Did you know that the first-ever commercially produced maternity piece was designed in 1904? [1]. And since then, the demand for maternity clothing(and organic maternity clothes) has only evolved and transformed with time.
With the growing number of people invested in sustainable living, the need for organic maternity clothes has also risen. In the US alone, the maternity clothing market is already a multi-billion dollar industry [2].
Pregnancy can be an exciting yet challenging time in someone’s life. But despite all the twists and turns during those 40 plus weeks, the need to dress up and feel good about yourself doesn’t go away.
And with that, here are some sustainable maternity clothing brands that’ll keep you well-styled and comfortable with your changing body.
Christy Dawn - US
Christy Dawn believes in more than just sustainable fashion. Instead, their main goal is to become a regenerative clothing company, honoring the planet through regenerative production practices.
They have a unique farm-to-closet initiative where they plant and harvest their own cotton, all in line with the idea of healing the environment.
The Maternity Collection
Christy Dawn does not have a dedicated maternity line. However, they do have plenty of maternity-friendly clothing, with most of them being dresses.
Their collection is reminiscent of cottage care aesthetic with plenty of light pastels and flowers. If you are interested in ethical maternity clothing that looks and feels light and airy, this collection is for you.
With puffy sleeves and flowing silhouettes, these maternity clothes are items you can wear long after the baby arrives.
The Dawn Dress is the brand’s namesake design and the very first dress the owner designed.
It is a short-sleeved dress with a v-neckline and a drawstring waist. The midi skirt drapes beautifully and is perfect for accommodating a growing belly. It comes in 14 different patterns with varying complexity and style.
Although they’re a little on the pricey side, these sustainable maternity clothes are built to last and are wearable for different occasions.
Materials & Sustainability
Christy Dawn mainly uses three types of fabrics in their clothing. Organic cotton, deadstock fabric, and regenerative cotton.
Deadstock fabric (industry cutoffs, cutting excess, etc.) was actually the first inspiration for starting the brand. However, the brand has transitioned to a broader class of materials. If you want to know more about deadstock, head on over to our guide on eco friendly upcycled clothing.
Their organic cotton is woven in Erode, India. They only use natural or organic dyes in coloring their fabric, and some pieces are even block printed by hand. You can read more about their cotton here.
Perhaps the most interesting fabric this brand uses is their regenerative cotton. A few years ago, Christy Dawn leased two acres of arid land in India and planted cotton there. They used traditional practices to ensure the soil was brought back to life. Read more here.
Brand Ethics
All Christy Dawn clothing is made in their Los Angeles factory. All their workers are paid premium wages and have full healthcare benefits and paid vacation.
Each item also features an individual dressmaker, whose part in the production process may vary. You can view the entire Christy Dawn team (including the factory workers) here. It’s great to see the brand have such a close relationship with their dressmakers!
Each product listing also features a cost breakdown. They will tell you how much of the cost goes to labor, overhead, and their profit. This level of transparency is unique in the industry, and we’ve only seen a couple of other brands do it.
Pact - US
Pact is a Colorado-based clothing brand with the ultimate goal of being Earth’s favorite clothing company. They are Fair Trade certified and use mainly organic cotton as their fabric of choice.
The Maternity Collection
The Pact organic maternity collection mainly consists of basic and essential fits. Their color palette is versatile with soft colors like lavender and elderberry to deeper tones like navy and black.
The Maternity Midi Party Dress is perfect for social functions, whether outdoors or indoors, day or night. It comes in four patterns or colors: black and army green, and stripes and florals.
If you’re going for elegant and versatile, go for the solid colors. But if you feel like experimenting a little bit, try out the patterns. They’ll be good for outdoor parties during the daytime.
On the flip side, if you are looking for something to wear for more casual occasions, check out their Maternity Pocket Legging.
It’s a full legging that hugs your legs comfortably while staying breathable. It also has side pockets to store your phone(with its case) or other small necessities.
This pair of ethical maternity leggings are specifically designed to accompany you through those 9 months and even post-pregnancy. They’ll expand and fit as your baby bump grows and will stay comfortable the whole while.
