Your body is constantly changing over the journey of pregnancy and post-partum, so naturally, you’ll need to change your wardrobe to accommodate this.
Unfortunately, a lot of maternity wear isn’t sustainable as, by its very nature, it only lasts for a set period of time. This means you repeatedly spend money on new clothes, resulting in high levels of waste, both in terms of cost and environmental impact.
Yes, it is possible to source sustainable maternity wear
What really irritates us is the lack of ‘space’ for pregnant women to find maternity wear, never mind maternity wear that’s also good for the planet. It can sometimes feel like our favourite go-to brands have abandoned us at a time when we can feel a little disconnected from our bodies.
That’s why we’ve created this blog post (and why we created For The Creators, too, by the way). We want to help you waste less money on ‘fast fashion’, do a little good for the environment and feel confident and comfortable as your body changes.
So in this post, we’re going through the eight best sustainable maternity wear brands. Yes, it really is possible to find beautiful, sustainable maternity wear. You just have to know where to look!
What does sustainability in maternity wear mean?
First, what does sustainable fashion mean?
Let’s face it, sustainability has become a bit of a buzzword within mainstream fast fashion. It’s misleading and makes it difficult to understand what is actually meant by sustainability in fashion, and that’s partly down to the fact that there is no certified definition.
While all new clothing will create waste, and impact the environment surrounding it, there are ways to mitigate this impact including;
- Recycled materials
- Eco-materials
- Quality materials
- Certified textiles
- Reduced waste
- Fair wages
- Sustainable transport and shipping
- Locally made
- Saved from landfill
- Upcycled
Ideally, companies will do all of these things, and think about sustainability throughout the entire supply chain – from the people that make the clothes, all the way through to the longevity of the clothes.
However, the reality is that no maternity clothing business is perfect, and they might focus on one element more than others.
If maternity brands are doing a combination of these things then we would usually refer to them as sustainable – and all the brands on this list are.
Why are you telling me about the best sustainable maternity wear?
As a brand that promotes circular fashion, we are immersed in the world of sustainable maternity wear. We know the ins and outs of the sustainability credentials for many brands and want to help promote some of the best (in our opinion) ones out there.
We’ve listed these brands in alphabetical order, so there are no playing favourites (as they are all wonderful).
So let’s get into you finding maternity wear that works for you.
1. Bump and Milk
Who are they for: Maternity wear & breastfeeding Mothers
Sustainability credentials: Natural fibres, small production runs and recycled packaging
Cost:
To buy: approx. £70+
To rent: from £8.69
Bump and Milk combine femininity and function in maternity and breastfeeding clothing. No frumpy breastfeeding cliches to see here – just beautiful, flattering and eco-conscious clothing that grows with you throughout pregnancy and post-partum.
They have created some truly beautiful pieces that most people would be happy to wear whether pregnant or not.
Bump and Milk focus on creating clothing from natural fabrics such as linen and organic cotton, and stay away from man-made fibres. This minimises the impact that the clothing has on the environment during the manufacturing process. The materials are also much better quality, so they will last longer.
In addition, they work in small production runs to minimise waste and use 100% recyclable packaging.
Learn more about Bump and Milk’s sustainability practices here
We also stock a collection of Bump and Milk maternity wear to rent.
2. CARI London
Who are they for: Maternity, breastfeeding and motherhood
Sustainability credentials: Made locally (in London), small quantity runs, reduced waste and fair wages
Cost: Approx. £50+
Founder of CARI London, Sue, realised that many Women feel like they lose their sense of style and identity during and post-pregnancy. So she set out to create a brand that not only catered to maternity and breastfeeding, but to their new and evolving chapter in life.
Their clothing range flatters the ever-changing pregnant and post-partum shape while helping women maintain their style in their new role as mothers. Not only does it look beautiful, but it’s flexible, breathable and can take whatever you throw at it (literally).
The clothes are made using small, locally sourced manufacturers – with runs produced in small quantities to ensure quality and reduce waste. In addition, they pay their manufacturers fairly and aim to support female-owned businesses.
Learn about CARI’s sustainability practices here
We also stock Cari’s maternity wear to rent.
3. Clary and Peg
Who are they for: Vintage-inspired clothing that is maternity and breastfeeding friendly
Sustainability credentials: Manufactured ethically in London.
Cost:
To buy: approx £95+
To rent: from £7.70
One of the main problems when it comes to maternity clothing is that it has a limited lifespan. It can be extended by combining flexible maternity wear that grows with you, and breastfeeding clothing – but it will still have a short(ish) lifespan.
One of the ways to solve this problem is to create clothing ranges and cuts that flatter both pregnant and non-pregnant people. This is what Clary and Peg have created. A range of beautiful, vintage-inspired, contemporary designs that are maternity and breastfeeding-friendly (although not limited to this time).
N4mummy writes about her experience with a non-maternity dress from Clary and Peg here.
Their entire brand focuses on ensuring that the clothing is kept in wardrobe rotation as long as possible. Allowing you to buy quality, sustainable pieces that will be with you throughout pregnancy and beyond.
You can find our collection of Clary and Peg clothing to rent, just here.
