Know your underwear fabric

Fabric plays, perhaps, the most important and direct role in the comfort and ease that underwear provides to you. With innovations in the textile industry, there are many iterations and a variety of fabric blends that are being used.  The material used to make your underwear affects a lot of factors such as breathability, sweat absorption, and even affordability. That is why it is essential for you to know and understand what different kinds of fabric and fabric blends mean for your underwear.

Here we are discussing the two most popular fabrics commonly used for underwear materials, Cotton and Modal.

Cotton

Cotton is a natural and versatile fiber, and perhaps the most basic fabric used to make underwear. It has several advantages, which is why it is preferred in the apparel industry.

Advantages - Cotton has many advantages that have helped retain its position as the most popular fiber.

• It is breathable and gives ample air circulation
• It is soft on the skin and takes good care
• Cotton protects from overheating since it gives natural ventilation
• It is highly absorbent, therefore has good sweat and moisture-wicking properties
• The fabric can be givenany colour, since it dyes perfectly
• It is quite sturdy and durable
• Cotton washes very easily, it can be either hand washed or machine washed
• It is available in many qualities and can fit everyone’s budget.

Disadvantages - There are some disadvantages to cotton as well.

• It breaks down at a quicker rate than some of them blended fabrics
• It pills very soon
• Colour fades a lot more easily
• It can shrink and wrinkle easily

Cotton is also one of the most chemical-dependent crops and cotton cultivation heavily impacts the soil, water, air as well as health of people working on the farms. Given that more than 250 million people are engaged in cultivation, it is also a vital link for the economy and livelihoods. There are many initiatives to make the cotton production system more friendly for the ecosystem and farmers’ health and incomes.

Organic Cotton is a more sustainable alternative to traditional cotton. GOTS-approved organic cotton is cultivated with techniques and methods that have a low negative impact on the environment. It is grown without the use of harmful and synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. The growing methods replenish the fertility of the soil and consume much less water.

Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton is softer than regular cotton. BCI employs a holistic approach to ensure that environmental, social, and economic sustainability is taken care of. It reduces the use of harmful chemicals and uses water efficiently. The main purpose of BCI is to make cotton production sustainable for the future of the sector, reducing the negative impact on the environment and improving the lives of the people engaged in the production.

Modal

Modal, a modern yarn is also called artificial silk or even as the underwear fabric. It is a bio-based, semi-synthetic fabric made from beech tree pulp. A form of rayon, it is more durable and flexible. It is a more eco-conscious alternative to regular cotton. It is often blended with other fabric materials to obtain its lightness and soft and smooth texture.

Advantages – This fabric comes with many benefits, which has made it so preferred in the fashion industry.

• It is super stretchable with excellent flexibility
• At least twice as soft as regular cotton
• The weave is very breathable, making it perfect for daily wear
• It has 50% more moisture-wicking capabilities than regular cotton
• Highly eco-friendly with the use of sustainable plantations and fewer chemicals
• High colour retention as it does not bleed dye during laundry
• Lightweight compared to other fabrics
• Doesn’t pill quickly, is wrinkle-free and shrink resistant

Disadvantages – Modal comes with very few drawbacks.

• It does not retain a lot of body heat, so it is not ideal for winters
• Washing needs effort with this being a stretchy and thin material
• Can be ripped if caught by a sharp nail or doorknob

 At Almo, we use three fabric blends for all our underwear, innerwear, and loungewear.

-  Dario MicroModal uses TENCELTM Modal fibers to give you light and soft innerwear with a flawless fit.

-  Rico Organic Cotton is 100% GOTS approved cotton, very soft and anti-microbial.

-  Fresco BCI Cotton is breathable, sustainable, and softer than regular cotton.

 You can browse through our environmentally positive and skin-friendly collections here.