I’ve been meaning to put this list of plus-size eco-friendly fashion online together for a very long time, but thanks to a comment/question by a wonderful visitor, I moved it back to the top of my to-do list. Although it is getting easier to find eco-friendly fashion online, PLUS-SIZE eco-fashion is few and far between. Maybe there’s not enough demand out there yet, or maybe it’s just been neglected. I’d like to think the latter is not the case, but this is the fashion industry we’re talking about here…
For smaller, independent designers, it’s very difficult and sometimes cost prohibitive to add an extra size to their collection, but many are doing it and are making most of their pieces available in XL’s. Hopefully, the day will come when more designers will create plus-size eco-friendly collections, and by this I mean not just upsizing their “regular” collections, but really designing clothing for the larger sized woman. I did find two designers who do exclusively plus-sized eco-friendly fashion: Diane Kennedy and Mewv (more details below) and more that include up to 3x or 4x in their size offerings. Sadly, most of the big-box plus-sized online outlets offer very limited selections with organic cotton or bamboo, or none at all. And still, a lot of the designs are seriously lacking in originality and are reminiscent of the hippy/crunchy/granola clothing that we USED to associate with earth-friendly fashion. Come on, really? Plus-sized fashion has evolved so much recently, why is there such a serious lack of eco-friendly plus-sized designers actually creating new and exciting styles and collections?
It’s truly up to the consumer to demand more sizes and original designs from designers and boutiques. But the money does have to follow…so, support the designers and boutiques below who are making an effort to offer more sizes, and word will get around that there is indeed a market for plus-sized eco-fashion.
(This list is just a beginning, it’s not meant to be exhaustive, although I feel like it’s a very good representation of what’s currently available online. These are mostly designers, please check my list of Eco-Friendly and Ethical Boutiques as well, many of them offer these designers and others who offer XL’s. Oh, and if you’re a designer who’s currently doing or considering doing a plus-sized eco-friendly line, TELL ME about it!! I’ll add you to the list and help get the word out!!)
Coldwater Creek (basic organic cotton tees, up to size 3x)
Acacia organic cotton and bamboo casual wear, up to XL)
Peacefull Disorder (basic basics…in sizes up to XL)
Lola & Gigi (carries diane kennedy’s plus size eco-fashion)
Bodyworks apparel (no online shopping yet; activewear created specifically for curvy women – organic cotton and bamboo collections)
SPUN (affordable organic cotton line – just added XL’s for Fall ’08 – online shopping available soon!!)
Gaiam (has many organic cotton/bamboo pieces in XL’s)
HT Naturals (organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, soy clothing available in XL’s)
Indigenous Designs (fashionable fair trade and organic clothing available in XL)
Nixxi (Canadian eco-friendly designer – some pieces available in XL)
Positivitee (clothing with meaning: organic cotton tees, tanks, henley’s & more in XL’s)
Sharka Chakra (organic denim, in sizes up to 33/34)
Peligrosa Knits (fashion forward knits/cashmere in sizes up to XL – but I have found that their pieces tend to run a bit small…so…)
Rawganique (hemp, organic cotton clothing in true plus sizes, up to 3x)
Torrid (a few organic cotton tees and underwear in plus sizes)
j jill (a few classic organic cotton pieces – button down blouses, etc., in up to 4x)
Nordstrom (several organic cotton pieces by Eileen Fisher – up to 3x)
Saks FORGANifth Avenue (also eileen fisher organic cotton plus sizes)
Mewv (organic cotton, bamboo, etc., in up to size 26 – designed specificaly for plus-sizes, NOT just sized up)
Diane Kennedy (Canadial plus-size eco-friendly designer – cannot buy directly through site, but some pieces are at Juno and Jove)
Chloe Angus (Canadian eco-friendly designer – also designs in plus-sizes. available in Canada and some online at Juno and Jove)
Juno and Jove (eco-friendly boutique carrying plus-size designer Diane Kennedy and Chloe Angus among others)
One Stop Plus (organic cotton plus-size selections from Roaman’s and Woman Within)
Soul Flower (eco-friendly clothing/hemp/organic cotton – some styles available in XL’s)
Blue Fish (honestly, these are very “hippy” and too over the top for me…but…all styles are available in sizes up to 22)
Athleta (bamboo/organic cotton clothing available in XL’s – athletic/lounge gear)
Avenue (disappointing…only have bamboo sleepwear available)
Tranquilit (some yoga/lounge styles available in up to XL)
Of the Earth (original organic clothing, mostly casual, in sizes up to XL)
Horny Toad (all pieces available in XL)
sameunderneath (fashionable bamboo/spandex pieces, all available in XL)
Jonano (bamboo ecoKashmere, Eco Scrubs & more eco-friendly styles available in XL)
Under the Canopy (earth wise, style conscious clothing in XL – very casual, mostly lounge clothing)
Bamboosa (bamboo tops/sleepwear in sizes up to XL)
Spiegel (their eco-luxe bamboo/spandex collection is available in XL’s)
Mountains of the Moon (hemp and organic clothing in sizes up to XL)
Team Estrogen (eco-friendly plus-size cycling & outdoor wear)
Etsy (honestly, this is my favorite option for plus-sized organic/bamboo/hemp clothing. most of the designers will take your measurements and design your piece around those, instead of based on a “size.” My favorite etsy sellers in this category are: Gaia Conceptions – I have one of her dresses that I LOVE LOVE LOVE, Sandmaiden, 2Enju, and Desirapesta.)
