The Cotton Blog | What is Mercerised Cotton?

Did you know? | 90% of the world's cotton crops are Gossypium hirsutum, or Upland Cotton. 

So what is Mercerised Cotton? It's not a different species of cotton, but rather a treatment that the fibre undergoes to change the appearance & performance. In the early to mid-1800s, English chemist John Mercer was fascinated by dyes & textile printing & set about to find new methods. In 1817 he discovered Antimony Orange, the first true orange pigment used for cotton printing.

He continued to experiment with the dyeing process & in 1844 devised a new process whereby the fabric shrank but increased in strength as well as showing an increased affinity for dyes.

This resulted in a strong & durable cotton fabric that was soft & smooth to touch. In 1889, the process was further developed by Horace Lowe who found that processing the fabric under tension produced a lovely silk-like lustre & sheen to the finished product.


You can find mercerised cotton in our Rochester Shirt, Mercerised Work Trouser and Mercerised Multi Pocket Pant, among others!