Welcome back to the gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video is all about cotton.
We discuss what it is, what it's not, the differences in qualities, the impact on the
environment, what you should look for when you buy it, and what to watch out for.
Cotton, you might wonder, isn't all cotton the same?
No, it isn't.
Even if it's a hundred percent cotton, there are huge differences and today, about 75 percent
of men's wear garments have some form of cotton in them.
It's very affordable, versatile, and accessible, and it can hold up to 27 times its own weight
in water.
It is grown on two and a half percent of the world's arable land and overall, it's a fiber
you should know about.
So what exactly is cotton?
It's basically linked from the cotton plant which is part of the Gossypium family and
the fibers were meant to protect the seeds and are comprised entirely out of cellulose
material you often find in nature, such as trees.
Outer fabrics such as viscose, or bamboo fabrics, are all based on cellulose as well.
Cotton plants are actually shrubs and they grow wildly but today, they're cultivated
most of the time.
Looking back, cotton was found in garments up until 6000 BC and it was mostly found in
the Middle East.
Today, the commercially for most grown cottons are all derived from that ancient cotton plant.
Columbus noticed that when he came to the Bahamas, it had a huge impact on slavery which
was perpetuated by the growth of cotton itself and to learn more about it, I urge you to
check out our in-depth guide on the website here.
Today, most of the cotton comes through US, China, India, as well as many countries in
Africa, and South America.
In the US, commercial level growth of cotton is heavily subsidized while developed nations
hugely rely on machines to harvest cotton, it is still picked by hand in Africa, or in
Egypt, in India, and developing countries.
Ofcourse, picking by hand is much more labor-intensive and the people who do it or not paid very
well.
At the same time, you get a pure fiber simply because you don't get any impurifications
into the fiber at the picking stage.
When cotton is harvested, they usually select the seeds and so after harvesting in the country
of origin, as well as the country where the cotton is spun and woven, it goes to many
gins that make sure to remove all the seeds, dirts, and impurification from the cotton.
Because the purer the cotton, the better it is.
Not all cotton fibers are alike, the better ones are longer and you can get them in five
or six centimeter lengths which is like two to two and a half inches.
Lower and cotton has shorter staples and it's harder to spin them into yarns at the same
time, it is usually softer but you will see pilling much more quickly and it will wear
out prematurely.
For that reason, all quality cotton products rely on long staple cotton.
Once the fiber is cleaned, it is spun into a yarn and sometimes you have a 2 ply yarn
which means two strands of yarn apply together which helps to create a more resilient yarn
that is at the same time, more consistent and long-lasting.
Another process to improve cotton is called gassing.
It's used to brighten the fiber, smoothen it which gives it that typical quality Sheen
you may know from higher end cotton shirts, especially in the twill weave.
Once the cotton is woven, there's a number of different finishing steps that are sometimes
proprietary to the manufacturers and it will help to really get the best out of the cotton
fabric.
Now that you how it's made, let's talk about the environmental impact.
Cotton is very resource-intensive in the growing stage, as well as in the manufacturing stage,
and it uses a lot of water and the chemicals used to process it can be ecologically very
damaging.
As a crop, cotton likes warm climates and as such, it is oftentimes grown
in areas where there's not enough rainfall so it heavily relies on irrigation such as
in Egypt.
To keep pests at bay, you need a lot of chemicals because of that, genetically modified seeds
have been developed that keep pests at bay so you don't have to use as many chemicals,
but you still need a lot comparatively.
Because of rising levels in cotton that gets to the end producer, the whole movement of
organic cotton was started which is ever-growing.
By definition, organic cotton neither has chemicals or pesticides and it doesn't rely
on genetically modified seeds.
Apart from cotton using a lot of water, it has to be linked to desertification in parts
of the world as well as solidation of the ground.
The absence of cotton art is an organic material that will decompose unlike things like nylon
or polyester.
In terms of cotton quality, it all starts with a staple length.
Short staple is considered three quarters of an inch or about one and a half centimetres.
Medium staple cotton is considerably about three quarters of an inch to one and a quarter
inch; and a long staple cotton is anything from one and a quarter inch all the way up
to two and a half inches.
While the majority of cotton in the world is a short staple and then some medium staple,
you will only see the staple infused in marketing for higher end cottons.
Sometimes when you see labels of higher-end cotton, you will see the term sea island cotton
but what exactly doesn't mean?
It is an extra-long staple cotton grown on the sea islands outside the South Carolina
and Georgia.
In theory, the sunshine and the level of humidity provide the perfect conditions for a high-quality
cotton.
Even higher form of cotton is a so-called West Indian Sea Island cotton
which is legally only allowed to be grown in parts of the Caribbean.
Even though the output is limited by the size of the island, there are a lot more products
labeled as sea island cotton western Sea Island cotton that is actually made in any given
year.
Obviously, there's a lot of fraud going on in that part, however, if we can get your
hands on genuine West Indian Sea Island cotton, it's almost like touching cashmere.
Sometimes, shirt makers also advertise Egyptian cotton and basically what they mean is it's
the longest staple cotton from a batch, it's not necessarily cotton that is always from
Egypt.
You'll also find Egyptian cotton in towels or anything
that touches the skin.
Usually, it's used to demand a higher price from the consumer.
A subgroup of Egyptian cotton you see so-called Giza cotton which is more high-end.
