Bamboo Fabric - a new concept
A few years ago, Beijing University discovered how to produce fabric from bamboo. Since then, the technique of manufacturing top quality fabric has been in development, bringing new innovations in fibre mixing and other processes.
The wonderful thing about bamboo is that it has the ability to retain its natural characteristics, thereby maintaining the organic heritage of the product.
Comparative case study: organic cotton
The 'ethically produced' clothing market, principally organic cotton, grows at a 30% per annum. Growth in the retail clothing sector is generally maintained at 1-2%. There is every indication that these figures will rise further in the near future.
The World Agricultural Commission predicts that in the next 25 years, 30% of all cotton will be grown organically. One third of ALL global cotton is a monstrous figure, and yet, public concern - worldwide - over the environment and our effect on it is set to become ever more acute.
Organic cotton is currently only 0.3% of total worldwide cotton production. Total UK textile imports are £23 billion. Market research by some companies in the sector as well as from the Cooperative Banks Ethical Purchasing Index suggests that increasingly consumers are paying greater attention to issues of social responsibility as well as environmental issues. Cotton's organic arsenal is now growing fast - even Nike have launched their own organic range of sportswear.
There is also a growing diversity of new fabrics which all come under the 'natural' banner. As Just Style, an industry research and report publisher, states:
"Already a buzzword in the food business, the term organic is now being attached to new style fabrics. And not only are weavers eager to assure customers that the components of their latest collections are '100% natural' in origin; the trend is to dramatically extend the range of raw materials on which the textile trade can base new products."
For example, A Japanese textile maker now offers clothing made from coconut fibre; you can also now buy clothing made from soya and even corn. An ethical product that also enjoys multiple high performance characteristics would expect be a top future performer by any standard. This is bamboo.
Bamboo has a unique combination of selling points
Bamboo fabric is durable and breathable. It's incredible softness and natural lustre are exceptional, similar to fine cashmere. There are four other key qualities:
Bamboo is environmentally kind and sustainable
Bamboo grows wild without the aid of fertilizers, pesticides or any chemical assistance whatsoever. Unlike cotton, which is the world's most environmentally disasterous crop, accounting for a quarter of ALL chemical fertilizers and pesticides from only 10% of the agricultural land mass.
Bamboo is the world's fastest growing plant, sometimes rising several feet in 24 hours. Bamboo grows to maturity in around 3 years and after harvesting, more is planted, then left for 3-4 years before harvesting again. Only 10% of the vast bamboo forests are given over to commercial use, indeed only some strains of bamboo are suitable for making clothing. Bamboo production is completely sustainable.
In addition, greater interest in bamboo will lead to more bamboo forests, which offers greater greenhouse gas conversion to oxygen. With most of each growing cycle spent at full height, it's a forest that re-grows almost immediately after each harvest.
Whilst this is just one of four outstanding selling points of bamboo clothing, given also the smooth, luxurious feel of the fabric, this element is a compelling reason on it's own for the commercial development of bamboo clothing.
Bamboo fabric is antibacterial, antifungal and antistatic
This quality keeps bamboo fresher for longer, more hygienic and more healthy. A principle reason for bamboo's success in the wild is that it has natural antibacterial properties, which kill and prevent the spread of bacteria. This property is maintained in fabric form. A specialist Japanese performance laboratory washed bamboo fabric 100 times and yet there was no drop-off in antibacterial performance whatsoever.
Bamboo absorbs water 3-4 times better than cotton
Bamboo fabric is a natural moisture wicking agent. Moisture is taken from the body, on contact, and then instantly evaporates. Bamboo's ability to absorb water accounts for its capacity for rapid growth, which is also retained in fabric form. A bamboo T-shirt, for example, keeps the skin comfortable, rather than sticky, in summer weather.
Bamboo stays 2-3 degrees cooler in hot weather & warmer in cold
Like another natural fabric, Merino wool, Bamboo is naturally cooler in summer and warmer in winter. However, unlike any other fabric in the world, it's physically cooler to touch in hot weather. In hot weather, it will keep the user cooler than regular fabrics in the equivalent knit or weave.
