COTTON
History
Cotton t-shirt fabric dates from at least 7,000 years ago and the oldest discovery was found in a Mexican cave. Cotton has also been found in the Indus Valley of India dating from about 3000 B.C and at the same time, Egyptians were found to be making and wearing cotton clothing.
The word cotton is derived from the Arabic word qutun or kutun, which describes any fine textile.
Cotton started to be spun by the machine in England in 1730 and the industrial revolution in England and invention of the cotton gin in the U.S contributed to the importance and the popularity of cotton in the world today.
Cotton is currently produced in more than 100 countries in the world, but six of them – China, India, Pakistan, USA, Brazil and Uzbekistan – contribute about 80% of production.
Characteristics
Cotton is a soft, fluffy natural fibre that is grown on cotton plants. It has been one of the most important fibres in the world for thousands of years and 60% of the clothes produced is made of cotton.
Cotton is an absorbent and natural fibre that is breathable, making it suitable for clothing.
As it’s a good conductor of heat, cotton is used to produce clothing for all seasons as it keeps the body cool in summer and warm in winter.
Cotton rarely causes allergic reactions and wearing it is an excellent choice for people with sensitive skin and for children.
PIMA COTTON
The world’s finest cotton, Pima Cotton is renowned for being superiorly soft, luxurious and longer lasting than regular cotton.
Pima cotton is a generic name for extra-long staple (ELS) cotton commonly grown in the U.S., Australia, and Peru.
History
Pima cotton can trace its ancestry to the famed cotton cultivated on the Sea Islands of South Carolina as early as the 1790s.
Sea Island cotton was used to selectively cross-pollinate with Egyptian cotton to produce a unique American extra-long staple cotton crop.
Characteristics
Why is Pima cotton considered one of the best cotton in the world?
Pima cotton fibre length is on average 35% longer compared to the fibre length for normal cotton.
When woven, the long fibrous threads can have a higher thread count within each piece of fabric made with it. In other words, a piece of Pima cotton has a more extensive weave than other types of cotton.
The extra-long staple fibre and superior strength results in a stronger yarn and means it can be made finer and softer than the normal cotton counterpart. As fewer fibre ends are exposed, it is highly resistant to pilling and abrasion.
How Does It Feel?
The finesse of the Pima Cotton fibre, combined with the extra length and strength results in a silky feel and a luxurious lustre.
Due to its long fibres, Pima cotton has gained a world acclaimed reputation for producing a smooth fabric that has an exceptionally soft hand feel, is resistant to fraying, tearing, wrinkling, and fading.
Pima cotton is also hypoallergenic, meaning it’s an excellent choice for people with sensitive skin.
Our Pima cotton jersey comes in a 190 GSM weight, which gives a smooth yet sturdy feel. It’s perfect to be worn on its own or a layer under a jacket or cardigan for insulation.
Fun Fact
“Pima cotton is named in honour of the Pima Indian Tribe who was peaceful farmers and lived in Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora, Mexico. They helped to raise the ELS (Extra Long Staple) cotton on USDA experimental farm in Sacaton, Arizona.”
PREMIUM COTTON
Our premium cotton fabrics are finely woven ringspun jersey fabrics, that are combed to remove excess loose fibres and comes with an extra anti-pilling finish for greater quality.
The yarn for ringspun cotton is spun around a ring mechanism to produce a very fine yarn and the fibre is also twisted in a consistent pattern during this process. The finished yarn is then woven with a tight texture.
How Does It Feel?
The whole manufacturing ringspun spinning process is designed to create a fine, smooth and soft cotton fabric.
The ringspun cotton goes through a further combing process to remove any impurities and short fibre, making the fabric even softer and smoother.
STANDARD COTTON
Our regular cotton jersey fabrics are ringspun jersey fabrics that go through the same manufacturing process as our premium fabrics except for the combing process.
How Does It Feel?
As the manufacturing process has one step lesser than combed ringspun cotton, the prices of these ringspun fabrics are slightly cheaper than combed ringspun fabrics but still retains the comfortable, smooth and fine hand feel.
STANDARD COTTON POLYESTER BLEND
Our cotton poly blend jersey fabric is made of 60% polyester, 35% cotton and 5% spandex and combines both the strength of the three fibres.
Polyester is known to be less resistant to tearing as compared to cotton, making it more durable in the longer run.
The use of cotton in the fabric allows it to be breathable, as 100% polyester does not breathe.
Polyester cotton blend fabrics are also less prone to abrasion, piling, wrinkle and can be washed more often and don’t shrink like 100% cotton or 100% polyester.
We will recommend polyester cotton blend fabrics to be use for clothing catered to low to medium impact athletic activities as they have a sportier look and do not leave sweat stains.
If you are looking for a t-shirt that retains its structure and hand feel after heavy use, polyester cotton blend fabric will also be a good choice.
COTTON – How Do I Care For It?
You can machine wash cotton or cotton blend clothing with similar colours at a maximum of 60°C. Do not use hot water as they can shrink the fabric. They can be tumbled dried on a low heat setting and promptly remove them to avoid wrinkles.
For ironing cotton or cotton blend clothing, it is best to use a gentle setting. It’s recommended not to bleach, dry clean and softener products when washing.
Fun Fact
“Cotton fabric is stronger when it’s wet, which is why cotton is so important for many products like wipes and medical fabrics that will get wet.”
POLYESTER
Polyester is a synthetic man-made fibre that was invented in England in 1941 by British chemists John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson.
Derived from coal, air, water, and petroleum, It’s scientific name is polyethene terephthalate (PET). And made by mixing ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.
It quickly becomes popular in 50s and 60s due to its cheap price and versatility to be used across different type of apparel products.
Characteristics
The fibres are extremely strong, durable yet lightweight and resistant to many chemicals.
It’s also popular in the fashion industry as it’s resistant to wrinkles, shrinkage, stretching, and abrasion and can be dyed easily, making it easy to work with.
How Does It Feel?
Polyester feels smooth and dries quickly, making it suitable for sports, athletic clothing or outdoor clothing.
As it can take dyes/inks well, it’s perfect for all over prints or designs with many colours.
However, it’s not breathable and some people find they feel sweaty or humid after wearing it.
Our polyester jersey fabric is made of 95% polyester with 5% spandex for that extra flexibility.
How Do I Care For It?
It is best to turn polyester clothing inside out before putting them to wash to avoid damage as it can snag easily and catch on to buttons or zippers from other clothing.
You can machine wash polyester clothing with similar colours with warm water. They can be tumbled dried on a low heat setting and promptly remove them to avoid wrinkles. Softener can be used in washing polyester clothing to remove effects of static cling.
For ironing cotton or cotton blend clothing, it is best to use a low heat setting.
Fun Fact
“Polyester is sun resistant and widely used to manufacture ropes, tents and umbrellas”
Ready to manufacture t-shirts for your brand? Our t-shirt manufacturer team handles everything from fabric sourcing and tech packs to sampling and bulk production — from 80 pieces per colour.
