Lingerie isn’t just a luxury that makes us feel confident and sexy; it’s also an undergarment that needs to be comfortable and well thought out, especially since it’s in direct contact with our private parts. However, how can we be really comfortable in something that reminds us every time we wear it of how poor animals had to suffer for us to indulge ourselves?
Despite what you may have heard from salespeople, finding vegan lingerie isn’t that difficult; plants and synthetic materials combine forces to help us completely forgo anything animal-based. If that sounds good to you, then consider the list that we’ve tailored of the best vegan lingerie brands out there.
The 7 Best Vegan Lingerie Bands in 2022
Now that we’re here, we’ve compiled a list of the best vegan lingerie brands, what you need to know about them, and what separates them from the others.
1. Uye Surana
If you have high standards in terms of feminine aesthetics, originality in design, ethics, and comfort, you’ll love the NY-based, eco-conscious, vegan lingerie brand, Uye Surana.
First things first, the bras and bralettes are comfortable, adjustable, and supportive, but how do they do that?
The majority of Uye Surana’s lingerie is made from moisture-wicking, wear-resistant nylon and lightweight yet long-lasting spandex. In fact, this brand mainly focuses on anti-rip materials to eliminate excess cuttings and scraps and make the lingerie last longer than average.
This brand also skips the wasteful traditional dying and opts for exclusive prints that make the lingerie stand out. In addition, it incorporates as much deadstock fabric as possible to minimize waste. Plus, Uye Surana manufactures lingerie in small batches, as opposed to its mass-produced counterparts. Also, it prides itself on its recycled packaging.
In addition, like many respectable vegan lingerie brands, Uye Surana is size inclusive and diverse in its target audience, as you can see from the models on the website.
If you’re curious about what happens behind the scenes, this brand is pretty transparent; the work is divided between a small, family-owned factory in Colombia and the NYC studio where they made a selection of hand-made prints.
2. WAMA
If cotton alone and its counterparts aren’t doing it for you and you want to go straight into hemp underwear for both men and women so that you can match your partner, there’s no better option than the PETA-approved WAMA.
This affordable, minimalist brand uses a mix of hemp, organic cotton, and spandex in all of its pieces. Hemp is one of the most sustainable crops on the planet. The land-saving tall plant needs much less water, nourishes the soil, grows quickly, and requires no fertilizers or pesticides.
So, it’s great for the environment, but how does it wear, especially for undies? Hemp makes a very strong, durable fabric that gets softer with every wash. Also, it is breathable, moisture-wicking, and antimicrobial, which is exactly what we need for comfortable lingerie.
In addition, the incorporation of organic cotton instead of its conventional counterpart solidifies WAMA’s self-proclamation as a sustainable brand.
The Green America certified brand’s focus on hemp made it turn to the world’s leading hemp producer. So, the National Hemp Association Business Member WAMA has partnered with Chinese factories that pay fair wages and provide good working conditions. The brand even has a China-based team to oversee the factories and the manufacturing process.
3. Organic Basics
Organic Basics is the perfect vegan match for minimalist-loving ladies looking for an ethical brand that makes non-wired bras and underwear from organic and recycled materials.
The Copenhagen company mainly uses GOTS-certified organic cotton, which means that you will get the best properties that cotton can provide without the toxic chemicals that usually come with growing conventional cotton.
Also, this brand uses TENCEL, which is a biodegradable fiber that is made from thinning out trees rather than cutting them. This fiber is more breathable, softer, and more absorbent than cotton, making it an ideal choice for undergarments. Organic Basics also incorporates recycled materials that help save a lot of energy and water along the way.
However, the minimalist, practical designs, and eco-conscious materials aren’t the only reason why Organic Basics rocks. As an ethical brand, it shows full transparency about its factories all over the world, including the certifications and employee benefits of each factory. All the factory workers get living wages and work in safe environments.
In addition, if you’d like to help the environment even more than just buying sustainable underwear, you can check out the Organic Basics Fund, which encourages all non-profit organizations and initiatives within Europe to donate to help fight climate change, clean up trash, support vulnerable communities, and restore biodiversity.
4. Lara Intimates
If you’re looking for a vegan, ethical, and sustainable brand for non-wired bras, bralettes, and briefs, look no further than Lara Intimates.
The London-based brand utilizes deadstock fabric or fabric leftovers from other lingerie brands that would have ended up in landfills. The result is a soft mesh that the brand has become known for on the market. Plus, what Lara Intimates makes from scratch is the gold rings, fabric, hook and eye closures, strapping, and elastic.
