What we wear on our bodies has an impact on us. As we continue to evolve, raise our awareness and heighten our senses, many of us are realizing that the products and clothing we choose to surround ourselves with has a huge impact, not only on our home planet but on our bodies and our minds.
When I wear a sweater or any piece of clothing that is made of wool, or cotton or any other natural fiber, my skin knows it and my nervous system responds with a feeling of safety and ease. My skin can breathe so I can too. There’s a grounding quality to wearing natural fibers against your skin.
Our skin is a sensory organ after all and it’s one of the main ways we sense and respond to the environment around us. In contrast, when I wear synthetic fibers against my skin, I feel a sense of being on alert. I think this is a very natural reaction because my body knows I’m in close proximity to toxins and my skin doesn’t want to breathe them in. If my skin is shying away from what it’s wrapped in, my nervous system isn’t going to feel at ease.
Most people might not notice the difference between natural and synthetic fibers at first. But most people are distracted and surrounded by toxins anyway, so it’s difficult to pinpoint the source of different feelings and sensations. Once you start to clear toxins from your environment, your senses are heightened and you can’t help but know instinctively and immediately when you’re in the midst of toxins. The smell of synthetic perfume will give you a headache. The touch of synthetic fabric will prick you with static. Fake wooden floors feel cold. We are living creatures and we sense when we are surrounded by nature and it’s products versus the unnatural mixtures created through mankind’s experimentation.
There is a place for the chemical concoctions of man but I don’t think it’s in our closets or around our bodies.
There is much more awareness these days about cosmetics and what we use on our skin. People are starting to realize they shouldn’t use anything on their skin that they wouldn’t eat. It’s not so different with clothes. The chemicals that are used to produce synthetic fabrics, are toxic. They’re in a stable form but it doesn’t mean they don’t off-gas, deteriorate, and end up interacting on a molecular level with our skin.
The main reason synthetics are used in the production of fabrics is to save on cost. Especially with acrylic, polyester and polyamide – some of the mainstay materials used in sweaters – the sole purpose is to water down natural fibers with less expensive material or dramatically decrease the entire cost of production by using fully sythetic yarn.
Another reason synthetics are used is to create stretch. Even though there is an amount of stretch in natural fibers, more stretchy fabrics allow one size to fit more bodies without any tailoring. The problem with adding stretch to fabrics is that these stretchy fibers are, in the end, made of plastic. They decrease the insulating quality of a fabric and wear out quicker than the natural fibers they’re woven with. These fibers pill quicker as well, no matter how carefully they are laundered.
Synthetic fibers were created to mimic natural fibers and they do, to an extent. They can feel soft, and claim to be breathable but with a closer, or a longer look, they don’t perform or hold up the same way. Natural materials like cotton, hemp, and wool, will last longer, treat your body better, and send a message to makers that materials matter.
If you’re into the slow fashion movement and consider clothing an investment rather than a passing whim, you’ll want to choose sweaters made with intention that will last. Here are some brands making natural fibers a priority without sacrificing beauty or style.
SoloSix sweaters are created using only GOTS certified organic cotton and Peruvian Alpaca yarn. Offering a collection of timeless pieces inspired by classic sportswear and traditional knitting techniques, SoloSix blends contemporary style with functional, sustainable materials. Read more about the founder Nikki Chapman, and the makers she partners with.
Eileen Fisher has a solid commitment to sourcing natural fibers and seeing their garments through their full life cycle.
Druhmohr has been weaving luxury sweaters since 1770. Read more about the heritage of this brand and it’s iconic sweaters.
Classic Norwegian sweaters made of Norwegian wool, these sweaters can last a lifetime.
