Our Natural fibre philosophy
Why Natural fibres?
We specialise in the production of garments made with a strong natural fibre content, which matches the strategy of our clients who promote the benefits of sustainable and renewable fibres. Although synthetic fibres offer the advantages of cheap prices, there is a serious impact on the environment. Synthetics such as acrylic, polyester and nylon do not break down and instead create landfill issues such as compounding toxicity.
Apparel should not cost the earth
Merino and Organic cotton are two of the worlds most sustainable and renewable fibres. When farmed in a harm-free environmental manner, these fibres can be abundantly renewed year after year without detriment to the environment.
We assist our customers to source natural fibre yarns from top quality Oekotex certified spinning companies. Oekotex is the global standard for garment safety by controlling the testing and validation of the complete supply chain. Read more here.
Only with natural fibres can a concept feel alive
A summary of the most common Natural Fibres
Cotton: almost pure cellulose, with great breathability and is the world's most popular natural fibre. Fibre length varies from 10 to 65 mm, and diameter from 11 to 22 microns. Cotton is the world's most widely used natural fibre but also has many environmental issues such as soil degradation. This is why we promote the use of BCI cotton so that growers who cultivate environmentally sustainable cotton are rewarded.
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Alpaca: It is partly hollow, from 20 to 70 microns in diameter and comes in 22 natural colours. It is light, stronger and more extensible than wool, and provides excellent insulation. Huacayo alpacas produce soft, dense, short fibres, while the fleece of the rarer suri is lustrous, silky and straight. Alpaca blends well with wool, mohair and silk.
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Camel: The fine down fibre of the Bactrian camel averages around 20 microns in diameter and varies in length from 2.5 to 12.5 cm. Baby camel hair, which can measure as fine as 16 microns (on a par with cashmere), is the softest and most prized. The best quality camel yarn was traditionally spun in nomadic households of Inner Mongolia, but is now becoming commercially produced.
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Cashmere: Global standards set an average fibre diameter for cashmere of no more than 16 microns, and top quality fibre is just 13. It has natural crimp, allowing it to be spun into fine, lightweight fabrics. Cashmere has small air spaces between the fibres, which makes it warm without weight, while thin cuticle cells on the fibre surface make it smooth and lustrous. The wool of 4 kashmir goats is needed to make just one cashmere sweater. This rarity means the fibre is one of the most expensive to use.
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Possum Down: This is probably the world's most environmentally beneficial fibre. Harvested from the fur of the Brushtail Possum that was introduced into New Zealand and now causing serious environmental damage. The fibre is hollow and when blended with merino captures warmth more efficiently than any other noble fibre.
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Silk: is a continuous filament thread with great tensile strength with a diameter of 10-13 microns. It has good absorbency, low conductivity and dyes easily. Developed in ancient China, it is more commonly used in woven fabrics where the triangular structure of the filament creates a natural shine.
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Merino wool: has a natural crimp and scale patterns that make it easy to spin. Fabrics made from wool have greater bulk than other textiles, provide better insulation and are resilient, elastic and durable. Fibre diameter ranges for merino 13 microns in superfine merino wool (similar to cashmere) to 22 microns. Anything coarser than 22 microns is classed as 'crossbred' wool and is used more commonly in outerwear jackets or very coarsest micron fibres are used in carpet.
sourced from The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation