVolumes campaign emphasizes the necessity for brands to #SpeakVolumes by sharing the number of products created in a year, not by weight, as that doesn't communicate in detail enough to put in place appropriate circular economy initiatives. When it comes to sustainable fashion advocacy, knowledge is always power.

About the Author

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Why We Think Upcircle Skincare Is Worth a Try!

If you’re looking to level up your skincare game, and are on the hunt for a brand that’s gentle on your skin and the planet, you’re in the right place - we’ve got you covered! Say hello to UpCircle, a UK-based sustainable skincare brand (available online in the US) that gives waste products a second life. This brand uses upcycled ingredients that would otherwise have ended up in landfills in their eco-friendly skincare products. They’re also B-Corp Certified, vegan, cruelty-free, and zero-waste, so you know they’re the real deal.

UpCircle Uses Non-Toxic, Clean Ingredients

One of their most popular ingredients is leftover coffee grounds, which they source from local cafes in London - so coffee lovers, you can’t miss this one! To date, UpCircle has “rescued” over 450 tonnes of grounds. Coffee grounds are super rich in antioxidants, which get even stronger after the coffee has been brewed - making used grounds even better than fresh ones. In addition to coffee, UpCircle uses residual chai spices that are leftover from chai syrups, leftover date seeds which are a by-product of date farming, and maple bark extract, a by-product of the wood industry.

Favorite Product: Kaolin Clay Face Mask

My favorite UpCircle product is the Kaolin Clay Face Mask. Priced at $28, it is slightly pricey, but I promise you won’t be disappointed with the results. The tub looks small, but it lasts forever - I’ve had mine for nearly two years! Plus the jar isn’t super clunky and won’t clutter up your (precious) counter space.

While this mask doesn’t contain coffee, its hero upcycled ingredient is discarded olive stones, a by-product of the olive oil industry. The stones are ground up and mixed with white kaolin clay, coconut powder, and baobab oil (amongst other ingredients). This detoxifying mask draws out dirt and toxins, minimizes pores, fights blackheads, and helps prevent breakouts.

First impressions - the texture feels super rich and creamy, but not too heavy. While it’s suitable for all skin types, like any new product (especially if you have sensitive skin), we recommend doing a patch test first. My skin feels super smooth and clean afterward, and my makeup glides on seamlessly. The mask is gentle and doesn’t dry out or irritate my skin, which is a huge win because a lot of exfoliating masks can be too harsh for me.

Depending on how oily your skin is or how clogged your pores feel, we recommend using this mask once a week or even every other week. We also love mixing things up - alternate this mask with a DIY scrub (some ideas here!) or follow up with some rice water as a toner.

Other UpCircle Products You Should Add to Your Beauty Routine:

I have also tried their Organic Bamboo Cotton Buds which are plastic-free and biodegradable, and come in a recycled paper box. One $6 box contains 200 sticks, so it’s not a bad deal either. Would definitely recommend as a sustainable swap to standard plastic buds. Their Chai Soap Cleansing Duo ($18 for a set of two) also makes a great gift.

Next up, I’m tempted to try their Coffee Body Scrub with Lemongrass ($24), containing sea salt, lime, coconut oil, and shea butter - sounds divine!