Sustainable Fabrics: Bamboo

From The Bamboo Fabric Store website:

Properties of Bamboo Fabric

Bamboo fibre has many excellent properties that make it ideal for processing into textiles. What people find most surprising is that bamboo fabric is exceptionally soft and light, almost silky in feel. This makes it breathable and cool to wear. It is also incredibly hydroscopic; absorbing more water than other conventional fibres such as cotton and polyester.
Bamboo is also very sustainable to grow as it does not require the use of pesticides and grows very quickly in favourable conditions. Bamboo has an anti-bacterial property that is maintained in fabric, meaning that bamboo fabric does not require the use of chemical antibacterial agents.
Bamboo fabric is more antistatic than other types of fabric and also tends to perform better when it comes to odours – it has a natural deodorising property.
Bamboo fibre has a thinness degree and whiteness degree close to normal finely bleached viscose and has a strong durability, stability and tenacity. It stands abrasion and possesses the qualities that make it perfect to spin. The yarn and cloth made by bamboo fiber are labeled first-class quality in all aspects of quality standards. Bamboo fiber fabric is made from bamboo pulp fiber. It is characterized by having good hydroscopic properties, excellent permeability, soft feel, easiness to straighten and dye and splendid colour effect of pigmentation. It is also an environment-friendly raw material that enjoys a splendid prospect for application as its predecessor wood pulp fiber. Meanwhile cloth made by the mixed texture of bamboo fiber and cotton or other raw materials also boasts the same superior property. Towel and bathrobe made of bamboo fiber have a soft and comfortable feel and a special luster. When dyed, it is sparkling and beautiful.
It has the strength of steel. It's a favourite of panda bears. And now, it’s also a soft and beautiful fabric similar to rayon. This durable material has a natural sheen and inherent anti-microbial properties to help keep you odour free. Bamboo is an incredibly sustainable resource, since it's fast-growing and resilient. Bamboo is actually not a wood, it's a grass. Unlike a tree, which can take decades to grow to maturity, bamboo is ready to harvest within 4 to 5 years.
Bamboo fabric is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. Bamboo fabric has been growing in popularity because it has many unique properties and is more sustainable than most textile fibers. Bamboo fabric is light and strong, has excellent wicking properties, and is to some extent antibacterial. The use of bamboo fiber for clothing was a 20th century development, pioneered by several Chinese corporations.
Bamboo fiber resembles cotton in its unspun form, a puffball of light, airy fibers. Many companies use extensive bleaching processes to turn bamboo fiber white, although companies producing organic bamboo fabric leave the bamboo fiber unbleached. To make bamboo fiber, bamboo is heavily pulped until it separates into thin component threads of fiber, which can be spun and dyed for weaving into cloth.
Anti-bacteria: 3 times effect than Cotton Products
Anti-static: 12 times effect than Cotton Products
Hygroscopic: 60% improvement in Comparison with Cotton Products
Deodorization: 30 % improvement in Comparison with Cotton Products

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Organic Cotton: Colors to Dye For

Just how “low impact” is that organic t-shirt you’re wearing? Depends on who made it.

Just because a garment is organic doesn’t mean it’s totally pure. Sometimes chemicals are still used for dyeing and other processing. More on this topic later, but for now, here are two eco-conscious apparel companies trying to keep it real:

Truly Organic Apparel uses only natural dyes made from plants and herbs such as turmeric, onion, and pomegranate. Check out the dyeing process on their website.
Nau has just introduced some clean jeans for Spring. Their new denim isn’t bleached or distressed or treated. Just super stylish. Real people wear raw denim -- and wear it in themselves. We’ll be reviewing more Nau gear soon. Until then, here are some past reviews of Nau apparel.

Soy, Oh Boy

Now you can get even more from the humble soy bean than healthy vegetable protein, creamy soy smoothies, and salty edamame snacks. Innovative companies such as Under the Canopy and Of the Earth are making cottony soft t-shirts out of soy! Read more about how a soy bean becomes a t-shirt here. We’ll be reviewing soy apparel in an upcoming issue.

Merino Wool: The Orginal Performance Fabric

You’d think these merino sheep would get hot wearing all that wool on their daily runs. But you’d be wrong.

Wool is naturally breathable, has serious moisture-wicking capabilities, and does a great job of regulating body temperature. It also repels smells -- you can wear a merino wool t-shirt for days before it needs washing. A handy bonus for travelers and outdoor types.

