The best workout shorts for women are comfortable, affordable, and cute to make you look stylish and feel at ease while running, doing yoga, Pilates, or exercising at the gym.
If you are interested in cheap and cozy sports clothing that help you look and perform your best, then choose ethically made, versatile, and durable pieces produced with recycled or organic materials.
Thankfully, many sportswear brands now offer affordable and sustainable options that make working out while protecting the environment very easy for you.
Here are some of the best affordable and cute workout shorts for women made under high social and environmental standards to help you look fashionable with a good conscience.
I've got you covered if you also need cheap and eco-friendly yoga and gym leggings that don't sacrifice sustainability for style, comfort, or performance.
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1. Wolven
Category: Basics, leggings, shorts, tees, tanks, sports bras
For: Women, men
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $50-$110
Wolven is a sustainable activewear and swimwear brand that creates patterns inspired by nature to make sustainability sexy. It uses vibrant colors inspired by Indian art, celebration, and the roots of yoga.
Wolven believes that we should do whatever we can in our power to protect our home, the Earth. Beautiful fashion should not come at the expense of our planet.
Wolven makes stylish and cute workout shorts that help with athletic performance and confidence. It uses healthy, safe, upcycled, and recycled materials and gives a second life to plastic waste to keep plastic out of ecosystems.
2. Made Trade
Category: Basics, leggings, crop tops, shorts, sports bras, pants
For: Women, men
From: Portland, Oregon, United States
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, vegan, BIPOC, made in the USA
Prices: $60-$150
Made Trade curates a fantastic collection of beautiful, sustainable, and ethically-made goods for the modern wardrobe and home. It offers affordable gym shorts, tops, and pants for women and men.
Made Trade is committed to transparency and making a positive impact on the world. The curated online marketplace sells a great selection of ethical products handcrafted in the USA and around the world.
Made Trade adheres to sustainable and fair practices that support both artisans and the Earth's natural resources. It strives to make the world a more beautiful place through higher ethical standards.
3. Organic Basics
Category: Basics, leggings, shorts, sports bras
For: Women, men
From: Copenhagen, Denmark
Values: Organic, recycled, local, give back
Prices: $30-$90
Organic Basics is an eco-friendly apparel brand making affordable essentials and activewear in Europe with organic cotton, Tencel, and recycled materials.
Organic Basics is committed to ethical production and puts sustainable thinking at the center of everything it does. Sustainability is its core mission. It offers cheap and cute leggings, shorts, sports bras, and more for women.
The clothing label invests in quality fabrics and designs its apparel with simplicity and function in mind. It also has a fund that supports grassroots activists and organizations that address environmental crises.
4. Boody
Category: Basics, leggings, bras, tops, shorts, tanks
For: Women, men, children
From: San Diego, California, United States
Values: Organic, vegan, give back
Prices: $20-$70
Boody is a sustainable fashion label making everyday soft and affordable clothing essentials. It uses bamboo viscose to produce most of its beautiful, comfortable, and sustainable workout shorts.
Boody aims to deliver easy-to-wear pieces to make you feel good. It creates eco-friendly basics, loungewear, activewear, and accessories for women, men, and kids.
The brand ensures that lawful, humane, and ethical work conditions with the WRAP certification. And all bamboo involved in its production chain comes from FSC-certified sustainably managed forests.
5. Groceries Apparel
Category: Basics, leggings, bras, bralettes, shorts
For: Women, men
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, made in the USA
Prices: $30-$100
Groceries Apparel is a sustainable label producing affordable activewear locally in Los Angeles with natural and recycled fabrics, such as organic cotton, hemp, lyocell, and recycled plastic.
Groceries Apparel is redefining transparency and human responsibility by supporting family farms, localized manufacturing, living wages, and Monsanto-free post-consumer ingredients.
The sustainable activewear brand is passionate about empowering human beings. It ensures fair conditions and treatment across its entire supply chain and provides full traceability to its customers.
6. Girlfriend Collective
Category: Basics, leggings, pants, shorts, bras, skirts
For: Women
From: Seattle, Washington, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, inclusive
Prices: $10-$70
Girlfriend Collective makes sustainable loungewear and activewear out of recycled materials, such as recycled polyester from PET bottles and regenerated nylon.
Husband-and-wife duo Ellie and Quang Dinh launched the brand in 2016 to create flattering, comfortable, and supportive workout clothes perfect for the gym, yoga, and leisure.
Girlfriend Collective aims to make luxurious, responsible sportswear and be as transparent as possible. It fosters a community of people who care about beautiful designs as much as the people making their clothes.
The sustainable label makes eco-friendly and high-quality textiles from recycled materials in its facility in Taiwan. It offers affordable gym shorts, leggings, bras, sweats, and more.
