When shapewear first came out, it was intended to manipulate the body, like a modern-day corset or a secret you hide beneath your clothing. But times have changed and we no longer deal in the currency of shame and suppression. We celebrate all shapes, sizes, bodies, and ways of being. It’s a “let it all hang out” kind of freedom, except since it’s shapewear, you get to choose what hangs out, what you flaunt, and what gets lifted, smoothed, or flattened (or all three).
Even with all the empowering shifts in how we relate to our bodies, it can still be difficult to plunk down $60+ bucks for a Kim-Kardashian-style bodysuit. That’s where we come in, rounding up the best Skims dupes on the market. With these fabrics acting like a second skin, it’s important to choose sustainable and organic materials wherever possible. Any of these five sustainable brands will help you celebrate the skin you’re in.
1. Quince
Best For | Accessibly-Priced Basic Shapewear
Size Range | XS-XL
Price Range | $25-$40
Quince creates shapewear at half the price as the competition, and as the reviews attest, at twice the compression and comfortability. They use a direct-to-consumer model to minimize waste and keep their costs low, and source their products from makers all over the world, partnering with BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) factories that pay fair wages and use sustainable business practices. Quince sources high-end and sustainable materials such as organic cotton whenever possible, and if synthetics are required, they must meet OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, meaning the fabrics have been inspected and deemed free of hazardous substances. Highlights include: practical closure snaps, super soft and comfy fabrics with no chafing, and excellently designed compression.
2. Girlfriend Collective
Best For | The Softest Bodysuits
Size Range | XXS-6XL
Price Range | $60-$80
Girlfriend Collective is truly the stuff of your best girlfriend’s closet. Not only are we excited about how it looks on us, the brand’s process is undeniably innovative and ethical. They call it slow fashion—and it shows up in every choice they make, from using knitting machines that produce about 100 pairs-worth of fabric in a 24-hour period, to the inclusion of a washing bag with their synthetic clothing so that microfibers can be captured before they have a chance to contaminate water supply. The brand uses eco-friendly dyes and even donates their dye mud to a local pavement facility that recycles it into sidewalks. Fabrics are made from post-consumer water bottles and rescued fishing nets. Rad fact: they provide health insurance plus free health checkups every 6 months for every factory employee.
3. Boody
Best For | Smoothing Shorts
Size Range | XS-4XL
Price Range | $20–$60
Boody makes all of their shapewear out of a highly breathable, silky soft, organically grown bamboo viscose. The company’s bamboo is also thermoregulating (making you warm when it’s cold out and cool when it’s hot), anti-static, and wicks away moisture four times faster than cotton. It’s basically a miracle plant that requires only rainwater to grow (no pesticides, herbicides, or artificial irrigation needed), improves air quality, prevents soil erosion, and is the fastest growing and most versatile plant in the world. Boody’s high-waisted and seam-free smoothing shorts have a wide hem to prevent rolling, making them the perfect piece to wear under dresses or skirts for all-over coverage. Put Boody on your body and you become your own kind of miracle.
4. Sankom
Best For | Shapewear That Improves Your Health
Size Range | XS-XXL
Price Range | $90–$130
Made in Switzerland and designed by Dr. Oksana Mazourik, Sankom is the first shapewear in the world that benefits your health. The organization’s unique patent technology improves posture, reduces lower back pain, and includes six levels of compression for targeted anatomical support. Not only is Sankom’s shapewear classified as Medical Device Class 1 for excellent back and posture support, it employs innovative fabrics like aloe fibers for hypoallergenic material recommended for sensitive skin, post-pregnancy, and post-surgery and, like Boody, the brand uses bamboo for its special properties. This shapewear is like having a chiropractor and a masseuse hanging out with you all day.
5. Thigh Society
Best For | Anti-Chafing and Modesty Slip Shorts
Size Range | XS-6XL
Price Range | $39 no matter what
Thigh Society specializes in slip shorts you can wear as long leg underwear under dresses and skirts, as activewear or loungewear, pre- and postpartum, with baggy tees or crop tops…basically they make super soft second-skin shorts you can wear everywhere, all the time, for everything. Designed in Canada, a team of fabric experts and technicians with decades of experience creates these shorts with the best yarns and threads like Pima cotton and modal, a natural fiber resistant to pulling and shrinking. The brand’s cooling shorts are especially popular, boasting the lightest coverage and thinnest base layer. Thigh Society’s shorts are the antidote to thigh chafing, with a waistband that doesn’t roll down or bunch up, and a crotch that stays where a crotch should stay. They set the standard for size inclusivity and body positivity, celebrating all body shapes and sizes regardless of gender identity.
Featured image is from Quince
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