All you need to know about cotton
All cotton used for our kimonos comes from a Polish cotton factory with more than 100 years of tradition in the industry. The fabrics have Oeko-tex Standard 100 and are dyed with a vat pigment, ensuring high - quality and durability of dyes.
Cotton is a natural fiber derived from cotton plants. The cultivated plants are often not taller than one meter. Cotton plants bloom every year. Once the cotton fruits are ripe, they jump open looking like cotton balls. These characteristic cotton balls are called cotton lint, which is used to make cotton.
Not many people know that there are two types of cotton plant, which are differentiated by the length of their fiber.
90% of all cotton produced around the world is the so called Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Upland cotton is made of short-staple fibers that offer good quality at an affordable price. The remaining 10% consists of two higher-quality cottons — Egyptian cotton and pima cotton. Both cottons are actually the same species of “extra-long staple cotton” (Gossypium barbadense). Those longer fibers make the fabric softer, stronger and more expensive than Upland cotton.
Key characteristics of cotton fabric:
- Cotton is soft and yet durable
- It is naturally hypoallergenic
- Cotton is breathable and helps to keep you dry
- It is water absorbent
- Has a gentle touch and is comfortable to wear
- Absorbs dyes easily
It is difficult to imagine the fashion industry without cotton. Not everything labelled `100% cotton`is the same cotton. In fact there are nearly a hundred types of cotton. Ask your grandmother :) - she will most likely be able to tell you the difference between batiste, canvas, corduroy, gabardine or poplin.
The thickness (density) of the cotton fabric (any fabric) is described as grammage. At Kikimono we mostly use medium- weight cotton with a grammage of 130 g/m2 and for lining the light-weighted, fine cotton with the grammage of 75 g/m2.
All cotton used for our kimonos comes from a Polish cotton factory with more than 100 years of tradition in the industry. The fabrics have Oeko-tex Standard 100 and are dyed with a vat pigment, ensuring high - quality and durability of dyes.