We’re all so much more environmentally conscious now than we were say, 10 years ago. Something that has been noticed by many mainstream brands in recent years. The materials being used has changed dramatically from cheap, factory made materials, to the more natural eco friendly alternatives. Clothing inspired by nature. Sustainability is creeping its way up on the agendas of garment technologists across the world. However, which materials evoke nature inspired clothing ideals – and what fabrics are natural?
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What Are The 4 Natural Fabrics?
The list of natural fabrics for clothing include…
- Linen
- Hemp
- Cotton
- Jute
Linen
Linen is a great material due to its breathability and comfort, often used in summer clothing. Plus linen is also used in household items such as bedsheets and towels. However, not many people know that linen is a plant derivative! Made from the stem of the flax plant. Also, growing linen is not an excessive time nor water consuming process, so it’s great for the environment. It rivals cotton on durability, and it even gets stronger with every wash.
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As an organic fabric, when untreated it’s biodegradable. Making it a brilliant choice for the environmentally conscious. Linen products are timeless wardrobe staples. Plus, they look brilliant in white or alternatively muted tones like ecru, ivory, tan and grey.
Natural Hemp Clothing
Did you know, hemp is one of the oldest fabrics in the world. Derived from the stem of the hemp plant, and the resultant product shares a lot of similarities with linen. The qualities of hemp garments help to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer months. Making it an extremely versatile choice to incorporate into items for every season. It is also extremely UV resistant, making it great for swimwear!
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The hemp plant itself is also pest resistant. Meaning it doesn’t require any harmful herbicides, fungicides or pesticides to yield. An added bonus is that it doesn’t need much water either, and only a small surface area to grow. Plus, as it grows, it returns much of the nutrients it uses to the soil. Making it good for the surrounding ecosystem.
Organic Cotton
Conventional cotton is notorious for its chemical reliance and dependence on copious amounts of water. Whereas organic cotton doesn’t require any harmful pesticides and doesn’t need as much water to grow.
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This material takes a holistic revision of the classic production methods of cotton. While maintaining all the benefits of being a natural fibre. It’s a breathable, sustainable alternative which can be incorporated into various garments.
Jute
Jute is probably the least well-known of the 4 main natural fabrics. It is made from the bark of the white jute plant (Corchorus capsularis). It’s often known as the golden fibre because it has a golden, silky shine to it. Jute is biodegradable and is around 30% stronger than that of cotton.
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However, jute is often used for clothes due to it’s rough and hardy texture. Instead, it’s normally used for things such as…
- Packaging for agricultural and industrial commodities.
- Bags, sacks, packs, and wrappings.
Widely used in these ways due to its low cost. It’s also known as hessian or burlap in places such as America.
Tencel (Lyocell/ Modal)
An Australian firm have pioneered the production of Tencel. Combining and then dissolving cotton scraps and wood pulp, sourced from certified sustainable forests. The material is essentially cellulose fibres. It produces a light and multi-purpose fabric, which has soared in availability in recent years.
- 50% more absorbent than cotton
- Unshaken by moisture
- Impressive anti-bacterial quality – making it the ideal choice for activewear garments.
In terms of efficiency, it’s far cheaper, and less resource consuming than producing conventional cotton. As well as this, it’s biodegradable which is a sought-after quality these days. Especially in a society which is looking more towards finding new ways to limit our input onto landfill sites.
The materials that make up our day-to-day outfits are changing daily. We could certainly be seeing a lot more clothing inspired by nature in the future.
Personally, i love linen the most out of these natural fabrics due to its lightweight feel – however, it does tend to crease more quickly than some of the other alternatives.
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