6 ethical active brands to help you work out at home
Ethical, recycled fabric activewear by Australian label Team Timbuktu. Image via Team Timbuktu.
Whether you’re working out, lounging around, on your daily neighbourhood walk, or you’re working from home, it seems activewear is the new daily iso uniform.
From recycled fabrics to organic cotton, local manufacturing and transparent supply chains, here are six Australian active brands who are making the ethical choice easy for all of us.
1. Organic Yoga wear, by Vege threads
Organic yoga tights by Australian label Vege Threads. Image via VT
The wonderful folk at iconic organic Australian label Vege Threads offer Australian-made yoga tights in organic cotton, whether you’re mooching or getting your move on.
With classic earthy colours, they offer regular and tall styles and also a comfy range of sweatpants.
Ethically made in | Victoria and South Australia
If you’re looking for | Natural fabrics that still have stretch; active wear made for slow movement.
Values | Organic materials; minimising waste; Australian made; Ethical Clothing Australia accredited.
2. Team Timbuktu
Whether you’re working from home or working out at home, Team Timbuktu believe we shouldn’t need to choose between style and sustainability. This Aussie label use recycled plastic bottles for their stretch fabric, and have also added a range of organic cotton tops and jumpers.
Their speckle and Australian botanical prints will set you apart, and they’ve also got us covered with the basics - think black tights and plain tees. I am living in my botanical crop and organic cotton tank!
Ethically made in | India, China, Taiwan - find out more here
If you’re looking for | Recycled fabrics; organic cotton basics; versatile activewear; unique Australiana prints.
Values | No single-use plastic; they know each maker; regenerated fibres.
Australian activewear label Team Timbuktu have an ethically-made range using recycled plastic bottles. Image via Team Timbuktu
3. Second Earth eco yoga mats
Having a decent mat at home - especially during this time - is really key to a great home exercise routine, in my opinion!
When it comes time to upgrade or invest in your own, choosing a mat made from natural materials means it’s not only biodegradable at the end of its life, but you’re not rubbing up against synthetic, toxic materials during each workout.
I love my Second Earth yoga mat, made from 100% natural tree rubber and jute fibres, which I was lucky enough to find secondhand (long before the pandemic!). It’s got a nice weight, is the grippiest I’ve ever tried, and I love knowing it won’t be around for years after its life with me.
Ethically made in | Natural rubber sustainably and ethically sourced from Vietnam and jute fibres harvested from Bangladesh.
If you’re looking for | Biodegradable, all-natural materials; non-slip; bonus versatile cotton strap.
Values | Natural materials; sustainable sourcing; non-toxic.
4. Bay Active
Byron-based label Bay Active are out to change the fashion industry, “from field to finished product”. Their range covers all kinds of activity with their garments in both natural fibres like certified organic cotton and Australian merino, and regenerated stretch fabrics. Their size range is inclusive too, from size 6 to 18.
I recently invested in a pair of their Equality Shorts for summer (pictured out-and-about below!) and now their full-length Forever Tights (for winter and travel) specifically as they were made in Australia from organic cotton, with some spandex for stretch.
Ethically made in | Australia. Cotton spun into fabric in Australia; Merino knitted and dyed in Australia.
If you’re looking for | Natural fabrics; regenerated fabric (ECONYL); versatile activewear; basics covered.
Values | No single-use plastic; minimising pollution and waste; locally made; non-mulsed/ ceased mulsed wool.
Making the most of outdoors time with my best gal. Wearing my Bay Active Equality Shorts, which I chose specifically as they’re made from majority natural fabric. Image: Jam Banks for Shift
5. Zen Body
I really admire Zen Body’s transparency about their ethics and sustainability journey. They make their garments in a Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) certified factory in China, in small batches using a zero-waste dying system for their fabrics (meaning no dyes in the water - hooray!).
Their designs are hand-illustrated by a local textile artist, so you’re bound to get something unique. These guys are looking into the use of recycled materials for future collections.
Ethically made in | Guangzhou, China, in a BSCI-certified factory.
If you’re looking for | Basics done different; artist-drawn designs; versatile activewear.
Values | Small quantities; ethical production; supporting local art; independent.
The Zen Body prints were all hand-illustrated by a local Aussie textile artist! Image via Zen Body of Indigo Tile Legging.
6. Yogat
What if your yoga mat was an artist’s canvas? Well that’s exactly what Yogat are all about, and celebrating local Australian artists at that. Their latest collection (about to drop!) is by Queensland Indigenous artist Rachael Sarra, aka Sar.ra.
To top it all off, their mats are 100% biodegradable made from recycled materials, using tree rubber and natural dyes.
Ethically made in | Undisclosed.
If you’re looking for | Limited edition designs (we’re talking 35 per design!); unique artist designs; biodegradable; machine washable.
Values | Small quantities; natural materials; supporting local artists.
Yogat mats celebrate Australian artists with unique, limited edition prints. Image via Yogat.
Blog thumbnail image via Yogat.