Types of natural fibers used for weviving colthes

1. Natural, plant-based textile fibers come from
seed hair, such as cotton; from foliage, such as
sisal; from the stem, such as linen; and some
fibers come from shells, such as coconut.
Among the most widely used in the textile
industry, important and recognized, we can list
the following fibers:

3. Cotton grows in balls around the plant
seeds and it is pure cellulose. Cotton is
the natural textile fiber most widely used around
the world and it is certainly the main protagonist
in the global textile industry. There are two
exceptional varieties of the highest quality:
Egyptian cotton and Peruvian Pima.
It is widely used in the fashion industry, both in
flat fabrics and in woven clothing items and
household textile products. Cotton is used in
combination with other natural and synthetic
fibers, such as rayon, polyester, spandex, etc.
Cotton fabrics are comfortable, very soft, have
good heat conduction and absorbency; these
characteristics make it perfect for garments that
are in close contact with the skin, both in spring-
summer and fall-winter seasons. Cotton tends to
shrink; it is prone to wrinkles and fading.

5. Coir.
Coir is a short, hoarse fiber extracted from
coconut husk. There are two types of coir: brown
fiber, which comes from mature coconuts, and
thin, white fiber, which comes from green,
immature coconut husks.
The white variety of coir fiber is used to
manufacture rope and maritime elements because
they are resistant to seawater. Brown fiber is
employed to produce household textile items and
even for the automotive industry. Additionally,
geotextiles produced with coir mesh have special
characteristics such as resistance to sunlight,
great water absorption and they are 100%
biodegradable.
Coir is the fibrous material found between the hard,
internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. Other
uses of brown coir (made from ripe coconut) are in
upholstery padding, sacking and horticulture.
White coir, harvested from unripe coconuts, is used
for making finer brushes, string, rope and fishing nets.

6. Hemp.
Hemp fabric is made from the fibers in the stem of
herbaceous plant of the species Cannabis sativa, a
high-yield crop that produces much more fiber per
acre than cotton plant. One of the most relevant
features of this plant is that it captures large
quantities of carbon. With 70% of cellulose, hemp
is an excellent heat conductor, it absorbs dyes
adequately, it blocks UV rays, it is very resistant to
mildew and has natural antibacterial properties.
Recent developments to “cottonize” hemp fiber
could open the doors of high-quality fashion
market to this fiber. The longest hemp fibers can
be woven and knitted to create curly fabrics,
similar to linen, used in the textile industry. The
mixture of hemp with cotton, linen, silk and wool
give hemp greater softness, while adding strength
and durability to the product.
Hemp fibers are also used to manufacture paper
and a wide variety of canvasses for different uses.
It is also employed in the automotive and
construction industries.

7. Linen.
Linen is one of the strongest plant-
based fibers in nature; therefore it was
one of the first to be grown, woven and
knitted to manufacture clothing and
accessories. There are different types
of linen based on their species. The
main types are: common flax and
perennial flax.
Linen is a fabric with high mechanical
resistance and little elasticity; therefore
it wrinkles easily. Its softness increases
with washes. As linen quickly absorbs
and releases water, and as it is an
excellent thermal conductor, the fabric
is fresh, highly valued and employed in
the production of clothing for warm
areas. Linen garments are fresh,
comfortable, and they symbolize
elegance in summer fashion.
Linen maintains a strong traditional
niche among high-quality textiles for
household products, beddings,
upholstery and interior design
accessories.

8. Ramie.
Ramie fiber is white with gloss similar to
silk, and it is one of the strongest natural
fibers, close to linen in absorption and
density. It has little elasticity and it dyes
easily. Ramie fibers have some transverse
fissures that make it very fragile, but at
the same time promote ventilation.
The rugged ramie fibers are used to make
ropes and nets. Through threading, they
produce thin, very glossy thread that is
used for a wide variety of garments.
Fabrics made 100% of ramie are
lightweight, silky to the touch but with a
linen appearance. Normally, as its
elasticity and resistance are quite low,
ramie is mixed with other textile fibers or
used to improve the characteristics of
other textile fibers. For example, ramie is
added to wool to reduce shrinking or to
cotton to increase strength.

9. Jute.
Jute is extracted from the stem of a
plant with the same name and it is
very easy to grow and harvest. Jute
is one of the cheapest fibers to
produce.
This fiber is also known as “golden
fiber” because of its glow. Jute is
one of the strongest, plant-based
natural fibers, and it is second to
cotton in terms of production
volume.
Jute presents poor absorption, so it
deteriorates quickly when exposed
to humidity; it has low thermal
conduction, but it contains
significant insulating and anti-static
properties. Jute is used as
supplementary material in textile
and footwear manufacturing, as
well as in household textiles.

10. Kapoc.
It is a white fiber similar to hair
that comes from the seeds of a
tree called Ceiba Pentandra.
Kapok is also known as “silk
cotton” because of its gloss that
resembles silk.
Kapok’s fiber, weak and short, is
resistant to moisture and it has a
soft, lustrous texture.
The largest volume of its
production is used for household
textiles.

