The South American vicuña llama provides the silky shining wool for this noble fabric. A llama can produce enough wool for just one jumper each year. Despite being very fine and light, the alpaca wool is hard-wearing and elastic. The individual fibres of alpaca fur are hollow inside. This makes them extraordinarily good at controlling heat.
Cotton is one of the most popular natural fibres because it has excellent spinning characteristics and is particularly long-wearing. There are more than 300 species of this shrub-like plant. The largest growing areas are China (23%) and the USA (20%).
Down provides excellent warmth, it retains heats and is a superb insulator, which makes it an outstanding material for filling duvets, pillows, and outdoor jackets. Although eiderdown is the most expensive, there is no difference in the quality between it and other types of down.
Towelling is made using a special looping process. Washing: Broadcloth terry products have a particularly high capacity for absorption due to their irregular loops.
Originally used for trousers for workers, today denim is available in the form of skirts, bags, shirts, jackets and numerous other items of clothing. This textile is made from cotton. Combining threads of different colours (usually white and blue) gives denim fabric its distinctive characteristic appearance of looking blue on one side and whitish on the other.
Cashmere is a very special quality wool. Which is collected annually from the underbelly of the cashmere goat. The annual global harvest is only about 5,000 tons. Cashmere is a very expensive and delicate textile. For this reason, special care must be taken when washing it.
As genuine leather is an animal product, it requires special care. All types of leather have to be treated differently and you should check the garment care label before cleaning. It is a good idea to test cleaning and conditioning agents on a hidden part of the garment first. Never use solvents or nail-varnish remover on leather.
This natural fibre is gained from the stems of the flax plant. Linen is characterised by its high strength and durability. In addition, it is resistant to dirt and odours. It wrinkles easily because it does not stretch much.
A good fabric sometimes is like a good perfume: the blend makes the difference. Robust cotton becomes elegant through the addition of rayon. Cashmere becomes financially more affordable through the addition of cotton. Mixed fabrics are traditionally blends of cotton with one or more synthetic fibres.
Poplin is the commercial name for a finely ribbed, plain-weave fabric. The name poplin is merely a commercial term and is not limited to a certain type of fibre. Poplin can be produced from cotton, silk, wool, rayon, polyester or a blend of fibres.
Silk is a natural fibre obtained from unwinding silkworm cocoons. Hard-working silkworms spin the fine threads up to four kilometres in length. Thanks to its unmistakable softness and appearance, silk emanates a touch of luxury when close to the skin.
(Nylon/polyester/polyamide/polyacryl) These fully synthetic fibres are extremely elastic and resistant to tearing and abrasion. They do not shrink and dry quickly since they absorb little moisture. Synthetic textiles also maintain their shape well and do not wrinkle.
Wool fibres are composed of several layers. It is particularly heat retentive and so is frequently used for warm sweaters or cuddly winter garments such as scarves. Wool types include cashmere, angora, merino, lambswool and mohair, among others. Sheep wool is probably the most prevalent.
