COTTON

index

A SEED PLANTED...........................3A GLOBAL APPEAL..........................5A SURE FIBER.............................7A JUST EXCHANGE..........................9A REFINED COMFORT......................11THE HISTORICAL.........................13THE VINTAGE............................15THE CONTEMPORARY.......................17COTTON SWATCHES........................19

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a seed plantedoriginially seperated by hand from the seeds. This time consuming and tedious job was soon revolutionized by Eli Whitney’s invention of the Saw Tooth Cotton Gin in 1793. This gave the ability to process over 50 pounds of cotton a day and could spin fabric 10 times faster than the human hand. Along with new machinery produced in England, called the Spinning Jenny, this Industrial Revolution allowed for

textile production to become Britain’s leading export.

Manchester was founded on the manu-facture and export of the crop and

acquired the nickname “cottonopolis”

In the Southern States in America, plantations required

unskilled labor forces, or slaves, to run the cotton gins. Cotton

could then be produced at a higher quality and more consistentaly at increased speed and productivity.

In 1792 6,000 Bales of cotton were produced by these southern states, and after the invention of the cotton gin, production reached to nearly

100,000 bales. The United States was the most important supplier of

cotton to the British Textile Industry and by 1859, U.S.

production rose to 4.5 million bales of cotton, 2/3 of worldwide production. After the emergence of

the U.S. Civil war, cotton production decreased by 200,000 bales causing Britain to outsource

It is nearly impossible to trace the exact origin of cotton

cloth, but it is believed that the Indiginous people of the Indu

River Valley in Pakistan, called the Harappans, first

fabricated cotton around 6,000 years ago. There is also evidence that cotton cloth existed amongst

the Egyptians along the Nile River dating back to around 12,000

B.C., before flax was known. Traces of over 7,000 year old

cotton was also discovered within Mexican cave sites making cotton indigenous to early South and

Central American people. Cotton spinning and weaving as an industry began in India, and cotton fabrics were produced as early as 1500 B.C. The Pima

Indians began to grow cotton once the Spaniards discovered the New

World. Christopher Columbus brought back cotton to Europe that he had discovered in the Bahamas and presented it to Queen Isabella. More cultures quickly began to

understand the quality of cotton, spicifically within the late 1800s

in medieval Europe. As soon as the colonies were

established in the New World, Cotton seeds from Egypt were

planted in Jameston, Virginia along the James River. Cotton was grown amongst the Southern states because the soil and climate were ideal for

growing.Cotton fibers were

in order to fulfill its cotton demand. After the war, the cotton production began to spread into the western

territories. The New England colonies in the north began to build factories in order to manufacture yarn and in 1790 Samuel Slater built the first yarn

spinning mill in Rhode Island. Most of these mills eventually headed down south between WWI and WWII. This change in location allowed for the mills to be closer to the cotton supply, cheaper

power, access to cheap non-union labor, and incentives from state and local governments to encouage companies to

set up mills within their own towns. By 1850, 80% of mills had migrated to the south but by 1980 many mills had closed

because of the increased costs and competition from imported fabrics.

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A Global Appeal

Cotton is produced and exported to over 100 different countries.

It creates over 350 million jobs involving production, farming, dis-

tribution, and manufacturing.

“Cotton is considered the most important apparel fabric

throughout the world.“

It holds 75% of the market for ap-parel in developing countries with the appropriate climates for grow-ing. It grows in any part of the world where the growing season is long and the climate ranges from temperate to hot with adequate

rainfall or irrigation. The largest producer and consumer of raw cotton is China. It holds

nearly 40% of the global raw cotton output. In the United States, the “Cotton Belt” ranges from South-ern Carolina and stretches west to Central California and everywhere south of that line. This is the second largest area of raw cotton

production. California holds the largest global yield per acre within the U.S.,

while Texas is the largest in production. India, Pakistan, Brazil, Burkina, Uxbeki-stan, Australia, Greece and Syria also hold a large portion of global cotton

production. 75% of all cotton production is traded globally to countries that do not have the proper climate for domestic crop production such as Bangladesh, Indo-nesia, Thiland, Russia, and Taiwan. These countries rely heavily on this trade in

order to supply their spinning, knit-ting, and weaving industries.

