I'm done with polyesters. Where will I shop now?

[Barmbraic]

I just can't bear the static anymore (I've tried all the remedies. They don't work for me.) I've seen some nice pieces on Thought and People Tree, knits from Pure Collection and a few bits from Uniqlo, but where do you recommend for a natural fabric wardrobe? If love an every day jumpsuit some trousers. I've lots of woollens as I'm a cold creature at the best of times. TIA.

@Cecily42 thanks for the reminder about La Redoute - I used to love it and they have some lovely designs. Also agree regarding American Vintage - I have T-shirts from there from years ago which I still wear (in the winter here haha) - fantastic quality

The problem I have is that not all natural fabrics are equal e.g. some cotton is utter shite. So I can't just judge by the label or from what I see on a screen - I need to see it and feel it and sometimes wait till I've washed it. I have yet to find a satisfactory alternative to rummaging in real shops, so I'm buying very little at the moment, and if Asos, Boohoo and Amazon end up carving up fashion retail between them, I may end up never shopping on the high street again.

I also understand cotton production involves humongous quantities of water and pesticides, so constant replacement buys are also environmentally damaging. It's really hard finding a way through. From what I gather, hemp and linen are better bets in this respect.

Has anyone on here got any experience of Gudrun Sjoden? I realise it’s a particular style that not everyone likes.

I love Baukjen, Pure Collection, Woolovers and also Poetry and Wrap London who do mainly linen, cotton and wool. I also like Bella di Notte who do good cotton and merino jumpers, tops and skirts, with fairly reasonable prices.

M&S do good cotton and linen. I got a couple of lovely maxi skirts from them last year. Also worth looking at Monsoon who have a lot of eco fabrics and cotton/linen.

Sorry my post turned into a grumble - I'm clearly in a bad mood today My main intention was to ask if anyone knew any more about alternatives to cotton - so still natural but less toxic. I believe hemp is one?

I know Esprit isn't very fashionable but they do have some nice cotton at reasonable prices for those on a budget.

Floisme, sustainable cotton is fine. H and M, Cos and Monki all do this.

Others do, but not sure who.

Linen needs a fair amount of processing and bleaching though!

And actually, I spent 25 years teaching Textiles including A level. Polyester is less harmful to the planet than cotton!!!! Honestly!

Thanks ArseIn - and I can believe that about cotton! The more I read about it, the more dubious I get.
Does linen involve more processing and bleaching than other fabrics?

It’s the bleaching that’s the issue in terms of environmental damage. Linen doesn’t need as much fertiliser etc, but it is naturally a beige colour. It needs tons of bleaching using lots of water and chemicals to do so.

All fabrics harm the environment. Wool and linen aren’t too bad. Sustainable cotton is good. Lyocell/tensely is meant to be more environmentally friendly but uses a ton of chemicals so l have my doubts.

Polyester can just be melted back down and made into something else.

Thank you

Gudrun Sjoden is excellent. Can be pricey but look out for the sales. Natural fibres,ethical production.

www.gudrunsjoden.com/en-gb

Ranapuni have good cotton basics, t shirts and sweats. What about bamboo products? Not sure how "eco" they are if that's your concern. Merino is great, I've got lovely merino jumpers and cardigans from banana republic but Uniqlo do them too.

What do you mean Esprit is not very fashionable? I thought I was quite fashionable and I always wear Esprit🤯🤯

@PandoraP no offence meant 🙂 I like it for basics and am not v fashionable. Maybe compared to the pricier brands suggested.

@Frequentflier, no offence taken. I know I am not cutting edge

I realised about 4-5 years ago I preferred natural fibres
It’s been a real game changer for me as it stops impulse buys and limits my spending
I buy a lot on eBay
Tkmaxx in real life as I hate their website
Charity shops
Jaeger
Some woolovers, pure, M n S, phase eight, whistles, Reiss, John Lewis, uniqlo etc
Just spend some time searching

I have Gudrun Sjoden clothes and they are lovely - really good quality and I tend to go for the more "timeless" pieces you can wear for years. The sizing can be a bit all over the place though as many of the pieces are deliberately oversized but some are not. I was told the models in the photos always wear size M.

Other brands I would recommend are Lucy & Yak (love love the corduroy dungarees and Alexa trousers especially), Seasalt, Thought, People Tree, White Stuff... H&M, Monki, Uniqlo and M&S also do good cotton basics. I also love Scandi brands like Papu Stories and Aarre but it will probably become very expensive to buy them now post-Brexit.