Underwear or swimwear. Is this a consideration for you? I’ve always steered clear of thongs on Amazon because I feel they’re more cheaply made and may have more chemicals, plastics, or other things you don’t want on your body. I often feel that more expensive, reputable brands are more trustworthy in their process. Is there any truth to this?
Are there any thong materials you won’t touch because of this?
I personally only wear clothing made from natural fabrics: cotton, wool, linen. Those fabrics are more sustainable (I hope?), more comfortable, generally higher quality, etc etc.
For “technical” gear – ski gear, rain gear, wet suits, swim suits – the requirements are quite a bit different from everyday clothing. For everything but base layers, synthetics better meet the requirements. I try to buy from companies that use recycled or upcycled materials and/or have a reputation for long-lasting products: O’Neill, Helly/Hanson, Arc’teryx, Patagonia, etc etc. Close-fitting swimsuits seem to require materials like nylon and lycra if you want performance and fast-drying, and even boardies are made from treated polyester.
The “chemicals/plastics used to make thongs” are so far up the supply chain that it makes more sense (to me, anyway) to focus on things that have a bigger impact. (That is, the total weight of the 8-10 thongs I own is probably about a pound, so their chemical footprint is pretty small. That being said, they’re made from nylon and lycra. Nylon seems pretty safe, although apparently some people get rashes from it because it’s not very breathable. A little Googling indicates that Lycra might be a bit more iffy.)
I have thought about this a lot. While i have eliminated toxins from a lot of my life, i havent found great substitutes for my swimwear (or underwear).
I would like to start designing some with natural materials however there are none that dry fast (merino wool dries faster but not quickly). Cotton is see-through and most other fabrics have no flex. I do have a knitted thong, while great for hot sunny days, takes too long to dry on cooler days.
I know the scope of this forum is swimwear but i havent been able to find organic cotton or bamboo thong underwear either. I do concur that i avoid cheap brands and sites as low quality fabric is not comfortable and probably more toxic.
Anybody here know of brands that use more natural materials?
Jack Adams makes great stuff from bamboo and from “tencel modal”, which is apparently pretty eco-friendly stuff made from beech fiber in a “closed system” that recycles most of the inputs. I can vouch for the quality of their products (I bought a dozen of their bikini thongs about 3 years ago and they’re still going strong, and they’re ridiculously comfortable), but you’ll have to decide for yourself how “natural” it is. I imagine the processing is similar to what needs to be done to use bamboo.