There are specific factors that af-fect the rate of production such as

the increasing value of the U.S. dol-lar against other companies, Increasing imports of cotton apparel and fabrics, changes in government incentives for

growing cotton, and lastly other global factors such as the emergence of China

in the world cotton trade.

WORLD PRODUCTION OF COTTON(80.9 million bales)

1. China: 28.55%2. U.S.: 16.9%3. Soviet Union: 15.5%4. India: 8-9%5. Pakistan: 2-4%6. Brazil: 2-4%7. Turkey: 2-4%8.Egypt: 2-4%

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A sure fiber

Cotton is the most commonly used nat-ural fiber. This is justified by its

pleasing appearance, comfort, washabil-ity, moderate cost, and durability.The cotton plant is a small, grey-

ish-green shrub with tri lobed leaves. It can grow on bushes ranging from 3-6 feet high. The blossom appears and once it falls off the boll begins to grow. When the boll is ripe, it splits, or flowers, and becomes a cup shape show-ing white puffy fibers, yellowish pet-als, and spots of red and purple at its base. The cotton fibers are sin-

gle-cell, soft, white, fiber-

ous hairs that cov-er the seed of the cot-ton plant with-in the bolls.

Each cot-ton seed may grow to have nearly 20,000

fibers. The cultivation of cotton requires a temperate to hot climate, plenty of sunshine, moderate rainfall, and long periods without frost. It does not re-quire heavy, and nutrient rich soils. The dry tropics and subtropics are typ-ically the best climates for cotton

cultivation.Cotton can be picked by ma-chine or by hand. Machine picked cotton contains many immature fibers but it

greatly reduces production time. Cotton

is taken to a gin af-ter picking in order to remove the fiber from the seed. The fibers, or “lint”, are pressed into bales weing around 480 pounds and are sold

to spinning mills. The seeds, after gin-ning, are cov-ered with short fibers called “linters” are are removed and used as raw ma-terial for mak-ing rayon and acetate. The seeds are then crushed and

made into cot-ton seed oil and meal. Cotton fi-ber quality is classified through a dis-tinction of

fiber length, strength, and color. The longer the fiber is, the stronger the

yarn will be.

There are three distinctions amongst fiber length:

1. Upland: 7/8”-1 1/4” thick fibers na-tive to Mexico and Central America

2. Long Staple: 1 5/16”-1 1/2” thick fiber from Egypt and South America. Vari-eties include American Pima, Egyp-tian and Sea Island cottons.

3. Short Staple: Less than 3/4” thick fibers from India and Eastern Asia

Long Staple fibers have a fin-er quality because it is softer, smoother, stronger, and more lus-trous. Cotton is typically a creamy white color but it begins to beige as it ages. Rain will cause cot-ton fibers to gray before harvest. Poorly ginned cotton will have

brown flecks left behing. The whit-est cotton is preferred.

Cotton can be given different fin-ishes to improve quality. The pro-cess of mercerization gives cotton a wash of caustic soda in order to increase fiber strength, abosor-bancy, and luster. Another common

finish is a liquid ammonia based wash and gives cotton better luster and dyability, wrinkle resistance, strength, and abrasion resistance.

Cottons finished with liquid am-monia become less stiff than mer-cinized fabrics. On the other hand, untreated cotton has a matte fin-ish, a soft drape, and a smooth

touch. This is the most comfortable to wear and retains moisture well.

Cotton is very suseptible to shrinkage and should be pretreaded with a shrink-resistant spray. Most cotton can be washed and dried by machine but dyed cotton will hold on to color for longer periods of time if washed in warm or cool wa-ter. Cotton will oxidize when ex-

posed to sunlight, which will eventually cause a yellow tar-

nish.

COTTON PROPERTIES:

Appearance:

Matte, pleasant lusterSoft-Thick drapePleasant Texture

Smooth to rough feel

Durability:

Moderate abrasion resistancemoderate tenacity

Low elongation

Comfort:

Excellent absorbancyLow Thermal Retention

Longevity:

Low resiliencyModerate Dimensional stability

Moderate Elastic Recovery

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A just exchange

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Cotton production has been exploiting cotton farmers in de-veloping countries because of high its demand and compet-

itive pricing. A farmer’s income is typically lower than the cost of production due to low crop yeields and market prices. This drives farmers into debt. These farmers are highly de-pendent on the income of cotton in volatile world markets, as cotton is a cash crop, and are also vulnerable to the fluctu-ation of cotton prices. Another social concern of cotton pro-duction is forced child labor. Over 132 million girls and boys work in agriculture according to IPEC. Children are employed in tasks such as cottonseed production and dangerous pesticide

spraying and harvesting.

