Sisi Tex World - A Guide To Sustainable Fashion Materials

Sisi Tex World says there are two types of textile fibers – natural and synthetic.

The natural fibers come from nature, like cotton and flax or from animals, like silk and wool. Synthetic fibers are, well, made from synthetic fibers.

There’s also something that is often referred to as semi-synthetic which are made from natural materials like cellulose from trees but the fibers are made artificially.

The most common synthetic fibers are made from fossil fuels, and the most common material is known as polyester.

>>>> SYNTHETHIC FIBERS:

·       ACRYLIC: Acrylic is artificially made by petroleum and is a kind of plastic. In the making of acrylic, it takes a lot of toxic chemicals and needs a lot of resources which makes this kind of synthetic fibers one of the worst in terms of environment.

·       ELASTANE / LYCRA / SPANDEX: This material is super stretchy and is very often mixed in with other fibers to make the clothing more elastic, both natural and other synthetic materials.

·       NYLON / POLYAMIDE: The only difference is that nylon a name by a company and the fiber is polyamide.

·       POLYESTER: This is not only the most common synthetic fiber, but nowadays the most common fiber in clothing overall. Especially used in Fast Fashion, as it is such a cheap and versatile material.

 

>>>>>> NATURAL FIBERS:

·       COTTON: The most common material for clothing and while this is a natural fibre and can be grown organically without pesticides the cotton plant need a colossal amount of water to grow.

·       HEMP: Hemp comes from the plant Cannabis Sativa and it might be the most sustainable and environmentally friendly option for textile and had been around for 10.000 years although it is not as common anymore due to law regulations of growing the plants.

·       FLAX (LINEN): The fabric linen is made from flax and comes from the stem of the flower of the plant. It’s a pretty stiff fabric and looks similar to the fabric made from hemp.

>>>>>>> ANIMAL BASED

·       WOOL: When speaking of wool it is from the sheep, other wools normally go under other names, like Angora from the Angora rabbit or Cashmere from the goats originating from the area Kashmir in India.

·       ALPACA: This is a type of wool from the animal called Alpaca, who originates from the Andes in South America. It’s a very soft kind of wool and is in many cases better for those with allergies as it, unlike sheep wool doesn’t contain wool grease.

·       ANGORA: The angora wool comes from the angora rabbits. It is incredibly soft wool but even though it is possible to cut the hair off of the rabbits, there are far too many cases where it is pulled off of the animals, causing them immense pain and suffering.

CASHMERE: This material comes from goats living in Asia, originating in the Indian region Kashmir. While the fabric is made from the shedded wool after the winter season, the goats themselves are not very good for the environment for the fact that they tear up the roots from the grass they eat, which eliminates the protection from soil erosion and water washing away the nutrients in the soil, turning the land into desert like landscapes.

·       CUPRO: This is a semi synthetic fiber, as it is an artificially made fiber made from natural materials coming from the cotton water. The process is much like the making of the semi synthetic material viscose which you can read more about further down.

In The End:

Hope you understood and consider using this fabric while choosing dress for your next party. But it’s recommended to go for only reputed and reliable brands like Sisi Tex World to ensure quality otherwise you will many get low quality product in high cost.