Women’s Ethical Underwear – The Ultimate UK Brands Guide
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Looking for the UK women’s ethical underwear brands to know? Read on, I’ve found lots of sustainable and eco-friendly bra and knicker brands prioritising both comfort and the health of the environment.
Some brands have paid to be featured here – identifiable by the AD tag after the brand name. I only select brands that I genuinely believe are doing good things for people and the planet.
I started writing about ethical women’s lingerie in 2013, way back in the infancy of Moral Fibres. I remember lamenting about just how few brands there were, the lack of bras that went beyond a C cup, and the lack of underwiring. It was a woeful picture.
Thankfully, lots of things have changed over the last 12 years or so. There are now a whole host of eco-conscious UK brands out there, using sustainable production practices and fabrics such as organic cotton or recycled fabric. They also cater to a wider size range and offer a whole lot more options and support than ever before.
Guide To Women’s Ethical Underwear Brands In The UK
To help you out, I’ve rounded up my favourite ethical and sustainable women’s underwear brands in the UK right now – offering beautiful bras and knickers that are kind to the planet, whilst offering the support you need.
To make the post as helpful as possible, I’ve included a size range and average price, so you can shop according to your size and budget.
JustWears
- Price: £19.95 a pair
- Size: 6 – 18
- Available directly from JustWears
Looking for supremely comfortable, sustainable undies that don’t give you wedgies? Head straight to JustWears. These vegan-friendly knickers feel silky soft against your skin, yet stay in place, avoiding those uncomfortable and embarrassing wedgies.
What’s so sustainable about JustWears? It makes its undies from its exclusive ‘MicroModal Air’ fabric. This is an eco-friendly type of modal that’s made from sustainably grown European wood. JustWears says this is more durable than cotton, feels softer than silk, plus is carbon neutral.
This fabric isn’t just good for the environment – it’s good for your skin too. It’s quick-drying, helping to keep you cool and feel fresh down below all day long. Plus, it’s naturally antibacterial, helping to prevent body odour.
Available in thongs and knickers, and in three different patterns – they’re sure to liven up your knicker drawer!
Not Basics
- Price: £16 – £30
- Size range: 28A – 38F
- Available directly from Not Basics
Not Basics (formerly Pantee) is a British underwear brand that aims to tackle textile waste in the fashion industry.
Catering for bra sizes 28A to 38F, Not Basics uses unsold deadstock fabric to make its comfortable undies – including soft and supportive underwire-free bras and briefs. Each bra is double-layered for extra comfort and support.
Deadstock fabric is the leftover or surplus materials from manufacturers, brands, or mills that would otherwise go to waste. This gives these unused textiles a second life.
JulieMay Lingerie | AD
- Caters for sizes: sizes 30B – 40G / 42DD for bras and UK 8-18 for knickers
- Prices start from: £21 for knickers and £58 for bras
Do you have sensitive skin that is easily irritated by your underwear? Then try JulieMay Lingerie.
This woman-owned organic and ethical UK brand specialises in making naturally hypoallergenic bras and briefs, from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic pima cotton – known for its super soft properties – and other natural materials.
JulieMay also avoids the use of latex, nickel, exposed elastics, synthetic materials or harsh chemicals in all of its underwear. Essentially, anything that may irritate your skin is out, and only the gentlest materials are in.
For extra peace of mind, AllergyUK has scientifically tested and approved JulieMay Lingerie as being suitable for people with hypersensitive skin or allergies to synthetic fibres.
There’s a great range to choose from. Find underwired, non-wired, bralette, sports bras, and post-surgery bras, alongside high-waisted and low rise knickers. These are all ethically and sustainably handmade in a certified production site that pays all staff well above the minimum wage.
JulieMay also supports a variety of charities. This includes Mind’s vital mental health work to AKT, which helps LGBTQ+ young people find safety and support, alongside the Eden Reforestation Project, which restores forests and livelihoods around the world.
Get 15% off at JulieMay Lingerie using the exclusive discount code MORALFIBRES at the checkout.
ColieCo
- Price: From £30+
- Size range: 28B – 38F (custom sizing also available)
- Available from ColieCo
ColieCo sells very sexy lingerie (with underwire!), all made by hand in Portugal, using only recycled, reused, and reclaimed fabrics.
All ColieCo products are produced in-house, in a safe, comfortable, and discrimination-free working environment by highly skilled workers paid a fair and full living wage.
ColieCo manufactures its underwear to order and uses intelligent garment design and cutting processes. These processes help to keep textile waste to an absolute minimum.
