Derived from animal and plant natural fibres, natural fabrics are a popular choice when it comes to clothing and furnishing fabric. Find out more about these textiles here.
Natural fabrics are textiles made from all natural fibres and substances. These can come from animals or plants and have been used for thousands of years to produce clothing, interiors, furnishings and more.
Some of the most popular natural fibre options available include:
Animal fibres
Silk – Developed in ancient China from silk worms, known as “the queen of fabrics”
Cashmere – very soft and luxurious, from the neck hair of Cashmere and other goats
Wool – rich and insulating fibre from sheep
Mohair – fine and silky and very soft, from the Angora goat
Angora wool – fine, luxurious, and soft from the Angora rabbit
Alpaca wool – A luxurious wool used to make high-end items
Plant fibres
Cotton – the world’s most used natural fibre from the cotton plant
Bamboo – soft and moisture wicking fibre growing in popularity
Flax – a very strong vegetable fibre and one of the oldest
Jute – very strong and used to make sackcloth
Hemp – the fibre from the cannabis plant
Coir – coarse and short fibre from coconuts
How are they manufactured?
Each type of natural fabric is manufactured slightly differently. Natural fibres can be spun to make thread, filaments and rope. When these are woven, knitted, bonded or matted, they become the natural materials we all know. Textiles, such as natural linen fabrics, are one of the oldest materials known and the only thing that has changed slightly is the manufacturing process.
It starts with the fibre and how that is extracted as well as treated to become a thread or yarn. As some natural fibres are plant derived and others animal, the extraction and process methods are different. Wool including Angora and Cashmere, for example, is either sheared or combed, whereas silk comes from the cocoon of the Mulberry silkworm.
Plant fibres come from harvesting the specific plant or crop and following exact methods to obtain the correct form of the fibre.
Fibre is the base of all textiles, which are made in 3 stages:
Spinning – fibres are first spun to make yarns (which are used to create the fabric)
Weaving/Knitting – this is when the yarns are made into textiles
Finishing – textiles are finished to make them more useful for their intended purpose
Purposes
Natural materials have been used for centuries from all corners of the world. They are utilised predominantly in the fashion and clothing industry, but they are also used in furnishings, interiors, insulators and technology.
Thanks to their myriad of properties and the fact that they are produced sustainably, natural fabrics have continued to grow in popularity.
Properties of natural fabrics
Natural fabrics are made from fibres, which come from plants or animals. A lot of people prefer them due to their plethora of benefits and properties. Some of these can include:
Strength
Durability
Sustainable
Insulating
Anti-bacterial
Bio-degradable
Hypo-allergenic
Versatile
Moisture-wicking
Breathable
Absorbent
Advantages of natural fabrics
You can find natural fabrics online easily, with a wealth of options available. Many people opt for natural over synthetic thanks to the fabric’s soft and breathable natures and their impact on the environment. These fabrics are largely sustainable, biodegradable and carbon neutral which is a huge advantage.
Natural fabrics can also be blended together with other fibres, both natural and synthetic, to bring even more uses to the table. They are versatile as well as strong and when mixed together, their qualities can be multiplied, to include easy to care for, easy to wash, colour durability and lots more.
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