There are many places where we can choose to buy our clothes now a days but do we ever think about where they came from, what the process of making them is all about, and how they affect our health? Even when we buy “organic” clothes does it mean that they are really all natural or do they just grow the cotton organically and then add the chemicals in afterwards?

The unfortunate truth is that most of the “organic” clothing out there are still full of chemicals that are bad for our health and our earth. Fact is that after the organic cotton is picked it is put through a scouring process where they use some kind of chemical for washing it and then they go ahead and dye the “organic” cotton with a variety of synthetic dyes which are packed with chemicals. The so called “eco-friendly” dyes are made from less harsh chemicals but chemicals nonetheless that our bodies absorb through our pores and lungs. At the end of the day marketing this type of garment as “organic” or “eco-friendly” is a complete hoax geared towards making money.

The only way for a garment to be completely organic, natural and earth friendly is by not putting any chemicals into it and by only using plant based dyes and soaps. Designers have too much freedom with the word “organic” and “eco-friendly” when it comes to marketing their products. As mentioned earlier if the cotton was grown organically no matter how many chemicals have been added to it after it’s picked it can still be marketed as organic! A few “eco” clothing designers and companies have told me that they hesitate to use natural dyes because they are afraid that the colors won’t stay. I can now say first hand that that is not true. I own naturally dyed organic clothing which I washed a few times already and the colors are as vibrant as they were when I first bought them.

Naturally dyed organic clothing introduce a whole new world of what wearing clothes is all about. It’s actually an ancient practice so this “new world” isn’t so new after all. Each herb and plant that is used as a clothing dye has its own healing properties! It’s like killing two birds with one stone or should I say healing two birds with one stone!

Below is a list of clothing designers who leave out all of the harmful chemicals from their fabrics and use all natural dyes instead of synthetic ones.

Naturally Dyed Organic (Chemical-Free) Clothing:

1. The designer from Ado Clothing followed her roots by using fabrics dyed with Ayurvedic Indian herbs. Anjelika shared with me that she used to work for a clothing company where she experienced first hand not only the amount of chemcials they put into the fabrics but the unethical harmful environment that many of the employees had to work in on a daily basis. This encouraged her to go out and start a clothing line that is beneficial and healing to all who are associated with it. After buying some of her clothes I never want to take them off because they feel so nurturing. Her fabrics have a level of silkiness and softness to them that I haven’t experienced before in other cotton fabrics. Another cool fact is that the left over water from the natural dyes is also good for the earth! Plus, all of the roots, plants and herbs that the mill in India uses to dye the fabrics with are wild! Anjelika’s website is: http://adoclothing.com/ and you can also purchase her clothes  at: http://www.nimli.com/items_2240.html

2. Go Indigo Jeans sells jeans that are organic, ethical, and naturally dyed using the indigo plant. You can see how they make their jeans in the video below. You can also purchase their jeans at: http://www.goindigojeans.com/

3. Truly Organic Clothing is another fashion company that uses organic cotton fabrics that are naturally dyed using various roots and plants without any use of chemicals. You can check out their website at: http://www.truly-organic-clothing.com/shop/

4. Gaia Conceptions uses organic cotton, hemp and wool fabrics with the the option of using all natural dyes when placing your order. There are MANY styles to choose from and the designer also allows you to customize some of the pieces to your liking. Andrea, the designer, also designs the clothing according to your specific measurements: http://www.etsy.com/shop/gaiaconceptions

5. Conscious Clothing is another great shop on etsy where the designer offers to use natural dyes upon request. She also uses organic cotton and hemp fabrics: http://www.etsy.com/shop/consciousclothing

6. Kelgwo uses local wool that comes in many different natural colors. They also use local roots and plants to dye their wool: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kelgwo

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 5th, 2010 at 2:08 pm and is filed under Green Shopping Clothing and Accessories, Kinding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.