In addition, this brand saves 100% of its own cuttings and scraps to upcycle them, leading to as little waste as virtually possible. Their packaging is eco-friendly, as well.
Also, Lara Intimates prides itself on having all-female seamstresses, which is empowering and pretty helpful in achieving the most realistic comfort and sizing.
Speaking of sizes, this brand has one of the largest size ranges in bras out there, and it promises to expand even more. Moreover, the diversity in the models on the website is definitely refreshing and makes you feel like you’ll find your match.
5. Boody
Some women love the feel of cotton, while others prefer hemp. However, if you’re one of the few that know how epic organic bamboo can be, consider the PETA-approved Boody that caters to both men and women.
The main ingredient in Boody’s luxurious yet affordable vegan recipes is viscose made from 100% organic bamboo, which is certified by the OCIA.
Bamboo’s sustainability stems from the fact that we cut it like a lawn, so it regenerates easily and in no time. It also grows in very diverse climates and can handle droughts, so we don’t need to waste water on it. As a pest-resistant plant, it needs no harmful pesticides that end up harming nearby animals.
Bamboo excels in lingerie because of the hypoallergenic properties that make it safe on your private parts. Also, it wicks moisture away and controls odor. Finally, it just feels very soft on the skin, and what’s the point of lingerie if it doesn’t make us feel good?
This minimalist brand impresses with a ton of certifications that ensure not only the high quality of their materials, such as ECOCERT, OEKO-TEX, and SGS, but also the rights, safety, and well-being of more than 2,065,900 factory workers, such as WRAP.
6. Thinx
The point of lingerie is to boost our confidence, right? But what about the times when we need confidence the most? Thinx asked and answered that question by making vegan period panties.
Anyone that has the tiniest knowledge about sustainability cringes when they think about how much waste period products such as plastic-packed tampons and pads leave behind.
So, sustainable and ethical brands like Thinx had to think, mind the pun, of something, and they came up with period panties. They look and feel like regular underwear but have custom levels of absorbency because every woman’s period is different.
So, what is the magical underwear made of? Most of their undies are made of synthetic materials that offer excellent absorbency and comfort. However, if you’d like a sustainable option, Thinx has an organic cotton collection.
Plus, Thinx offers a lot of designs to cater to different aesthetic needs. In addition, Thinx isn’t just size-inclusive, but also gender-inclusive.
Thinx has giveback programs that work towards menstrual equity, medically-accurate sexual education, and access to safe menstrual hygiene products.
7. Eco Intimates
What’s better than a luxury lingerie brand? An ethical, sustainable, and eco-friendly luxury brand, such as Eco Intimates that makes organic bras, bralettes, bandeaus, knickers, slips, and kimonos.
Starting with the materials, Eco Intimates loves its GOTS-certified organic cotton to make its organic jersey. Growing organic cotton helps enrich the soil, promote biodiversity, save water, prevent the use of chemicals, and popularize fair trade farming. Also, they have a range of completely undyed lingerie. This is the best outcome of wearing vegan lingerie if you ask us.
Eco Intimates designs its collections in Australia, which stand out in how soft, feminine, and vintage they look. Then, a Balinese family production team handcrafts the pieces in small quantities, as the brand prides itself on choosing slow manufacturing processes over fast fashion.
The small-scale production of handcrafted lingerie results in unique, intricate designs, and high-quality materials that you never find in mass-produced lingerie.
While the brand incorporates silk in a few of its pieces, meaning that it’s not strictly vegan, it is easy to avoid them as a vegan since they’re pretty transparent about what each piece is made of.
How to Know If It’s Vegan or Not
While it might sound ridiculous that you may need help in that category, almost everyone experiences utter confusion the first time that they shop for vegan lingerie themselves. So, here are a few factors to help you know whether that cute piece of lingerie is vegan or not.
Vegan Materials
As a vegan, your first and foremost mission is to avoid lingerie that has any animal-based products, such as leather, silk, wool, cashmere, and so on. We can easily divide the cruelty-free alternatives into natural and synthetic materials that combine forces to make practical and comfortable undergarments.
Natural
Natural vegan materials are everything that’s plant-derived, and they tend to be a more environmentally conscious choice since they biodegrade.
Cotton
Cotton is an excellent cruelty-free option for lingerie; it is soft on the skin, highly breathable, and moisture-absorbent. So, cotton lingerie is perfect for wearing all day beneath your everyday clothes.
There are many variations of cotton that you can find in the undergarment world, such as the elegantly draping cotton satin, cotton jersey, mulmul soft muslin, and more.
