It's no secret that in the warmer months we all prefer wearing clothing made from natural fabrics and fibres, as they seems to keep us cooler. Ever wondered exactly why though? Read on to discover why cotton is much cooler to wear than artificial fabrics like polyester.
Due to its structure, cotton moves air very well.
Cotton fibres (below) are flat and twist like a ribbon. As a cross section they form little kidney shaped structures which trap and hold air in the spaces between them. This gives cotton it's breathability, and keeps you cooler by allowing air to circulate within the fabric itself.
As a comparison, artificial polyester fibres (below) are round and smooth, and stack together closely, inhibiting air spaces to form between them. No air spaces means no air movement, essentially meaning that polyester fabric has no breathability and makes you feel hotter when you wear it.
The air spaces within cotton and other natural fibres such as linen allows heat to move away from your body, thereby keeping the body cooler in comparison to polyester or rayon.
Cotton is also hydrophilic, which in this case means that water sticks to the fibres. This is due to the fact that natural fibres are rough and coarser than artificial fibres, and allows the fabric to 'wick' water away from the body to provide an evaporative cooling effect.
This is one of the reasons why we love natural fibres, and cotton in particular so much! Below you can see our cotton fabric being woven. This particular beautiful cloth is used to make many of our medium weight cotton pieces, and is just stunning. The colour is undyed - cotton is this colour naturally ❤
Our journey is ever expanding and evolving with our natural fibres, and we can't wait to show you the next instalment!
Browse our range of cotton clothing for women >
Until next time,
Mel
