If there’s one thing I’ve learned about fabric since beginning my own line of shirts, it’s how little I know about fabric. So for the last two Saturdays, I’ve taken a fabrication class at FIT where I’ve learned that I will never learn all there is to know about fabric.
But here are some of the interesting things I have learned.
1. Silk worms that eat a diet of mulberry leaves create cultivated silk. Silk worms that eat whatever they want create raw silk.
2. Bamboo fabric is really just rayon, and rayon is no longer produced anywhere in the United States because of the pollution that results from its creation. All the acids and chemicals that turn the fibers into a yarn have to be disposed of somewhere, so it’s only profitable to produce in countries with low environmental standards. This discovery has raised all sorts of questions for me. Is all rayon bad? If so, why would Herve Leger create this amazing jacket out of it? And does this mean we should forgo Bemburg silk lining? If you have the answers, please share! Otherwise, I’ll periodically post what I learn going forward.
3. The finest and softest of all wool is from the Vicuña. This animal has only recently been able to be domesticated. According to our instructor, a Vicuña wool coat would cost more than any mink coat you could buy, and it would be ridiculous to buy one because it’s also the weakest wool. So now you know!
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I think the interesting thing about bamboo fabric is how the production process is in complete opposition to the sustainability of bamboo. Is it really eco-friendly to buy bamboo fabric? There was a knock-down drag-out fight in the FI forum about this a while back… It really offends eco-designers when you bring up how bamboo fabric is made! (Full disclosure — I'm looking at fabrics that are rayon blends for my line.) There are some companies working on sustainable, closed-loop rayon production: http://www.lenzing.com/en/concern/home.html Check out their Tencel brand rayon.