Hemp Clothing - A Fantastic Eco Friendly Alternative

To make a long story short, hemp clothing is amazing. It is both softer and more durable than cotton, and are just perfect for travel travel because of its wrinkle-free qualities. Hemp clothes are also very resistant to abrasion, which have traditionally given them a rather abrasive feel when worn. However, through appropriate processing and blending with other natural fibers the comfort of hemp clothes has greatly improved. Thanks to to the anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities of organic hemp they will even help you smell better, as they don't absorb body odors.

The History Of Hemp

Hemp is a herb that grows very quickly. It is one of the oldest domesticated plants known and has an amazing capability to grow even in places where the soil isn't ideal and in a multitude of various climate zones. Hemp can grow at altitudes over 3000 meters above sea level. Under good conditions the plant can grow to a height of nine meters (almost 30 feet).

Hemp can be used as a raw material for making (besides environmentally friendly clothing) things like rope, bags and nets. By extracting oil from the fruits it can also produce oil that can be used in cooking as well as a lubricant, or as a component in soap and shampoo. Further uses include bio fuel, insulation and building material.

It is generally believed that hemp was first grown in central Asia. Flax (linseed) and cotton didn't come into the picture until thousands of years later.

Levi's A Hemp Clothing Entrepreneur

Hemp has been used in clothing for a considerably long time, but from an American point of view it is interesting to note that one of the Hemp fashion pioneers was none other than a certain Levi Strauss.

As the story goes, he noticed that the gold rush worker's pants wore out very quickly. So he started researching how to make pants that could handle a lot of wear and tear, water, cold and heat. What he came up with was a pair of pants made of hemp. Later on he added the well known studs to the design, patented it - and the brand Levi's was born.

Hemp clothing was in fact very common until it became illegal to grow in many countries in the 1930s. No doubt because its relation to production of the drug Cannabis. However, with increased awareness of global warming and other environmental factors hemp is no seeing a well deserved revival. And thankfully enough studies suggest that growing this sturdy plant really has no significant impact on drug production and usage.(1)

Environmental Advantages Of Hemp

When it comes to making environmentally friendly clothing hemp has many advantages.

• It requires less water than cotton. The hemp plant only needs between 1/7 to 1/30 compared to the cotton industry. (2)
• Hemp does not require the use of pesticides.
• Can be repeatedly grown in the same spot as it naturally fertilizes the soil (compared to cotton that depletes the soil). When hemp is harvested the leaves are left on the ground, replenishing the soil with nutrients.
• Has long roots that prevent erosion.
• Can be grown in a variety of different climates.
• Often yield more fibres than cotton as hemp is a fast growing plant.
• Absorbs lots of CO2. Hemp can typically be harvested about 120 days after it was planted. This also produces a lot o biomass in a short period of time, which can be used to great advantage for bio fuel or of building material.

Hemp clothes are amazingly tough. The strength of the fiber is three times the strength of cotton yet the garments are lightweight. In conclusion, hemp clothes are a great alternative to the traditional, cotton clothing that most people wear. First and foremost, hemp clothing is much better for the environment than cotton.

Photo credit: curlybird

References

1. Hemp Horizons - the comeback of the world's most promising plant, John W. Roulac
(1997)
2. Plant for the planet (article in Eco Textile News), fall 2007