WHAT IS ORGANIC CLOTHING?
Have you ever come across any item that is sold as a complete organic product and your thoughts immediately went to what makes a product organic? How is this product organic?
Well, we don't blame you. Till date very few have taken the time out to explain what organic clothing exactly means.
What does “Organic Clothing” mean?
In fashion/making of garments, organic clothing means making fabric from raw materials (organic cotton in case of Cuttlefish) that have been grown by methods which do not harm the environment. In simple words, organic clothing uses seeds not genetically modified. They use environment friendly processes to conserve water, soil and not use harmful pesticides. This process makes the cotton that is harvested a completely organic product by conserving the soil, water and not contaminating the crop.
What Is Organic Cotton Fabric?
Below is a brief description of what is organic cotton fabric and how it is processed:
Yarn
Cotton grown using non genetically modified seeds, compostable manure, harmless pesticides, irrigated with rain water, allowed to grow for the whole cycle of cotton growth results in organic cotton.
This organic cotton is then handpicked and spun into yarn by mills.
Fabric
Once yarn is produced, they are knitted by specially allocated machines for organic cotton knitting. These specially allocated machines are meant to only process organic cotton yarn so that the fabric does not get contaminated and the authenticity of organic cotton can be maintained.
The final fabric that comes out of the knitting machine is Organic Cotton Fabric.
When we talk of purity of cotton, Organic cotton is handpicked which reduces the negative impact on its purity when compared to machine picked regular cotton.
The industry of growing and manufacturing of organic cotton fabric is highly protected with certifications and processes that validate the authenticity of the fabric and product at every stage from Yarn to Final Garment.
What is the difference between regular cotton and organic cotton?
Why is organic clothing expensive?
The irony in today's world is that to use something which nature has already given to us we pay a premium price.
Humans have it in their nature to take shortcuts and the shortest route possible to reach their destination.
Thus, to attend to the demand of regular cotton, farmers tend to use artificial/modified seeds which need lesser time to grow and yield, but more care in terms of pesticides and water. This has a great impact on the soil and the environment. The amount of water used to grow normal cotton is unimaginable.
But organic cotton is grown naturally and farmers let the crop take its actual time to grow. Since this cannot be made available easily there is more demand for organic cotton but the amount of organic cotton harvested is less. This will naturally increase the price of the fabric and the garment too. Cuttlefish is a sustainable brand in India that prides itself in selling high quality affordable organic clothes.
But now in India more and more farmers are shifting from growing regular cotton to organic cotton making our country one of the top producers of organic cotton in the world.
Is Organic Cotton Softer?
It does have a soft feel to it since it is grown using no chemicals and most of the organic cotton is handpicked. However, it is close to impossible to touch and determine whether a garment is made from normal or organic cotton. Look for organic brands that are certified or are selling 100% pure organic cotton products. But while looking to buy organic cotton clothes makes sure you buy 100% organic products and not products which have cotton fabric blended with other fabrics such as elastane or polyester.
Is Organic Cotton Sustainable?
First, we need to understand what sustainable means. Organic cotton is grown in a very sustainable manner with minimum strain on the eco system. In terms of production organic cotton is definitely produced in a very sustainable way if all the processes are followed. One of the major advantages of organic cotton is that it does not contaminate ground water. It has been found that the impact of water pollution of organic cotton is 98% less compared to the conventional cotton production.
Our view is that, if we can give you an option to buy organic clothing at the same cost and superior quality to that of the other toxic alternatives, shouldn't you take it?
I think it is time people make educated choices while buying clothing.
Being aware is good but being conscious is the need of the hour.
References
https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/7251/organic-cotton-a-sustainable-choice