Bamboo clothing

On top of the growing popularity of organic cotton, the textile industry is now welcoming a variety of natural fibers that offer not only ecological and ethical alternatives to cotton, but also to organic cotton.

Demand for cotton on the international market has tripled since the 1980s. Today, cotton represents 30% of the international fiber market. Organic cotton is also starting to take its place on the fiber market. Regular cotton is one of the world's most toxic crops. In 2006, cotton was cultivated on 2.5% of agricultural land but consumed 22.5% of the world's insecticides. As a result, organic cotton offers an ecological and safe alternative and its popularity is greatly increasing. Almost $1.1 billion of organic cotton products were sold in 2006. Predictions for 2008 are estimated at $2.6 billion.

However, although organic cotton seems like a good alternative to regular cotton it remains very difficult to cultivate as it requires an enormous amount of water. For example, one cotton t-shirt requires 2000 liters of water! As a result, some specialists say that cotton crops are responsible for 50% of the world's water problems!

Therefore, are there eco-friendly alternatives to organic cotton?

There are three new fibers that are starting to pierce the international market: bamboo, hemp and soy.

Bamboo is one of the best renewable and sustainable resources. Indeed bamboo is considered botanically as a grass not a tree, and it's similar to a weed! It is one of the fastest growing grass and can shoot up a yard or so a day. It reaches maturity very quickly and it can be harvest in 3 to 4 years. On top of that, bamboo doesn't need to be replanted because of its vast network of roots. These roots continually sprout new shoots, thus creating new plants constantly. As with any weed, bamboo grows rapidly and easily without the use of chemicals or mechanical help. Also, it is not affected by droughts. Furthermore, one hectare of bamboo produces 35% more oxygen than one hectare of trees! And it pulls in an amazing amount of greenhouse gases. But how is this new fiber comparable to organic cotton? Bamboo fabrics are softer than cotton, antibacterial and absorb humidity!

This wonderful plant is then transformed into fiber that can be used to create clothing. There are 2 ways to achieve this: mechanically, which is similar to creating linen, and chemically. The original chemical process used some toxic chemicals, but new procedures have appeared that use harmless chemicals and on top of that they can reuse those same chemicals.

But how IS bamboo clothing?
Well, bamboo fiber has the feel and sheen of silk but it's a lot more durable. It's really easy to launder: bamboo clothes can be put in the washer and dryer. Bamboo clothing is very soft and non-irritating, so even people with sensitive skin can wear it, it's also hypoallergenic! But the best part of bamboo clothing is that it is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal because of a naturally occurring bacteriostasis agent produced by the plant named bamboo kun. This means that bamboo kun stops odor-producing bacteria from growing, making bamboo clothing a lot more hygienic and fresher smelling! Also, bamboo clothing is highly absorbent, absorbing water 3 to 4 times quicker then cotton, bamboo clothing helps the wearer remain dry even in hot and humid weather.

Now how can you transform your salad and your weeds into your wardrobe? A few Canadians designers are there to help you! Montreal's Grace and Cello and British Columbia's Nixxi offer professional and urban designs made with bamboo, soy and organic cotton fabrics, while HTnaturals from British Columbia offers casual clothing made from bamboo, soy, hemp and organic cotton. You can check out the collections by visiting Alterna Boutique's website at www.alternaboutique.com , an online eco-fashion store with a variety of choices and styles