Sizes for its soft and underwired bras range from 28B through to 38F. However, ColieCo does take requests for custom sizes if you need underwear outside that size range. I’d say that prices are very reasonable for handmade, ethical women’s underwear.
Anekdot
- Price: £50 – £100
- Size range: XS – XL
- Available directly from Anekdot
Anekdot makes stylish, eco-friendly bras and knickers – in sizes XS to XL – that are designed and handmade in Berlin using sustainable materials.
These are all sourced from production leftovers, end-of-lines, off-cuts, deadstock, and vintage trimmings.
To find these, the Anekdot team hunts down fabrics from factories that are closing down, makers’ surpluses, production errors, or miscalculations. This means the materials used have never been worn, but make for truly zero-waste, ethical underwear.
As well as using surplus fabrics as the main material for its products, Anekdot is committed to making the absolute most of these materials.
As such, Anekdot cuts around small defects and makes its patterns in a way that minimises off-cuts. Textile scraps from its production, too small to use in any of its designs, also get used in other projects – from making accessories, patchworks, or filling pillows.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for the Anekdot newsletter.
Nudea
- Price: £35 – £48
- Size range: 30A – 40GG
- Available directly from Nudea
As someone who is very much on the bigger busted side of the coin (E cup over here), I have long lamented the lack of underwire from eco-friendly bra brands. I’m in my 40s and I’ve had and breastfed two children. Let’s just say I need all the support I can get! So it was a total joy to recently discover Nudea.
This sustainable and ethically minded brand has a wide range of knickers and wired and non-wired bras in a range of colours, and inclusive styles and sizes. These are all made using natural and recycled materials, including organic cotton and recycled polyester, and are crafted with durability and longevity in mind.
As a certified BCorp, Nudea is serious about transparency, ethics, and giving back. It pledges 1% of all sales to charity and supports access to underwear for those who can’t afford it through its partnership with the charity Smalls for All.
Nudea also displays the carbon footprint of every garment it sells, to help you make considered shopping choices. It also offers a handy bra recycling scheme to help you dispose of your old underwear responsibly.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for the Nudea mailing list.
Dora Larsen
- Price: £18 – £36
- Size range: 32A – 36DD
- Available at The Outnet
Another great sustainable option for underwired bras and knickers is Dora Larsen. This colourful British brand is committed to creating stylish-looking and comfortable lingerie that respects both people and the planet.
With a focus on quality and durability, its collections are produced in limited runs to reduce waste. The vast majority of the materials it uses – from laces and tulle to threads and elastics – are made from recycled content, often in solar-powered workshops that also recycle water.
And while Dora Larsen is honest about the challenges of synthetic materials, it’s also actively increasing the use of natural fabrics like organic cotton.
Transparency is also key. From listing factory addresses to regularly auditing social and environmental standards, Dora Larsen is quietly doing the hard work behind the scenes to make truly responsible underwear.
The best price I’ve found for Dora Larsen underwear is at The Outnet, but I’ve also seen decent deals at Farfetch.
Rapanui
- Price: £10 – £15
- Size range: 8 – 14
- Available directly from Rapanui
Ethical clothing brand Rapanui makes its sustainable organic cotton underwear using natural materials in its factory, which is powered by renewable energy.
With vegan-friendly bralettes and knickers ethically made from organic cotton at more affordable price points,they’re sure to be undies that you turn to day after day. I just wish Rapanui could introduce more inclusive sizing options.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for the Rapanui mailing list.
Sprout Organic
- Price: from £12
- Size range: 4 – 28 plus custom sizing available
- Available from Etsy
Want to add some fun to your underwear drawer? Then head straight to Sprout Organic. Here you’ll find bras and knickers – all handmade in the UK in GOTS-Certified organic cotton – in a riot of bright and bold prints.
When it comes to inclusive sizing, Sprout Organic is in its own class. Its entire range of bras is made to measure. This means it can cater to any size – perfect if you’re looking for ethical bras for larger busts.
And if you have any extra requirements, such as one cup a different size to the other, or require shorter or longer straps, then this can be accommodated at no extra charge. This doesn’t come at a premium – all of Sprout Organic’s bras cost just a reasonable £34.
There’s lots more to love about Sprout Organic. Sprout Organic strives to be as close to zero waste as possible. All fabric scraps are repurposed or recycled, and all its parcels are sent out in fully recyclable packaging.
WUKA
- Price: £10+
- Size range: 2XS – 6XL
- Available directly from WUKA
WUKA’s size-inclusive knickers – available in bikini briefs or midi briefs – range in size from 2XS to 6XL. These are ethically made and are certified carbon-neutral and vegan-friendly.
