Wardrobe Meets Skincare: What Fashion Can Learn From Clean Beauty

Every morning, many of us carefully choose what to put on our skin. We double-cleanse, apply serums, check labels, and avoid ingredients we know might irritate us. Clean beauty has transformed the way we think about skincare — yet, strangely, the same care hasn’t extended to our wardrobes. Which is curious, given that clothes spend more time against our skin than any beauty product ever will.

It’s time that changed. Nearly 70% of clothing today is made from synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic — plastic, in other words. These fibres are derived from fossil fuels, shed microplastics into waterways, and are often finished with chemical treatments. They’re cheap and durable, which is why they dominate supply chains. But they also trap odour, irritate skin, and feel uncomfortable for all-day wear.

Unlike with skincare, clothes don’t come with an “ingredients list”. Most people don’t realise that the leggings they live in are often made almost entirely of plastic. And with skin being the body’s largest organ, what sits against it all day matters. Polyester can trap heat, odour, and moisture, aggravating sensitivity and creating the opposite of comfort.

This isn’t theoretical. For me, it’s personal. My sister Katie has severe skin allergies that flare when she wears synthetics. I live with sensory sensitivity linked to ADHD, which means an uncomfortable outfit can derail my focus and mood. And so, our brand Not Basics was born.

We didn’t set out to launch a brand because we loved fashion — in fact, it was because we hated most clothes. We built Not Basics because we couldn’t find clothes that worked for us. Millions of people experience skin irritation or discomfort from clothing, but until now, there’s been little conversation about how the “ingredients” of our wardrobes impact wellbeing. For us, the solution is OCS-certified organic cotton as a core fabric, combined with just 5% elastane for stretch and recovery, creating wardrobe staples that are soft, breathable, and made to be worn on repeat.

The rise of clean beauty proved something important: when people know what’s in the products they use every day, they demand better. They seek gentler ingredients, fewer irritants, and formulas that work with their skin, not against it.

Fashion hasn’t caught up yet. But it will. Your skin deserves the same level of care from your clothes as it does from your moisturiser. So instead of focusing only on statement pieces, pay closer attention to your everyday basics — because the most radical change in fashion isn’t happening on the catwalk at LFW, it’s in the fabrics we wear every day.