Handloom Nation — earth day RSS

When people try on natural handwoven clothing for the first time, they report an experience that can only be described as their skin ‘thanking’ them. This is not imagined. It’s not just the natural fiber that feels good, it’s what’s missing— chemicals. Manufacturers of milled cloth can use up to 2000 different chemicals in fabric making. According to a report from the textile magazine, EcoTextiles, it takes from 10% to 100% of the weight of the fabric in chemicals to actually produce the fabric! These chemicals are used to give the fabric the unnatural characteristics we’ve come to expect in our clothes like, non-iron or wrinkle-free, flame-retardant, shrinkage-free, water-repellant, stain-repellant, anti-cling, perspiration-proof, and more. These qualities are obtained by saturating...

The third anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster (where 5 garment factories fell, killing 1,135 people) is just around the corner.   It’s easy to disconnect the fashion brands we love from that problem in another land.   The news focuses on the factory conditions and blames the factory owner. They don’t focus on the major clothing brands that use those factories to produce their luxury clothing lines. They have a direct influence over the worker’s wages and working conditions.   These brands influence how the factories run, based on how they pay for the goods they order. When they order a batch of natural cotton T-shirts, for instance, they give no cash in advance. It is left to the...