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Going Green with Hemp: The Best Clothing Brands for Sustainable Fashion
Updated: Mar 12
A little over 2 centuries ago, hemp was the main fabric clothes were made of. This is because it is very durable, doesn’t lose its shape, isn’t prone to shrinkage, and has great absorbency for different colors. Making it a great fabric for many purposes.
How is hemp made into a fabric?
Only the stems of a hemp plant are used to make fibers as these have the most fibers. These are mechanically harvested after flowering but before seedset. Fibers tend to become much more coarse during seed formation so harvesting needs to be done in a rather short time. This way the plant is its biggest and the most fibers can be harvested from the plant.
The next step is Retting. This is often done on the field, field retting, in which they leave the plant there to naturally decompose. This helps with the breakdown of the different bonds between the fibers. For faster drying, windrows are raked several times before the harvest of the fibers. This also removes the unwanted leaf material. When the stems are dry, they are baled and transported to a storage facility.
The retting process is very dependent on the weather and will often result in inconsistent end material because of different weather conditions. An alternative way to do this is water retting. In this case, the plant stems are submerged in water with enzymes to replicate this process. Even though this process is faster and more consistent, this requires lots of clean water that needs to be treated before it can be safely discarded.
After retting the stalks are broken into smaller pieces and combed. Combing is done to remove the last hard woody pieces so hemp fibers can be spun.
Fiber production used to be a process that does not require any chemicals. But, because this was a very long and labor-intensive process, it is nowadays more often done chemically. This way, hemp fabric is cheaper and faster to produce but less environmentally friendly. This type of hemp is known as hemp viscose or hemp rayon.
In both cases (chemically and mechanically produced hemp fibers) the fabric needs to be further processed to make it wearable. It often needs to be dyed to make it a nice color which in itself can be very polluting to the environment, depending on the technique used. And because hemp is a very sturdy and very rough fiber (think about the hemp ropes), it needs to be mixed with (organic) cotton to make it more comfortable to wear directly against your skin.
Pros and cons of hemp
Pros of hemp
The entire hemp plant is used. Stems for fibers and seeds for hemp oil, leaving minimal waste.
Hemp as a plant is very flexible that doesn’t have a preference for soil or climate.
A hemp plant doesn’t need lots of fertilizers and/or pesticides for optimal fiber production.
Hemp is not a thirsty plant. It needs about 10% of the water that would be needed for a cotton plant to grow.
A hemp plant can produce over twice as many fibers compared to cotton on the same land area. Not only because it produces more fibers but also because it can be harvested more often compared to cotton.
Hemp fabric is a very strong and durable fabric that will last ages.
Hemp is naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and mold resistant making it great for undergarments.
Hemp can absorb much more carbon compared to other plants.
Hemp plants have an extensive root system that can hold on to soil well which prevents soil erosion.
Hemp is a natural fiber that can be composted at the end of its lifespan.
Cons of hemp
Hemp fabric is very rough directly against your skin so it is often mixed with cotton to make it more wearable.
You need to pay attention to the type of hemp used in your garment.
Hemp Clothing Brands
Groceries Apparel
One of the most unique selling points of Groceries Apparel clothing is that it uses upcycled food waste to dye clothes. These are collected near its factory in the Arts District of Los Angeles. This dyeing process uses post-consumer fruits and vegetables such as avocado skins, pomegranate, carrot tops, and other forms of organic material to produce vivid natural dyes. While their prints mostly have a tie-dye design that holds great after washing.
Grocery Apparel makes everything in its factory in Los Angeles, which guarantees fair wages and working conditions for employees while providing full traceability of each garment to the customers.
The brand specialties are causal basics such as tank tops, and oversized sweatshirts but also bras and leggings.
Tentree
Tentree is a Certified B Corp that is known for its sustainable outdoor clothing ranging from sweatshirts, sweaters, tees, tanks, and pants for men and women. They mix their natural hemp clothing with other sustainable materials, including Global Organic Textile Standard certified cotton and Tencel lyocell fabric. What interesting when growing their site is that in every description of a piece of clothing, a summary of its reduced environmental impact (i.e. waste savings, reductions in water use, and emissions) is included. Tentree plants ten trees for every purchase from their shop. Mostly in high-impact areas where they’ll help repair damaged biodiversity or provide benefits to local communities. By now, they are on their way to planting one billion trees by 2030.