What’s more, these ethical undies are made from Tencel modal.
Tencel is made from responsibly sourced wood pulp from carefully managed beech tree forests, which are FSC-certified to ensure sustainability. Read more in my guide to Tencel.
WUKA also sells a wire-free and unpadded bralette (pictured) in sizes XS to 2XL, in the same sustainable Tencel modal.
Luva Huva
- Price: From £49+
- Size range: 30A – 40E (custom sizes also available)
- Available from Etsy
Luva Huva, another sustainable lingerie brand, sells stunning ethical underwear for women, all handmade in the UK.
Its pretty range of knickers and non-underwired bras and bralettes are made using remnants, vintage fabrics, and end-of-line fabrics and trims sourced from local suppliers and producers where possible.
Natural fabrics, such as bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, soy, and Tencel, are also prioritised. These materials are all specially selected for their softness and comfort.
What’s also to love is that Luva Huva is always happy to create made-to-measure garments to fit any size. This means custom sizing is always free of charge.
Stripe & Stare
- Price: from £18
- Size range: 6 – 22 (knickers), 26A – 42E (bras)
- Available from Stripe & Stare
Stripe & Stare, a female-fronted certified B-Corp, makes sustainable underwear designed for women who are too fun for frumpy underwear and too busy to wear anything uncomfortable.
Made from sustainable Tencel, its supersoft knickers and bras are available in plain neutrals or bold colours and fun prints in a wide range of styles.
What’s also to love is that Stripe & Stare plants a tree with every order placed, in collaboration with Ecologi. So your pants and bras made from trees grow more trees!
Modibodi
- Price: £21+
- Size range: 8 – 26
- Available directly from Modibodi
Finally, there’s size-inclusive brand Modibod. As well as being the makers of some of the best period pants around, this brand also offers underwear for a wide range of circumstances.
Its range includes ethical breastfeeding bras, sweat-proof bras, and eco-friendly underpants for incontinence, pregnancy, and perspiration. Modibodi also offers adaptive underwear for people with disabilities.
This female-founded brand uses fabrics such as GOTS-certified organic cotton. Meanwhile, its underwear is OEKO-TEX certified. This means that all of Modibodi’s products have been independently verified as being free from harmful substances.
For new customers, your order comes with a 60-day risk-free trial. This means that if you are not happy with your Modibodi underwear, it can be returned, even if you have worn it.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for the Modibodi newsletter.
What About The Underwire?
That’s a bit of a whistle-stop tour of the women’s ethical underwear landscape in the UK in 2025. It’s definitely an improvement from when I first started writing about underwear back in the early days of the blog, but I feel like there is scope for more improvement.
For example, as someone who wears an E cup, I’d love to see more underwired bra options. For small brands, I get it. Underwired bras are true feats of engineering. They take a lot of skill to make, as well as specialised machinery and components. I can understand why small brands don’t have the funds to invest in both the machinery and components AND in learning the skills.
The bigger brands that do make underwired bras need to be more accountable so that those of us who need underwiring can access ethically made bras with the support we need. I live in hope that day comes soon!
I update this post regularly with new makers/shops that I’ve found. So do check in next time you’re in the market for underwear. You never know, there may be more underwire!
More Sustainable Underwear Resources
If you’re looking for more sustainable undies resources, I’ve got you!
- Try my guide to UK sustainable sports bras.
- Try my handy bra-fitting tip to make your bras last longer.
- If you’re cleaning out your underwear drawer, I have a useful guide to underwear recycling.
- Plus did you know you can recycle your bras for charity? Here’s all you need to know.
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Thank you for compiling this list, as whilst I ship almost solely in charity shops for my clothes I’ve still been buying my socks pants and bras from normal fast fashion shops.
Disheartening about the lack of sizing but hopefully we’ll get there soon!
I see many of your comments are about affordability. I believe i have the answer. During the next 6 months i am putting together a new brand using ethically manufactured sustainable yarns. I will be bale to sell on line the majority of style of Knickers for £5 and Bras from £8. These will be made from 95% bamboo yarn and 5% elastane.
I am designing everyday wear that has a sustainable yarn that also helps to keep the skin moisturised, this will help eczema and other skin conditions. Unfortunately this will be higher in price, BUT i believe i should be able to market these for Knickers at £12 and Bras around £17. To achieve this i need help in getting it out to market without stupid marketing costs. anyway could you put it out there if any of your readers would consider buying at these type of costs. Many Thanks
Thanks so much for this! I have really been struggling to find ethical and eco-friendly underwear made in the UK (now that we’ve left the EU the import taxes are so high!). This has been such a helpful list! Thank you so much! xx
My pleasure Hannah, glad it was helpful for you!
