Why does nobody talk about how much we overuse cotton?

I was at a design meetup in Portland and someone said 'cotton is the only fabric that breathes right'. That got me thinking. I've been working with hemp and linen blends for about 8 months now, and the drape and cooling are way better, especially for summer jackets. Cotton uses a ton of water, and the supply chain is a mess. Are we just stuck in a comfort zone with it? What other underrated fabrics should we be pushing for more?

4 comments

4 Comments

emmawood2mo ago

Is it really that big a deal though? Mark_price's friend's tencel story is cool, but most people just want a cheap t-shirt that feels normal.

reeseperez2mo ago

Have you tried tencel? It's got that same cool feel but way less water to make.

terryk282mo ago

Yeah, tencel is a game changer for that. It's wild how much less water it uses compared to cotton, like a fraction. I've got a couple shirts made from it and they're stupid soft, plus they don't wrinkle into a ball after one wear. Makes you wonder why we're still drowning fields to grow regular stuff.

mark_price2mo ago

Saw my buddy spill coffee all over his new tencel hoodie last week. He just ran it under cold water for a second and the stain came right out, no soap needed. He was saying that's the whole point, the stuff just works with water instead of fighting it. Really makes the old way of doing things seem pretty dumb when you see it work like that.