Hemp Fabric should be hailed for giving rise to a better and more sustainable world. Natural fabrics like cotton, silk and rayon undoubtably give us some of the comfort and style that we seek but the process of yielding them is not as environmentally friendly as you may think. Large scale production of these fabrics has been exploiting our natural resources and is not sustainable. Don’t get the wrong idea here, all of these natural fibres are good but we need less exploitation and allow nature time to recover. To aid this healing process we need an alternative to provide the same feelings of comfort and style that we have become accustomed to without depleting natural resources any further. Hemp is that super-crop that not only imparts sheer comfort but lasts much more than the commonly used natural fabrics and aids the natural recovery of our environment.
What Makes Hemp The Best Natural Fabric?
Gone are the days when hemp was rough and gnarly and only used for rope and sackcloth. Modern Hemp fabric feels amazingly soft and cooling on the skin and is also recognized as the fabric that grows softer with each wash. Hemp is naturally anti-microbial which doesn’t allow bacteria to settle on it. It also holds the power to protect you naturally from harmful UV rays. Therefore, it basically protects your skin, and retains the color of the fabric much better than other fabrics. Hemp is truly a very humble and practical crop. It is not just meant for a showy fashion but is aimed for a sustainable one. The antimicrobial properties of the fabric prevent bacteria build up and kills the smells associated with sweat and body odours, it is also much stronger and more durable than cotton.
Apart from being just practical it is very stylish too. Hemp fashion is on the rise and there are many companies and fashion designers who are switching to hemp made clothes for a refurbished, sustainable fashion lines. These companies are coming up with amazing hemp clothing to from common work wear to high end fashion.
A quick dive into how hemp textiles are produced
While wearing our clothes, how often do we think about how its produced? Not really much. Most of us are not even aware about the hyper-complex supply chain procedure needed to get that common cotton t-shirt to the local store. For hemp, the logistics process is the same as that of cotton but the economic and environmental impact is in a different league.
This is how hemp is produced:
1. Cultivation
2. Harvesting
3. Retting (The process wherein naturally occurring bacteria and fungi, or chemicals, break down the pectins that bind the hemp fibers to be released. Common techniques involves soaking in water, or laying on the ground and letting dew do the ‘retting’)
4. Breaking
5. Scutching (Beating up of the stems which separates the desired fibers from the hemp’s woody core)
6. Hackling (Combing the stems to get rid of unwanted particles)
7. Roving (improving the strength)
8. Spinning
While hemp is harvested and processed in a similar way like other fabrics, the main benefit is derived from the plant itself. Hemp uses 5% of the water required to grow cotton and can be rain-fed. Hemp grows in almost all soil climate and conditions unlike cotton which washes away the nutrients from the soil. Hemp’s deep-reaching roots hold the topsoil and subsoil. Hemp is also very less vulnerable to insects and there is no need to add harmful pesticides. Lastly, hemp grows much faster than other fibers, needing only 120 days from sowing to harvest.
At Hemptology, we import the finest hemp from the pristine Himalayan Mountain Ranges where hemp cultivation has continued for years. This magnificent plant works for the livelihood of many farmers and cultivators and produces finest, purest hemp anywhere in the world. We’re not just talking about the stalk of the hemp plant, which is a part used to produce hemp fabric, the leaves and seeds of the plant are used to make the versatile hemp seed oil, hemp seed protein powder, bio-fuel and many other products at no cost to the environment. We come back to the conclusion like we have so many times now that hemp fabric is no normal fabric and the notion that it’s just a drug plant needs to be eliminated. False information is dangerous and this is why our blog promotes education and understanding of hemp. Amongst all natural fabrics, Hemp actually stands aloft as the best of all.