Materials & Sustainability
Pact’s products are certified organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard, better known as GOTS.
This means the cotton they use is grown sustainably without any toxic chemicals or excessive amounts of water. Some of their products may have some elastane mixed in them. Nevertheless, this doesn’t make their products non-organic.
Elastane or Spandex is generally acceptable in low percentages. If you’re curious about the difference between the two, read our full guide here.
In addition to being certified organic, Pact products are also Fair Trade certified. Fair Trade means safe working conditions and sustainable practices across the supply chain.
Note that not all products are certified. You can easily tell which is which through a logo on the product listing. They cannot mark certain products as fair trade because some locations already implement sufficient labor protection regulations.
Brand Ethics
Pact’s products are primarily made in India. Although India is known for less than ideal working conditions, the brand’s certifications assure us that they only partner with ethical factories.
Since most of their organic cotton is sourced in India, it makes sense to produce there as well. It generates lesser emissions, thus resulting in a more sustainable production process.
Pact also has a Give Back Box program. Through this partnership, you can donate your lightly-used clothes to those who need them more. Moreover, even if they’re not from Pact, you can still donate them. You can find more details here.
If you don’t want to go that route, just drop off your gently used clothes at maternal charities or local shelters. If that isn’t an option, you could also pass them on to friends and family.
Mien - US
Mien is a woman-owned and Los Angeles-based clothing brand. They make simple yet distinctive clothing perfect for any stage of life.
Their designs are thoughtfully made with ethically and sustainably sourced materials. They design clothing to adapt to changes in our lives and bodies.
The Maternity Collection
Mien’s maternity line comprises a lovely pastel aesthetic. Most of their organic maternity clothes are loose silhouettes that still accentuate the body’s natural shape.
Their colors are versatile neutrals like black, grey, and olive. But they also have plenty of pink, sky blue, and yellow colors in the collection.
If you are looking for a simple maternity dress you can wear casually, and on social functions, this collection has a wide range of multi-use pieces.
The Madison Midi Dress is a lovely full-sleeved dress that’s great for fall weather. It comes in four beautiful colors that are all versatile and flexible. It’s an easy, stylish piece that wears comfortably—no need to sacrifice comfort for design.
The maternity collection also has some painter’s jackets. Their partnership collection with Milk Dyes has these button jackets with soft floral patterns. Each piece looks like you’re wearing a painting.
If you intend on using the piece while nursing, the brand also has some nursing-friendly designs.
Mien offers a size-inclusive range up to a 3XL. And their dresses have hidden side pockets! Finally, a dress you can wear without having to give up the convenience of a pocket.
Materials & Sustainability
Mien’s signature fabric is GOTS-certified organic cotton. This fabric is made for them by a local mill in Los Angeles. It’s a family-owned business, and they custom knit the cotton for the brand.
However, Mien also uses other types of eco friendly fabrics like linen (check out our cotton vs linen comparison), bamboo, and modal.
In addition, they only use non-toxic AZO-free dyes to create the colors for their clothing. All fabrics are dyed locally.
Every order is shipped using only compostable, recyclable, or recycled materials for packaging. Although their packaging isn’t plastic-free, none of their pieces are individually packaged in plastic at any time during production. Here’s a comprehensive guide on eco friendly packaging.
Brand Ethics
All of Mien’s pieces are cut, sewn, and finished locally in LA by talented dressmakers. Since they also source their cotton locally, making it relatively easier to track their entire supply chain.
They only work with family-owned factories with ethical and safe working conditions. All workers must be paid fair wages and subject to breaks during work hours.
Mien maintains strong relationships with all of its suppliers, and it’s their goal to grow together with the entire team.
Isabella Oliver - UK
Designed for good, Isabella Oliver is a maternity brand focused on pieces for pregnancy and beyond. They create styles that are environmental, ethical, and sustainable.
They’ve dressed over 1 million women in flattering clothes that suit ever-changing bodies.