Jungmaven
Jungmaven aims to allow customers to demand change with their dollars to support a healthier world by creating beautiful and high-quality clothing items.
Founded in the early 1990s when Robert Jungmann (the founder) became passionate about protesting clearcutting forests. He believes hemp offers a more eco-friendly apparel solution and started a small clothing business in a small Central American surf shop.
With increasing demand, the company had to scale up, while it remains loyal to these humble origins.
To this day, all Jungmaven clothing is cut and sewn from paper patterns in Los Angeles by a small skilled team that earns a decent living wage.
Jungmaven works closely with its global suppliers to ensure the hemp is sourced sustainably and the fabric is produced under safe working conditions.
Eileen Fisher
Eileen Fisher is a sustainable women's clothing brand specializing in organic wardrobe-essentials. These range from casual clothes to timeless and elegant pieces for a lovely night out with someone dear. This ethical fashion label offers organic, minimalist, recycled closet staples for everyday wear sourcing only eco-friendly materials such as hemp.
The brand ensures that all its employees have a voice, earn a fair wage, and are treated respectfully in the workplace.
Eileen Fisher promotes inclusivity and diversity in the sustainable fashion industry by offering a wide range of sizes from petite to extended.
Wama underwear
This California-based company is known for its hemp-based underwear. They strive to deliver the world’s best hemp underwear through optimal design, fit, and function. They only use toxin-free color compounds to dye the underwear they make. These eco-friendly reactive dyes are certified by Oeko-Tex’s Standard 100 label.
All of WAMA’s hemp plants are grown in China on small, family-run organic farms. The underwear is produced in factories that sign its Code of Conduct, which means that the factory will pay fair wages and provide safe working conditions even though they are made in China.
Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman is an eco-friendly clothing brand that creates organic basics, swimwear, knitwear, and outerwear for women up to extended sizes out of hemp, recycled textiles, and other sustainably sourced materials. Their statement pieces are their swimsuits which are made from pre and post-consumer waste. This is in line with the label to aim to reduce its impact and generate awareness for our global waste problem.
Ekzo
Ekzo is based in San Diego and pledges to use only natural fibers for their garments like hemp, linen, cotton, cashmere, and wool. Their collection ranges from basics like t-shirts to large beach towels. Enzo encourages you to explore while wearing our products. They are durable, comfortable, and made to be worn outdoors.
Valani
Founded by Vanni Leung who wanted to design clothes that gave back to our planet. Her label Valani does that with vegan, sustainable, plant-based clothing that is strategically designed to minimize fabric waste. Whatever scraps may be left over after your garment is made, they are used to make scrunchies or as fillings for pillows. Valani’s hemp clothing collection ranges from women’s hemp dresses, pants, and tops to accessories like scrunchies.
prAna
PrAna was the first company to earn the Fair Trade certification as they have been sustainably producing clothing from its start in 1992. They offer an extensive range of clothing made from hemp, tercel, and other eco-friendly materials in both casual and professional styles.
prAna doesn't use water retting but opts to go for the slower but more sustainable dew retting process reducing the demand for chemicals for the production of the fabric they use. All orders pack and ship in 100% plastic-free packaging to make your purchase even more sustainable.
Thought
Thought is based in the UK but started in Australia in 1995. Back then, it was called Braintree Clothing. Thought has all the certifications for sustainable clothing like Eco-Cert, GOTS, Fair Trade, and Oeko-TEX. They strive to combine timeless fashion garments with style and sustainability objectives by using eco-friendly fabrics, including hemp and organic cotton.
Unlike other brands that use hemp as a fabric, Thought is more aimed at sustainability-minded shoppers interested in styles of current fashion trends with less earthy tones like other hemp brands.
Hempy's
Hempy’s is based in San Diego and has been making hemp clothes since 1995. They strive to educate their customers about the benefits of hemp for clothing while making them more aware of the destructive nature of the current standard fashion industry practices.
Taylor Stitch
Taylor Stitch is one of the very few brands that is aimed at sustainable menswear. The fabrics Taylor Stitch uses next to hemp are often recycled or deadstock fabrics. That is why Taylor Stitch is also known for being a great recycled clothing brand.
Bewusst Hempwear
BEWUSST Hempwear is based in Germany, although they make their hemp clothing in Romania. They don’t use hemp produced in China but they make sure that their entire production process from plant to garment is based in Europe. They aim to use sustainable manufacturing processes wherever possible and they only use natural eco-friendly dyes for their garment-dyeing process.
Onno
Onno is a US-based apparel company specializing in colored tees and long sleeves made from a hemp and organic cotton blend. They take environmental sustainability very seriously. They are certified for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 in 2014 because of their commitment to proper environmental waste management.
All Onno's tees are GOTS certified while they also monitor their carbon footprint by purchasing carbon offsets from CarbonFund helping fund projects that aim to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
Recreator
Recreator is both an art swell and an apparel brand, that specializes in sustainable fabrics. It has a great assortment of graphic tees, bottoms, and hoodies for both men and women.
Founded in 2012, Recreator has a vision of boosting the role of industrial hemp in the US agricultural and apparel supply chain. The company believes hemp offers a sustainable clothing solution that everyone should capitalize on.
Most of their collection is sewn in downtown Los Angeles from low-impact-dyed fabrics. Their hemp comes from China, while they closely work with US farmers to encourage more local hemp cultivation and ensure all hemp used within its apparel is grown according to environmentally sustainable practices.
LANIUS
LANIUS statement to provide “fashion that takes people, animals, and the environment into account.’ Was made formulated 20 years ago but still holds to this day. They combine sustainable materials with sophisticated design, to make beautiful garments you can feel good about. They are one of the few brands to also offer 100% hemp clothing without the addition of organic cotton. They produce all over the world but whether produced in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Turkey, Peru, India, or China, everyone receives fair trade wages and humane working conditions. They don’t tolerate forced labor, child labor, and/or discrimination.
Toad & Co
Toad&Co was founded in Telluride, Colorado in 1996. Where they started making sustainable clothing from hemp for both men and women. Their collection ranges from basic tees to summer dresses. They not only use hemp for their garments but often also organic cotton is used for the clothing they make. When you receive a package from Toad&Co, you can return your mailer so they will use it again.
Vege Threads
Vege Threads is known for its essentials for everyday wear. As a testament to fast fashion, every garment is made locally in Australia and in small batches to promote slow fashion. They sell basic but also ethical swimwear, socks, and underwear.
In addition to hemp, they choose other eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and 100% RWS-certified merino wool.
After the drying of the garments, their wastewater is recycled and used fertilized crops nearby to reduce the impact of the dyeing process.
Bohempia
Bohempia is an EU-based brand that sells shoes and apparel for both men and women. Founded in 2015 by Tomas Rohal, this company strives to make hemp clothing mainstream worldwide.
All their clothing is a minimalistic and straightforward design that makes their apparel ideal for daily wear. Bohemia closely monitors how each item is manufactured, what the quality of materials is, and what the working conditions for producers are.
Rawgenique
Rawganique started as an off-grid homestead. They use hemp for everything as it is such a versatile fabric. Their products range from shoes to shower curtains to clothing. Their garments are an essential range of offerings that include tees and button-down shirts, cardigans, and hoodies. Next to using only eco-friendly inks to dye their clothes, they also use other organic materials like linen and cotton. Rawganique is mostly gender-neutral hemp clothing that is suitable for both men and women. Sizes range from XS-XXL with additional long inseam options for every pant size.
Seeker
Seeker is an upcoming, trendy sustainable clothing brand that focuses on street-style clothing. It incorporates gender and age-inclusive pieces using GOTS-certified natural fabrics only. Their tagline “Modern Monk’ shows in their selection of garments with kimonos and overall in natural colors.
Even though hemp is not a very famous fabric yet, lots of brands make their garments with this amazing sustainable material so you have lots of options to choose from when you are looking for your next sustainable clothes.
