Organic Cotton and Bamboo Viscose Yoga Wear | Breath of Fire

Q: What materials we use

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Q: Three generations of women

Three generations of women.My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2004, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today.Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

The fiber that touches your skin during practice matters. We chose two: organic cotton and bamboo viscose. We have stayed with them since 2009.

At Breath of Fire, every garment is made from one of two natural fibers, or a blend of both. Not three. Not five. Two. When you wear yoga clothes that breathe with you for years, the fiber is not a detail. It is the choice.

Organic cotton: the root

Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers, with attention to soil and water. The soil can regenerate. The hands that harvest it are not exposed to toxic sprays.

That is the agricultural reality. The reality you feel on the mat is different, and just as important:

Softness. A well-made organic cotton jersey feels close to the skin and never abrasive, especially in seated and reclined postures. Our signature brushed jersey (92% certified organic cotton, 8% elastane, 220 g/m²) has a soft, peach-skin touch.
Breathability. Pranayama, śavāsana, long meditations: the body needs to exchange air with what it wears. Synthetic fibers hold heat and moisture. Cotton lets them pass.
Durability. Cared for gently, an organic cotton jersey lasts for years and softens over time. The piece you still reach for after five years is rarely the synthetic one.
Tradition. In the yogic traditions of India, practice has long happened in natural fibers: cotton, linen, wool. When the body opens, what touches it should be alive.

You will find this fabric in our Evergreen collection (Sohang, Amrit, Siri, Amba, Sadhak), and a lighter, mercerized organic cotton jersey (180 g/m²) with a subtle sheen in our Essence collection.

Black Sohang yoga legging with gaiters in brushed organic cotton jersey — Sohang yoga legging in black, brushed organic cotton jersey 220 g/m², opaque in every pose.

Bamboo viscose: the silk of the East

Bamboo viscose is made from the cellulose of the bamboo plant, transformed into a soft, silky, breathable fiber. We blend it with organic cotton for the pieces of our Evolve collection (the Lilii pants, the Cosma shirt, the Vega leggings, the Aurora bra), where we want a different drape, a different weight, a different feel on the skin. The exact composition varies by piece and is shown on each product page.

Cooling silkiness. Bamboo viscose feels cool to the touch, even in summer heat. Lovely for warm-weather practice.
Moisture absorption. The fiber absorbs moisture well and lets it evaporate, so you stay drier.
Gentle on the skin. Smooth and soft, it is often appreciated by people with sensitive skin.
Fast renewable. Bamboo grows very quickly and regrows from its roots after harvest, usually with little water and no pesticides.

Vega yoga leggings in lilac, bamboo viscose and organic cotton blend — Vega leggings in lilac, from the Evolve collection in bamboo viscose and organic cotton.

Where our pieces are made

Our organic cotton collections are made in Portugal, in a family workshop near Porto that we have worked with since 2009. The bamboo blend pieces of the Evolve collection are made in Turkey. In both places we work in small batches, with no overproduction. Our dyes are certified OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, Class I, the level required for baby articles.

Production of Breath of Fire yoga wear in the family workshop in Portugal — In the Portuguese workshop where our organic cotton pieces are cut and sewn.

What we do not use, and why

You will not find polyester, recycled plastic or lycra-heavy synthetics in our collections. A small share of elastane gives our jerseys their stretch, nothing more. Synthetics have their place in the world, but not against the skin during practice. The body opens during yoga. Microplastic does not belong in that opening. We compare both options honestly in natural fibers versus recycled plastic fabrics.

The decision costs more. Raw natural materials have become rarer and more expensive. Many brands have turned to recycled plastic to protect their margins. We have not. We pay more for the fibers, work in smaller batches, and trust that the people who wear our pieces feel the difference.

You do. We hear it every week, in the emails we read personally.

Wear what your body breathes through. That is the whole brief. Read more about the benefits of natural fibers in yoga clothing, and how to care for them so they last.

Frequently asked questions

Is bamboo viscose a natural fiber?

It is made from a natural raw material, bamboo cellulose, which is then processed into a viscose fiber. It is not petroleum based, and it stays soft, breathable and cool on the skin. We always blend it with organic cotton.

Why do your cotton pieces contain elastane?

8% elastane gives the jersey stretch and helps each piece keep its shape through years of practice and washing. The rest is certified organic cotton.

Which fabric should I choose?

Brushed organic cotton (Evergreen) is cozy, opaque and structured: perfect for every season and for Kundalini or Hatha. Mercerized cotton (Essence) is lighter, with a soft sheen. Bamboo blends (Evolve) are fluid and cool, ideal for summer and loose fits. Our fabrics page compares them side by side.

Shop organic cotton | Shop bamboo viscose

Two fibers. One promise: clothing that breathes with you.

Join our community and receive inspiration on yoga, movement, and conscious living — plus exclusive offers.

Once you have signed up, go to your inbox to receive the discount.

What you wear matters. The texture against skin. The breath that moves freely. Pieces that soften with the years.

Our clothes are certified organic cotton, knitted and sewn in Portugal in small batches since 2009. Natural fibers. Slow craft. Clothing for those who pay attention to what touches the body.

Near Porto, in Portugal, two small family businesses work side by side for us. The first, in one village, knits our organic cotton from scratch and dyes it to our specifications. The second, in the next village, cuts and sews. We have been visiting both every year since 2009. We know the people by name. We share meals when we visit. They have watched our collections grow alongside their own children.

During the Covid years, when organic cotton and bamboo became briefly impossible to source in Portugal, we found a second family workshop in Turkey — also ethical, also certified, also personal. About 5% of what we make passes through their hands today. The Mizar Kimono and a few Lilac pieces from past collections come from there.

Most yoga brands buy fabric from a market — pre-made rolls, ready to cut. We don't. Every meter of jersey we use is knitted from scratch to our specifications. That is why the Sohang feels the way it does. That is why a five-year-old pair softens instead of wearing thin.

A slower way of making clothes. Sometimes inconvenient. Always worth it.

Sustainability for us is not a marketing department. It is a series of small, sometimes annoying choices we have made since 2009.

We chose certified organic cotton when it was 40% more expensive than conventional or plastic fabrics. We still pay that premium today. We grow without external capital which means we cannot afford to overstock, so we don't. We use every meter of yarn we order, even when it means smaller runs and longer waits. We are 100% self funded and all the money is placed in ethical funds in a local bank.

We focus on evergreen pieces, the Sohang, the Amrit, the Amba instead of seasonal collections. Some of these designs are over a decade old and still our bestsellers. A garment worn for ten years on a body is the most sustainable thing a fashion brand can make.

Our fabrics are dyed with processes gentle enough for a baby's skin. We package in either recycled or biodegradable bags. We ship from our small warehouse in Cully (Switzerland) or our partner in Germany, never overseas.

We don't tick every box. We are not perfect. But these are the choices we make, and we make them visible.

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.

Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.

Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.

Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.

Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.

We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Three generations of women.

My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.

My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2004, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today.

Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.

We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.

That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

Search

Cart

Why We Only Use Organic Cotton and Bamboo Viscose

Organic cotton: the root

Bamboo viscose: the silk of the East

Where our pieces are made

What we do not use, and why

Frequently asked questions

Is bamboo viscose a natural fiber?

Why do your cotton pieces contain elastane?

Which fabric should I choose?

Wear your frequency.

Two villages in Portugal make your clothes

The slow choices behind our sustainability

What materials we use

Three generations of women