Each giza quality comes with a number.
With giza 45 con being the most luxurious and high-end Egyptian cotton on the market,
its extra-long, has superior fineness, and is very consistent.
To guarantee the highest quality of the longest staple giza 45 cotton, it is hand picked and
hand combed so there are no impurifications and you get the finest cotton there is.
Sometimes you see pima cotton or american pima which is named after an American Indian
tribe, it is also considered to be a extra long staple con and it came about in the 1900s.
You may also have seen supima cotton which is short for superior pima cotton and while
it's not a grade, it's an organization that tries to promote pima cotton.
Like organic cotton in itself is not a description of quality, all it tells you that no chemicals
or pesticides were used and it's not genetically modified.
It doesn't tell you anything about the staple length, so if you pay more for organic cotton,
you do so because of the impact it has and the pesticide freeness, not in the quality.
In my experience, West Indian sea cotton is really the cream of the crop and I would even
place it above a giza 45 cotton.
For dress shirts, Ialways go for a two ply cotton and make sure that it's a hundred percent
cotton and it's not stretch with polyester or nylon.
While it makes it more durable and it's may be appropriate for uniforms, work wear, maybe
for chefs in the kitchen, it's not something you want to wear on your skin because it's
rougher and not as comfortable, also it's not as absorbent.
If you're lucky, you can also sometimes find polo shirts made at a pima cotton, however,
most of the time, it's a lower grade cotton.
Interestingly, thread counts or gsm grams per square meter are units used usually for
linens and towels, not for garments.
In my experience, there's a lot of fraud going on and I wouldn't rely just on a number that's
presented to me.
So how can you find out if the cotton is luxurious?
The problem is that you have a soft cotton, it can feel very comfortable on your skin,
but it's in fact soft because the staple is so short.
Higher-end cotton is usually very fine which means you can have a very fine weave and you
get a very nice Sheen.
For men's shirts, probably Albini is a largest kid on the block and if you want to learn
more about that company check out our guide on the website here.
At the same time there are other good cotton manufacturers out there but sometimes the
problem with relying on brands is that they may change the quality over time without you
noticing it or without them changing your label.
For example, I own Polo Ralph Lauren sweaters for over ten years and the quality has gone
downhill by a lot.
The sweaters have gotten softer but it's because they used shorter staple cotton that pills
much more easily and looks old and the colors look washed out much more quickly than the
older sweaters I have.
So what are their cotton buying do's and don'ts?
Don't believe that all cotton is created equal.
Quality cotton is usually softer, it is shinier, it is finer, and it has a smaller impact on
the environment because you can wear it for longer periods of time.
You should always expect more from a higher and cotton retailer; they should be able to
tell you what specific kind of cotton is used, how many plys they are, how heavy the fabric
is, and where it was sourced.
At the same time, don't believe all the labels that are not backed up by a trusted industry
Authority such as Albini, Thomas Mason, or Tessitura Monti, or other famous cotton makers
which are known to produce a quality product made out of long staple cotton.
So how shouldyou care for cotton?
Fortunately, it's one of the more easier items to take care of.
You can machine wash it, you can hand wash it, but machine wash is totally fine, the
only time I'd stay away from machine washing my cotton is in a suit such as a seersucker
suit or another cotton suit but mainly because of the canvas and the things on the inside
not necessarily because of the fabric itself.
Ideally, you should always follow the care instructions on the label because if you wash
it too hot, the color may come out and I also would urge you to wash it with light colors,
otherwise, the chances of it looking duller is much higher.
To keep colors vibrant and cotton in a good stage, it's best not to wash the pair of jeans
after every single time of wear and if you do, you can pull them inside out just like
with the sweaters to try to prevent pilling on the outside which is visible.
Also, it helps your cotton if you don't over dry it so ideally, air dry it.
If you have to use a dryer, maybe partially put it in a dryer and then hang it to be air
dried, otherwise, if you fully put in a dryer your garment won't last as long.
When it comes to dress shirts, should never put them into the dryer because of the interlining
that may come lose, it's harder on it so always air dry those.
You can either iron a dress shirt when it's wet so it's relatively easy and the wrinkles
come out.
The problem is it takes a lot longer and so you have to figure out what makes sense for
you.
Ideally you put it on a hanger and let it dry.
When in doubt about the temperature you should wash your cotton on, go with a lower temperature
or wash it on cold because it will make sure that your colors last longer.
If you enjoyed this video make sure to check out our series on cashmere, as well as our
other guides on worsted and flannel so you'll learn more about the fibers and fabrics used
in menswear and you can see what's right for you, what to buy, and what not to buy.
In today's video I'm wearing a rather casual outfit made of a polo shirt from Uniqlo out
of 100% cotton.
the collar is made like a shirt collar and it's not so flimsy like usual polo shirt collars
because of that I really like it because.
I'm wearing it untucked it's not longer in the back than it is in the front and the shorts
I'm wearing are by Polo Ralph Lauren made out of a soft cotton this is an old pair of
shorts that is still made out of a higher quality cotton in my opinion than the newer
shorts you can buy these days my shoes are casual summer shoes called Alpergatas from
Spain they are made out of a checked cotton fabric on a u2 soul with rubber it's a very
summery shoe and it doesn't give you a lot of structure yet it's breathable and I find
it perfect for outings at the beach or just very summery resort wear outfits that don't
really care about formality.