Ulla Popken (organic/bamboo clothing in sizes 12 and up)
{ 6 comments }
This is a great list you’ve put together, and as a plus-sized eco diva, I know that you’re absolutely right when you say good stuff can be hard to find. I Stumbled this post, because I know some women who it will help.
I’ve seen Mewv’s dresses before, and I love them! But thanks for pointing me to those etsy sellers…specifically Gaia Conceptions. Her work is awesome!
thank you so much jennae!! i have one of gaia conceptions pieces – a tube dress (http://www.greengrechen.com/designers/review-gaia-conceptions-organic-cotton-dress/) and love it so much. i’m tempted to order one of everything she makes, but i don’t need any more clothes…
YES! We need organic, nontoxic plus size clothes! Those of us with multiple chemical sensitivity need them desperately!
I’m a plus-sized woman with severe MCS, and it’s already very hard for MCSers to find safe, affordable clothing. When you add plus-size into it, it gets even harder. (The one oasis, which you didn’t list, and please, please list them, is Decent Exposures, because they do everything custom-made to fit, regardless of size and shape, and have fantastic customer service. But they are not stylish, but they are my only option, for the most part.)
However, if you’re a super-plus size and/or not into feminine clothing (like my butch partner), forget it! It is a desert wasteland.
Yes, we watch Project Runway. Yes, we like to look at fancy clothes. But as rural women, and as someone who spends most of my time homebound due to chronic illness, we really need *comfortable* nontoxic clothes that fit. Maybe one day I’ll have an event where I have a need and a reason for something luscious, and when that time comes, I despair of finding anything. The Meww gowns are mouth-watering, but I have no idea of the environment in which they’re made, if they’re washable (decontaminatable), the “hidden toxins” that might be part of the garment, etc. (See below if you have no idea what I’m talking about.)
Because, although I love that you made this listing, and I have bookmarked it, there are two major gaps here:
1. Most of the designers you list go up to “XL,” and if you read their sizing chart, XL usually means 12-16. Give me a break! Size 12 is XL?? For those of us over size 16, forget it. As a 2X, I can at least find the things I need if I look hard enough and don’t care what I look like. But for 3X or 4X women with MCS (not to mention plus size butch women and large men), it’s impossible.
2. Many who start out with organic or eco fabrics (hemp, bamboo, silk, organic cotton), then dye, sew, add-on, blend in stuff that makes the clothes completely unwearable for those of us with MCS. Spandex, for example. Why does every organic designer now feel it is necessary to add spandex to otherwise perfectly good, safe, wearable organic clothing? Try to get fragrance smells out of something with spandex — it cannot be done. And if the processes for dyeing, bleaching, storage, the facility where they’re made, etc., aren’t controlled environments (those handling the fabric wearing perfume or lotion on their hands, for instance or using chemical dyes), for MCSers, it might as well be made of polyester.
We are a growing group of consumers — the chemically injured. About 30% of the population now has some chemical sensitivity, and that number is rising all the time.
We wear our clothes until they are rags, held together by threads — seriously. I could send you photos.
Thank you for advocating on this issue! We are out here, looking for clothes….
(P.S. I know it’s important to support the designers and manufacturers, but since most people with MCS live in poverty, paying for any safe clothes at all is often a hardship. When you add “designer” onto that, it’s an impossibility. If I just need something to keep me warm and/or not naked, and I’m presented the choice between an unflattering organic, low-impact dyed or undyed T-shirt for $15 and a gorgeous, fancy eco-blouse sewn in a shop where the designer uses scented personal care products, etc., for $70, which do you think I’m going to choose?)
This is an amazing post with fantastic resources! I’m so excited to see Sandmaiden on the list, too– she makes the most amazing & delicious pieces!
Ashe Mischief’s last blog post..OMG Shoes! Hidden Amazon Secrets
Thank you…..
Hi…
I buy a lot of cute eco-friendly plus size styles from a MiB Collection using their catalog or their website http://www.makingitbig.com. They use beautiful natural fiber fabric and also have been using green business practices for years. Read about it here: http://www.makingitbig.com/our_green_story_062209
Enjoy!
Sue
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 4 trackbacks }