Fabrics
our brands are using the following fabrics:
explanation
from fiber to garment making
On this page, I would like to give you a short explanation of the clothing supply chain.
Fibers
Fibers are the origin of all textiles. There are different types of fibers: natural and man-made fibers.
Yarns
Fabrics are made out of fibers (non-woven) or yarns
(woven and knitted fabrics).
For the production of woven and knitted fabrics, you need the production of yarns. Yarn production starts with a blending of fibers. At this stage, also different compositions are mixed, like cotton with polyester.
Weaving and knitting
Yarns can be used in weaving and knitting. For knitted fabric, they use a single looped yarn construction. Woven fabrics made by weaving two or more threads together.
Wet processing
Wet processing is a general name for several processing steps before the garment making. It includes the following steps: pre-treatment (to prepare the garment for dying, for example), coloring and finishing.
Garment making
When the fabric is ready for the garment making, the fabric is sent to the factory where the garment will be made. In the factory, the fabric is cut in the correct size and shape. The cutting is usually done with large cutting machines that handle large bolts of fabric.
After that, the fabric is sent to the garment makers, who assemble the garment. Clothes are made by garment workers. In fast fashion those garment workers are paid badly to make the items cheap. That is why I find it important to choose brands, that are transparent about their supply chain and can show me who is making the garment. That is why I love brands like HARA and By Signe, that produce in their own factory and pay their workers well.
explaining
fibers
Natural fibers
Natural fibers are divided into two main classifications: plant fibers and animal fibers.
Plant fibers
Plant fibers (often called cellulosic fibers) are extracted from plants. Cellulose is the building material and is the basic element of all plants. Cellulose fibers can be derived from nettles, full-grown trees, and plants like the flax plant. Well-known plant fibers are cotton and flax.
Animal fibers
Animal fibers cover wool, fine animal hair, and silk—the building material of animal fibers/materials is protein.
Man-made fabrics
Man-made fibers are divided into cellulose-based fibers (Viscose) and synthetic -oil based fibers, like polyester.
Regenerated fibers
The best knows cellulosic fiber is Viscose. Variants are Lycocell, Cupro, acetate, and modal. Cellulose is needed to produce those fibers. For example, the cellulose used for these fibers is extracted from eucalyptus trees (Tencel) or Bamboo (Bamboo Lyocell).
Synthetic fibers
Different types of synthetic fibers are made of base chemicals, which are derived from crude oil and natural gas. Polyester, polyamide (Nylon), and acryl are all synthetic fibers made of crude oil, which is a non-renewable source. These synthetics are made with a lot of chemicals and energy and are not biodegradable.
explaining
Certifications
GOTS
GOTS is a textile production certification that limits the use of toxic bleaches, dyes, and other chemical inputs during the production process of textiles. Because of its strict policies, it is recognized worldwide as the most demanding standard for organic textiles.
Products must be made from at least 70% certified natural fibers.
Read more about the GOTS certification here.
OEKO-TEX
The OEKO-TEX standard is one of the world's best-known labels for textiles tested for harmful substances. Their most known and used one is OEKTO-TEX standard 100. This is a global standard for which substances are tested and assessed to be free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances known to be harmful to human health.
Read more about OEKO-TEX standard 100 here.