FAIR TRADE COTTON: Fair Trade Cotton is cotton that has met the interna-tional Fairtrade standard for cotton seed production. Cotton farmers are susceptible to price exploitation and these certi-fications base the Fairtrade price on the actual cost of pro-duction. If the market price is higher than the minimum price than the market price applies. Under these regulations farm-ers recieve a stable market price, and more direct tradeing relationships. This cotton is eligible to carry the Fairtrade

mark.

ORGANIC COTTON: Organic Cotton has a mroe ecologically sound

and socially sustainable method of production. It does not pollute through the use of artifi-

cial fertilizers and pesticides. It instead relies on crop rotation and the use of the natural ene-mies of harmful insects to suppress them. It is

far more expensive to produce, however it does not pollute and there is no over production. Turkey is the primary producer of this type of cotton, and

is grown in nearly 20 countries.

The cultivation process of cotton has a high carbon footprint and and unfortunate effect on biodiversi-

ty and the environment. Cotton uses a variety of pesti-cides and insecticides that pollute river eliminiting pests, but also their natural enemies, creating a sec-ondary pest issue. The cultivation of cotton requires large amounts of water for irrigation. This causes the quality of soil to deplete and become less fertile. In-dustrial fertilizers used in cotton production use up large amounts of unrenewable energy sources, relseasing

lare amounts of carbon dioxide. Many environmental groups are coming up with ways to decrease cotton’s

carbon footprint.

A refined comfort

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blouses

shirts

dresses

childrenswear

activewear

seperates

swimwear

Cotton is the most commonly used fiber for apparel comprising

of about 40% of the market. Com-fort is its most defining quality. It has manny other advantages such as its ability to control mois-ture, its insulation, durability and weather resistance. Cotton is also hypoallergenic, making it a choice material for those who suf-fer from asthma or allergies, even those with sensitive skin prone to irritation. Cotton fibers allow for good air circulation keeping the body cool and dry in hot humid weather. This makes cotton an ideal fabric for workwear. Cotton fabric is fairly inexpensive , dyes eas-ily, and can blend well with oth-er fibers making it a popular and functional material for apparel. Lastly it is the only fiber that becomes stronger when wet. It is the preferred coice for those in

working environments such as hospi-tals and firefighter uniforms since it can endure high temperature, be sterilized, and works well with flame-retardant substances.

suits

jackets

skirts

knitwear

pants

hoisery

neckwear

APPAREL USES:

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the historical1780-85 dress, block

printed & painted cotton, England

1750-75 robe à la française. Cotton print

designed for European mar-ket.

1650-99 robe, paint-ed cotton, India.

concern

In India, painted cottons were developed in the fourteenth

century. In the seventeenth cen-tury, Europeans began to import these fabrics. They were appre-ciated because of their bright colors, lightweight hand, and ease in laundering. In France, these printed fabrics were called indiennes (French for “Indians”), although they were also known as toiles peintes (“painted cloths”) and toiles imprimés (“printed cloths”). In England and the American colo-nies calico, derived from the Indian port of Calicut, was a general name for Indian cotton fabric. Chintz, from the Hindi word chint (“variegated”), was a term for printed or painted cal-icoes. The English and American colonialists also used the term Indiennes to refer to French-made copies of Indian printed cottons.

CALICO COTTON1 100% PRINTED COTTON

Squiggle Print with Border and Gold. 44” Wide.Measure Boutique #AK03

2 KEEPSAKE CALICO FABRIC- BELLA LIGHT GREY 100% Cotton. 43” Wide.Joann Fabrics #12491945

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The vintagePendleton,

Cotton Flannel (2)1950’s

Pierre Cardin,Cotton Twill (1)

2000’s

Gunne SaxCotton Gauze (3)

1970’s

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the contemporary

the rowresort 2014

COTTONSWATCHES

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1 HEAVIER COTTON GAUZEOptically whitened, Soft lightly textured. 3.7oz per square yd, 50” wide, 48x40 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #HCG

POPLIN100% Cotton tightly woven, medium weight fabric. 6oz per square yd, 60” wide, 108x50 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #POP60

