We have been finding it a little tricky to find outdoors activewear which is sustainable and technical, as well as stylish. Typically outdoors wear is understandably more focused on the technical side whilst stylish activewear is more often than not made with yoga, running and the gym in mind. That said, with wellness and sustainability increasingly talked about, the outdoors industry is back on the map and more brands are looking for ways to tap into it.
We’ve put together a list of stylish sustainable brands we found that also ship to Europe, and some of which are actually based in Europe – even better for our carbon footprints! What we love about these brands, other than that we can workout and attempt to look good doing so, is that they each give a detailed and transparent insight into their supply chain and how they are trying to be as sustainable as possible.
Currently our list includes several bigger names, however we’re always on the hunt for up and coming local brands, please drop us a comment if you have any recommendations to share.
1. Girlfriend Collective (€36 – 90)
We love their new PNW collection, a tongue in cheek ode to the hipsters of the USA’s pacific north west with a focus on outdoors leggings for hiking that can also be worn at your local farmer’s market, or natural wine bar. Although they don’t ship everywhere in Europe (currently just the UK), they are also available on nordstrom.com which ships worldwide.
2. Outdoor Voices (€50 – 135)
As well as the usual yoga wear, Outdoor Voices have a specific outdoors collection which includes cosy fleeces, merino base layers, outdoors leggings, as well as zip-off hiking trousers/shorts (if that’s your thing, personally that’s exactly what we’re trying to stay away from)! They have also recently collaborated with Merrell on a pair of hiking boots in one of Merrell’s iconic designs but with pretty colours and design brought by Outdoor Voices. We are also totally aligned to their mission of getting the world moving with their #Doingthings initiative, promoting fun and freedom in the outdoors rather than competitiveness and stats.
3. The Minu (€86 – 149)
The Minu is our most recent discovery and a brand new Milan-based activewear brand. Although it’s made with yoga in mind, we would certainly wear this to bring a little style to boulder in the climbing gym during winter and out hiking and to the crag in the summer. The tops are perfect as I personally am not so keen on wearing just my gym bra, this is a perfect compromise as it’s like a second skin without feeling so exposed. We also love the matching scrunchies! Final added bonus… it’s made in Italy with 100% recycled nylon, what’s not to love?!
4. 3rd Rock (€50 – 95)
A UK based brand, 3rd rock is made by climbers for climbers (and yogis) that care about the planet. We love their leggings and sports bras, particularly the ‘Luna’, featured in the above image. Also, they’re based in the beautiful peak district, so their insta feed gives us a lot of nostalgia for home!
5. Patagonia (€35 – 500)
We couldn’t make a list featuring sustainable outdoor wear without including Patagonia, which has included sustainability in its credentials pretty much since it started out in the 1970s, leagues ahead of the trends. Given that many fashion brands are leaning into the trend, what can be more stylish than wearing a retro (or retro style) Patagonia fleece. Patagonia smartly offers various initiatives such as their worn wear website , also 1% of annual sales are donated to national parks as part of 1% for the planet.
Let us know if you try or have tried any of the above brands in the comments below.
Happy shopping!
Emily x x