Natural fibers for clothing

Have you ever wondered how that dress ended up in your possession or what kind of textile material it is made of? When did people discover that fibers from plants, animals, and even insects could be turned into something more useful, more versatile, and more glamorous? The use of natural fibers in clothing may have started thousands of years ago, but the exact date is unknown, as historians realized that the countries that came to discover these fibers protected their discoveries with all their might.

Linen is generally considered to be the oldest natural textile fiber and its use for weaving dates back to the Egyptian dynasties where linen was woven into linen and sewn into shrouds used to bury their pharaohs. Flax is grown in temperate and subtropical zones such as Russia, France, Belgium, Spain, Egypt, among others. Today, flax is grown not only for the purpose of making cloth, but also for its oil-rich seeds.

Cotton, which is often spun into thread or yarn, is native to the Americas, Pakistan, Africa, and India. It has been spun, woven and dyed to dress the ancient peoples of India, Egypt and China. Because cotton is highly absorbent, it is often used to make bath towels, robes, blue jeans, socks, underwear, most T-shirts, sheets, and yarn for knitting and crocheting. In addition to making clothing, cotton is also used in fishing nets, coffee filters, and cottonseed oil.

It is believed that silk was discovered by a Chinese princess and that the Chinese secretly cultivated and manufactured silk for more than 3,000 years, while India developed silk culture when a Chinese princess married an Indian prince. Silk is produced by insects, but the most popular is obtained from the cocoons of mulberry silkworm larvae. Due to its absorbency, it is mainly used during the hot season and its low conductivity keeps the skin warm during winter. Silk is widely used in the manufacture of lingerie, ties, blouses, formal dresses, parachutes, quilt padding, among others.

Produced largely in Australia followed by New Zealand, wool is a textile fiber obtained from the hair of animals such as sheep, goats, camels and rabbits. Wool is mainly used in the production of blankets, horse blankets and saddles, rugs, and in some heavy machines and radio speakers. It is also used as a cloth diaper cover due to its hydrophobic characteristics that repel water and the inside of the fleece is used as a wet diaper cover due to its ability to attract water so the outside stays dry. Today, wool remains the most versatile, so its quality has never been duplicated by artificial or synthetic fibers.

Although in recent years, fibers have been manufactured synthetically, the quality of natural fibers has never been surpassed or equaled. Natural or man-made, competition has had a positive effect on consumers by giving them an option to choose from.