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Underscored: At a glance
- Category: Sustainable sportswear
- Based in: London, UK
- Known for: Plastic-free performance clothing
- Materials: TENCELā¢ Lyocell, SeaCell and bio-based fibres
- Production: Designed in London, made in Portugal
- Sustainability focus: Petroleum-free materials, supply chain transparency, plastic-free packaging
- Best for: Tennis, padel and active lifestyles
Underscored sportswear: What is it?
Underscored is a British sportswear brand built from the fibre up without a single petroleum-derived fibre, creating plastic-free sportswear that proves performance and responsibility donāt have to be a compromise.
Founded by Stuart Saunders, the idea came from a simple but uncomfortable realisation: despite all the progress in sustainable fashion, most activewear is still made from plastic. Polyester, nylon and elastane remain the norm, even in collections marketed as eco-friendly, and each wash releases microfibres into the environment ā fibres that work their way into waterways, soil, food chains, and have been found in blood, lungs, and breast milk.
Stuart says: “The recycled plastic narrative has given the industry a convenient way to claim progress without changing the material. I don’t buy it.”
He created Underscored to challenge that.Ā
Designed in London and produced in Portugal, the brand creates elevated performance wear using natural and bio-based materials instead of the polyester, nylon and elastane that dominate most sportswear.
The current collection focuses on sustainable tennis and padel clothing, inspired by life on and around the court but designed to move beyond sport and into everyday life.
The pieces are intentionally understated, with confidence coming from the materials and construction rather than logos or trend cycles. Expect clean lines, precise fits and a quietly premium quality. “The aesthetic reflects the values: no excess, no shortcuts, nothing that shouldn’t be there,” says Staurt.
What makes Underscored particularly distinctive is its founding principle: to use innovative plant-based and regenerated fibres to create activewear that performs. Underscored believes that doing the right thing should not mean sacrificing performance. And performance should not require plastic.
Underscored best-sellers:
Women’s Ashdown T-Shirt
Ā£59
Women’s Ashdown Tank
Ā£55
Men’s Holmwood T-Shirt
Ā£59
Underscored sportswear: How sustainable is it?
Sustainability at Underscored begins with materials.
The brandās current Ashdown and Holmwood ranges are made entirely from natural and bio-based fibres, with every component, including fabric, thread and labels, selected intentionally to avoid petroleum-derived materials.
Core fabrics include TENCELā¢ Lyocell and SeaCell. TENCELā¢ Lyocell is produced in Austria using FSC-certified wood pulp and SeaCell is an innovative fibre combining cellulose with seaweed harvested selectively from Icelandic waters. Both are produced in a closed-loop manufacturing process that recovers and reuses more than 99% of production solvents.
Production is localised in Europe. Fabric production and garment manufacturing both take place in Portugal through partners selected not only for technical capability but also for transparency, environmental standards and working conditions.
Underscored visited both suppliers in person before production began and built the supply chain around relationships rather than distance. Their garment manufacturer undergoes independent SMETA auditing for labour practices, while both manufacturing partners hold extensive certifications covering environmental management, chemical safety and responsible sourcing.
“The result is a supply chain we’re genuinely proud of, fully contained within Portugal, independently certified at every tier, and built on relationships we’ve established face to face,” says Staurt.
He adds: “But, our biggest blind spot is also our biggest challenge: we don’t yet know the full extent of what’s possible within our own mandate.”
The brand is transparent about where it may have to compromise as it expands its collections. For example, their forthcoming Contour range, which requires stretch, uses 98% bio-based sugarcane-derived elastane but that isn’t the same as the 100% plastic-free claim they can make for their Ashdown range.
Beyond production, Underscored is a certified member of 1% for the Planet, contributing 1% of annual revenue to environmental nonprofits, and independently measures and discloses its carbon footprint through The Climate Label.
Packaging is entirely plastic free, using biodegradable glassine garment bags and FSC-certified kraft paper mailers.
Every product page on their website includes a full provenance section, showing customers exactly where and how each garment was made – from fibre origin through to finished product.
Underscored sportswear: Where can I buy it?
Explore the full collection at Underscored.
