I'm cleaning out my wardrobe and the aim is to wear clothes that are as natural as possible and that does not interfere with my health in any way. I'm getting rid of all polyester clothes but am unsure about some materials such as viscose. I would be very grateful for feedback in terms of which materials I should stay away from and which materials are safe to use.

Many Thanks! =)

Well, be very careful if you're buying any new clothing or anything new at all for that matter. Most fabrics are treated with flame retardants, formaldehydes, etc. Things that don't come off in one or even several washes.
If you are just purging your wardrobe and wish to only keep natural fabrics those consist of linen (made of flax), cotton, hemp, silk, wool, angora, cashmere and leather (though the last 5 are not vegan. If you own it already keep it, it's a shame to waste those things if they are already in your closet).

As for rayon, viscose and the like, while natural in origin they are fabrics that don't breath so are little better than polyester.

If a garment has a small percentage of artificial fibers in it it's still fine to wear, the concern is for breathability and toxicity and a small amount of polyester etc won't have much of an effect.

Thank you for your quick reply Coco! =)

I've now had a big clean out in my wardrobe and gotten rid of all clothes that are mainly synthetic (I've kept them if they have around at least 70% natural fibers only).

I was aiming to get rid of my viscose garments but they are so soft and light I haven't been able to do so. I'm getting rid of my 2 leather items (1 I have had for years and the other one was a gift) out of principle.I've decided that I don't want to walk around like a big 'Wear Leather promotion board'.

None of the clothes will be thrown away. I will try to sell some and get some money to invest in some nice organic cotton clothes and the rest will go to charity.

I hope you are enjoying you weekend! =)

Carina

I feel the same way about leather products, fur as well. I had a leather jacket and a fleece coat, both vintage, both from a friends stash, that I just couldn't keep even though they were very, very old. And even though it gets really cold up here in the winter time and that sheep skin was incredibly warm. It just felt horrible to put those garments on let along wear them around.
I do have old shoes and belts made of leather that I take very good care of and try to make last as long as possible. When they have to be replaced, unless I can find more second hand things in good shape, I'll opt for man made materials. It's very difficult to find man made that isn't toxic to the environment and ourselves though. It's a challenge, to be sure!

I had a friend that kept a few sheep as pets, she had a good chunk of property for them to roam around on though, like 5 acres I think it was... they where almost like dogs, but honestly allot less intelligent,lol... bit less friendly too till they get used to you... she would shear them in the late spring, and it was funny cause unlike other sheep ive seen sheared, they seemed to enjoy it, I think it was cause they where so used to her and they where pets ya know? not just farm animals, she also used the milk for curly and mo, her sheep where named larry, curly and mo,lol... larry was the only male though, he was a jealous one too, when id come by to visit he would headbutt me rather hard if I pet the girls be4 giving him ample attention...lol...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

^

I have a pair of polyamide trousers which are about 10 years old(!) but still have a very strange chemically smell.

Carina, Youtube The Raw Food World's channel because Angela just did an episode where she talked about companies making eco-friendly clothing that she likes. I kind of dig the stuff I see her wearing--very drapy, comfy, clean lines. However, I am sure it costs a pretty penny. I would like to learn how to sew myself! With inexpensive machines these days, I am sure it wouldn't be all that hard to make hippie clothing, LOL, like long peasant skirts and stuff. The only catch would be to find hemp material or organic cotton.

If you want to learn to sew a great website of inspiration, pattern sharing, tutorials and advice is craftster.org. I am a member there, I love it. I sew but there are so many clothes to be had for next to nothing at the thrift store that I hardly even make wearables. I do mend and alter our things though.
Now if only I could learn to make eco-friendly vegan shoes...

Yes, Coco, I was thinking of getting my material from simply altering stuff from resale shops. The reason I would like to make new stuff is if I am looking for a specific material and color/pattern, along with style of clothing. For instance, I used to have a wrap-around skirt that my sister-in-law gave me that I loved, loved, loved. I have no idea where she got it; it was a gauzy material with an elephant print on it--very '70s but not a maxi skirt; it was knee-length. I wore that puppy out! And I looked online for something similar and could not find much but I will bet that it's very easy to make. You have the fabric and it's basically just making belt loops and a built-in belt and you wrap and tie. I saw Angela's video and she had a wrapskirt and I bet it was really expensive. Thanks for the link--I'd like to know where to source hemp and organic cotton material.

My friend makes hemp and organic cotton clothes.

[www.aummygoddess.com]

How cool, Coco! I just found this one: [www.youtube.com]

Carina,

I'm too lazy to itemize my advice like others, so here's a link that may help:

[www.pristineplanet.com]

this is a pretty neat old vid on the industrial process flax to linen production

[www.youtube.com]

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist