Many of today’s shoppers fear something that lurks in their closets.
It may have great structure, but it’s a bit stiff. It may look good from afar, but on the body it can be scratchy, sweaty and plasticky. Asleep at night, some worry it’s actually going to harm them.
It’s — gasp! — synthetic fabric.
Nylon, acrylic and spandex have been around for the better part of a century. They made ironing easier (or obviated the need for it completely). They are pretty durable, too, helping garments hold their shape. They keep moths at bay. They are machine washable. They’re the sorts of materials that made possible Issey Miyake’s famous pleats and Lululemon leggings.
But lately, anxious about quality, mindful of fashion’s climate impact and, in some cases, worried about the health effects (well founded or not), many are swearing off these synthetic fibres. “Polyester” has even become a bit of Gen Alpha slang to mock people deemed to be inferior.
For some, it’s partly a matter of taste. At a time when some fast-fashion retailers add thousands of items to their sites each day — most of them made from synthetic fibres to keep down costs — avoiding these materials has become a status symbol.
“You’re wearing plastic”, said Sarah Marie Day, 32, who is based in New York and writes the fashion newsletter In Her Element. “That’s not luxurious”. Kate Glavan, the host of Seamossgirlies, a Gen Z wellness podcast, said being able to buy something made of natural fibres “says something about you”: Not just that you have the money to afford fabrics like cotton, wool or cashmere, but that you are discerning enough to know the difference.
The scepticism surrounding polyester and other synthetic fibres goes back to the 1970s and 1980s, when people started to associate it with cheaply made, lowbrow goods.
This more recent revolt, however, stems largely from wellness culture, which after creeping into widespread thinking about food, fitness and skin care, has changed the way some think about clothes, too.
The main concern is about exposure to microplastics — tiny particles of plastic that scientists have found in human bodies that can shed from clothing made from synthetic fabrics as the clothing fibres move and as they are washed.
Preliminary research into microplastics has shown links between the materials and conditions like cardiovascular disease. Research also suggests that chemicals used in plastics, like polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, may adversely affect reproductive, gastrointestinal and respiratory health and could be linked to cancer.
Some research suggests that the primary way humans absorb microplastics is through the ingestion of food and drink, though scientists have not yet established whether and how microplastics can be absorbed through the skin.
“There’s no real straight line in science”, said Tracey Woodruff, a professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, who added that researchers have not yet found a direct causal relationship between microplastics and illness.
But even in the absence of absolute certainty, she said, it’s not a bad idea for shoppers to seek out alternative fabrics so as to reduce exposure.
The anti-synthetics message has been embraced by wellness influencers, fashion content creators, brands and activists who belong to the Make America Healthy Again Movement.
Lane Koch, 40, a political consultant based in St Louis who identifies as a “MAHA mom” and worked on Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s presidential campaign, said she recently purged synthetic fabrics from her family’s home, worried about their exposure to microplastics. She’s urging the government to take action.
In May, the United States Department of Agriculture announced its plan to revitalise the American cotton farming sector. The move arose in part from concerns over “petroleum-based plastics that can shed microplastics into our soil, water, and bodies”, Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
Brands generally try to stay away from politics. But many are parlaying the broader wellness concern over “toxic” clothing into a savvy bit of advertising.
Nero, an active wear label geared towards men, claims its line is free of microplastics, and is inspired by clothing once worn by “emperors, athletes, and craftsmen”. EDN, an intimates brand, similarly advertises its products, which are made from natural fibres, as free from “toxins” and says they function as “wellness wear”. Mate the Label, a women’s wear brand that sells cotton T-shirts and sweatpants, markets itself as “clean”. The brand runs a clothing recycling initiative that helps shoppers “detox” their closets by discarding unwanted clothing.
Labels like “clean” and “nontoxic” don’t have a standardised definition, meaning that brands can apply it to their products without much oversight. These buzzwords are something akin to what “sustainable” was a decade ago, a notion that brands like Everlane, Reformation and Allbirds were founded on.
Reformation still advertises itself as “sustainable”, but it recently added greater focus on natural fibres, highlighting the breakdown of the materials in its clothing to court a customer interested in “healthier dressing”, Kathleen Talbot, the brand’s chief sustainability officer told Business of Fashion. (Representatives for Reformation did not respond to multiple requests for comment). — The New York Times
Six key points
1. Consumers are increasingly avoiding synthetic fabrics due to concerns over quality, comfort, environmental impact, and health risks
2. Natural fibres have become a modern status symbol of status and fashion discernment, particularly among Gen Z and Gen Alpha
3. Studies link microplastics to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, though direct causal links and skin absorption remain unproven
4. The anti-synthetics movement is fueled by wellness influencers and political activism prompting some consumers to purge synthetics from their homes
5. The US Department of Agriculture announced plans to revitalise the cotton farming sector to counter petroleum-based, microplastic-shedding plastics
6. Fashion brands are capitalizing on these fears by marketing natural-fibre clothes with buzzwords like "clean", "nontoxic", "microplastic-free" and "wellness wear"
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