The new wool isn’t anything like the bulky, scratchy sweaters of your childhood. It’s super-thin, soft against your skin, and conveniently machine-washable. It’s also quick-drying.

If you’re looking for workout wear, or even casual wear, that’s sustainable and effective, give merino wool a try. It keeps you cool in summer, warm in winter. And there are several outdoor apparel companies making some stylish and hard-working tees, tights, and jackets.

Click here to read reviews of merino wool apparel by Smartwool, Ibex, and Icebreaker.

Tag, You're It

So, if a clothing company wants to be green, it should go all the way, right? Consider its packaging, distribution, labeling. Maybe stop using those skinny plastic “I” hooks that attach the labels to the clothes. Are those things even recyclable? Even if they are, they’re impossible to get off without a pair of scissors, and then when you clip them, half of the plastic thingy ends up falling under the couch for you to find next time you Swiffer.

A few green clothing companies, such as Nau, Of the Earth, Fuze, and Certaintees are making their tags more earth friendly, using string and safety pins to label their organic and sustainable goods. Safety pins are totally reusable -- I store mine in a kitchen drawer (and keep a few in my bag) for times I need a quick fix for a hem or tear. And who doesn’t need little pieces of string -- you can tie them all together to make a big piece of string. Or save the little strings and use them to label things at your next garage sale!

Certaintees makes great use of their tags; they’re bookmarks that also contain washing instructions and a list of non-profit organizations Certaintees supports. And their strings are 100% hemp. Fuze has similar info on their tags, plus hidden wildflower seeds in the paper. Plant it, and watch your eco flowers grow. How fancy!

Plant a Tree

Even small companies can make a difference....

Here’s a list of apparel companies giving back to the planet by planting trees....

*Pine IV Jeans - their jeans aren’t organic, but they support American Forests, a global tree-planting program for clean air.
*Tees for Change - they plant a tree for every t-shirt purchased on their site. (Look for a review of Tees of Change here after Feb 1.)

If you know of other treehugging apparel companies, let us know.

Tarma Designs

Think twice before you throw out your old silverware or cooking pots. Stainless steel is recyclable. Tarma Designs makes fun and functional recycled stainless steel jewelry for men and women. Ideal for active folks, Tarma jewelry won’t rust, won’t tarnish, and won’t leave discolored marks on your skin. Even better, they make a variety of nature-inspired designs on earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and bottle openers.

Read reviews of Tarma Designs earrings and necklaces.

Del Forte Denim

I don’t wear Del Forte jeans because Helen Mirren (The Queen) does, I wear them because they’re hot, hot, hot. And so soft, and super skinny, and all organic. But if you care...here’s what some of the celebs wear:

Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) likes the slim-cut Calla jean, Eva La Rue (CSI Miami) wears the Cassia patch pocket jean, and Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls) prefers the Dahlia jean. Other Del Forte fans include: Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), Nikki Reed (O.C.), Tyra Banks, and Sharon Lawrence.

Read a review of the Calla low-rise jean here.

All Right Nau

So about a year ago, I was reading Outside magazine, and came across an article about Nau, a Portland-based company staffed by former Patagonia and Nike folks, making the coolest looking urban gear I’d ever seen. These clothes were sleek and curved, stylish and dynamic, and best of all, good for the environment.

They had jackets made out of recycled plastic and organic cotton cargo pants and soft merino t-shirts. But these were no ordinary outdoor clothes. They were fashionable. Logo-free. And fair trade.

These were the clothes I’d been looking for my whole life. Clothes I could wear hiking, urbaneering, spying, and anything else I wanted to do while looking cool, elegant, and sporty all at the same time.

Naturally, I called them and professed my love. Since then, I’ve wear-tested many of their tops, jackets, skirts, and pants, and am happy to report that my love for them has only grown. (F.Y.I., they make women’s and men’s apparel.)

You, too, will fall in love with them, or at least with their gear, once you read more about their fabulous fair trade fashions at our sister site, fitnesstravelgear.com.

Loomstate Jeans

I’ve been wearing men’s Levi’s 501s for most of my life with no complaints, but I have to be honest...when I discovered Loomstate’s low-rise, super cool organic jeans, I was quick to join the denim renaissance.


Click here to read reviews of Loomstate’s Flux jeans, Genesis jeans, and Mantra jeans. Plus, women’s t-shirts. Loomstate also makes men’s jeans and t-shirts.

Read an interview with Rogan Gregory, designer of Loomstate and Edun jeans.