Eco-Friendly Brands I Love: prAna

Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 54 comments

This is a new series highlighting brands I love that also love the planet. These brands are making a difference in their material sourcing, shipping practices, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.

Today, I want to talk with you about prAna. First and foremost, I am a huge prAna fan, so much so, that I became a prAna Influencer a few years back! (I even wrote a post a few years ago, Why I Love prAna.) Heck, I even make a beeline to the prAna section whenever I'm in REI.

I've always been struck by their excellent quality, sustainable packaging, fair labor practices, and transparency. The versatile styles are honestly just the cherry on top!

I love this brand so much, I've partnered with them for a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a free prAna outfit! Keep reading to learn more.

What does "prana" mean?

Prana roughly translates to subtle energy or life force energy from Sanskrit. If you practice yoga, you've probably heard a lot about prana and pranayama. I always associated this brand with yoga, but they specialize in so much more! They make great hiking gear, and both surfers and rock climbers love their clothes and accessories to support these activities. (I bought a super cute bikini from them last summer, and I loved that they had a wide variety of styles and sizes!)

woman in prana Licidia Crop Top and leggings

Not a bikini: I decided I wanted to wear as many crop tops as possible this summer. This is the Licidia Bra Top in Liqueur Seaglass, as well as the Pillar 7/8 Legging in Black (I don't have long legs, so these are the perfect length for me when I just want to show a little ankle!).

Sustainable Packaging

The first thing I noticed when I received my first prAna item years ago was their packaging. I couldn't find a single piece of plastic in the packages I received (they plan to be 100% plastic-free with their packaging by 2021) - and they've been doing this for years! Their tagline is "clothing for positive change," and this definitely includes how the items are packaged for you. Learn more about prAna's Sustainable Packaging Movement.

Earth-Friendly Textiles

prAna was actually the first activewear brand I'd encountered that was so upfront with their partnerships and sustainability practices. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I really did not have the first clue about ocean-safe textiles and wearing hemp clothing. I learned about Bluesign, thanks to prAna, and I wish more brands considered how their materials and processes impact the environment.

On their website, the folks at prAna share, "Without bluesign®, many of the chemicals used in textile processing would end up in the environment and your closet. From emissions, to dyes, to all-weather treatments, harmful chemical inputs are eliminated before the manufacturing process begins. Enter bluesign®: they handle this problem upstream. "

Utilizing Bluesign-approved materials and processes aren't the only Earth-friendly textiles used by this brand. They also utilize the following:

Recycled Wool
Responsible Down
Organic Cotton
Hemp
The Cozy Up Line (featuring biodegradable fabrics)

tadasana mountain pose in prAna Electa Legging and Momento Crop Top

Tada!(sana): In this photo, I'm wearing my new favorites, the prAna Electa Legging and Momento Crop Top. Both are so buttery and smooth and feel great during yoga practice and teaching indoor cycling classes.

Fair Labor Practices

This one is super important, especially considering the unsafe and inhumane work conditions in some garment factories. (Take, for example, the Rana Plaza collapse.) PrAna is a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA).

The mission of the FLA is, "to combine the efforts of business, civil society organizations, and colleges and universities to promote and protect workers’ rights and to improve working conditions globally through adherence to international standards."

As I make changes in my life to lead a more sustainable and aware lifestyle, this is a part of corporate social responsibility that often takes a back seat. If you're manufacturing products made solely of recycled diapers, but your factory employees make half a cent a month, can you really consider yourself to be a responsible brand?

This is yet another reason why I appreciate prAna and their commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Transparency

If you aren't following prAna on Instagram, you are missing out! Not only do they have gorgeous photos, but they have these really great behind-the-scenes videos of their production processes, sustainability practices, and more. I cannot express enough how much I love watching their IGTV videos, especially when the videos are about their textiles.

They are super engaged on social media (with an A+ social media team) and are really great about answer consumer questions as well. If you have questions about what they're up to, I highly recommend reaching out to them directly!

Go for the gold: In this photo, I'm wearing the Becka 7/8 leggings and Bralette in Antique Bronze Heather.

Okay, But What About the Clothes?

Well, yeah, I love their clothes! Particularly, I love their denim, yoga gear, and sweaters. When I'm wearing casual clothes (which, let's be honest, is most of the time right now), I'm usually rocking my prAna. In fact, I recently bought #InfluencerJohn (if you know, you know) some prAna denim and he was surprised by how much he liked the different colors.

Right now, I am absolutely head over heels for my Cozy Up gear and Electa Leggings - the Cozy Up gear for my go-to casual tops and joggers, and the Electa Leggings for yoga and indoor cycling.

The prices aren't the cheapest, but the clothes are durable, practical, and high-quality. I love all of the design details and consideration for folks who practically live in the outdoors. For example, the UPF protection, the stretch in the denim and other nontraditional activewear bottoms, and the moisture-wicking are all great benefits to their gear.

Love these Sky Canyon Joggers and all things Cozy Up (in this case, the Cozy Up Tank in Peacock Heather).

Anything Else?

I don't have a discount code to share with y'all right now, and I don't have any affiliate links, so I'm just sharing these details with you because I think it's important to recognize brands that are trying to do the right thing by our planet and the people who inhabit it.