Prana is an apparel brand that specializes in sustainable products. Aside from clothing, they also sell accessories such as bags, headbands, and more. They even have a yoga collection, which consists of mats, blocks, straps, and towels.
More About Prana
Prana was founded by Pam and Beaver Theodosakis in 1992. Realizing that there was a lot to be desired with climbing and yoga, they decided to start their own line of products—out of their garage. They sewed the pieces themselves and labeled everything with recycled paper. They also shipped everyone out in boxes from local grocery stores.
Since then, the brand has expanded tremendously. Not only do they have multiple stores, but they’ve also worked with multiple ambassadors such as Paul Robinson, Rannveig Aamodt, Nose Cassart, and Chris Sharma.
More About Prana’s Products
Prana sells a variety of clothing including sweaters, yoga tops, jackets, shorts, swimsuits, and denim. They also have a few activity collections for yoga, climbing, and travelling enthusiasts.
As far as pricing goes, it’s relatively affordable. It’s not particularly cheap, but it’s not super expensive either. For example, you’re looking at around $40 to $50 for a shirt. Their jackets can also be bought for around $100 to $150. Keep in mind, however, that they have frequent sales. In fact, they have a section on their site just for that!
Taking Care of Prana Clothing
Prana prides themselves in their quality clothing. Everything is made with attention to construction and quality. That’s not to say that they won’t wear down with time, however. They will. Clothing will be clothing, after all.
The best thing that you can do to lengthen its lifespan is to take good care of it. This means washing, drying, and storing it properly. The last thing that you want to do is to ruin a brand new jacket or top with one wrong step!
Materials Used by Prana
Their clothing is made from various fabrics. Why is this important? The fabric determines how you want to wash the particular item!
Nylon
Nylon (also known as polyamide) is a type of man-made material that’s derived from plastic. Not only is it flexible, but it’s also lightweight, durable, and water-resistant. Because of this, it’s often used for clothing such as activewear and underwear.
Prana uses nylon for some of their jackets, tops, and bottoms.
Polyester
Polyester is another type of synthetic fabric that’s often used for sportswear. Highly durable, it is resistant to water, wrinkles, and many chemicals. On top of all that, it has moisture-wicking properties. In other words, it has the ability to pull sweat away from the skin. This is one of the major reasons why it’s incorporated in activewear.
Prana uses polyester for some of their jackets, tops, and bottoms.
Elastane
Elastane is a super elastic material. It’s often used in clothing such as leggings to provide a bit of stretch. Unlike other synthetic fabrics, however, it’s rarely used by itself—that is, it’s typically mixed with another material such as polyester or cotton.
Rada uses elastane for their bottoms, tops, and more.
How to Wash Prana Leggings/Yoga Pants/Tights
Prana sells a variety of leggings and tights. Here’s how you can wash them!
Are Prana Leggings and Tights Machine Washable?
Just because they’re a luxury fashion house, doesn’t mean that their clothes are dry clean only. You can absolutely wash their leggings and tights in the washing machine! Assuming that you’re working with a load, you’ll want to start by sorting the colors. Make sure that you wash darks with darks and lights with lights—don’t mix them, otherwise, you the dyes might run.
Once you’ve got everything organized, turn the pants inside out. This will make it easier for the washer to get rid of the sweat and dirt as they will be exposed to the outside. On top of that, it’ll prevent the outside from getting worn. Here’s a tip—put the items in a mesh laundry bag. That will prevent them from getting damaged during the wash cycle. A pillowcase is a great alternative if you don’t have one.
Put it into the washing machine and add soap. As long as the leggings are made from synthetic materials (which most of them are), you can use one scoop of ACTIVE detergent. Place the powder onto the drum if you have a top loader or into the drawer if you have a front loader. Next, select your setting. You always want to use a delicate cycle as that’s gentlest on your clothes. Another thing—you want to use cold water. Hot water can damage and warp certain fabrics, which isn’t something that you want.
Pro-tip: Fabric softener is a no-no. It’ll coat your bottoms in a layer of wax-like material that will prevent sweat from reaching the surface. White vinegar is a safe alternative if you want to soften your clothes.
Press the start button and wait for the cycle to finish completely. Take out the laundry bags and remove your leggings and tights. Put them on a clothesline and allow them to dry naturally in a well-ventilated room. Never place them in the dryer—trust me, that’s the quickest and easiest way to ruin them.
