Ever wondered the clothes which we wear, how it would have been made, from where it originated or whether the process is environment & “life” (animals) friendly…Let’s dive into it & try to find out.

The chain goes like this: fibre to yarn to fabric. We will be dealing with the natural fibres only.

Animal origin

• Silk

Silk is obtained from silkworms. Most famous silk is the one obtained from the silkworms which feed on mulberry leaves.

When the worms start pupating in their cocoons, they are boiled in water to obtain fibre. Tens of millions of silk moths are boiled alive every year; it takes 2000 to 3000 cocoons to make 1lb of silk. So, this is how your beautiful saree & gowns are made.

Spider Silk: Now here is a silk tougher than steel, to be accurate 5 times stronger than steel of the same diameter. This fibre is spun by spiders to make webs. This silk is not used for clothing widely but is used for bulletproof clothing, wear-resistant lightweight clothing, ropes, nets & parachutes etc.

• Wool

While many would vouch that wool manufacturing doesn’t harm Sheep but I would like to present the other side of the story.

Shearers are generally paid by the volume of wool &, not by work hours which encourages them to mint more money by being hasty & careless while shearing. The Sheep are frequently injured during the process when strips of skin and even teats, tails, and ears are often cut or ripped off.

Angora Wool: It is obtained from Angora Rabbit. This fibre is known for its softness & is a favourite of knitters because of the halo (fluffiness).

• Chiengora fibre

This fibre is obtained from dogs’ hair belonging to breeds like bearded collies, shepherd dogs, sheepdogs, poodles, terriers, Shih Tzus, & dachshunds. The fibre is warm & soft, thus is used for winter clothing.

• Cashmere/ Pashmina fibre

This luxury fibre is quite a business. The shawls made from it are sold at whooping prices & the businessmen cleverly exploit the love of tourists for Pashmina in places like Kashmir, Himachal etc.

Each year the Kashmir goats undergo moulting in the months of March to May when they shed a mixture of coarse hair & soft undercoat. The soft undercoat is used for fabrics. There are many controversies regarding the removal of undercoat as if the shedders’ remove the undercoat in winters (when the demand is highest) then goats freeze to death because of little fat in their bodies.

• Mohair

It is obtained from Angora Goat. It possesses qualities such as warmth, lightweight, crease-resistance, durability and softness. Brands like Zara, H&M, Gap, Topshop & Lacoste don’t use mohair because of the cruelty done to the goats.

Other animal fibres include fibres from Yak & Camel etc.

Plant origin

• Linen

It is made from the flax plant. The fabric is highly moisture absorbing, creases easily so requires ironing & dries faster than cotton.

• Corn fibre

This is the new entrant grabbing eyeballs. Cargill Inc. and The Dow Chemicals joined together to form Cargill Dow Polymers LLC, which developed corn fibre. The fibre has got multiple benefits apart from being cheap, easy to wear, it is UV resistant & stain resistant. It is used in apparel, diapers, bedding & carpets etc.

• Soybean fibre

This is also a great alternative to the traditional cotton fabric. The fabric is lightweight, lustrous, strong & dyes easily. It is by large used in the apparel industry.

The others in the list include Cotton (so into our lives that doesn’t need much details), Bamboo, Sisal fibre & Rambans (Agave) fibre. 

So, the next time you buy a T-shirt, do ponder from where it originated….