COLOUR GROWN COTTON
The colours of nature – a worthwhile alternative
Since its discovery 5000 years ago, the cotton plant has become the most important textile plant in the world.
A speciality is "colour grown cotton". The wild variety originated in Peru. Discoveries made at the coast of the Andean country attest that 5000 years ago textiles were produced from coloured cotton. Colours ranged from yellow to lilac thus proving that coloured cotton is as old as white cotton, however its yield was lower. For this reason, it was not used industrially and this variety died out. Numerous wild varieties were found in the rainforest of Peru and re-cultivated.
Today, green and brown cotton are being re-cultivated and harvested. By mixing colour grown cotton with natural, raw cotton, the well-known pale green and brown shades can be produced. From the ecological point of view, coloured cotton has the advantage that approx. five times less the amount of pesticides and fertilizers are required for its cultivation than for white cotton. The advantage to the environment is obvious. Cultivation of cotton is normally reliant on large quantities of chemicals whereas the further processing of colour grown cotton requires neither bleaches nor dyes, making it one of the most skin-friendly fibres that exist.
A further interesting effect when using colour grown cotton is the colour intensification that occurs after several washing processes. It is assumed that cotton grows in layers, similar to tree rings. The outer protective layer is gradually removed by washing, so that the brown or green layer gradually becomes more apparent. Therefore, we recommend using standard washing agents without a colour brightener or bleach.
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