Our editors curate highly rated brands that are first assessed by our rigorous ratings system. Buying through our links may earn us a commission—supporting the work we do. Learn more.
Pointelle may be trending, but we’ve long known it’s more than a fashion statement: it’s a great lower impact material to add to your underwear or casuals collection. Here, we’re sharing top picks from more sustainable brands.
Why pointelle is a more sustainable option
Pointelle is a soft and lightweight material knitted with dainty openwork patterns such as chevrons, hearts, diamonds, and stripes. It’s been trending recently thanks to the likes of Zoe Kravitz, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter wearing camisoles and cardigans typically reserved for lounging as ready-to-wear.
But we, and our network of small, top-rated brands, have long known that pointelle is more than a fashion statement: it’s a great lower-impact material to add to your underwear (or casualwear) collection, since it is most commonly made from organic cotton and has a knit structure that doesn’t require the addition of stretch fibres. What’s more, its popular off-white colour requires no dyeing to achieve, meaning it’s a staple in the ranges of many brands that focus on non-toxic clothing.
If you’re shopping for pointelle clothing, keep an eye on the fabric composition—ideally it is 100% organic or recycled cotton, the former potentially being GOTS certified. Check also that any additional trims are made from lower impact options, since bows and ribbons can often be polyester. You’ll also want to make sure that the brand you’re buying from works to reduce its impact in other areas, too, such as animal welfare and labour justice. To help out, we’ve curated 13 options from top-rated brands that are doing the work on issues across all three of our ratings pillars: people, the planet, and animals.
Read on to discover more sustainable pointelle tops, cardigans, dresses, bras, and more.
