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Lingerie brand survey

8/10/2021

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Here I have put together a survey of 12 brands which are doing similar things to me.
To qualify for inclusion brands had to have at least 3 things in common with Sanctuary Innerwear.
​They needed to be:
  • offering similar pieces of clothing
  • using Tencel® or other sustainable textiles (see note below on organic cotton)
  • using non-toxic plant dyes
  • manufacturing domestically
  • certified by a 3rd party as being ecological
  • purchasable using either CAD or USD
  • two points for using ayurvastra!! (from which my idea for infusing came)

Use this chart to weigh your priorities and make decisions on your purchases. 
What concerns you: pollution, water scarcity, human rights, increased dependence on oil?

Sanctuary Innerwear is the only brand of lingerie that boasts transparency, consistent and pervasive sustainability and social responsibility. You CAN have it all! 
​
Brand
offering
fabric
dyes
manufacture
certifications
other
currency
Sanctuary Innerwear
​(Canada)
cami's, corselette, bralettes, panties, sleepwear
Lenzing Tencel​®
plants only
Ontario, Canada
Emerging Leader in Sustainable textiles, Textile Exchange
infused with herbs
CAD
Groceries Apparel
​(USA)
tops, leggings, unisex, baby
organic cotton*, some non-Lenzing tencel
some use of plants as dyes, i.e., madder, indigo
USA
none
Value
USD
Underprotection​(Denmark)
lingerie, loungewear, swim
Tencel®, organic cotton, recycled polyester
conventional
India
B Corp
PETA
Oeko-Tex
Value
CAD through 3rd party, i.e., Azura Bay
People Tree (England)
underwear, essentials
Tencel​®, organic cotton, responsible wool
conventional
India
GOTS
Fair Trade PETA
Pioneers in sustainable clothing
USD
The Nude Label
​(Spain)
underwear, swim
organic cotton
some use of plant dyes (logwood, lac)
Spain
GOTS
​Good on You: Good
Value
CAD through 3rd party, i.e., itsthelake.com
Organic Basics (Denmark)
bras, undies
Tencel®
organic cotton, recycled nylon
conventional
Europe
PETA
​Good on You: great
Value
USD
Miakoda
​(USA)
lounge, essentials
organic cotton, bamboo, soy
Procion low impact dyes
USA
GOTS
WRAP
​Control Union cert
Value
USD
Mary Young (Montreal)
bras, panties, bodysuits
bamboo
"non- amine, unbleached"
Montreal, Quebec
OEKO-TEX
size inclusive
CAD
Fortnight
​(Toronto)
lingerie, swim, lounge
unspecified
unspecified
Toronto, Ontario
Value
focus on fit
CAD
Thief & Bandit
(Halifax)
intimates, swim, tops, bottoms
"organic textiles"
Vprinted with water-based inks
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Value
Value
CAD
Monsoon Blooms
​(Australia)
tops, yoga mats
Linen, organic cotton
plant dyes, ayurvastra
India
Fair Trade
PETA
GOTS
Social Accountability Int'l
use of ayurvastra
AUD
*total CO2 emissions per ton of fibre, including crop cultivation, harvesting, fibre production and spinning (note the difference between organic cotton from US and India):

USA organic cotton 2.35 kg 
US conventional cotton 5.9 kg
India organic cotton 3.8 kg
Tencel® 1.2 kg

Shen, Li & Patel, Martin. (2010). Life Cycle Assessment of man-made cellulose fibres. Lenzinger Berichte. 88: 1–59. ​
       
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my intention for december: tenderness

12/2/2020

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Picture

When were you nurtured by nature?

Has the snow brought those familiar feelings of comfort and joy to you?
Does the sunshine bring warmth and energy on its beams?
When you dress in your Sanctuary Innerwear each morning or evening, are you reminded of your positive intentions?
Our clothes do so much for us, in addition to warming and covering us. 
Well made clothes in sustainable fabrics without chemical dyes and surfectants allow our skin to breathe and move freely. They allow us to discover and express our true nature, and to immediately associate with others of like mind. They comfort us and pamper us tenderly. 

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my intention for november: glow

10/31/2020

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Picture

I intend to GLOW in the darkness.

I write this on Hallowe'en night. 
A stranger one than usual.
We found other ways to trick and treat. 
Working with teens, I demonstrated the magic of dyeing.  
Process
(All equipment and additives are readily available and are no cost (but may need some prior preparation):
Scouring: thoroughly wash natural fabric by hand in laundry detergent or synthropol.
Premordant: heat scoured fabric in water with 2 tsp of alum until hot to the touch, turn off and leave overnight. You will see the alum settled on the fabric folds in the morning.
Tannin bath: cook and strain 2-3 pomegranate rinds (4-6 halves) to make a tannin bath, soak fabric in the bath overnight for maximum results.
Dye bath: cook and strain onion skins of any colour, soak fabric in the bath overnight for maximum results. 
Post mordant and Ph modifying: cook wood ashes in water for at least 1/2 hour, syphon off the water, and add 1/2 cup to pail of water, stir. Dip fabric in ash water and move around for most uniform effect, crumple for mottled effect. You will see the colour grow in intensity. Remove after max. 5 minutes.
Post mordant: soak rusted iron in a vinegar/water solution for 6 months to a year, add approx. 1 Tbsp to water, stir. Dip and move fabric around in this water for no longer than 5 minutes. You will see the colour "sadden". 
Wash fabric thoroughly in laundry detergent or Dawn dish detergent, use dryer to dry. 