There’s still some way to go in terms of representative sizing when it comes to ethical bras.
Still nothing for a 36DD that needs underwiring….. sigh……
Hi Kim, I’m an E cup and I feel your pain. There’s still some way to go in terms of representative sizing when it comes to ethical bras.
Encouraging to see that sustainability is at last making its mark on the lingerie industry and, hopefully, if you update this article in two or three year’s time it will have twice the scope. Fingers crossed. In the meantime could I mention true vintage lingerie (as opposed to modern-made ‘retro’ undies)? Surely true lingerie sustainability is reuse? Why make something twice? Vintage lingerie need not involve images of “used” or “old clothes”. Far from it. Fabulously chic ‘deadstock’ lingerie (unworn, labels attached) is readily available. Elizabeth Cline sums it all up so well here:
“Resale offers the wardrobe-rotating fun of fast fashion without the guilt or waste. By driving preferences away from disposable fashion towards higher-quality clothes, reuse is a boon for our personal style and the planet.” – Elizabeth L. Cline, Author of The Conscious Closet.
Very nice list but it’s truly dispairing that all these brands make bras for either very small sizes only, or up to a 36 size but no wires or no padding. There’s nothing more horrible than wanting to make the right choice and not being allowed to.
Not even talking about affordability here. Just the simple fact of all these “ethical” brands repeating the horrendous discourse that some bodies are adequate and some are wrong.
Enough.
I agree Anna, the lack of inclusive sizing is a problem across the whole ethical fashion sphere – not just the ethical underwear area. I think it’s a problem in fast fashion too, but seems more pronounced in ethical fashion because as you say it’s simply not possible to make an ethical choice even though you want to.
Hi!
This is a really good list, although I have the same problem as others in that there’s no way I could afford most of those prices. They’re the right prices for sustainably, small-scale-produced items…and that’s the problem with the fashion industry!
Anyway, I wondered if you’d come across a great brand called Pip and Pantalaimon? I don’t know a huge amount about their sustainability, but they’re definitely produced in the UK with surplus fabrics and they only make to order. They are probably best suit those who like vintage style, but they’ve got some more mainstream styles too. I’ve got 3 of their less expensive girdles and they’re fabulous.
There is also TIZZ & TONIC from Bremen, Germany!
Hi, I love your blog and have learnt a lot since finding it. I don’t think that silk can be considered ‘ethical’ though
Lara intimates are really good too – they cater for all sizes and will make custom made bras too. They’re all made to order in London.
There’s also YOU Underwear – organic cotton and for every one you buy, one is given to someone in need in Uganda!
Still nothing affordable in my bra size. There’s one that’s £90, but I don’t have that kind of money. I also want padding, underwiring and something that looks sexy. Nothing like that available from any of the companies listed.
Anyone know where to find ethical padded bras?
La Fille D’O is a wonderful Belgian brand that is perfectly ethical: everything is produced in Belgium and special attention goes to non-damaging chemicals for dyes etc. They have with or without wire and they are famous for the original design of the monowire. I have a bra from them and it’s my favourite one, been wearing it for half a year and if I could I wouldn’t wear anything else….
Have a look at whatlydiamade.com Inclusive sizing (including custom orders), very body positive. designed and handmade in Glasgow. I’m not 100% sure what materials are used though!
We have a brilliant underwear company in Perth called molke everthing is designed produced and created here in Perth .It started as a breastfeeding bra company but everybody wears them now ..check out their fb page and their websìte
There’s a lovely French brand called Do You Green – ethical materials in simple but still pretty designs with a couple of underwired bras. The focus is on materials and they use bamboo etc. I’ve not bought anything but have my eye on a couple of pieces.
Great article. I would also encourage you to look at Molke – particularly for the larger busted and those breast feeding who don’t want underwiring. Made in Perthshire!
Hey seems like you have forgot about Swedish Eco :D
I don’t know that any company going only up to an E cup could be catering for curvier ladies, given that most people are wearing cup sizes that are way too small for them…but I would love to see more ethical retailers doing custom orders!
I’m way outside of the norm in terms of cup size, so my expectations are pretty much rock bottom. :) But I would pay 3x average off-the-rack large cup size prices for a bra that I knew fit me and was made using ethical environmental and labour practices!
Yes this is super useful! I must admit undies are still one of the things I buy from mostly not so ethical companies due to not finding ones that are comfy, supportivde, good value, good value for money and not made for the yoga like forest nymphs you speak of (not that I have anything against them, that’s just not me) so I will definitely be checking some of these brands out!