Maud's Wardrobe Notes · Conscious style and sustainable fabrics

Wardrobe Notes

Sustainable fabrics, responsible brandsShop with intention, style what you ownFor every occasion

Fabric School

Know what you wear

Short, sourced lessons on the fabrics behind the clothes: what they are, how they behave, and what to look for on a label.

The ranking

Fabric Ranking: for you and the planet

22 fabrics, ranked on their environmental impact and how they feel on your skin, across seven measures. Natural fibers rank above synthetics; end of life and microplastics weigh most.

WaterWater needed to grow and make it
ChemicalsPesticides and processing chemicals
ClimateGreenhouse gas emissions
DurabilityHow long it lasts in wear
End of lifeWhether it breaks down naturally
MicroplasticsWhether it sheds plastic fibers
Skin & comfortBreathable, soft, kind to skin

Good Mixed Poor

1Linenflax
2Hemp
3Recycled wool
4Alpaca
5RamieChina grass
6Organic cotton
7LyocellTENCEL™
8Woolmerino · virgin wool
9Mohair
10CuproBemberg™
11Modal
12Silk
13Cashmere
14Cottonconventional
15Viscoserayon · bamboo
16Acetatetriacetate
17Recycled nylonECONYL®
18Recycled polyesterrPET
19Nylonpolyamide
20Polyester
21Acrylic
22Elastanespandex · Lycra®

Our summary of published research, not a lab test. The same fiber can score very differently depending on who grows and makes it; labels such as GOTS, OEKO-TEX, FSC and Masters of LINEN™ help.

Sources: Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres · Higg MSI and its critics · Ethical Consumer · TENCEL™ · Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp · Textile Exchange · Sustain Your Style

Lesson · Linen

Linen

#1 in our Fabric Ranking

Flax is the plant. Linen is the cloth.Linen is woven from the long fibers inside the stem of the flax plant.
Mostly grown in EuropeAbout three-quarters of the world’s flax grows in a coastal band from northern France to the Netherlands, usually with no irrigation.
Nothing wastedThe stalks rest in the field while dew loosens the fibers. Every part of the plant is used: fiber, seeds and woody pieces.
Cool and quick-dryingLinen absorbs moisture and dries faster than cotton, which is why it feels cool in the heat.
Stronger when wetOne of the strongest natural fibers. It gains strength when wet and gets softer with every wash.
What to look forMasters of FLAX FIBRE™: grown in Europe. Masters of LINEN™: made in Europe, field to fabric. GOTS: organic. OEKO-TEX: tested for harmful substances.
CareWash cool, skip the dryer, iron while damp, or keep the creases. They’re part of its character.

Sources: Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp · Linen (Wikipedia) · Ethical Consumer

Lesson · The rayon family

Sheets of white wood pulp, pale wood chips and a skein of cream fiber on linen

The rayon family

Viscose · Modal · Lyocell · Cupro

Made from trees, not oilRayon is plant cellulose, usually wood pulp, dissolved and spun back into a fiber. A natural source and a chemical process, so it’s called semi-synthetic.
Viscose (rayon): the originalMade commercially since 1905. The usual process uses carbon disulfide, a chemical that has harmed factory workers’ health. #15 in our Fabric Ranking.
Modal: viscose, refinedA viscose that’s stretched as it’s spun, often made from beech wood. Look for TENCEL™ Modal. #11 in our Fabric Ranking.
Lyocell: the clean processA different solvent, with no carbon disulfide. TENCEL™ says more than 99.8% of it is recovered and reused. #7 in our Fabric Ranking.
Cupro: the silky oneCellulose dissolved in a copper-and-ammonia solution. Silk-like to the touch, and the classic lining, often sold as Bemberg™. #10 in our Fabric Ranking.
“Bamboo” is usually rayonUnder US rules, a fabric can only be called bamboo if it’s made directly from bamboo fiber. Otherwise the label must say “rayon (or viscose) made from bamboo.”
The forest questionCanopy, a forest nonprofit, says more than 300 million trees a year are logged for these fabrics, some from ancient and endangered forests.
When rayon goes wrongInvestigations found untreated wastewater from viscose factories in Indonesia, China and India running into rivers and lakes. Carbon disulfide exposure is linked to Parkinsonism, heart attack and stroke, and villagers near some factories said they stopped drinking their well water.
What to look forLENZING™ ECOVERO™ (at least 50% less water and greenhouse gas than generic viscose, certified wood, traceable fiber), TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal, FSC. Acetate is not rayon: a different cellulose fiber that melts under heat.
In our ratingLyocell and cupro count as natural fibers. Viscose and modal count as certified only when the label or brand names a standard; plain viscose ranks lower. How we rate