11. Our sisal fiber comes from
Kenya. Botanically, the plant
is Agave sisalina, and is
considered to be a leaf fiber,
just like abaca
Sisal.
Sisal is an excessively hard
fiber and inelastic to be used in
the fashion industry. It is
employed in small proportions
and in combination with other
fibers for the manufacture of
accessories and home decor
items. Currently sisal is mainly
used in the furniture,
automotive and naval
industries, always combined
with other materials.

12. Ramina.
Ramina is a ligneous
fiber also known as
China grass.
It is rigid, shiny and
lustrous.
Ramina is used for
household textiles.

13. Alpaca.
Alpaca is a very exclusive fiber, hollow in
part of its structure, and it comes
naturally in twenty-three different
colors. It is extremely lightweight, has
great insulation properties and is
stronger than sheep’s wool. Alpaca is
mixed with other natural fibers such as
mohair, silk or wool to make luxurious
garments of the highest quality, both in
knitted and flat fabrics.
Alpaca fibers of higher quality coming
from the shearing of pups and younger
specimens are considered smoother,
softer and warmer than cashmere. It is
currently being used to manufacture
sportswear. The leading brands in sports
have been seduced by this fiber due to
its insulation qualities in cold weather.

14. Angora.
Angora is a natural animal-based
fiber that comes from the Angora
rabbit. It is silky, thin and soft. This
“ultra-silky” white hair from the
Angora rabbit is a hollow fiber
classified as wool. The hair is light,
with great water absorption and
quick dry.
Extremely light but very warm,
angora is used mainly to make
woven clothes such as pullovers,
vests, sweaters and fashion
accessories for winter season. Flat
fabrics with angora are used to
manufacture thermal garments.
Angora is mixed with wool to
create greater density and
elasticity in the fabric, especially
for the production of suits and
blazers. It also used to make high-
quality and luxurious garments.

15. Cashmere.
Cashmere comes from the
Kashmir goat, a native of the
Himalayas.
Cashmere is a very expensive
and exclusive fiber. It is
extremely soft and has great
thermal properties; cashmere is
used to manufacture high-
quality sweaters and children’s
warm clothes. The well-known
“pashmina” is a type of
cashmere used in shawls and
scarves, produced in the
Kashmir Valley. More robust
cashmere is employed to
manufacture high-quality rugs
and carpets.

16. Sheep wool.
A limited supply and its exceptional
qualities have made wool the most
widely used animal-based textile fiber
in the fashion and textile industry.
Wool is a fiber with curly appearance,
elastic, soft to the touch, which easily
absorbs moisture and has an extremely
low rate of heat release. These last few
characteristics make woolen garments
comfortable and warm.
Wool is a fiber of multiple functions and
a wide range of diameters that make it
perfect for manufacturing clothing
items and fashionable accessories. It is
mixed with other natural and synthetic
fibers to increase strength. Wool is also
used in household textile products as
well as in industrial developments such
as thermal and acoustic insulation.

17. Mohair.
Mohair is the hair of the
Angora goat from the
Tibet.
It is a very shiny,
insulating type of wool,
softer and stronger than
sheep wool. Mohair is
white and dyes with
exceptional ease. It has
excellent absorption
capacity and is mainly
used to make knitted
garments and crochet
accessories. Mohair is
also utilized in household
textiles to make luxurious
beddings and upholstery.

18. Camel hair.
Obtained from Bactrian camels
with two humps, it is a fine, soft
fiber that is used exclusively in
luxurious textiles due to its quality
and small supply. To manufacture
ultra-exclusive items, camel hair is
mixed with cashmere and, in
other cases, due to its high cost, it
is combined with wool to reduce
the final price tag of the garment.
This fiber is employed to
manufacture a wide variety of
clothing items –suits, coats,
sweaters and jackets—and other
accessories for winter season
such as gloves, hats and scarves.

19. SILK In many people’s eyes, silk is still “the queen of
fabrics”.
Silk is a protein filament produced by the silk worm. Feeding on
mulberry leaves, the worm produces liquid silk that once
solidified forms the filaments to build its cocoon. Then, once
the larva is dead, heat is used to soften the hardened filaments
and to unroll them. These individual filaments are later
intertwined into one single filament to form the silk yarn.
Silk is a lightweight, lustrous and soft fiber. It is highly resistant
to tensile strength with little or no elasticity. Silk is very glossy
because of the triangular prism structure of the fiber and this
causes garments made of this fabric to refract incoming light
into different angles.
Naturally, silk is used in high-quality textile industry to produce
exquisite accessories as well as luxurious, haute couture
garments. Additionally, it is utilized in a wide range of home
décor items.
In the next article, we will analyze the reasons why the use of
these natural textile fibers in fashion is an excellent initiative of
Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability.