DUE to the increasing influx of man-made fibres today, one is never sure of what one is wearing. We come across hundreds of new textures and fabrics. There has been a substantial shift towards the use of artificial fibres in fabrics over the years, owing to the variety they offer and their cheaper cost.

But, how about getting back to that natural fibre which never goes out of style, something that is so pure, something that brings you closer to nature. Yes, getting back to pure cotton in summer is like getting a feel of pure wool in winter.

A natural vegetable fibre, earlier hand-picked, cotton has now evolved considerably with the new technologies of machine harvesting, spinning and blending with polyester fibres. Also, a new variety has been developed called bio-cotton, which is naturally coloured cotton. Cotton is also blended with man-made fibres like acrylic, nylon or other natural fibres like silk to add new properties to it like lustre, strength and elasticity.

Now, we have 100 per cent pure cotton, which is soothing for the skin, as fragile as muslin and rustic like khadi, is cool and absorbent, soaking up to 27 times its own weight of water. It’s so light and porous that it lets your skin breathe freely.

Just as ‘Woolmark’ became the hallmark of pure wool, the ‘New Seal of Cotton’ is the registered trademark of 100 per cent cotton products. The Cotton Gold Alliance (CGA) is a collaboration between two US-based companies—Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated—and the Indian cotton/textile industry. This ‘seal of cotton’ reaches the Indian customer as a trustmark to identify superior-quality cotton products in both apparel and home furnishings. Launched in October last, it aims to increase awareness and appreciation about high-quality cotton. The CCI expresses to Clothesline that "increased recognition of and preference of cotton products will lead to increased demand for cotton at the consumer level and boost the sales of products from qualified Indian firms." This would ultimately result in a rise in overall use of cotton, adding up to benefits in exports and imports. One can already see leading brands like Raymond, Arrow, Louis Phillipe, Monte Carlo, Scullers carrying the seal of cotton in their new design collection.

Cotton has immense versatility and is given to a number of fabric variations. Starched chambray shirts are very comfortable and look formal. Cotton seersucker is a crisp and cool fabric with a puckered look and needs no ironing. Terry towels are highly absorbent because they are made of cotton and have a loop structure. Cotton knitwears and other non-woven cotton products are amazing inventions that have paved the way for experimentation with the fabric. Cotton has high affinity for dyes. It takes up dyes and prints easily. With this seal of cotton coming to India, it will encourage the manufacturers to invest in superior cotton products.

The history of cotton goes back to almost 7,000 years. In Egypt, as early as 12,000 BC, Egyptian cotton was known for its lustre and greater fibre length than other varieties. Archaeologists have found remnants of cotton fabrics in Mexico (from 3500 B.C), in India (3000 B.C), in Peru 2500 B.C) and in the southwestern USA (500 B.C).

With khadi making inroads in haute couture, and Naomi Campbell flaunting it, cotton has become a high-end fabric of today’s fashionistas.... sticking to the basics yet exuding style, comfortable to wear yet trendy.