Linen is the quintessential sustainable fabric of summer — the breathable, lightweight natural fabric will keep you cool through the hot days ahead with its natural thermo-regulating properties.
And there is a lot more to love about linen. As a natural fiber, linen is also biodegradable as long as it’s untreated! (Avoid linen garments that have been dyed with synthetic dyes, treated with toxic chemicals like bleach, or that have been blended with unnatural fibers.)
Plus, linen is chemically similar to cotton but is superior in terms of properties and environmental friendliness. It’s more durable, stronger, dries quicker, and more sunlight resistant.
And on the environmental front, flax is resilient, allowing it to grow even in poor soil and requiring far less water than cotton, according to Good on You.
What type of linen should we look for?
Prioritize linen that is certified organic and dew retted as opposed to chemically retted linen. As CFDA says, “dew retting is preferred in terms of sustainability, which requires no additional inputs of energy, water, or chemicals and allows nutrients to return to the soil through natural decomposition.”
Shop secondhand first
Remember to browse local thrift stores and online secondhand shops first! Check out Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal for luxury and premium brands or ThredUP and Poshmark for more affordable (as well as some premium) brands.
Note: This guide includes partners and/or affiliates. As always, brands must meet high standards for sustainability and ethics — and I only share brands that I believe in.
Price Range Key: $ = Under $100 | $$ = $100 – $200 | $$$ = $200+
1. Not Perfect Linen
Part of the appeal of linen is its creases, wrinkles, and imperfect nature — something that Not Perfect Linen embraces with their collections. Using OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified linen fabric and producing responsibly in Lithuania.
Price Range: $ – $$
Size Range: XS – XL, Option for custom garments for other sizes
2. Two Days Off
Two Days Off is a Black-owned sustainable fashion brand creating trans-seasonal clothing made-to-order or in small batches in Los Angeles. The independent label designs each piece for longevity and uses earth-conscious fabrics like deadstock (leftover) fabric from LA and linen from North America.
Price Range: $$
Size Range: XS – 2XL
3. Whimsy & Row
Whimsy & Row’s 100% linen garments are made Belgian flax plants and are colored with certified low-impact dyes using recycled water. All of the brand’s pieces are produced slowly in small quantities and are shipped in recycled packaging.
Note: Whimsy & Row refers to their production as ethical, but does not provide specific information about wages or benefits for their makers.
Price Range: $ – $$
Size Range: XS – XL
4. Eileen Fisher
Slow fashion label Eileen Fisher has elegant, minimalistic garments made from eco-minded fabrics, including organic linen. Eileen Fisher’s easy breezy linen garments are timeless and produced with the highest quality, ensuring they’ll be summer staples in your closet for years to come.
Price Range: $$$
Size Range: XXS – XL
5. Mate the Label
While Mate the Label primarily uses organic cotton, the brand has a collection of effortless garments made from breathable, lightweight linen. The LA-based brand has published a 2020 impact report detailing their current practices and future plans, such as joining a coalition with California farmers to source locally and regeneratively-grown cotton.
Price Range: $$
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sotela
Sotela is an inclusive sustainable fashion brand with vibrantly hued relaxed-fit garments. The label has a collection of linen button-up lightweight linen shirts, trousers, dresses, and jumpsuits. Prioritizing natural materials, Sotela has pieces made from linen and from their organic cotton-linen blend (made up of 60% organic linen) and they use tagua seed instead of plastic for their buttons.
Price Range: $$ – $$$
Size Range: Unique sizing system; range goes from waistband of 24 inches to 44 inches.
7. Beaumont Organic
UK sustainable fashion brand Beaumont Organic creates effortless pieces in natural fibers like linen. Beaumont Organic’s flowy, breathable hand-spun flax linen pieces are made responsibly in Portugal, where makers earn fair wages and do not have to work overtime. There isn’t much further detail about production, but the brand reports that they are working on bringing customers full transparency from seed to garment in 2020.
Price Range: ££ – £££
Size Range: XS – L
8. Conscious Clothing
Conscious Clothing is a sustainable fashion brand producing earth-minded apparel in their studio in Belmont, Michigan. You can meet their team on their about page and even learn about how they designed their studio using many reclaimed materials. The brand has loose-fit clothing, much of which is made from 100% linen.
Price Range: $ – $$$
Size Range: XS – XXL
9. Art of Simplicity
With puffed sleeves, off-the-shoulder necklines, and side slits, Art of Simplicity’s linen clothing is feminine and flirty. The brand’s romantic garments are made from natural fibers, including many from linen or linen blends.
Size Range: XS – 2XL
Price Range: $$
10. Linen Fox
The beautiful linen clothing from Lithuanian fashion brand Linen Fox is all made by a team of 20 people in Lithuania. Their simple, durable linen pieces are non-toxic and OEKO-TEX certified. The label follows fair trade principles and reduces fabric waste by selling their fabric scraps and making garments from multiple fabric pieces.
Price Range: € – €€
Size Range: XS – XL
11. Poplinen
Sustainable, ethical, and size-inclusive, Poplinen is one impressive conscious brand. Poplinen produces their clothing in small batches in Los Angeles, paying makers living wages and using earth-minded materials like organic cotton, Tencel, and organic linen. The brand also ships their pieces in recycled packaging.
Price Range: $
Size Range: XS – 3XL
12. Pyne & Smith
Pyne & Smith’s sustainable and ethical dresses are made in California using European flax linen. The brand’s garments are produced in ethical factories that pay fair wages and ensure a safe working environment — it took the team two years to find the right factory partners to ensure high standards for quality and ethics.
Price Range: $$
Size Range: XS – XXL
13. LANIUS
LANIUS is an ethical and sustainable fashion brand based in Germany producing eco clothing from natural materials, including GOTS-certified organic linen. The label sources from producers with certifications and audits from GOTS, the SA8000 standard, the BSCI Code of Conduct, and/or Fair Wear Foundation. (With the exception of small family-owned producers, which they visit regularly).
Price Range: € – €€
Size Range: 34-44 (German Sizing)
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