Sources: TENCEL™ · US Federal Trade Commission · LENZING™ ECOVERO™ · Canopy via FashionUnited (2024) · Changing Markets, Dirty Fashion (2017) · Ethical Consumer · Rayon (Wikipedia) · Cuprammonium rayon (Wikipedia)

Fabric notes

* Rayon (viscose)

Rayon is made from plant cellulose, usually wood pulp, turned into fiber with chemicals. It is plant-based, breathable and biodegradable. Its impact depends on how it is made: conventional rayon can come from endangered forests and uses chemicals that can harm workers and rivers. Better versions use certified wood (FSC) or closed-loop processes, such as LENZING™ ECOVERO™ or lyocell (TENCEL™). Look for these names on the label. Read the full lesson

Coming next: fabric names and what they can be made of.

Clothing Check

How kind is your clothing?

To the planet, and to your skin.

Check a piece

Enter the label of any dress, top, coat or pants, and we'll rate what it's made of: Finest, Fine or Fair. We rate the fibers on the label, not the brand or the factory.

How we rate

Finest, Fine and Fair

Every piece you check here gets one to three buttons. The very best also get a star. We look only at the fibers: what they're made from, how they're made, how they end their life, and how they feel on your skin.

Finest ★Our very top: at least 95% linen or hemp, lining included. They are the only fibers that score Good on all seven measures of our Fabric Ranking.
FinestAt least 60% natural fibers (or lyocell and cupro); the rest, if any, certified viscose or modal. Nothing synthetic.
FineNo virgin synthetics. Natural and certified plant-based fibers, with some uncertified viscose or recycled synthetic only if at least 60% is natural.
FairMostly natural or plant-based, with some synthetic (up to 20% virgin synthetics).

Not recommended: more than 20% virgin synthetics (polyester, nylon, acrylic, elastane), or less than half natural and certified plant-based fibers.

The four fiber groups

Natural, lyocell and cupro. Linen, hemp, ramie, cotton, organic cotton, wool, recycled wool, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, silk, lyocell (TENCEL™), cupro.
Certified viscose and modal. Made with LENZING™ ECOVERO™, TENCEL™ Modal or FSC-certified wood.
Uncertified viscose and recycled synthetics. Viscose, rayon, bamboo and modal without a standard; acetate; recycled polyester and nylon.
Virgin synthetics. Polyester, nylon (polyamide), acrylic, elastane (spandex), and unnamed “other fibers”.

How we count

A lined piece counts 60% outer fabric and 40% lining.
Tiny amounts are ignored: if the fibers under 5% add up to 5% or less, we rate the rest as 100%. A little elastane in jeans doesn't change the rating.
Leather, shoes, bags and jewelry aren't rated.

Our rating is a summary of published research, not a lab test. The same fiber can be made well or badly; labels such as GOTS, OEKO-TEX, FSC and Masters of LINEN™ help. See the full Fabric Ranking.

How to use it

How kind is your clothing?

Read the label. We'll rate it.

Name your piece and pick the brand, if it's on our list.
Type the outer fabric exactly as the label says, for example 55% linen, 45% cotton.
If the whole body is lined, tick “It has a lining” and add the lining fibers too.
Press Check my piece to see its rating, what it means for the planet and for your skin, and save it as a PDF if you like.

Check a piece

Know what you wear

Fabric Ranking: for you and the planet

Linen

The rayon family

Fabric notes

* Rayon (viscose)

How kind is your clothing?

Finest, Fine and Fair

The four fiber groups

How we count

How kind is your clothing?

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