The Maternity Collection
As a dedicated maternity brand, Isabella Oliver’s collection is mainly maternity wear. The maternity collection centers on clothes that transcend time and trends. They’re all timeless, all-around pieces great for various occasions.
They have dresses, tops, pants, as well as workwear for the office. They also have loungewear and maternity clothes for more formal occasions. With their wide range of organic maternity clothes, this brand is a one-stop-shop for all your clothing needs for your growing belly.
It’s also pretty easy to browse through their selection. You can choose according to product type, material, size, and eco-attributes. Instead of browsing through collection after collection, just choose the product attributes you’re looking for.
Their Over the Bump maternity boyfriend jeans are great for casual days out. If you aren’t up to wearing a dress and want to wear pants and retain an optimum level of comfort, these are a great choice.
The jeans include a bump jersey to help keep you more comfortable throughout the day.
If you want something looser, the Holly maternity sweatshirt provides ultra comfort and is available in deep khaki and rose.
Materials & Sustainability
Only a portion of Isabella Oliver’s clothing is made from organic fabrics—mainly using organic cotton. The rest of their fabrics are Lyocell, EcoVero, Greencash, and a couple of others. You can read more about their fabrics here.
All the products we mentioned above were made using organic cotton. We included an in-depth discussion below on why organic cotton is the best cotton option.
Aside from the materials they use, Isabella Oliver also takes other steps to reduce their environmental impact. They have a constant goal of reducing their carbon emissions and water usage through the careful selection of their materials and partners.
The brand is also a fan of slow fashion. Their clothes are made to withstand trends, unlike those in today’s world of fast fashion. They also accept any clothes bought from them to be recycled into new fabrics.
Furthermore, the textile waste generated during production is donated to schools for practice.
If you want to know more about the company’s values, check out their A-Z guide. They discuss everything from being a B Corp to their zero waste practices.
Brand Ethics
The brand’s clothes are manufactured in different locations throughout England, Portugal, Romania, and Bulgaria.
There is a Code of Conduct enforced for every factory the brand works with. All employees are paid living wages and work in ethical conditions. Moreover, most factories are family-run businesses.
As mentioned, the company is also a B Corp. In fact, they are in the top 5% of B Corps, being a “Best for the Worldâ„¢” company. They also donate around 10% of profits to relevant charities annually.
Frugi - UK
Frugi actually started as a baby’s wear brand back in 2004. But their collection now encompasses clothes for ‘grown-ups,’ especially nursing and pregnant women.
Frugi is the Latin word for the phrase ‘Fruits of the Earth.’ With this concept, they’ve taken ethical and sustainability to a whole new (cute) level.
The Maternity Collection
Frugi’s maternity clothes are a bit unique from the others on this list. While most organic maternity clothes we featured usually have neutral colors, Frugi is the opposite.
If you are a fan of bright colors and popping patterns, you will definitely love their collection. From multicolored stripes to creative patterns, these ethical maternity clothes are all super cute and colorful.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty of versatile pieces in their selection.
Their Roll Top Yoga Pants, for instance, is a plain black or indigo pair of yoga pants with a special waistband for hugging your baby bump, perfect to pair with the right yoga mat. The waistband will fit perfectly above or below your tummy, depending on what you prefer.
You can pair the yoga pants with their Liliana Top for a simple and versatile maternity outfit. This top has long sleeves and is perfect for chilly weather. Its best feature is the internal vest with low armholes designed for breastfeeding.
Materials & Sustainability
Frugi is on a mission of creating clothes that put the planet first. They use organic and sustainable materials in their collections.
They use 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton, as awarded to them by the Soil Association. Because their products don’t undergo harsh chemical processing, they’re super soft and snuggly. Perfect for expectant moms and babies.
If you have very sensitive skin (i.e., you have eczema), organic cotton may be one of the best eco friendly fabrics you can use.
They use a mix of synthetic and natural materials in their products. Some of their stretchier clothes have a small percentage of elastane. Meanwhile, some of their swimwear products are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
The company’s commitment to ensuring their production process is as clean as possible will benefit not only you but also the planet and the people behind the clothes.