The best and most ethical option in cotton is organic cotton, of course. It grows with much less water, no pesticides, and doesn’t indirectly kill animals the way that traditional cotton may do.
Hemp
Hemp is an even more sustainable option than cotton at its best behavior. No, scratch that. Hemp is one of the most sustainable crops in the world. Its short harvest cycle, land-saving tall fibers, and virtual lack of thirst put it on top for vegan and ethical shoppers.
It has antimicrobial properties that come in handy after a sweaty or interesting day. In fact, these antimicrobial properties are what enables hemp crops to grow without pesticides or harmful chemicals.
Hemp is also a much sturdier and more practical fabric than cotton, and yet, it feels incredibly soft and comfortable, which is why it’s considered a premium lingerie fabric.
Bamboo
Like hemp, bamboo is an eco-friendly hero that deservingly made its way to the lingerie world. As a plant that tolerates drought just fine, it doesn’t waste so much water like cotton. Also, we don’t need to replant after harvest, which is great news for the environment.
It’s known for its thermo-regulating properties. So, if you wear it in extreme weather, it won’t affect it. Also, it’s stretchier than cotton and hemp, which comes in handy for comfortable intimates. Its hypoallergenic and breathable nature also makes it comfortable. Plus, its high strength-to-weight ratio means that your bamboo lingerie will stand the test of time.
Synthetic
Synthetic vegan materials are anything that’s man-made, completely exclusive of anything animal-based.
Spandex
You can look anywhere you want, but you won’t find any animal-based product that replaces the stretchability and recovery of spandex.
It usually appears in small percentages, and it gets the practical aspect of the job done. Also, it is lightweight, which gives you complete freedom in movement. Finally, you’d be impressed by how long this man-made fabric can last.
Nylon
Yes, the toothbrush bristles that turned into a fabric that invaded every part of everyone’s lives, vegan or not. There are reasons for nylon’s popularity, of course.
Like spandex, it has a lightly elastic nature that makes it ideal for cradling your private parts. Its wear-resistance is impressive; let’s be real, you need that in a bra, with the way that we treat them. Its moisture-wicking nature enables it to find the nuisance that is underboob sweat. Plus, it is pretty durable. Consider recycled nylon for an ethical option.
Rayon
The semi-synthetic fabric that is rayon brings you the softness and elegance of silk without the ridiculously high price point or the shocking cruelty behind its origin. Also, the way it drapes is heavenly, especially on kimono robes.
Like cotton, it is breathable and moisture-absorbent, so your private parts won’t feel like they’re suffocating when rayon is involved. Furthermore, it dyes easily, giving you the most versatile selection of colors to fit your personal taste like a glove.
Deadstock Fabric
One thing that you’ll find that a lot of vegan manufacturers have in common is the use or reliance on deadstock fabric, which is the excess that other manufacturers left over. Basically, it would have ended up in landfills and contributed to an alarming textile waste issue.
Vox says that the United States generates 25 billion pounds of textiles per year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States, 11.3 million tons of municipal solid waste textiles ended up in landfills in 2018 alone. That’s too much!
So, the vegan and sustainable fashion industry took it upon itself to make use of leftover fabrics to make functional and comfortable clothing that no one would guess as upcycled. Fortunately, this is very common in vegan lingerie.
Labeling
One thing that strictly vegan manufacturers love to do is to scream it in your face. The screaming comes in the form of labels and certification. Is the lingerie set that you have in mind PETA-approved? Does it have a “certified vegan” logo? If you spot any certifications, badges, or logos, read them carefully, especially if they show an animal’s face.
Hands-on Experience
While the majority of us shop online, especially in the year 2021, it never hurts to check the feel of lingerie in-store. If you’re used to synthetic fabrics, animal-based fabrics will feel different to the touch, and vice versa. So, if you’re already shopping outside, find the nearest lingerie store and feel the materials yourself.
Details
Almost every vegan at some point has made the same mistake: they buy a vegan fashion item that turns out to be just mostly vegan because it has leather accents or horn buttons. It’s an honest mistake, but you can avoid it by keeping in mind that details matter.
Final Thoughts
We hope that our research into the best vegan lingerie brands has helped you come closer to finding the best undergarments that compliment you both physically and ethically. Now, here are the highlights of our list for a quick recap.
Uye Surana is the best brand for vegan and eco-conscious lingerie that looks unique among others, while WAMA is all about hemp and using its sustainability for lingerie. On the other hand, Organic Basics, as the name suggests, is the ideal brand that focuses on organic and recycled materials rather than virgin synthetic materials.
