Organic & Sustainable Fabrics

Sustainable fabrics are fabrics which are biodegradable and made without chemical additives, such as petroleum, and pesticides or insecticides are becoming more available. High-profile companies have jumped on the "green" bandwagon i.e. Gucci featured bamboo items in a recent collection, but eco fashion is still far from mainstream.

Hemp fabric, is similar to linen, is derived from the cannabis plant, aka marijuana. Because of its origin, the cultivation of industrial hemp is illegal in the United States and because of the strong production of cotton in the US it will probably remain banned.

In 1999, Li Guangi created a soybean fibre a silky fabric that apparently feels like cashmere. Part of it’s appeal is that it is antimicrobial, which mean it inhibits bacterial growth, and wicks away moisture and it also offers ultraviolet ray protection, and make s the tea (no we made the tea bit up).

Another new eco- textile is made from the pulp of the fastest-growing plant on the planet, bamboo and it’s feel is compared to silk. Attributes include breathability and moisture absorption.

Interesting but you try and buy them even searching for soy clothing on the net brings up little joy, that said we are working with a few companies that produce hemp t-shirts, use organic cottons for t-shirts, polo’s and jeans, Planet Earth even use Ramie (a grass) to produce jeans and recently we have added No Sweat who construct Hemp Baseball Boots.


On The Urban Shop we have a page on Organic Clothing which outline the ethics and ethos behind eco fashion and list some brands we stock that use organic and sustainable fabrics