7. People Tree
Category: Basics, leggings, trousers, vests, sports bras, shorts
For: Women
From: Tokyo, Japan
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, artisan craft, give back
Prices: $20-$120
People Tree is an online garment retailer making clothes from environmentally-friendly materials, including Fair Trade, certified organic cotton, and recycled materials.
In 2013, it became the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) product label, guaranteeing dedication and compliance with the principles of Fair Trade.
People Tree offers a wide range of affordable and cute basics for women, including activewear, leggings, shorts, tops, trousers, vests, and more for yoga and working out at the gym.
People Tree is committed to working with disadvantaged farmers and workers to promote fairer trading conditions. It helps combat poverty and employs people in underserved communities around the world.
8. Threads 4 Thought
Category: Basics, leggings, sports bras, shorts, pants, tees, tanks
For: Women, men, children
From: NYC, New York, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $20-$90
Threads 4 Thought is a lifestyle brand of everyday basics, workout wear, and other fashion produced responsibly. It creates affordable and cute workout shorts, leggings, sports bras, pants, tops, and more.
The clothing label supports sustainable initiatives to move the fashion industry towards a healthier future for all. It sets an example by exceeding industry standards through innovation in materials and production.
Threads 4 Thought manufactures its clothes in Guatemala and China. It ensures the best working conditions and sustainable production processes.
Threads 4 Thought uses eco-friendly materials to create stylish and comfortable clothes, including organic cotton and recycled polyester. It also partners with the International Rescue Committee to support in-need communities around the world.
9. prAna
Category: Basics, tops, shorts, pants, leggings, sports bras
For: Women, men
From: Carlsbad, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, Fair Trade
Prices: $20-$90
prAna is an outdoor brand that makes clothes for positive change, to inspire new generations to thrive and stay active. Its premium lifestyle clothing includes an extensive collection of affordable and cute workout shorts for women.
prAna offers ethical and affordable clothes for yoga, travel, and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It also stocks a wide range of sustainable and stylish bottoms, tops, leggings, pants, and more.
The clothing label uses a variety of eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, hemp, recycled polyester, and regenerated nylon, as well as cellulosic fibers made from renewable resources such as lyocell and modal.
10. Patagonia
Category: Basics, leggings, tights, shorts, sports bras, pants
For: Women, men, children
From: Ventura, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, local, second-hand, B Corp, give back
Prices: $50-$160
Patagonia is an American clothing company that markets and sells outdoor clothing and gear for silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly fishing, and trail running.
The clothing label also offers a collection of affordable and sustainable shorts, leggings, tights, bottoms, and tops. Its gym and yoga clothes showcase recycled materials and added breathability, support, and comfort.
Its first store opened in 1973, and since then, the brand has quickly expanded its product line. Patagonia is a Certified B Corporation and commits 1% of its total sales to environmental groups.
The outdoor label is committed to higher quality, integrity, and environmentalism. It's highly successful and a leader in the sustainable outdoor market.
Patagonia encourages repairing, sharing, and recycling through its WornWear marketplace of second-hand gear. It's committed to making high-quality products that last for years, so you don't have to buy more.
11. Moonchild Yoga Wear
Category: Basics, leggings, shorts, tops, tanks, bras
For: Women
From: Aarhus, Denmark
Values: Organic, recycled, give back
Prices: $50-$100
Moonchild Yoga Wear makes affordable and eco-friendly activewear and loungewear styles for women inspired by the colors and lights of Scandinavian nature.
The holistic yoga and athleisure wear brand promotes sustainable fashion and does good by giving back to those who need it the most. It offers cheap and cute exercise shorts, leggings, tops, tanks, and bras.
The one-woman owned boutique designs beautiful, feminine, and minimalist pieces for yoga, Pilates, or other types of movement, without compromising performance.
12. Everlane
Category: Basics, leggings, shorts, bras, tanks
For: Women, men
From: San Francisco, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $20-$90
Everlane is an ethical fashion brand creating modern and beautiful essentials, at the best factories, without traditional markups. It's a great destination to buy high-quality, affordable, and cute workout shorts for women.
The clothing retailer is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and sells primarily online. It uses a high proportion of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled fabrics.
Everlane is widely known for its radical transparency. It educates consumers on its supply chain, factories, employees, and the price breakdown of each product.
13. Summersalt
Category: Basics, leggings, travel sets, tops, sports bras, joggers
For: Women
From: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, luxury
Prices: $60-$130
Summersalt is a designer swimwear and activewear brand making quality essentials for the modern woman. It offers a wide range of sustainable and affordable workout shorts, leggings, sports bras, travel wear, and loungewear.
