We Tried It: Rose Buddha Sustainable Leggings

Plastic pop bottles get reincarnated as yoga wear.

Lots of people claim to “live in leggings” but I consider myself something of a connoisseur. Not only am I out of my pants and into my stretchy friends within minutes of walking in my door at the end of the work day, but a lifetime of serious dance training (such that I have an actual university degree in the subject—yes, that’s a thing) and an ensuing yoga obsession have, I believe, given me unique qualifications to judge the merits of this activewear staple.And so it was that I found myself in a Yaletown yoga studio in the middle of my work day to try out Rose Buddha’s entrance into Vancouver’s crowded legging market. What piqued my interest about the made-in-Quebec garments was their bespoke nature. Each pair is hand-sewn and features a design (lotus flowers, nature scenes, etc.) by the company’s artist-in-residence Emilie Beaudoin. What’s more, they’re billed as being 100 percent eco-friendly with the material made of 83 percent recycled pop bottles. I liked the sound of that—unfortunately, they sounded better than they performed.Fabric made from recycled plastic is a noble cause, but these plastic-y-feeling pants stuck a bit too close to the source material; although allegedly breathable, they didn’t seem like it to me. They were also quite sheer across my backside, despite assurances I was in the right size, which played into my number one yoga-class fear: that I’m giving an unintended eyeful with every downward dog. I did like the high waist, although I found it folded over during my hatha class, causing me to disrupt my flow to readjust.However, I did find the array of colours and prints quite cute, so it may be true these are, as the company claims, the perfect leggings for the art of living. But for a serious sweat session, I think I’ll stick to my stockpile of other contenders.Available in Vancouver at Unity Yoga or order online, prices range from $115 to $125.