The Changing Landscape of American Organic Cotton

I live in a cotton producing area.  In October I drive past miles and miles cotton fields.  Bits of white fluff line the road like frost.  Yet, I've repeatedly heard "there are almost no cotton fabric mills in the US, much less one that makes organic fabric."  Really?  We grow mountains of cotton, I drive past them regularly.  Do we really ship it all to be processed overseas?

Turns out that since all of the stories that the American textile company was on its last legs, much has changed.  While thousands of factories closed in the last 20 years, they have also consolidated, improved technology and benefitted from being close to the major world markets.  In the last 3 years, the industry has expanded by almost 40% according to the New York Times.  No, it did not bring back the thousands of jobs that they once provided--much of the production is automated--but the ones they brought have decent pay and safe working conditions.  Imagine that!  Many of these revived factories have started oroducing organic cotton fabrics.  In 2010 all of the news stories seem to indicate there was only 1 organic cotton fabric mill in the US.  Now, I can find evidence of at least 4 on this site, not to mention the many others I was able to find through product references.  For instance, there is a mill that now produces organic cotton sheets here.  And another makes custom t-shirts--I bought one from TS Designs  and will write about it after it comes.

Be skeptical if you hear that the US doesn't produce organic cotton fabric--we have factories churning it out by the ton!

Photo from New York Times article linked to above

Thwarting The Felt Monster

So, I have this pair of work socks that are 100% wool and I have washed and dried them repeatedly.  The results?  Stiff tubes of felt that are so difficult to put on that it makes me want to cry.  I obviously did not follow the care instructions.   But, I have other pairs of wool socks that do great in the washer and dryer.  Turns out there is a reason. 

Sheep wool is a part of the skin of the sheep.  The fibers are covered with "scales"--little pieces of protein arranged over the fiber like the scales of a reptile.  All animal fibers have them and the softness of the fibers are directly correlated to how big the scales are.  Turns out that when you get a blob wool warm and wet and then agitate it, scales on the fibers all start to interlock with each other acoss the fiber strands.  Ever look at a piece of felt?  It is a clump of wool where the fibers have become all matted together and trying to pull it apart is an exercise in fulility.  It is like that because the scales on the fibers have become interlocked.  My socks have clearly turned to felt. 

What about my wool socks that are just fine?  Turns out there is an industrial process that can be used to treat the wool to prevent felting called Superwash.  This is a non-technical explanation--if you need a technical one, you will want to consult industry publications.  What Superwash treatment does is remove to scales off of the fibers or what amounts to gluing them down so they can't interlock with each other.  There are several different processes to accomplish scale removal--acid washes, polymer coatings and gas treatments.  All of these result in wool that is perfectly safe for humans to wear and use.  The processes themselves can be toxic to humans and can involve things like cholrine gas, ozone gas, or sulphuric acid.  Each process is subject to patent law and simply not something you can do yourself.  There actually is not a factory making Superwash wool in the US as the amount of wool needed to make such a facility economically viable is not available in the US.  If you purchase Superwash wool products they are probably from Germany, South Africa or China since that is where the Superwash facilites are located.  When wool felts it also shrinks, and since shrinkage can be undesirable the Superwash process was invented to combat this.  It seems be remarkably effective!

Some other factoids:
--not all washable wool is Superwash
--industry estimates say about 5% of Superwash uses acid methods and 95% use polymer coatings
--wool items made before the early 1970s are never Superwash
--while polymer-treated wool can go in the dryer, the heat from the appliance can cause the polymer to lose some of its effect so air-drying is the best way to dry Superwash items if you want them to maintain their Superwash traits.

Photos are of Madelinetosh DK in "Thunderstorm" and Malabrigo Rios in "Zarzamora", both are Superwash treated wool products

Sharon Wauchob--Pearls & Stitches

One of the most exciting things to see in fashion is a designer who is obsessed with their materials.  Sure, designers who are all about shape and color are cool.  There's a real place for them.  But, textiles are the THING that is fashion and I think many designers kinda forget to pay enough attention to it.  Sharon Wauchob's obsession is with excellence in textiles and innovation in fabrics and materials.

Wauchob is an Irish designer who attended St. Martins and currently has both the creative director for both the Sharon Wauchob line and Edun.  The Sharon Wauchob line is based in and shows in Paris; the line is finished in Paris but the textiles are fabricated around the world, with many being made in Japan.  She previously worked for Louis Vuitton and Koji Tatsuno before she started her own line.

The black dress she had in her 2011 Spring show is something to be really excited about.  It looks like...pearls are embroidered on?!  I can't tell from the picture if it is pearls or embroidery, but this particular collection included such dresses and this looks like it should be one of them.  See, I've been quite taken with the idea of clothes with real pearls applied to them for quite some time and I've just never seen this done--this makes me sooooo excited!!  Its beautiful, classic but wearable, it's exactly what I want to wear this spring.  The colors are ones that look great on everyone, the neckline is interesting and the print-effect of the fabric is beautiful.  Love this dress!!

Another look in Wauchob's collection that was really something was the brown tone on tone suit.  I know, it's very simple.  But, its flattering and YOUNG looking.  Its friggin hard to find a nice, beautiful suit as a young woman.  They don't make them.  But, here is one of those unicorns--a suit any woman can wear without making them look old and fashion-backward.  The blazer is incredibly lovely and makes the model look slim and modern.  The blouse is simple and feminine.  The pants are flattering and comfortable looking.  Also, the fabrics of the pieces look BEAUTIFUL.  You just want to reach out and touch them.  The look luscious and expensive.  Sure, the look is simple but its really something work wearing.  Wauchob is known for her "alternative" looks, but in this she shows that she can do all things, even classic.

The Sharon Wauchob line is absolutely lovely, not just for the basic design elements, but for the attention to detail and work put in towards using the best textiles.  I mean, a dress with stripes made of pearls?!

Pictures from Style