The Cotton Blog | What exactly is Cotton?

Is making cotton wool balls as simple as picking them off the plant? 🤨🧐

Hmm ... not quite. 

Did you know? | Only about 40% of a cotton boll gets turned into cotton thread - the rest is seeds & other 'green' plant material

Cotton is one of the most commonly used fabrics on earth - in fact, it's the most widely produced natural fibre save perhaps wool. The fluffy white part of the mature cotton fruit is called lint & is actually a mass of fibres connected to the seeds - sort of like a dandelion. The lint is compressed into bales, then transported to textile mills for the next step towards becoming the fabrics we love to wear.

The lint is cleaned multiple times before being carded & straightened into untwisted ropes, before spinning machines twist the fibres into yarn. Finally, the yarn is woven into fabric!

And what a versatile fabric it is - it's soft, comfortable, durable, strong ... easy to clean, easy to sew, takes on colour well & resists pilling & moths . Cotton is suitable for all seasons, retaining body heat in winter while breathing in hot & humid conditions, absorbing moisture before releasing it to be evaporated from the surface of the fabric. What's not to love?

 
Looking for 100% cotton garments? The AS Colour range is a great starting point for great quality staple styles. Or maybe you're after 100% cotton polo shirts, or 100% cotton button-up shirts? Here at House of Uniforms, we've got you covered...in cotton!