WATERFORD COTTON 45”100% Cotton. Midweight fabric with a linen look. 4.5 oz per square yd, 45” wide. 40x32 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #WC45

SANDWASHED COTTON BROADCLOTH 60”No optic whiteners. As soft as fine suede with the advantage of being practical. 4oz per square yd, 60” wide. 133x72 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #SWCB60

COTTON SATEENA very smooth finish on one side, a silky sheen. A softer, finely woven fabric. 20 yd bolts.www.dharmatrading.com #QCS

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6PIMATEX COTTON-PFD

High quality for sewing fine clothing. Dyes well. 3.7oz per yd. 45” wide. 133x72 Thread Count

www.dharmatrading.com #PTC45/58

OSNABURG COTTON 45”100% Cotton. Midweight fabric with linen look and tan flecks. 4.5oz per yd. 45” Wide. 40x32 Thread Count.

www.dharmatrading.com #OC45

MODIAL RAYON JERSEY95% Rayon, 5% Lycra. 10oz per yd. 60” Wide.

www.dharmatrading.com #MJ60

MERCERIZED COMBED COTTON BROADCLOTHVery finely woven fabric. Mercerized for increased dying ability. Good for batik and fine painting.

3.5oz per yd. 133x72 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #MCCB

KONA COTTON-PFDGreat for quilting, childrenswear, shirting and

dresses. Soft, even weave fabric with great durabil-ity. 4.4oz per yd. 45” Wide. 60x60 Thread Count.

www.dharmatrading.com #KC

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11 JERSEY COTTON100% Cotton. Slightly stretchy fabric with a smooth flat face. 6.5 oz per yd. 58/60” Wide.www.dharmatrading.com #JER40

55% HEMP/45% COTTON JERSEY30 yd. bolts, 26/28” wide tube (52”)www.dharmatrading.com #HJ

ESSEX LINEN-PFD55% Linen/45% Cotton Blend. Slightly textured with a linen look. Optically Whitened 5.5oz per yard. 52” Wide. 51x49 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #ESS

COTTON VELVETEEN -PFT100% Cotton. Woven with a close weft pile in imita-tion of velvet. Stronger and denser than silk velvet with a shorter pile. 220g per yd. 44” Wide.www.dharmatrading.com #CVEL

55% COTTON 45% SILK 43”Similar to crepe back satin. One side is shiny and one is matte. 2.4 oz per yd. 43” Wide.www.dharmatrading.com #CS45

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Mid weight fabric. Suitable for all clothing types. 4.5oz per yd. 55-58” Wide. 60x60 Thread Count

www.dharmatrading.com #CS

COTTON PRINT CLOTH MERCERIZEDGreat dyeability, perfect for beginning dyers and

painters. 3.1oz per yd. 45” Wide. 80x80 Thread Count. www.dharmatrading.com #CPC

COTTON LYCRA PFD90% Cotton, 10% Lycra. Dyes well. 6.3oz per yd.

60” Wide before shrinkage. www.dharmatrading.com #CLF

COTTON LAWN100% Cotton. Optically whitened. 2oz per yd. 56/57”

Wide. 90x88 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #CL55

COTTON INTERLOCKDouble knit fabric. A stretchy and warm fabric. 6oz

per yd. 62” Wide.www.dharmatrading.com #CIL

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21 COMBED COTTON LAWNHigh quality, semi-sheer lawn. Suitable for blouses, lingerie and fine sewing. 20 yd bolts.www.dharmatrading.com #CCL

COMBED COTTON 110”100% Mercerized Soft Cotton. 3.3oz per yd. 110/112” Wide. 92x88 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #CC110

BAMBOO COTTON 54”50% Bamboo, 50% Cotton. Soft quality midweight sheet-ing. 4oz per yd. 54” Wide. 130x70 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #BAMC

COTTON DUCK NATURALGrade-A duck. Lighter weight duck fabric. Drapes and dyes well, though natural color dyes darker. 7oz per yd. 63” Wide. 84x28 Thread Count.www.dharmatrading.com #7CDN63

COTTON DUCK BLEACHEDGrade-A duck. 7oz per yard. 60/45” Wide. 84x29 Thread Count. www.dharmatrading.com #7CDB60

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morgan mccartyfash 105-05

introduction to textilesprofessor stephanie foy