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… And by the skin, we mean clothes.
Because, the truth is yoga clothes kind of are a second skin. They’re that comfortable. And they make you look great, which is why you can often find yoga lovers sporting their garb at your local grocery store or Starbucks or whenever the opportunity arises.
Investing in yoga apparel, though, isn’t just about looking great or feeling comfortable. As some of the brands we’ve included in our list prove, it’s also about investing in independent businesses doing awesome things, like the visionaries over at Teeki (see #5) who make their yoga leggings out of repurposed plastic bottles.
So, without further adieu, we’ve curated the top five brands that, in our opinion, are going to give you the best in every category, from comfort to conscience.
La Vie Boheme is the magnificent brainchild of California-based, travel-loving yogis Yvette Charlton and Michaela Moryskova. Originally specializing solely in fantastic yoga mats, they have recently started introducing apparel into their repertoire, as well, and the results are extremely promising. Their Aztec-inspired prints take a strong cue from the mountainous and nature-loving atmosphere of Southern California (in fact, it’s a place you might want to try practicing yoga one day!). Whether in the studio or under the stars, you can feel like a warrior as you sport these stunning designs. While there isn’t an enormous variety of apparel in their shop, each piece has been hand-selected by the founders who say their collections, “represent our love of beautiful prints, and colors as well as functionality and comfort for our daily practice.”
Liquido Active, a Brazilian company that opened in 2001 specializing in yoga apparel and swimsuits, has no shortage of options for you to choose from. The sheer vastness of styles, from skirts to shorts, bras, leggings, are all available for order on their website and can be slightly overwhelming, but it does give you the opportunity to choose from some very creative and individualistic pieces. For example, we loved these bright, floral-patterned leggings, part of a special collection that includes a child-sized pair, so that yoga-loving mothers can pass on both yoga’s practice and its pants to young ones. Their website says the company’s goal is to provide “all day activewear that can seamlessly transition throughout the different phases of one’s day.”
Mika Yoga Wear is a force to be reckoned within the yoga community. With a dedicated international following, they offer unique pieces designed with your comfort in mind. After browsing their website for some pieces, we fell head-over-heels for this cozy Chloe Crop Top, for those of us who want to get in some yoga action, no matter the climate.
Alo Yoga is an apparel company based out of Los Angeles, California. According to their website, “each and every garment is created by a design team of yoga enthusiasts and tested and retested on the best yogis to ensure the finest, most slimming, move-with-you fit that will elevate your every asana.” One quick browse through their website demonstrates that these guys are pros. In their collections, you can find some sturdy stock pieces that will form the backbone of your yoga wardrobe. When it comes to prints, they stick to the basics, but we particularly love what they’ve come up with, for example, in their brilliantly-designed Moto Legging. Their products are on the pricey side, but you can bet that what you spend will be returned three-fold as far as quality is concerned.
We’ve saved the best for last. Teeki is a new yoga apparel brand that we’re really excited about. Not just because their prints are wacky and wonderful, but because they bring new meaning to the term ‘eco-friendly design’. Believe it or not, all of their pants are made from repurposed plastic water bottles. One website lists their 5-step process: “Plastic PET containers are collected from recycling centers and then organized by type and color. Those plastics are stripped of their labels and caps and then washed, crushed, and chopped up. The shreds are melted into pellets. Those pellets are melted (again) and pressed into fiber that’s further manipulated into bales. Baled fiber can then be processed into fabric. Each pair of pants is created with 79% of recycled plastic.” From bottle to your booty, even if Teeki’s prints weren’t so eye-catching, we’d still stick ‘em on this list because what they’re doing is awesome. Another great aspect of their website allows you to search their apparel based on patterns you like, rather than pieces.
There you have it, folks. Straight from us to you, some of the hottest, independent yoga apparel brands around that aren’t Lululemon. Happy shopping. We hope this helps inspire you to feel as good as you look. Namaste.
Photo Credit: @laviebohemeyoga
