The 7 Best Sustainable Clothing Brands for Petites
When you buy clothes, do you find yourself constantly having to roll up the sleeves or shorten the legs of pants? If this is you, your body size may just be petite.
Hannah Troy, an American fashion designer, introduced the idea of the petite clothing size, in the 1940s, taking the term from the feminine form of “little” in French.
Let’s explore what petite clothing is, some sustainable materials to look for when shopping, and meet some of the best petite clothing brands using eco-friendly materials. As a petite woman myself I’ve got some tips & a great list for you!
What is Petite Clothing?
Petite clothing is clothing designed for women who are 5’4” and under. Clothes are cut proportionally to fit their frame, with measurements made shorter. The purpose of the design is often to make petite women appear taller, rather than accentuate their shortness and smaller frames.
What Sustainable Materials Should Petite Shoppers Look For?
Now that you know more about petite clothing, you’ll want to know what materials to look for – especially if you’re committed to a sustainable, eco-friendly wardrobe. From sourcing to supply chain to manufacturing to disposal, natural and recycled fabrics tend to have lower impact on the environment.
Avoid synthetics like polyester, nylon, and acrylic, as these are energy- and water-intensive fabrics that do not last and can be difficult to repurpose. Go for high-quality and durable materials that do not need to be constantly replaced. When you can, shop second hand to further your positive environmental impact.
Keep in mind the dyes that have been used. Harsh dyes and chemical treatments impact the health of workers and can affect your skin – and while naturally derived materials are biodegradable, the type of dye used can cancel that out. Natural fabrics also lose their ability to biodegrade – and become more difficult to recycle – when they are blended with synthetics.
The fashion industry, and fast fashion in particular, is notorious not only for its negative impact on the environment but also for its gross human rights abuses. Seek out clothing that has been ethically made, taking people’s rights and working conditions into consideration. There are sustainable clothing brands out there that will align with your beliefs. A sustainable fashion brand may have higher price points, but not always!
Here are materials to look out for when searching for more sustainable fabrics:
Organic Cotton
Natural, durable, and breathable, cotton is a popular and versatile material. Both traditional and organic cotton use a lot of water, but organic cotton uses fewer or no chemicals, making it better for workers and gentler on your skin.
Recycled cotton is another option, as it uses less water and keeps old garments out of landfills. However, recycled cotton loses its high quality and durability and is often blended with other fabrics.
Denim
While denim is not an eco-friendly material to manufacture due to the intense use of energy and water (not to mention harsh dyes and chemical treatments) they are incredibly durable and can last years; even when they start wearing out, you can repurpose them into new items like shorts or bags.
Look for eco-friendly brands using organic dyes. Avoid acid- and stone-washed jeans, which require a lot of water and harsh chemicals to make.
Hemp
Hemp is a resilient plant requiring little water to grow, the fabric it produces is light and durable. The plant also acts as a carbon sink and improves soil health.
Organic Linen
Derived from the flax plant, which requires little to no fertilizer and pesticides to grow, linen is a strong and durable fabric. If you can opt for organic linen, which has not been chemically retted.
Wool
Derived from sheep, goats, camels, yaks, llamas, and alpacas, wool has many great qualities: it is durable, flame resistant, and water repellent. Wool clothing typically lasts for a long time if cared for properly. However, it is important to stick to fair trade and responsibly sourced wool, or otherwise try recycled options.
Lyocell
This is a semi-synthetic fabric derived from wood pulp and manufactured in a closed-loop system, meaning any toxic chemicals that are used are not dumped into the environment. Tencel is the branded version and uses sustainably sourced wood.
Recycled Materials
Recycled polyester, known as rPET, is a fabric made from post-industrial and postconsumer waste like discarded fishing nets and plastic bottles, keeping them out of landfills, incinerators, and waterways. Econyl is the nylon version, using recycled nylon in a closed-loop system to reduce water consumption. If you’re choosing to go with synthetic clothing recycled polyester is more sustainable than virgin polyester.
Deadstock Fabric
Deadstock fabric refers to damaged, leftover, scrap, or surplus material that is sold instead of being sent to landfills or incinerators. It’s a bit of a contentious material because while some of it is genuinely scraps that have been given a new life, some comes from overproduction, which points to ineffective and wasteful practices from the supplier or even intentional overconsumption with the aim of profiting from leftovers.
The 7 Best Sustainable Petite Clothing Brands
This list of sustainable petite clothing brands is a great start so that you can build the perfect capsule wardrobe as a petite woman. As a petite woman myself I have tried clothes from some of the brands listed below and fallen in love!
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer will receive a commission if you decide to purchase, however, at no additional cost to you!
