When was the last time you actually thought about the clothes you wear? Where was it made, what is it made from, who made it? These are important questions these days, and they can also be super complicated. We're here to help. Read on to find out about organic cotton, and all the positive things about it. The benefits to the earth, society, and yourself.
What is organic cotton?
Organic combed cotton is what is sounds like - organic. It wasn't made with anything toxic like synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides. So unlike regularly manufactured cotton, there are no allergenic, toxic, or carcinogenic residues in the material.
How is it made?
Organic combed cotton is made by treating the cotton fibers before they are spun into yarn. First, to improve the strength and quality of the fibers, they are carded - a special (and time-consuming) process where every cotton fibre is lined up next to each other in the same direction. Then the fibers are combed with brushes so that only the longest, strongest and straightest fibers remain. By removing all the shorter and pricklier fibers, the cotton becomes less prone to fraying.
Not only does this increase the durability of the cotton, but it also creates a very soft material that feels good on your skin.
What are the environmental benefits to choosing organic cotton?
This may surprise you, but the fashion industry is actually very polluting. Think about all the chemicals that are used to grow the crops that become the fabrics of our clothes. Those chemicals pollute the air, earth and freshwater sources, creating a toxic environment.
Organic cotton does not use these chemicals. Now, the textile industry is the third largest in the world. If all materials were organically made, including cotton, imagine what a big difference that would make to the amount of chemicals polluting this earth.
You may not know this, but organic cotton uses a lot less water to grown than conventional cotton. Conventional cotton is irrigated, and so uses lots of water while also destroying the surrounding environment. Most organic cotton is rain fed instead, thus protecting freshwater sources and using less water.
For something to be considered organic, it must meet a certain set of standards in biodegradability and toxicity. This means that organic cotton can only use processes, dyes and inks that adhere to these requirement. So organic cotton is 100% biodegradable!
What are the social benefits to choosing organic cotton?
For companies to to be approved by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), they need to comply with key labour standards set by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
This means that working conditions must meet specific criteria defined by ILO.
Conclusion
As for us, it's the material of choice that our personal journey have led us to. It's a canvas worthy of throwing all of our creative energies that we can possibly muster. Our aim is to create clothing that can supplement your expressions of life because of what it's made of, how it's made, how it feels and how it looks - and it starts with every garment that gets worn and loved by you.
Thank you for giving organic combed cotton a chance. Your feet deserve it!