Today’s post is an exercise in how I approach a clothing buying decision. I’m highlighting an area that is tough to shop sustainably, running gear. I have some go to brands, but it’s an area where there is constant innovation and I’m always looking to discover new products.
But first, a quick ode to running. I was never much of a runner when I was younger, I hated it in high school. I tried running a bit in college, but never more than a couple miles and it always felt like a chore. I didn’t fall in love with running until grad school, when I was living in Japan for a year. I made a commitment to myself to run every day for the rest of the year, this was at the beginning of December. Then January rolled around and I just kept running.
I used the time to clear my mind, listening to the sound of my breath; feeling the air fill my body and then letting go. Suddenly running wasn’t something forced and painful, it was something I could use to be with myself and let my anxiety melt away.
When I started my conscious fashion lifestyle, running gear was top on my list of items to research. I’m breaking it down by shoes and clothes, since my thought process was different for each.
Shoes
It’s been a hard fact for me to swallow the fact that no matter what I do, I have to buy new running shoes regularly otherwise I’m putting my body at risk of injury. There is nothing that I can do to make the shoe last longer after I’ve run 300+ miles on them. (If you have any ideas on how to do this, please share!)
Since I’m training for the NYC marathon, that means I have to buy new shoes every 3 to 4 months. Because of that, finding a shoe that is recyclable and low impact is important to me. You might be shocked to hear this, but I wear Nike. Nike Flyknits. I chose these due to the FlyKnit design that knits the top of the shoe with zero waste. Then, when I’m done, I just take them into a Nike store or send them in to be recycled.
There are other brands with innovative technologies as well. Adidas, for example, has created a shoe out of recycled water bottles. Newtown Running is the first running shoe B Corp brand. There are also other alternatives to Nike for shoe recycling, such as Soles 4 Souls and Shoes for Planet Earth.
Clothes
When I first started running, I would just scrounge up old T-shirts and gym shorts for my runs, I didn’t really care what I looked like. As I spent more time running and realized how a cute running outfit could motivate me to push myself harder, I started looking into sustainable (and somewhat affordable) running clothes. Generally speaking there are two types of sustainable running gear, recycled polyester/plastic or natural organic cottons/merino wool.
There’s a lot of interesting innovation and creative new brands in the world of recycled polyester/plastic. One of my favorite new pair of leggings is from Girlfriend Collective, which makes their products out of recycled water bottles in an SA8000 certified factory in Vietnam. For more of a boho chic vibe, Teeki is another great recycled water bottle legging brand, but they’re not quite as practical for running. You can also sort products on Nike by those using recycled polyester. Threads 4 Thought is another great brand using recycled polyester, and their clothes perform well for running. Once you start looking, you’ll realize that these products are popping up all over.
On the flip side there is the all natural way of merino wool and cotton products. Wool is literally a miracle fiber, it is moisture wicking and unlike polyester will not lock in bad odor. It also miraculously has the ability to keep you both warm and cool. Icebreaker has some amazing merino wool running gear that is ethically sourced in New Zealand. Cool new it activewear brand, Outdoor Voices, also has a merino wool collection, among others.
Of course you could do what I do what I first started running and wear second hand t-shirts and old running shorts. But, when you run as much as I do, it’s important to have gear that will make you feel empowered to perform your best.
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Once you discover which materials fit into your conscious fashion world, it’s easier to move forward from there. I like the idea of having an activewear brand that collects materials to recycle or will take back their products to recycled for you, in effect closing the product lifecycle loop. Patagonia is committed to making all their products renewable, but it would be great to see this extend beyond sustainable fashion’s poster child.
I’m always open to hearing about new brands and ideas if you’d like to share. Leave a comment or send a note!