Turn your training shirt inside out and check the care label. Chances are, it’s made from polyester. Polyester, along with nylon, lycra, and spandex, is a synthetic fabric created by the oil industry—essentially, 100% plastic.

Fabrics generally fall into two categories: synthetic (man-made from chemicals) or natural (sourced from plants or animals) like wool, silk, hemp, and bamboo.

We believe natural fabrics like bamboo deliver superior performance benefits for active individuals. Wrapping ourselves in plastic? Not great for us—or the planet.

Our signature fabric, used in all our men's and women's bamboo training t-shirts and tank tops, is made from 93% bamboo lyocell—a material produced through one of the most advanced and sustainable manufacturing methods available. For our women’s crop tops, leggings, and shorts, we enhance support and flexibility by blending in a small amount of organic cotton fibre and elastane.

the activewear industry has been built on low cost, plastic fabrics since the 1950’s. Bamboo fabric is pretty new and like Merino wool, is less easy to find compared to the ubiquity of polyester. It’s not as cheap and easy to make and it’s less easy to work with than synthetic fabrics. 

That’s right, they do. Spandex (or Lycra) is a synthetic fibre and we’ve incorporated it into our garments to give the stretch we need. We’ve used very little - only 5 to 10% - and we’ve been actively searching for a natural alternative since day one. As soon as it exists, we will be the first in line to use it. Until then, know that wearing Airoc is still vastly kinder to the environment than synthetic fabrics (virgin or recycled).