Cotton is a natural fibre used for making textiles and clothing articles. Cotton is grown in various regions of the world, which gives it certain regional characteristics. It has a specific fibre length, colour, and shine depending upon the country or region where it is grown. Cotton is the most commonly used natural fibre in the world to make yarns and fabrics. It is chemically organic, which means it has no synthetic components. It is composed of fibres originating from the mature seeds of cotton plants.
Cotton history dates back to ancient India, around 5000 BC the Mehrgarh and Rakhigarhi sites in India include the earliest evidence for the usage of cotton fibres in textiles. There have been traces of evidence of cotton as a clothing material in the Indus Valley Civilization, spanning from 3000 to 1300 BC. During the ninth century, Arab traders introduced cotton to Europe. When Christopher Columbus arrived in America in 1492, he found cotton cultivation on the Bahama Islands. Cotton was well-known all around the world by 1500. Cotton was first spun into yarn by a machine in 1730 in England. With the arrival of the industrial revolution, the use of cotton for clothing accelerated.
A cotton plant needs sufficient exposure to sunlight to produce cotton fibres from the plant boll. It grows best in warm regions such as the United States, the People’s Republic of China, India, and Pakistan. These countries produce the majority of the world’s cotton. Brazil and Turkey are also major cotton producers.
The production of cotton involves several steps starting from harvesting to processing the cotton fibres. Some of the main stages of the process are:
The word cotton is derived from the Arabic word “Al quton”. As per the Columbia Encyclopedia, Cotton has been spun, weaved, and dyed since prehistoric times. It was used for clothing by ancient Indians, Egyptians, and Chinese.
Cotton is a versatile fibre, and due to its versatility and adaptability, there is a wide variety of cotton types depending upon the country of origin. Here’s a quick brief overview of the major varieties of cotton fibre:
Upland cotton accounts for 90 percent of the world’s cotton. It has a high yield and is easy to grow, making it the most common type of cotton being used today. It’s a South and Central American native species.
Egyptian cotton strands are longer and silkier than other types of cotton. It’s soft, fine, and long-lasting, providing it with a reputation for quality, but it’s more difficult to mass-produce Egyptian cotton than upland cotton. It originated in South America, even though it is commonly known as Egyptian cotton.
One of the major species is Indian cotton (Gossypium arboreum), which is native to India and Pakistan. Levant cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. These cotton types are limited in production; therefore, they make up just 4% of the total cotton production.
This type of cotton is grown in Central America and West Indies. The plant flowers are yellowish, and boll yields a lint of brown colour. It is valued higher than other Upland cotton types.
As we have learned about different types of cotton species, let’s take a closer look at the most common types of cotton fabric.
Cambric cloth is a lightweight cloth. A long history is connected with cambric cloth, as was mentioned in the folk ballad “Scarborough Fair”. It is used to make lace and handkerchiefs. Cambric was initially made of linen, but it is also available in cotton.
Canvas cloth is durable, heavy, and often harsh to the touch. It is used to make objects that need high support or strength, like tents, sails, and rucksacks to survive, but canvas cloth can also be found in your favourite hat.
Corduroy fabric is commonly used to manufacture trousers or jackets because of its ridged pattern characteristic. You can feel the cords by running your finger across them.
Jeans are usually made from rough, strong twill fabric. If you look closely inside blue jeans, you will notice that white threads interlace with blue threads. This is because the warp or vertical threads are dyed blue, while the weft threads, which only appear on the inside of denim, are typically left white which gives it an aesthetic look.
Interested in learning more about denim? We have an article dedicated to Selvedge denim here.
Flannel fabric is soft and slightly fuzzy and has a little weight to it. It is commonly used for casual shirts and warm pyjamas. Flannel can be made from a variety of various fibres, including wool.
Interested in learning more about flannel? We have an article dedicated to flannel here.
Lawn fabric is lightweight, finely woven, and smooth. It has a smooth hand feel and is ideal for bright summer dresses.
It has a satin-like touch to it. It is weaved in the same way as satin, but instead of silk, it is made of cotton. It is widely used for bed sheets.
Cotton is famous for its inherent property of comfort, durability, and absorbency. Its property of strength and absorbency make it a perfect fabric for clothing and home textiles. It is also used in industrial products such as tarpaulins, tents, hotel sheets, army uniforms, and even astronauts’ clothing while in space.
Cotton may be blended with other natural fibres like wool and synthetic fibres like polyester to generate a range of fabric types for different applications. Cotton is also used in fishnets, coffee filters, tents, book-binding, and archival paper.
Cotton is a popular fabric for many clothes and other household products due to its durability and adaptability. It’s also relatively simple to take care of it.
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