A Simple Guide to Sustainable Farbics - Part 1
Biodegradable and Naturally Derived Fabrics
Here at Charlie & Paisley, our core values are focused on sustainability and the promotion of slow fashion. Slow fashion, which is a term coined by Elizabeth L. Cline (a fellow Vancouverite!), is defined as an approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make garments and accessories, particularly focusing on sustainability.
The various of components of slow fashion include limiting the output and the quantity of new collections, producing stock in smaller batches, ensuring ethical and non-exploitive methods of production and selecting environmentally-friendly materials for product creation. In this blog post, which is one of our first, we will focus on the materials component of slow fashion and how it relates to Charlie & Paisley.
As we are a sustainability focused company and strive to use exclusively naturally derived, biodegradable, remnant and deadstock fabrics, we figured it’s time to introduce some of the fabrics that we use to create our products. In this blog post, we will be discussing specifically our biodegradable and naturally derived fabrics.
Hemp
Hemp is one of the oldest fibers in the world! Hemp is a high-yield crop that is easily grown without the use of any chemical pesticide, and can be easily blended with other fabrics, such as silk. Hemp is a highly sustainable fabric that is also both naturally antimicrobial and hypoallergenic. A large number of our products are made with hemp, such as: Wilma Headband, Willow Headband, Willamina Headband, Wilfreda Headband, Jasmine Headband, Jasmine Oversized Scrunchie, Wilma Scrunchie, Willow Scrunchie, Willamina Scrunchie, Wilfreda Scrunchie, Jasmine Scrunchie, Bluesette Scrunchie, Fiona Scrunchie, Agnes Scrunchie and others.
Silk Noil
Raw silk noil, also known as organic silk or peace silk, is created without the use of any treatments or chemicals that include insecticides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Silk production generally involves killing silkworms by throwing them into a vat of boiling water. Unlike typical silk manufacturing, raw silk noil is made from silkworm casings which are gathered only after the silkworms have emerged and moved on. Therefore, raw silk noil is wild harvested and cruelty free. Raw silk noil is also naturally derived and biodegradable. The following products of ours are made with raw silk noil: Viola Headband, Ethel Headband, Sylvia Scrunchie, Sylvia Petite Scrunchie, Viola Scrunchie, Viola Petite Scrunchie, Ethel Scrunchie, Ethel Petite Scrunchie and others.
Modal
Modal is a variation of rayon, which is a high-yield cellulose biodegradable fibre made from sustainably harvested beech trees and bleached with an environmentally friendly method. Modal is known for its high wet strength and extra softness. Modal is wear resistant and can be machine washed and tumble dried without shrinking. Modal also absorbs 50% more moisture (perspiration) than cotton and released it into the air quicker, and therefore remains odor-free and requires less energy from washing than conventional cotton garments and accessories. A large number of our products are made with modal, such as: Gwen Headband, Esme Headband, Lilac Headband, Gwen Scrunchie, Gwen Petite Scrunchie, Esme Scrunchie, Esme Petite Scrunchie, Lilac Scrunchie, Lilac Petite Scrunchie and others.
“The starting point is not the design, the starting point is sustainability”
Thanks for Reading!
We hope you enjoyed this read about the sustainable fabrics we use to make our products. Here at Charlie & Paisley we are always in search of new sustainable fabrics and we would really appreciate any suggestions of fabrics to use or of sustainable practices. Email us at contact@charliepaisley.com if you have any insights or tips!