10 Sustainable Underwear Brands + Knickey Review

To you this may be just another roundup post, but I can’t tell you how long the topic of sustainable underwear brands has taken up my precious internet browsing time. As a consumer, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect undies for a couple years now, including a quest for the perfect womens boxer. Like, how is it that in 2021 womens undies are still literally made to be uncomfortable? Maybe it was the onset of my thirties, but I’ve reached the end of my tolerance for poly blends, irritating lace, and feeling suffocated. As an ethical consumer, I obviously do not want this wardrobe basic to be the source of any social or environmental shadiness. But buying ethical underwear has taken time to come around to. As we all know, it’s difficult to create a sustainable fashion budget, and it’s hard not to feel that resistance that comes with investing in something no one else sees.

… But, we all see clothing in a slightly different light thanks to the pandemic, and we have so much time at home. So any lingering resistance I had is most certainly gone at this point… I’d rather spend my pennies on sustainable underwear brands than most other articles of clothing at this point.

The list below contains mostly brands I’ve researched and admired from afar, along with a Knickey review since we recently got to try them IRL (yay!). If you’ve tried any of them or have others to add, please leave a comment or DM us on Instagram! We’d love to make these guides as helpful as can be.

10 sustainable underwear brands + review of Subset (formerly Knickey)

HARA‘s mission is to bring awareness to the human and environmental issues within the fashion industry while creating sustainable bamboo underwear that’s both rejuvenating and empowering. They’re all plant dyed, made in Australia with free shipping worldwide. I’m eyeing their low cut bra and high waist undies! Size XS-5X.

Made in USA Brook There specializes in organic cotton underwear and the colors are so subtle and dreamy! They also have this adorable keyhole undie. I’m really intrigued by their boyshorts, as they look more like briefs than cheekys, and therefore might be exactly what I’m looking for! Size XS-XXL.

Okay, so we all know about ARQ, right? Home of organic cotton basics for adults and littles alike. How pretty is periwinkle? Sizes XS-3X, depending on style.

Seasoned ethical consumers will recognize Proclaim, the sustainable underwear brand dedicated to inclusive fashion, offering nudes that are actually representative of a range of skin tones. Their everyday collection is made of Tencel and features bralettes too. Recently they’ve expanded to a gorgeous color pop collection shown above, (can I have these high rise undies in Poppy, please?) Size S-3X.

Lela is another brand with stunning organic cotton underwear options coming from Australia (keep that in mind if you’re trying to cut back on shipping impact). They have a few sexier silhouettes than you typically find in the cotton department! Hopefully they will feature more extensive size options soon. Size XS-L.

Possibly the prettiest sustainable underwear brand on our list is Botanica Workshop, who has lovely undies (including multipacks), bras, loungewear and accessories. Gosh these are dreamy! I hope to give them a try one day (though I’m pretty certain I’d spill right out of those pretty little bralettes). Oh, and they also offer recycled swimwear! Size S-L.

Pansy is another organic cotton underwear company you have probably seen on insta (their editorial shoots are incredible, they are one of our favorite ethical brands to follow!). They’ve been made in California since 2013! I’m most intrigued by their unisex stretch shorts, which seem like the perfect loungewear AKA work-from-home-wear. The spandex in it is made from recycled plastic bottles! Size XS-3X.

We’ve mentioned Object Apparel as a top sustainable loungewear brand, so it’s not too surprising to find them on our list of sustainable underwear brands! Their thermal shorties top my wishlist. (Does anyone else prefer undies with enough coverage to lounge pants-less in??) They offer XS-3L and custom sizing as well.

Canada based Mary Young (who we are linking here through our affiliate Made Trade, but feel free to purchase directly if you prefer), makes bamboo bras and underwear, as well as other PJs and loungewear. The whole line is soft, elevated, and sexy. Size XS-2X.

And finally, our Knickey review! Note, Knickey is now called Subset. As far as I know, the items reviewed are the same under their new brand. And now they offer mens!