Summersalt creates hardworking activewear for yoga and keeping up with you at the gym. Its pieces are comfortable, chic, and made of recycled materials to offer the best designer quality at the best price.
Summersalt is committed to numerous strategic initiatives for more diversity and inclusion. The brand is passionate about spreading love and kindness and learning how to be better every single day.
14. SILOU
Category: Basics, sets, leggings, sports bras, tops, shorts
For: Women
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, luxury, give back
Prices: $50-$160
SILOU sells luxury, sustainable, and high-quality activewear, loungewear, and swimwear. It uses luxurious, performance-tested fabrics to make eco-friendly exercise shorts, leggings, sports bras, and more.
SILOU follows the idea of wardrobe staples and designs classic, elegant, seasonless, versatile, feminine, and functional athleisure for workouts at the gym, yoga, Pilates, spin, barre, running, and travel.
Its clothes are produced with dedication and care in production houses in both Lithuania and Portugal, under the highest social and environmental standards.
15. Reformation
Category: Basics, shorts, pants, leggings, bras, tops, skirts
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, made in the USA
Prices: $10-$120
Reformation makes sustainable work clothing and accessories. It offers a varied collection of cute wardrobe essentials, including workout shorts, leggings, skirts, and more for petite up to extended sizes.
The eco-friendly brand designs effortless silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure with the most beautiful and sustainable fabrics possible. It pays attention to minimize its social and environmental impacts.
Reformation uses sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, linen, and Tencel lyocell. It makes some of its clothes with upcycled and recycled fabrics as well, such as regenerated nylon or deadstock fabrics.
16. TALA
Category: Basics, leggings, shorts, sports bras, skirts
For: Women
From: Oxford, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, inclusive
Prices: $20-$50
TALA is a British activewear brand that focuses on sustainability and empowering its diverse audience. It makes the majority of its garments using regenerated nylon and spandex.
The label creates environmentally friendly, on-trend, inclusive, sustainable, and affordable sportswear. It's committed to the transparency of its supply chain and the sustainability of its products.
TALA aims to create beautifully-designed clothes for everybody and cares for the environment. Its collection of flattering and cute workout shorts make its customers feel comfortable and empowered.
17. NIMBLE
Category: Basics, tanks, tees, tops, bras, leggings, shorts
For: Women
From: Bondi, Australia
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $50-$100
NIMBLE is a performance activewear brand developed with sustainable materials. It offers a premium range of cute workout shorts, leggings, tanks, tees, pants, tights, sports bras, and outerwear for women.
NIMBLE promises maximum flexibility and movement combined with support in all the right places. Its sustainable activewear range will become your new go-to for high-intensity gym sessions, yoga, Pilates, runs, and even on a rest day.
NIMBLE is passionate about sustainability and always looking for new ways to reduce its environmental impact. It knits its fabrics and manufactures its activewear in Taiwan from recycled plastic bottles.
18. Dharma Bums
Category: Basics, leggings, shorts, pants, capris, bras, tops
For: Women
From: Sydney, Australia
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $50-$110
Dharma Bums is an Australian yoga and activewear brand that creates unique garments to empower both those who wear them and those that make them.
Dharma Bums makes sure the impact it has on the world is a positive one. It finds inspiration in the stunning setting and scenery of the Sydney beaches where it's based.
Dharma Bums designs performance pieces that sculpt and compress with your every move, made ethically and sustainably. It encourages consumers to choose better options and hold companies accountable.
19. Yoga Democracy
Category: Basics, shorts, leggings, bras, tops
For: Women
From: Cave Creek, Arizona, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, give back, made in the USA
Prices: $30-$80
Yoga Democracy makes eco-friendly activewear and swimwear for yoga, running, and swimming, including cute workout shorts, leggings, tees, shorts, yoga mats, and other accessories.
Since 2015, the activewear brand offers a sustainable alternative to workout clothes. It makes the majority of its products in-house in Cave Creek, Arizona.
Yoga Democracy uses recycled materials made from post-consumer plastic bottles and fishing nets. It sources all fabrics in Italy from a supplier with strict labor, health, and safety standards.
20. Niyama Sol
Category: Basics, leggings, capris, shorts, joggers, bras, tanks, tees
For: Women
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $30-$90
Niyama Sol is a sustainable activewear brand created to express your individuality through leggings you want to wear. It uses fabrics made of recycled plastic to ensure that its process is good for the planet.
Niyama Sol stands for radical self-expression inspired by the phenomenal women who create the community. It designs every item of clothing with you in mind.
Niyama Sol is committed to becoming better while having the most fun in the process, from yoga to brunch and ending up at a random street party dancing.
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About the Author: Alex Assoune
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