4. Freya Simone
Who are they for: Ready-to-wear and custom-made womenswear
Sustainability credentials: Reworks and upcycles vintage textiles into beautiful Womenswear; ethical & slow production, recycled packaging.
Cost:
To buy: approx. £129+
To rent: from £45
According to research by Water Footprint Network, it takes on average 10,000 to 20,000 litres of water to create one kilogram of cotton, the most widely used natural material worldwide. So, working with existing fabrics is one way to mitigate the impact that clothing has on the planet.
Freya Simone does not specifically focus on maternity wear, however, they create dresses that are suitable for pregnant Women. They do this by recycling and reworking existing textiles into beautiful, quality womenswear. Again this leans into extending the lifetime of clothing, as it’s suitable for the pregnancy and post-partum periods of your life – as well as beyond.
Freya Simone offers ready-to-buy, and custom orders – which allows them to meet demand in ethical production. Plus, it allows you to channel your own individual style, and feel like yourself even as your body changes.
They even developed a bespoke breastfeeding dress just for us at For The Creators. It’s available to rent just here.
Find out more about Freya Simone’s sustainability credentials
Check out our collection of Freya Simone’s pieces to rent.
5. Isabella Oliver
Who are they for: Maternity brand for pregnancy and beyond
Sustainability credentials: Responsibly sourced textiles; carbon neutral; B-Corp
Cost: Approx £45+
Isabella Oliver is a maternity brand based entirely around sustainability – with a focus on making its entire range as ethical and sustainable as possible for pregnancy and beyond.
They have designed an extensive range of trend-based clothing from basics through to workwear, so you don’t have to compromise on style with your growing bump.
What’s nice about Isabella Oliver is that they have really incorporated sustainability into their entire supply chain, from manufacturing right through to shipping. Some of the sustainability practices they have introduced include:
- Use at least 85% responsibly sourced fabrics such as Lenzing™ EcoVero™ and Tencel.
- Plastic-free and biodegradable packaging
- Carbon negative
- Living wage employer
- % of pre-loved revenue donated to Oxfam
- Use factories with the highest ethical standards
You can also shop, rent or buy pre-loved from Isabella Oliver, so there are multiple ways for your to remain sustainable while shopping with them.
Learn more about Isabella Oliver’s sustainable practices here
Have a look at our Isabella Oliver collection to rent.
6. Lyla and Leche
Who are they for: Breastfeeding Mothers
Sustainability credentials: Made from deadstock fabric, recycled packaging
Cost:
To buy: approx £64+
To rent: from £5.80
Lyla and Leche strive to produce our dresses from deadstock fabric. Deadstock fabric is essentially surplus fabric that can’t be used for its original purpose anymore and will likely end up in a landfill if not repurposed.
Lyla and Leche take this trendy deadstock fabric and create unique breastfeeding-friendly pieces. This means they have a relatively small, but intentional range of beautiful post-partum clothing.
They have also incorporated recyclable, and recycled material into their packaging and shipping process to further reduce the environmental impact.
Learn more about Lyla and Leche sustainable practices here
You can have a look at the Lyla and Leche maternity wear to rent here.
7. SJP
Who are they for: Vintage-inspired womenswear
Sustainability credentials: Upcycling unwanted textiles, custom made
Cost: Approx £55+
Again, SJP is not specifically maternity wear, but the fit and nature of the clothing make the dresses perfect for bumps. They source unwanted, preloved fabrics and turn them into ready-made and custom-made clothing – saving textiles from landfill.
Again, this method of production is extremely ethical and sustainable. They only create clothing to match demand and offer existing textiles another life.
Check out our collection of beautiful SJP clothing to rent here.
8. Summery Copenhagen
Who are they for: Beautiful ‘summery’ clothing suitable for maternity and breastfeeding
Sustainability credentials: Optimized their production of sweat wear, swimwear, and knitwear from either fully organic or recycled materials
Cost:
To buy: approx €200
To rent: from £15.40
Summery Copenhagen doesn’t specifically create maternity or breastfeeding wear. However, their clothing is suitable for pregnant women – providing plenty of room for your growing bump.
They describe their designs as an ‘ode to summer’, but in all honesty, you’ll want to wear their beautiful dresses all year round.
They are an environmentally thoughtful company that uses fully organic or recycled materials for their sweat wear, swimwear and knitwear. In 2019 they upgraded all handloom fabrics into a more durable exclusive hand-loomed cotton quality.
Have a look at our collection of Summery Copenhagen clothing to rent
Fancy renting your maternity wear?
As we’ve said before, maternity wear has a finite lifecycle, no matter how sustainable the production method is. Some of the brands we’ve mentioned help to combat this by creating pieces that work for maternity and post-partum.
However, it’s still expensive to replace your wardrobe with your growing and changing body. And so, one potential alternative that is both sustainable and potentially better for your bank balance is by renting maternity and post-partum wear.
This allows you to extend the lifestyle of the existing clothing, and maintain your unique, personal style as your body changes.
And if you love the sound of these brands, then the good news is that we rent all of them via For the Creators. Our aim is to help your personal style shine through while enabling you to remain sustainable throughout your pregnancy and post-partum journey.
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