Knickey sent us a couple pairs of their organic underwear, so we could give them a try before adding to our ethical shopping directory. Our web developer Jenn and I each tried their High Rise Briefs. I love their core colors, and we both thought the fit was perfect for our respective sizes. I recently tried a few other underwear brands in my normal size and they felt too tight/thick and a bit restrictive, but the Knickeys were 100% perfect, breathable, and cozy to wear for hours. Knickey currently stocks XS-3XL in their Mid Rise Brief, with the full range coming soon to their other cuts (as early as June).

I was really surprised to see organic underwear for $13 a piece. As you have probably gathered so far, it’s super hard to find sustainable underwear brands that are priced this low. Another perk of Knickey is their recycling program! You can save your undies from meeting their dirty end in a landfill by sending them back to Knickey to be made into other materials (like insulation!) through their textile recycling program. I’ll definitely be buying more as I refresh my collection, and hope to see a boxer-brief soon too, as I’m pretty sure that would be THE ideal fit for so many of us.

For all these reasons, we’re adding Knickey to our directory and have joined their affiliate program (affiliate links were used above). 

EDIT October 2022

A year and a half later, I wanted to share a few updates on our favorite eco underwear brand, Knickey. Since our original post, I purchased a few more of their high-waisted briefs. They are still the underwear I wear most. They recently came out with limited edition colors and bralettes, though, and sent me a few to try:

OMG, their new colors are so cute! I tried rosy, melon, and sprig. It all goes quite nicely with my new scrunchie. I also tried one of their new bralettes, the keyhole cut.

Shopping for bras, and especially bralettes is very hard for me. Most of the time I won’t do it unless there are bra sizes. I requested a M in this bralette and it’s super comfy, but a bit small. As a 34DD I’d probably order a Large in the future. I LOVE that they have traditional bra bands and 4 clasps. It’s perfect for anyone who needs support. I just wish I had a bit more coverage (my fault, not theirs! their size guide is actually quite accurate in my opinion). I cannot wait until there are bright colors in this design!

Note: Knickey, like everyone else, has had to raise their prices over the past couple years. High rise briefs are now $17 each. My honest thought is that they are still worth it. They are still much more affordable than many brands selling ethically made, organic underwear, and the quality is worth it.

Have you tried Knickey or the other sustainable underwear brands on this list? Let us know who you recommend!

edited to add another brand 8/5/2021:

I recently got the chance to try WAMA Underwear,(XS-3X), a sustainable underwear brand that creates undies for women and men using organic hemp fabric. They chose to make underwear with hemp because it is naturally anti-bacterial with anti-odor properties, comfortable, breathable, and gets softer each wash. I tried out their Hemp Boy Shorts and High Waisted Underwear. I’ve worn and washed each a few times now and here are my thoughts!

Okay, the Boy Shorts. I generally hate boy shorts because if I want underwear up my butt I will just wear a thong. But these are just long enough that they do not ride up and are more like a womens boxer brief to me. As mentioned above, I’ve had trouble finding the perfect sustainable boxer! Other brands I’ve tried (sustainable or otherwise), their boxer briefs are too long, too tight on the thighs, or just fit weird in general. I definitely think these are my favorites so far in this particular cut of undies. I also like that they’re $20 and you can order in packs, because so many of the brands I admire (that make this cut) are a bit out of my price range. $20 I can handle!

I also tried the High Waisted cut. For both, the hemp does indeed seem quite comfortable and breathable. They stretch enough when wearing but form back to size after the wash/dry. I typically like my high-waists to be *really* high, theirs aren’t as hi cut, but I’m sure some people prefer that. Lastly, it just so happened that I chose the two styles that only come in black and green, but others have an array of neutrals, including the mens! I’m interested to see how my boyfriend likes them next 🙂

If you’re interested in giving WAMA hemp underwear a try yourself, use code ECOCLUB10 for 10% off your first order.