Eileen Fisher High End Sustainable Fashion for Petite Women
Eileen Fisher is a high end sustainable fashion brand with a great petite collection! Eileen Fisher works with organic cotton, linen, and hemp, as well as merino wool and cashmere. Their petite range features dresses, cardigans, shirts, tops, pants, and jeans.
As an advocate of circular fashion, Eileen Fisher actions their philosophy through sustainable design, repurposing garments, and reducing waste.
Garments are repurposed through their takeback program, Renew, to be resold, remade, or donated, keeping clothes in a circular design system instead of ending up in landfills.
Through their program Waste No More, unused or unusable material scraps are used to make not only clothes but artwork too.
Eileen Fisher’s petite clothing ranges in price from $78-$398. While their clothing is a higher price point, I’ve also been able to find some discounted Eileen Fisher petite pants at Nordstrom Rack!
I personally love Eileen Fisher’s petite pants. As a shorter woman I often find myself rolling up my pants or finding pants that fit me in the waist, but not the correct length.
I love that Eileen Fisher has a lot of petite pants with stretchy waistbands as I find this is a comfortable style for my body and the length of the pants is always more flattering on me than traditional sizes.
Lovanie’s American Made Petite Clothing
Lovanie specializes in petite clothing for women. Made in Seattle, they craft clothing with linen sourced from Canada and deadstock cotton sourced from California, working on a made-to-order basis as a means of reducing waste.
Their range of dresses, skirts, tops, and pants feature timeless designs made to last. Sustainability extends to their packaging incorporating compostable mailers, tissue paper made from recycled post-consumer Kraft paper, and hang tags made from leftover fabric scraps and tied with hemp twine. Lovanie’s eco-friendly petite clothing ranges from $108-$158 and features sizes P-XS to P-XL.
I personally own two dresses from Lovanie and LOVE the fit! They both fit me so well and are incredibly well made too! I know they will last for years to come! If you’re shopping Lovanie be sure to use my discount code THEHONESTCONSUMER for 10% off your first order!
Reformation’s Eco-friendly Clothes for Petites
Reformation focuses on bold, sustainable fashion by investing in eco-friendly practices and valuing the people who craft their apparel. Reformation garments are consciously crafted using linen, deadstock material, viscose, and other sustainable materials.
Reformation has a petite collection that features pants, dresses, tops, and more. They also have stores in select states across America, so petite women can go in to try on clothes in person!
Reformation’s petite clothing features a price range of $128-$278. To further their sustainability efforts Reformation is Climate Neutral Certified and has a clothing recycling program.
Wolven’s Activewear for Petites
Wolven is a BIPOC, female-founded brand whose mission is to promote environmental protection, community, and inclusivity through stand out clothing that not only lets you look good, but feel good while wearing it. Wolven prides itself on designing stand-out styles that are made from recycled materials.
Their fabric is made from BPA-Free recycled bottles that are transformed into soft, sexy sustainable clothes that you can be proud to wear. Wolven also off-sets their carbon footprint and donates 1% of their annual revenue to environmental and community organizations.
So far Wolven’s petite specific clothing only consist Flare pants featuring a similar style to yoga pants. Hopefully they will expand the petite collection to include their other products too! The current petite flare pants are $102 and include sizes P-XS through P-L.
Girlfriend Collective’s Activewear Made from Recycled Materials
From swimsuits and sports bras to leggings, sweats, tanks, and tees, Girlfriend Collective offers a wide range of sustainable athleisure. While they don’t have a specifically named petite range, their clothing caters to all shapes and sizes, from XXS to 6XL.
Their clothes are made from recycled materials like post-consumer water bottles, fishing nets, and fabric scraps. To minimize the use of chemicals they make use of eco-friendly dyes – and they’re certified Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex. Packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable.
Ethical manufacturing is another imperative for Girlfriend Collective and they are SA8000 and WRAP certified, ensuring fair pay and safe working conditions. ReGirlfriend is their takeback program that upcycles their old compressive leggings to be used again. Girlfriend Collective’s clothing ranges from $38-$100.
Nudie Jeans Custom Made Jeans for Petites
Nudie Jeans features eco-friendly denim options by crafting their jeans with organic and recycled cotton. They also carefully select their denim partners to ensure efforts around saving water and conscious dying are part of their process.
Nudie Jeans believes in creating a transparent supply chain and paying livable wages to everyone involved. Nudie Jeans allows conscious consumers to select the length and width of the jeans, so they can custom fit you! This is great for petite women like me who have wider hips and shorter legs!
Jeans are around $200 a pair. To further their sustainability efforts Nudie Jeans also has an amazing repair program. This program offers free repairs forever on denim purchased through the brand.
If you’re a petite woman, hopefully this guide gave you some eco-friendly options to consider when shopping!
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