Organic Basics: Minimalist, Budget-Friendly Sustainable Underwear and Wardrobe Essentials

If simple, Scandinavian design is your jam, we recommend checking out Copenhagen-based clothing label Organic Basics. Founded in 2014 after the founders realised that the fashion industry was one of the most polluting, they created Organic Basics to help solve fashion’s environmental problem. The brand’s tagline is direct and straight to the point: The fashion industry is a dirty bastard.

“At Organic Basics, we believe that it was a million bad decisions that got this industry into the trouble it’s in today, and it’s a million better decisions that will get us out of this crisis of over-consumption and polluting our planet,” says co-founder Christoffer Immanuel.

Immanuel is right of course. To right the many fashion wrongs, brands will need to go back to the drawing board and put sustainability at the heart of their businesses. Since its inception, this is exactly what Organic Basics has done.

“When we say sustainability is our core mission we don’t mean that sustainability is nice to have – we mean that it’s the only way we act.” – Organic Basics website, March 2020

It has been a winning approach. The brand has gone from strength to strength having built its reputation on producing budget-friendly and lust-worthy sustainable basics for men and women. Its collections feature eco-friendly materials such as certified organic cotton and TENCEL, as well as recycled fabrics. Roughly 6,000 kilograms of clothing and textile waste is thrown into landfill every 10 minutes in Australia so any business incorporating recycled materials into their collections helps to build a circular fashion future.

Organic Basics: Minimalist, Budget-Friendly Sustainable Underwear and Wardrobe Essentials — *Organic Basics cotton triangle bra. Credit: Ben McGuire.*

From sourcing sustainable fabrics, responsibly manufacturing in Europe through to its choice of biodegradable packaging, the brand’s entire supply chain and business model has been considered and thoughtfully designed to limit environmental impact, minimise waste and maximise social benefit. The business even offsets more carbon than it produces thanks to its partnership with Chooose, an organisation that neutralises carbon emissions by investing in UN verified or Gold Standard carbon-reducing projects (its carbon-offsetting is completed by Koru Wind Farm in Canakkale, Turkey).

That Organic Basics also holds a B-Corp certification and 1% for the Planet membership is further proof of just how seriously it takes its commitment to sustainability.

“Changing things for the better is what we are doing now, and hopefully also what we’ll be doing in five years,” says Immanuel.

Initially offering customers just the basics; underwear, bras, socks, tees and tops, Organic Basics has evolved its offerings to include activewear and seamless bodysuits. This essential range of undergarments and clothing is available in various sizes, classic colours and silhouettes, and is suitable for any sustainable wardrobe and budget.

Its fashion sustainability may be impressive, but equally impressive is its branding. Featuring ethnically-diverse models, minimalist styling, clever use of lighting and photography and gorgeous packaging with clever copy, it is little wonder Organic Basics is a hit with conscious millennial shoppers.

Featured in esteemed, youth-focussed online platforms such as Refinery29, Highsnobiety and BuzzFeed and amassing 188,000 Instagram fans (at the time of writing), the Danish sustainable label has attained a cult following that few ethically-minded labels are able to replicate.

Asking Immanuel about the resources he recommends to people hoping to make the switch to sustainable living, he replies, “I’m sure there’s a lot of good books, docs, and podcasts to help citizens transition to more sustainable living.

“At Organic Basics, we feel that the best motivation to switch to more sustainable lifestyle is to spend more time in nature. It’s precious, and the more time you spend in nature, the more you want to limit people’s impact on it.”

With the highly infectious coronavirus spreading around the world with sometimes deadly consequences, for now, it’s best to spend that time in nature alone.

Organic Basics is offering EWP readers 10% off their entire offerings. Just make a purchase on their website organicbasics.com and use the code ECOWOBC2 at checkout.

Disclosure: Organic Basics is an EWP affiliate partner. We may make a small fee from any purchase made through relevant links on this site at no extra cost to you. Monies made helps to cover the operational costs of this growing sustainable media platform. For more information about our policies, visit this page.

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