Cotton
Cotton is a hypoallergenic vegetal fiber made of cellulose that covers the seeds of the cotton plant. It’s a soft yet strong and absorbent natural fabric used since the Antiquity. Today it is the first textile fiber in the world.
The plant and culture
The cotton plant is a tropical and sub tropical bush that can grow up to 10 meters high if it was not maintained to a human size to facilitate the culture and harvest.
The most controversial subject about cotton is that it needs lots of water on the first 4 months of growth but after that it needs a very dry climate in order to preserve the fiber from the mold. It’s a sensitive material.
This white fiber appears when the seeds have taken place into the rigid pod left by the wilted flower… yes cotton grows beautiful white or yellow flowers ! When this fiber is dry and ready it is harvested, then spined and woven to make actual fabrics. The quality depends on the length of fibers.
To this day, the main producers of cotton are China, India, and the US.
Organic Cotton
🌱 To begin with, the seeds used in the organic farming are non genetically modified ones when in conventional agriculture GMO are preferred because of their superior yield.
🐝 Organic cotton culture doesn’t use artificial pesticides and fertilizers which protects the biodiversity around as well as the workers and consumers health.
💧 Organic agriculture has effective water management and for cotton is able to save 91% of the water normally used ion classic production.
Transition of agriculture
As shocking as it is organic cotton still makes up only a very low percentage of global cotton production (around 1,4%) yet it is increasing slowly and the more the demand the more it encourages the farmers to switch from conventional to organic farming.
Other reasons to love organic cotton
100% recyclable fabric : Cotton is recyclable and the process has a low energetic impact and little water consumption. If the quality is good you can expect 2 or even 3 lives for the cotton fibers.
Affordable fiber : Even if organic cotton remains more expansive than conventional cotton, it is yet quite of an affordable sustainable and natural fiber.
Low carbon footprint and transparency : Organic cotton require traceability, we know where the cotton comes from, how it has been cultivated there as well as all the different steps and places it has been before arriving at the atelier. That transparency allow us to take the best decisions and choose the products that respect the most our values.
Some more quality label
There are many quality labels that have been created in the last years in order to supervise the quality of the final products and ensure the respect of environmental and human measures along the production process.
The main goal is to protect both the environment, the workers and the consumers.
OEKO TEX is one of them, this one guarantees that a product is free from any toxic substances for the body and environment. You can deep dive into EOKO TEX standards here : https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/
‘Ili x organic cotton
You will find organic and Oeko tex cotton in our tops because we wanted a confortable and stretchy top able to fit and shape your upper body beautifully and provide just the right amount of support for you to feel good.
They are basic items that you can match easily with your other clothes.