Brand Ethics
As cute as Frugi’s aesthetics are, they don’t hold back in terms of ethics. They have a code of conduct they strictly adhere to when working with their suppliers.
There is absolutely no child labor in the factories they work with. They are also strongly against forced labor and discrimination in the workplace.
The brand partners with factories in different factories in India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, China, and Portugal.
All workers are paid fair wages that are either the industry benchmark or national standard, depending on which is higher. In addition, they also implement rules on working hours, and no employee should work beyond what they are willing to do.
If you want to know more about how Frugi runs, check out their ‘behind the seams’ here.
The brand also gives back to the community, and they donate 1% of their annual turnover to relevant causes. They have given over $1 million through the years. They also support various charities giving opportunities to those who most need it.
Boob Design- Sweden
Boob is a Swedish brand with a prime focus on creating clothes with a future purpose in mind. They design clothing for pregnancy, nursing, and longer term uses.
The company advocates for a production process that is people and environment-centered—exactly what you want to find in a clothing brand.
The Maternity Collection
Boob Design has quite a large collection of sustainable maternity clothing. From dresses and jumpsuits to underwear and tights, they have everything you could possibly need for your maternity wardrobe.
One of the best aspects of the brand is their focus on nursing. If you are looking for sustainable maternity dresses that you can use after birth, we highly recommend their dress collection.
Each dress is designed with nursing access, so it’s friendly to both pregnant and nursing women.
The brand’s style leans towards simple, earthy, and neutral colors. There’s a lot of green, gray, black, and nude shades in their collection.
If you are looking for ethical maternity clothes that are wearable for multiple occasions, this is the perfect place to start. The simplicity of the designs allows for more versatility in your outfits, especially if you only want to buy a couple of new items.
Materials & Sustainability
Boob uses sustainable materials in their clothing as much as possible. They use materials such as organic cotton, Tencel Lyocell and Modal, and organic wool.
They also use recycled synthetics such as recycled polyester, polyamide, and elastane. These are likely used for stretchier garments (e.g., undies, nursing bras, tights).
The cotton they use is GOTS-certified, and you can even see the license number on each product listing! They also indicate which third-party can guarantee this license claim. Additionally, they use OEKO-TEX Standard 100 fabrics, free of hazardous dyes or chemicals.
If you want to know more about the fabrics Boob uses, you can check out their page on materials.
The brand is a fan of closing the loop. They encourage their customers to care for their clothing, so they last as long as possible. And when the items are finally at the end of their useful lives, Boob will gladly take them back to keep the loop going.
Brand Ethics
Boob is very transparent about how and where they make their clothes. They work with several factories worldwide in countries like India, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, and Turkey.
They also display details about each factory. They show what certifications the factory holds and when their collaboration started. Plus, they also detail what type of work in the production process the factory is involved in.
The best part is that all of these can be accessed from the product listing. Each listing shows where the garment was made and links to a dedicated page for that particular factory. It’s a user-friendly way of checking if your maternity clothes were made ethically.
Read more about their factories here.
Toad & Co - US
Toad & Co is all about embracing the free spirit within us and just enjoying life. Their ethos is rooted in simple living and focusing on what matters most.
For them, that’s curating sustainable materials, empowering people with disabilities, and collaborating with only the most ethical factories available.
The Maternity Collection
Toad & Co doesn’t have a separate maternity line. But they do have a decent selection of ethical maternity clothes!
They have plenty of tops and dresses that are perfectly cut to fit and accentuate your growing tummy. Many of their designs have a-line cuts which drape in a way that works great for pregnancy.
Their Primo Tiered Midi Dress is a lovely short-sleeved dress with ruffle detailing on the skirt. The tiered ruffles will show off your bump while still giving your body a gorgeous silhouette.
It’s a very soft and breezy dress that’s great for daytime events or simple trips to the grocery. The best part? The dress has pockets that’ll hold your phone or wallet securely. They also won’t look bulky in your pocket since the ruffles provide some sort of covering.
If you want something shorter, take a look at the Gemina sleeveless dress. It’s styled to sit right above the knee and has a pretty high waistline.
