How Can We Make A New No-Plastic-Straw Lifestyle?

Are plastic straws the new cigarettes? Maybe that's a little extreme. Since Starbucks, American Airlines, and the entire city of Seattle once announced that they are going to offer their services without straws, those little plastic tubes have begun to feel like a dangerous habit. We are at the peak of summer in July. Cold-brew season. Our Instagram feeds have become an endless scroll of friends showing off their new no-plastic-straw lifestyles, either by drinking coffee or by sipping it the old-fashioned way.

Cutting the straw from your life is a small victory. Once you start doing this, you will see the difference in your life and soon in the world. Also, it is heightened awareness of plastic waste in general. Straws are a serious offender. Ultimately, millions of discarded straws and other pieces of plastic end up in the ocean, where they have severely harmed wildlife.

On a big-picture scale, companies need to start using less plastic in general, but what about all of that plastic floating around the ocean? Several great designers are addressing it with new technology that is turning ocean plastic into fabric.

There is Girlfriend Collective, it is an indie athletic brand dedicated to sustainability: each pair of compression leggings repurposes 25 water bottles: Its T-shirts are made with a natural byproduct of the woodcutting industry, and it dyes are eco-friendly.

To feel the leggings, they're sleek, stretchy, and super soft—and as a bonus, they are extremely light and moisture-wicking which makes them ideal for hot days. On the site, the product description cheekily reads:

To feel the leggings, you'd never know they were made of trash; they're sleek, stretchy, and super soft—and as a bonus, they're extremely light and moisture-wicking, which makes them ideal for hot days.

Top on the site, Ethically made from recycle material. First and foremost designed as a response to Girlfriend's shoppers asking for thinner, lighter leggings. So many customers itsrecycledanted a product with the same qualities but in a lighter weight. Girlfriend will be introducing bodysuits and sports items in the Econyl fabrics, too.

There's a reason these fabrics are mainly popular with athletic and swim brands: They're sleek, techy, and quick-drying, so they're well suited to body-conscious performance pieces, but few designers are testing recycled plastic fabrics in ready-to-wear, too. Scroll through the slideshow below for all the ways posts are redefining fashion to reduce plastic waste and save the planet.