Bamboo Basics….perfectly imperfect!

As we’ve discussed at length in previous blogs, our bamboo blend fabric is far from perfect and yet there are still so many benefits and qualities that make it a good, sustainable choice for our apparel. At it’s source Bamboo grass is a miraculous plant that grows super fast, requires little water and needs no pesticides. It gets complicated when the grass needs to become fabric. All plant conversion to clothing requires some form of processing which is why we’re choosing to use an Oeko-Tex certified bamboo rayon blend which gives us some peace of mind about the clothes we’re making and wearing. We know that cultivating Bamboo is way more sustainable than conventional cotton which requires enormous amounts of water and chemicals, degrades the soil, has greenhouse gas emissions, and requires the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers to grow. The next part of the puzzle in sustainability is the manufacturing process. This is where our Oeko-Tex certification comes in.

‘Oeko-Tex certification is about how the fabric is processed including things like dyes and finishes. Oeko-Tex textiles and fabrics are certified free of harmful chemicals and are safe for human use. To attain Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, the fabric has been tested and certified to be free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances known to be harmful to human health.

Every part of the garment, including stitching, zips, buttons and coatings have been tested. Your skin is permeable, so if you’re wearing clothes that have been processed with harmful chemicals, those chemicals can be absorbed into your body. You should always wash new clothes before you wear them anyway, but the Oeko-Tex certification is your guarantee that your clothes have been processed without harmful chemicals.’ (hellonaturalliving.com)

Although not completely without it’s flaws, our premium bamboo blend fabric is lightweight and breathable. And most people experience cooling and moisture wicking properties when wearing their Siddhiwear apparel. We just love hearing from our customers, especially those with sensitive skin, or experiencing medical hair loss, who are no longer uncomfortable or itchy from synthetic, ill-fitting toques and beanies.

 

With all the benefits this amazing fabric has to offer, including it’s anti bacterial and thermal regulating capabilities, it’s hard not to fall in love with our soft, stretchy, easy to wear everyday essentials. From its early beginnings as Bamboo Grass which is one of the fastest growing plants in the whole world, this sustainable resource requires little irrigation, regenerates in 55 days, is soft as silk and has a ton of uses. Clothing made from bamboo offers numerous advantages over other fabrics on the market!

Long lasting and durable but not too long lasting- Bamboo rayon decomposes faster than many other fabrics, including cotton, modal and tencel. It seems that most fabrics have pros and cons in either their manufacturing process or final product landfill life. In addition to the quality of the fabric we use, we’re a small brother and sister business and make our clothes locally, in small batches. We buy our material from a Canadian textile company that imports fabric and ensures sustainability by using natural dyes, overseeing production and ensuring quality and fairness for workers overseas. By using only Oeko-Tex certified fabric, we feel good about our apparel on all levels including the ability to design, cut, sew and ship right from the city we love and live in, Toronto, Canada.

Bamboo clothing has become more and more popular over the last few years and now includes a myriad of products like sheets, baby clothes, pillows, flooring and even kitchen accessories like plates and cutlery. Any online search will bring up a ton of bamboo product resources which are easily and readily available. Again, not all Bamboo products, especially fabric used to make clothing, is created equal. In addition to a sustainable resource, it’s important to take into consideration other factors like ethical work and labour practices, fair wage and employee safety too. Our fabrics are made with low-impact fibre reactive dyes. The big difference between using traditional/synthetic dyes vs. low impact fibre reactive dyes is that these dyes are free from heavy metals, chemical mordants, AZO’s and the dyeing cycle is shorter than that for other dye processes, meaning lesser requirement of water, salt and chemicals are needed.

Again, There is no perfect fabric and bamboo is sometimes considered controversial when it comes to sustainability because of chemicals involved in the processing, as there are with most textiles, some more than others. Taking into account the alternatives like polyester and acrylic fabrics which are fossil fuel based and require a ton of water, chemicals and energy to produce, as well as conventional cotton farming which has it’s own challenges, particularly the enormous amount of pesticides and water needed. We like that our fabric has Oeko-Tex certification which along with the low impact cultivation of the bamboo plant itself, our small, local, slow fashion, small batch production means it’s still a win for the planet.

At Siddhiwear, we like clothes. We like comfort and style and yoga too. But we also love our planet, and the people and animals we share it with. Maybe it’s not the most relevant and essential work….to make clothing. But we love and wear and live in our apparel. If we can do it in a way that’s caring and conscious and committed to sustainability, all the while, helping to support other small local businesses, that’s enough for us. We’re certainly in it for the long haul, for our children’s children and our precious, priceless planet.