Hands up who considers sustainability when they’re browsing new clothes? The fashion industry has a terrible net negative impact on the natural environment, so sustainability is something we’re being urged to consider as consumers. Country fashion needs to take note; while throwaway, fast fashion brands are the worst culprits of all, it doesn’t mean all brands can’t do their bit.
Lots of the people reading this will love spending time outdoors in the British countryside – the clue is in the name! Perhaps you even work outdoors, relying on the land to provide your income? Today, there’s no denying global warming has caused our climate to change. The UK sees more extreme wet and warm weather than we used to, and it’s only set to get worse if we can’t collectively turn the tide. It takes time and maybe we won’t see the immediate results in our lifetime but we are doing this for our children and future generations to come.
Extreme weather is not only disruptive for our farmers, but it also impacts outdoor pursuits and our day-to-day lives. We can’t imagine how awful it must be to lose your annual income to fallen crops or find your home flooded with lasting damage… We hope you’ll agree, that preserving our landscapes and not suffering from dramatic weather events which cause mass flooding and crop failures is a good thing!
Country fashion with sustainability at heart
Here at British brand Nattily Dressed, we’re determined to create high-quality clothing which is sustainable too. Our founder Natalie studied Zoology at university and put caring for the environment at the heart of her project from day one. After lots of research and testing, Natalie chose a performance Polartec fleece which is crafted from recycled plastic bottles and YKK zips made from recycled plastic too. Not only are we keeping used plastic out of landfill, but we’re not involved in the creation of any new plastic-based materials.
Our clothing is very much slow fashion, it’s not trendy and they can be worn all year round. These are your go-to wardrobe essentials! Our products are sewn with care and made to last as long as the memories you enjoy making whilst wearing them. We aim to provide high quality clothing and accessories which lasts the tests of time, looking great time and time again. We’re probably best-known for our colourful gilets and quarter zips for adults and kids, but we’ve recently launched bright and beautiful leather dog collars and leads and a limited-edition belt collection too! But more about those in a moment…
How is our recycled fleece material made?
You might be wondering how on earth plastic bottles are made into soft and cosy fleeces! When it’s taken away from your house, your recycling is sorted into bales of items all made from similar types of materials – cardboard, plastics, aluminium. Those bales are sold to manufacturers who have facilities to process the materials into something new. Polartec, the company which makes our fleece, chooses bales of items made from polyethylene terephthalate – or PET – a type of plastic normally used to make drinks bottles. The PET bales are shredded and then the material is processed into pellets. Those pellets are then heated up and processed in a way to ‘spin’ the material into tiny fibres. Those little fibres are used, like threads, to make the Polartec fleece we use to make our Nattily Dressed gilets and quarter zips. Our garments are made in the United Kingdom which helps us keep an eye on quality and means we have a lower carbon footprint as we don’t use too many air miles!
A closer look at the Nattily collection…
We use a base colour of navy, black or grey fleece coupled with vibrant coloured trims and zips, as well as optional colourful wool pom poms. The fleece is warm, incredibly soft and perfect for layering in cooler weather or an extra layer when British spring and summer doesn’t quite deliver. Our new belts and dog accessories are made from full grain leather using the colourful PU leather off cuts and made down the road from Nattily Dressed HQ in Shropshire by fellow British brand Mackenzie & George. Another tick in the box for locally produced, high-quality country fashion!
Let’s hear from other sustainable country fashion brands!
When we heard about the Country Girls UK baseball caps being made from recycled plastic bottles, our ears really pricked up! It shows all sorts of items of clothing and accessories can be made from recycled materials, and we’re not alone in focusing on this area with gilets, quarter zips and baseball caps all made from recycled plastic – half an outfit! What else have you found which is recycled? We would love to hear about your favourite companies making country clothing from sustainable, recycled or natural materials.
Shop our clothing and accessories here: https://www.nattily.co.uk/