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my intention for october: Balance

10/4/2020

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I intend to balance needs and wants this month.

My habits are changing.

As I head back to work and reconnect with the wider world, I notice that the things I value have silently undergone change.
Covid has had an impact on my dressing and shopping habits.

I still enjoy fashion and can't help but notice and assess new styles: elements of art recombined, repositioned.
Suddenly, however, I'm not being swept into the rushing stream.
​Suddenly, I'm holding on to something bigger, stronger. My coverings are more me.
I've put together a collage of pieces of my wardrobe worn this past month, Kate Fletcher's words milling around in my brain. Thinking that if I'm ever done with these clothes, I'll make a quilt out of them. Each square a life lived, and still covering.
Picture

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my intention for september: truth

8/25/2020

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I intend to live (and dress!) my truth.

Picture
My covid clothes will soon no longer be needed. 

For one half year (!) my life happened in these clothes.
​
​As the time unfolded, my clothes gave, asking nothing in return, not even to be folded.
I've been reading Kate Fletcher's "Wild Dress: Clothing the Natural World" (Uniformbooks, 2019), the first autobiographical writing from this Professor of Sustainability, Design and Fashion (University of the Arts, London, England). Her words have deepened my understanding of the relationship between our clothes and the natural world, and have enriched my holidays. In my remaining writing of 2020, I will do my best to interpret her words and apply the concepts to my Sanctuary Innerwear blog for you.

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my intention for august: joy

7/31/2020

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I intend to invite JOY into each day.

Here we are at the height of summer. The sun has been with us for most of June and July, offering light and warmth to lift us up, and possibly a defense against our current illness. My gardens are full and green, and it's a JOY to gather the leaves and flowers to make Sanctuary Innerwear each morning. Today I foraged this year's first armful of goldenrod and smelled its pungent, fresh aroma in the early morning dew. It brings me JOY to show you the process of dyeing in this blog, so please read on...
Picture

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My intention for july: sanctuary

6/29/2020

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I intend to conserve my Sanctuary this month.

haven, a place of safety, shelter from danger or hardship"
any space set aside for private use in which others are not supposed to intrude "
similar idea: "frith" (old English) and "frid" or "fredent" (Swedish), denoting "animals not to be hunted, flowers not to be picked", a "peaced" place
Picture

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my intention for june: peace

6/2/2020

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I intend to invite PEACE into my thoughts and interactions.

I'm grateful for a warm fire, a busy and contented husband, and the ability to continue creating in these times. It seems to me that if I can continue to use natural ingredients to create, I will be able to keep clear of some of the world's current difficulties.  I wish for you a measure of this freedom of self-sufficiency, a space in your heart for gratitude, and PEACE.
Picture
It's planting season! I was pleased with germination rates of most of my dye plant and herb seeds, and my back has held out long enough to plant them out into the garden. Now the wonder of nature continues, and I anticipate good crops, happy dye days, and aromatic evenings making hydrosols long into the coming winter months.

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My intention for may: love

5/1/2020

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I intend to show LOVE this month

I intend to show LOVE this month.
Social media. If you've read my previous blog posts, you'll know I’ve been trying to find the good in it. Important revelations, tips for a better life, improved relationships....truly, I know I won't find them there. I've come to the conclusion that the reason I'm doing it is only that I don’t want to be left behind.
The world has stopped. The wheel of life has nearly come to a standstill. The rat race has all but halted.
​Isn’t it nice?

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My intention for April: ZEST

4/9/2020

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I intend to bring ZEST to my activities each day.

Last month, I set out to open up on social media in order to find the good it might do for me as a person.
I can honestly say that I've tried, but have come hopelessly short of my goal. Learning has never been this difficult.
I have dedicated every morning to it. looking outside on my sunny greening lawn and warming gardens, while not getting anywhere. And then the rest of the languishing country wakes up and my rural internet connection fades. 
That's when I take a deep breath and head outside....
....the squirrels have left me some acorns and they're exactly what I need right now!
My friend Nancy at Oasis Boutique returned some unsold Sanctuary Innerwear sets. Among these were two in which the colour had faded: indigo and woad.

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    AUTHOR:
    I'm the designer and creator of 

    Sanctuary Innerwear,
    a line of hand made clothing worn next to the skin which imparts goodness from plants through the hand-dyed and infused fabric.

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  • Home
  • The collection
    • Corselet & Shortlet >
      • Zest
      • Joy
    • Cami & Demi-brief >
      • Balance
      • Glow
    • Bodice & Brief >
      • Sanctuary
      • Peace
    • Chemise & Short >
      • Love
      • Purity
    • Nightie & Pantie >
      • Tenderness
      • Trust
      • Truth
  • Your guarantee
  • Science Based Targets for Nature
  • Meditations
  • My materials
    • Roots, leaves, flower, fruit, seed
    • Herbs
  • My qualifications
  • Gentleman's Special