Cotton Fabric

Introduction

Cotton is the world’s most important apparel fiber, making up over 50% of the fabric sold throughout the world.  This isn’t by accident.  With a long history, it has endured because of its unique properties that make it ideal for much of the clothing we wear.  Cotton is attractive, durable, comfortable, and has proven itself countless times to be a superior fiber for clothing manufacturing.

 

Physical Characteristics

Cotton is divided into various groups depending on its physical characteristics; we will focus on two of the most important characteristics, the length of the cotton fiber and its fineness.  Cotton fibers vary in length considerably, from half an inch to 2 inches.  Higher quality is often associated with longer length, and achieving this desired state is more expensive due the risk of a longer growth cycle and an increased demand on resources.  Long fibers make up only 3% of the worldwide output, and their use is typically reserved for high end shirt fabrics and other luxury.  A few varieties of this long fiber cotton used in shirt fabrics are American Pima, Egyptian, and Sea Island Cottons. For a complete article on men's shirt fabrics, click here.   

Cotton fineness (the fiber’s diameter) is another quality characteristic; immature fibers tend to be 20% thinner than mature fibers, and therefore are less strong.  Very high end fabric producers seek to separate the mature from the immature fibers, ensuring high durability. 

Properties

Absorbency

This is what makes cotton so comfortable in hot weather.  It absorbs the moisture from your skin allowing it to evaporate by passing through the fabric, thus allowing your body to regulate your temperature.  This combined with the spun yarns ability to hold the fabric slightly off the skin allows greater comfort than other fabrics in hot conditions. 

 

Heat Conduction

Heat passes freely through cotton; combining this property along with the absorbency characteristic above, you have an unbeatable fiber for making hot weather wearing fabric.  However, in cold weather, this strength is a weakness; typically cotton jackets are not good at retaining the body’s heat.

 

Resiliency

Fabrics made from cotton tend to wrinkle and do not hold their shape well.  This problem can be addressed by specially treating the fabric or blending it with a man made fiber, but you lose a bit of its other properties such as durability and heat conduction by doing so.

 

Durability

Cotton is tough (at least when compared with other common clothing fibers!).  In fact, when wet it increases in strength by 30%; thus throwing 100% cotton shirts in the washing machine may mean a lot of ironing, but you can be sure the fabric will remain intact.  It can be washed with strong detergents, and the only thing you may want to watch out for is it losing some of its color (thus the case for hand washing).  Cotton's molecular structure resists heat damage, so ironing is a great way to get the fabric looking crisp; a quick tip - shirts respond best to ironing when they come immediately out of the dryer still a bit damp and warm. 

Cotton does have some durability issues.  You should use bleach sparingly, as that it weakens the cellulosic fibers of cotton.  It should be stored clean and dry to protect from mildew, which digests cellulose and can cause holes if too much time elapses.  Cotton is also sensitive to acids, thus fruit and fruit juice stains should be treated immediately.

 

Environmental Impact of Cotton

The Bad -

Mainstream farms use chemical pesticides and bioengineering to get the highest quality and highest yield per acre.  The unintended consequences of chemical runoff and more resistant pest insects are well documented.  Cotton is water intensive, and the tilling necessary can lead to soil erosion.

The Good -

Cotton is a renewable resource that has successfully clothed man for centuries.  In part to the Green movement, Organic Cotton has risen in importance and economic viability.  Organic cotton uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and therefore leaves a smaller footprint on the environment.  However, because of lower yield per acre and a lack of economies of scale in the industry, the cost to get this to the consumer often doubles the price.  Another niche being filled is the re-emergence of naturally colored cottons.  Cultivated for thousands of years, naturally colored cotton can be grown in red, brown, beige, and green with other colors in development.

Conclusion