Cotton is approximately 55 percent of the fiber used in clothing and textile production. One standard within sustainable cotton is organic, which does not need pesticides or insecticides and uses less water and energy. It’s environmentally friendly and provides financial security for smallholder cotton farmers.

Hemp, wool, organic cotton, soy silk, bamboo fabrics, jute, corn fiber etc are considered as eco-friendly fabrics due to their availability from nature with out any harmful effects of chemical or toxics. Moreover, as compared to other synthetic fibers they are available in a cheaper rate.

Natural fibres are obtained from plants (such as cotton, hemp, jute etc.), from animals (such as wool, fur etc.), or insects (such as silk). Man-made fibres can be divided into two categories synthetic fibres and regenerated fibres. Examples of such fibres are bamboo, rayon, lyocell, tencel, viscose etc.

Natural Fibres

• Recycled Cotton. Cotton is one of the most common and most used fabrics.
• Organic Hemp. It seems like hemp is everywhere at the moment.
• Organic Linen. Linen is another natural fibre we’ve been growing for centuries.
• Tencel.
• Piñatex.
• Econyl.
• Qmonos.

The worst fabrics for the environment: Cotton, synthetics and animal-derived materials

• It takes up to 3,000. gallons of water to make a single cotton t-shirt.
• Synthetic fabrics rely on the petrochemical industries for their raw material. (Getty/iStock)
• Materials like leather are responsible for huge methane outputs.

Eco/Ethical Fabric & Yarn Stores

• BULK HEMP WAREHOUSE (USA) – Sells a variety of hemp products include fabrics.
• DELYLA (Canada) – sustainable knits made in Canada.
• ELVELYCKAN DESIGN (Sweden) – GOTS certified organic cotton fabrics, design their own prints.
• FAB SCRAP (USA) – reclaimed and deadstock fabrics.

Linen is one of the most biodegradable and stylish fabrics in fashion history. It is strong, naturally moth resistant, and made from flax plant fibres, so when untreated (i.e. not dyed) it is fully biodegradable

satin is not vegan if silk is used, satin is harmful to wildlife and ecosystems if nylon or polyester is used. Is satin vegan? No, satin is not vegan if silk is used. Yes, satin is vegan if nylon or polyester is used but harmful to wildlife and ecosystems since nylon and polyester are not eco friendly materials

Generally speaking, silk is considered a more sustainable fiber. It is a renewable resource, can biodegrade, and uses less water, chemicals, and energy than many other fibers.

According to the Higg Index, silk has by far the worst impact on the environment of any textile, including polyester, viscose/rayon, and lyocell. It’s worse than the much-demonized cotton, using more fresh water, causing more water pollution, and emitting more greenhouse gases

Some must immerse their hands in vats of scalding water to palpate the cocoons, causing their skin to become raw and blistered. Children who wind the silk into strands often suffer from cuts that go untreated and can become infected.

Real silk is very expensive, considering that it takes about 10000 cocoons to make the silk and all the other costs associated with the production, such as the exclusive feel of the fabric. Even real silk takes a long time to form and to be processed into a workable material, which is why it is so expensive.

Real silk is completely smooth to the touch, with a soft and almost waxy feeling. Further to that, if you scrunch it up a bit in your hand, you should hear a crunching noise – that sound should tell you that it’s the real deal. For extra peace of mind, rub the silk between your fingers for a little while

May 12, 2016. Momme(mm) is used to measure density of silk fabrics and provide understanding of the quality in a silk fabric. If a piece of silk with the dimensions 100 ft, (30.5 metres), by 45 inches(1.1 metres), weighed 22 pounds (9.7 kg), then the density of the silk fabric would be 22 momme

Just like cashmere, there are many different types of silk, the price can vary from $8 to $80 /yard. The price differences depend on silk farms and how they manage their silk supplies

Silk. Because silk is a natural material made from protein fibers, heat will cause it to shrink. Pre-washing a silk garment for more than 5 minutes before washing causes its fibers to tighten. Once heat is applied to the garment after soaking it for a long time, the silk will shrink

Artificial silk or rayon is produced in mills, is produced in bulk at one time and requires less labour and skill whereas original silk is produced by the silk worms and it requires a lot of skill, labour and time to treat the worms and extract silk from them. Hence artificial silk is cheaper than natural silk

Mulberry silk is the highest quality silk available for purchase. The unique thing about Mulberry silk is how it is produced. The resulting cocoons are spun into raw silk fibers. Because the silkworms of the Bombyx mori moth are fed only Mulberry leaves, the resulting silk is some of the finest available in the world

Artificial silk or art silk is any synthetic fiber which resembles silk, but typically costs less to produce. Frequently, “artificial silk” is just a synonym for rayon. When made out of bamboo viscose it is also sometimes called bamboo silk.

Answer: Advantages of artificial silk over natural silk are: Artificial silk or rayon is cheaper than silk, It can be dyed in a variety of colours. It can be used to make bed sheets on mixing with cotton, and on mixing with wool can be used to make carpets

Having being made of thin fibers, rayon does not stick to the body in excess heat, thus giving comfort and cooling effect to the person who wears it

Some fibres are called as synthetic fibers because these are manmade fibers prepared by using chemicals. These are made of small units that join together to form long chains. Some of the examples of synthetic fibres are nylon, rayon, acrylic, polyester etc.

Synthetic fibers melt on heating. If they catch fire, they melt and stick to the body of the person wearing them. This is why it is advised not to wear clothes made of synthetic fiber while working in a kitchen or in a fire laboratory

Thermoplastic materials are those polymers that can be easily melted and moulded indefinitely on heating and harden up on cooling. When frozen, they become glass like and can be broken. Due to its this property, clothes made from synthetic fibres become hazardous and dangerous if brought near fire.

Cellulose fibres

Synthetic fibers like catch fire easily because they are artificial polymer fibers that melt upon heating. They burn, melt and shrink away in the flame. While burning, synthetic fibers emit acid vinegar-like odor and residues plastic beads