The ribbed bodice is form-fitting, while the skirt is loose and can fit a growing belly just fine. This style is perfect for the outdoors. Wear it to picnics, walks in parks, and other daytime events.
While it’s sleeveless, the straps are super bra-friendly, and you’ll have all the support you need. After giving birth, you can still use this dress since it’s suitable for post-maternity as well.
Materials & Sustainability
Toad & Co does not exclusively use organic cotton in its collections. They also have eco friendly Tencel, recycled fibers, hemp(you can read about hemp here), and a couple of other options.
Additionally, all of the cotton they use is either organic or recycled. Any of the two is a much better option compared to conventionally farmed cotton, so you’ll get sustainable maternity clothes in both cases.
Some of their fabrics are also bluesign approved, and some are OEKO TEX Standard 100 certified as well. To know more about this, check out their certifications.
Moreover, the brand has also taken steps towards more sustainable packaging. They’ve recently introduced reusable mailers made from recycled materials. These mailers are reusable for years and are beneficial to the brand and the customer as well.
If this option is not available, the packaging is always done with recyclable components, and the paper used is FSC-certified.
Looking toward the future, the brand has tons of plans to become more sustainable. If you’re interested, here are some of their forward-looking goals.
Brand Ethics
Toad & Co does not specifically indicate where their clothes are made, but operations are most likely spread out in different locations. One of which is Turkey.
Their partner in Turkey is a vertically integrated factory with everything from cotton farming to assembly done at the same place. This is good for lessening emissions.
Moreover, the brand has a Workplace Code of Conduct and is adamant about their vendors adhering to their standards. With Toad, you know you’re getting ethical maternity clothes that have no hidden cost.
In the late 1990s, Toad partnered with Search Inc to form PAC or Planet Access Company. It’s a warehouse that helps create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. All of their packing and shipping are done in this location.
With a focus on circularity and clothing that’s more than just fashion, this brand really goes the extra mile to uphold their values and beliefs.
Sézane - France
Founded in 2013, Sézane is a Paris-based clothing company highly inspired by vintage pieces. The idea behind the brand is that the clothes we wear today will be the vintage of the future.
Knowing that all their clothes are made in the highest quality possible to outlast trends and time.
The Maternity Collection
The brand’s 9 Months in Sézane is a mommy-approved capsule collection of everyday basics. It’s a pretty small collection, but it contains all-around pieces you can wear together or match with other items in your closet.
The Tomboy Mommy Shirt is a button-down shirt that comes in white or denim. Its features include full sleeves, a classic collar, and a chest pocket.
There’s also another button-down in the collection. The Will Jacket comes in 11 different patterns and colors. Although not all of the patterns are part of the maternity collection, it’s an intentionally oversized jacket, so maternity sizes won’t be an issue.
The Will Jacket goes up to a triple XL.
The collection also has knitwear and dresses. The Gaspard Jumper is a timeless knit button-up that’s perfect for colder weather. With mother of pearl buttons and ribbed knitting, this is a top you can wear for countless seasons and years.
Match their knitwear with a sustainable pair of boots from our guide on vegan winter boots, or combat boots.
Materials & Sustainability
At the moment, around 83% of the cotton Sézane comes from organic sources. If you prefer 100% cotton in your maternity clothing, don’t worry! There are pieces that are fully organic.
Sézane uses a mix of natural materials like leather, wool, and cotton as well as synthetics like recycled polyester. If you’re vegan and aren’t a fan of leather or wool, head over to our guide on vegan fabrics to check out some cool alternatives.
In terms of overall sustainability, around 3/4 of the materials used by the brand are eco friendly. We know it would be better if they exclusively used only eco friendly components, but they’re getting there!
Four of their collections are eco friendly. Their denim, essentials, leisurewear, and cashmere collection are all made of eco friendly materials.
In addition, they’ve also recycled more than 13,000 pieces and reduced their carbon emissions by 22%. All of their factories are powered by renewable energy. Hopefully, these steps are just the start of totally sustainable operations.
You can learn more about the brand’s sustainability initiatives here.
Brand Ethics
Around two-thirds of the brand’s products are made in Europe, the rest are made in other parts of the world. They have details on five of their factories—namely, those in India, Portugal, China, Bulgaria, and Italy. You can read about them here.
The brand also enforces compulsory specifications on their suppliers. The factories they work with must not have any form of child labor, forced labor, or forced labor.
Their factories are regularly audited and, if found to be lacking, are quickly removed from the supply chain.
There are certainly some things the brand can improve on, such as the use of more sustainable materials or a more transparent supply chain.
Nevertheless, we believe brands can continue to improve, and Sézane is doing what it can to become a better clothing brand. If you are in France or nearby, you might want to check them out.
Why Choose Organic Cotton for Maternity Wear
Organic cotton is by far the better alternative to conventionally farmed cotton. It uses far fewer resources and is much more sustainable to produce.
To understand that further, it’s important to understand that cotton is one of the most widely used crops worldwide. In fact, it’s the most produced crop if you don’t count the food sector [3].
Along with that, cotton is also one of the top 5 users of pesticides worldwide. In the US, it ranks 3rd [4]. The use of too many synthetics in conventional cotton farming has led to a host of issues, including soil erosion, public health concerns, pollution, and more [3].
On the flip side of all that, organic cotton is cotton produced without the use of synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This is not to be mistaken with BCI cotton, which is merely a way of cotton farming that reduces the use of resources [5].
All things considered, organically farmed comes out as the most sustainable option, better than BCI or conventionally farmed cotton.
To put that into perspective, making a shirt using organically sourced cotton will save close to 2,000 gallons of water compared to conventional cotton [6]. This amount may vary depending on location and method, but it remains true that the organic option uses up far less.
None of us are new to cotton. It has been there since we were babies, and it continues to be a fabric of choice today. The perpetual existence of cotton makes us more likely to ignore all the resources it takes to make it.
But in reality, cotton does damage the environment. It hurts the soil, ecosystems, habitats, and even farmers.
If you can, we highly encourage you to try and find clothing that’s made from organic material.
Secondhand Maternity Clothing
Maternity wear is something you’re going to use for the better part of a year. For most people, maternity clothes don’t end up being closet staples post-birth.
As such, it might not be practical for some to revamp their whole closet to prepare for pregnancy. If that’s the case, just shop secondhand maternity clothing!
Here at Puratium, we always advocate for secondhand. And in this case, you’ll likely be able to find some high-quality maternity wear at some of your local stores.
You could also try asking some friends or family if they have clothes from their pregnancy they no longer have use for. Chances are, you’ll score some lovely everyday basics just by asking.
And when the time comes that you no longer have a use for your maternity clothes, don’t forget to pass them on. But if you’re still planning for future pregnancies, just hold on to them for a bit.
Donate your gently used clothing to charitable programs or give it to a friend in need. Keep the cycle going and build community along the way!
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this list of organic and sustainable maternity clothing brands. Buying fast fashion is the easier choice, we know. But choosing ethical and sustainable brands is so much better for the planet and the people who make your clothes.
Sustainable living is a challenge. It’s even more challenging when you’re navigating a new chapter in life. And expecting mothers do not have it easy at all.
Hopefully, this list of maternity clothes helps you transition into your maternity life a little bit easier. It might also help to understand the difference between organic and natural.
Resources:
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320443178_Maternity_Clothing_A_comprehensive _Review
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0887302X14557809
- https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/11/3044/htm
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/renewable-agriculture-and-food-systems/article/organic-cotton-production-may-alleviate-the-environmental-impacts-of-intensive-conventional-cotton-production/011DB7C5487BB768DE953A8BBDE658E2
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_8
- https://textileexchange.org/quick-guide-to-organic-cotton/?gclid=CjwKCAjwp_GJBhBmEiwALWBQkwExAhwOMc-KuHAPAY894c7OKvv92E9-z6bcWYF9jQK-CPedJXVjxhoCVuEQAvD_BwE