Washing Prana Leggings and Tights By Hand
Want to be extra careful with your Prana bottoms (who wouldn’t)? Consider washing them manually by hand. That way, you won’t have to expose them to the agitation of the machine. The entire process is quite simple as well. Start with a sink or basin full of warm water. Make sure that you don’t fill it up to the brim, otherwise, it might spill.
Measure a scoop of ACTIVE detergent powder and add it to the sink. Dissolve it by swirling your hand in the water. Eventually, you should see soap suds. Place your bottoms in and gently press down so that all of the fabric is submerged. Let everything soak for at least 20 minutes—the longer the better as that’ll give the detergent time to lift the dirt and sweat.
Massage the fabric with your hands to get rid of any loose debris. Rinse off the detergent by placing the bottoms under the tap. You can also re-fill the sink with clean water and do it that way. In any case, you want to remove all soap residue (leftovers can easily irritate your skin).
Once you’re finished, transfer them onto a clean table. Blot the bottoms carefully with a towel to soak up some of the excess moisture. If you want, you can also put it inside and roll it up. As soon as it’s no longer dripping, put it on a drying rack or clothesline and let it air dry. As always, tumble dry is a no-no.
Note: You can also wash their men performance pants and tops the same way
Washing Instructions for Prana Sports Bras
Believe it or not but Prana does sell sports bras. Assuming that you’ve been working out, chances are, the material will get sweaty! That’s why you want to wash them regularly. Here’s how.
Putting Prana Sports Bras in the Washing Machine
Their sports bras are made from synthetic materials so you don’t have to worry about putting them in the washer. If anything, that’s what they expect you to do! To start, put them in a lingerie bag. This is important—it prevents the elastic from stretching out, which will render your sports bra useless. It’s fine to place more than one in a bag but try not to overstuff. It’s worth noting that you can also wash the bras with other garments such as shirts and leggings (ideally others that are also made from man-made fibers). Avoid putting them together with coarse items such as jeans.
Place the lingerie bag into the washing machine and go for a delicate cycle. Never use the “normal” setting as that’ll be too much for the delicates. From there, the next thing that you want to do is to add the detergent. Unless you’re washing a huge load, one scoop of ACTIVE detergent will do. Add it to the drawer or drum depending on the type of washing machine that you have. Never use fabric softener—it’ll cause the material to retain your sweat, which will leave you feeling clammy.
Run the delicate cycle and wait for it to finish before taking out the lingerie bags. Remove each of your sports bras and hang them up so that they can air dry. Never tumble dry as the heat will ruin the elastic not to mention the material!
Washing Prana Sports Bras By Hand
Don’t feel like doing a load of laundry? You can wash them by hand. Start with a basin of warm water just like bottoms and add your ACTIVE detergent—generally speaking, one scoop should be enough (you can customize the amount depending on how many bras you’re washing). Do not use hot water as it’ll warp and stretch the elastic, which will ruin the fit of the sports bra. Let it soak for at least 20-30 minutes once it’s fully submerged.
Gently rub the fabric with your hand to clean it afterward. When you’re done with that, rinse off the soap with clean water. You don’t want there to be anything leftover. Finally, transfer the sports bra onto a clean towel. Blot it dry to some degree and hang it up to dry. Never ever wring the bra like a towel as that will stretch out the fabric, which is the last thing that you want. As always, do not put it in the dryer.
Best Way to Wash Prana Swimwear
It’s important to clean your swimsuit as soon as possible after going to the pool or beach. Sweat and body oils can easily cause the elastic fibers to stretch and break down. Not to mention that chlorine can affect its elasticity as well!
The first thing that you want to do is to rinse the suit in cool water. If possible, let it soak for at least 20-30 minutes. That should remove most of the body oil and chemicals that are on the fabric. Keep in mind, however, that plain water won’t remove everything—you’ll need to use soap.
Fill a sink with cool water and add a tiny bit of ACTIVE detergent. Make sure to dissolve the powder completely. Next, turn your swimsuit inside out—that will allow it to clean better. Submerge it into the soapy mixture and swish it around for a couple of minutes. Following that, rinse it well under the sink. When you’re done, remove the swimsuit and gently squeeze out the extra water. Never wring it; that will damage the elastic, which will cause it to change shapes.
Place your swimsuit on a drying rack and let it air dry. Never put it under direct sunlight as the UV rays will break down the fibers. Not to mention that the colors will also fade!
