Natural Fabrics: Earth Day Celebration Time!

Celebrate Mother Earth in all her glory by wearing threads from nature. Earth Day is this Tuesday, April 22, 2014.

Here are our favourite fabrics made with natural fibers, their benefits and why we should all be wearing them.

Cotton

Cotton is one of the most popular fabrics in the world, from lingerie and ready-to-wear fashions, to linens and bedsheets. Did you know that almost all cotton liners (or gussets) in underwear are made with 100% cotton for breathability?  Since it’s one of the easiest fabrics to dye, you can find cotton in virtually any colour of the spectrum. In the medical world, bandages and swabs are made with cotton as well. If you’re a jeans girl, you probably already know that denim is made from cotton fibers.

Benefits of cotton: it’s hypoallergenic, non-irritating, conducts heat to keep you cool, and naturally absorbs and wicks away moisture to keep you dry and let your skin breathe.  Producing cotton materials are also non-wasteful: almost all parts of the cotton plant are used in some way, including the cottonseed, lint (raw cotton fibre), stalk and hull (shell).

Knock Out! Panties: We just love these doctor-recommended panties made with a 100% Supima cotton liner that has patented molecules to wick away moisture, and eliminate odour, you’ll be “ready for anything”, according to Oprah’s own testimony about Knock Out panties. The Supima cotton used by Knock Out! is grown and cultivated in the United States without any pesticides or harmful chemicals, and infused with the special molecules that give Knock Out! panties their patented allure.

Hanna Lingerie: with lots of different styles made with 100% cotton or cotton/spandex blend, cotton Hanna underwear adds the perfect touch of readiness for your every day basic wardrobe. From bikini-cut to high-waisted, we have your essential Hanna cotton panties on NTL in all styles that are currently available. Made in Canada. 

Bra Doctor: made in Canada bras and panties with a comfortably breathable blend of cotton and spandex. I just love these because they are part of my every day wardrobe. The Light Luxury crossover top is my favourite go-to yoga bra, while the panties are fabulous to wear anytime, from work to workout.

Click here to check out all our cotton styles on Now That’s Lingerie.

Silk

Did you know that silk was discovered by accident? A silk cocoon had accidentally fallen into a cup of hot tea. A Chinese Empress, Hsi-Ling-Shih, pulled the threads and discovered silk. From just one silk cocoon, on average you can get between 1,968.5 feet to 2,952.76 feet (600-900 meters), with a maximum of 6,561 feet (2 kilometers) of silk thread. The methods of twisting, reeling and weaving of the silk have hardly changed since the earliest times. The “burn test” indicates whether or not a piece of fabric is silk: real silk will curl away from the flame and leaves a brittle and crushable black bead after burning, and will almost always extinguish itself when the flame is removed from it.

Benefits of silk: Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is said to cause a delay in a person getting wrinkles because of the essential amino acids in silk bedding. Silk is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It’s a naturally self-adjusting thermal fabric.

Change of Scandinavia makes an exquisite European line of 100% silk and silk-knit undergarments and sleepwear that are must-haves for any woman’s wardrobe. All softness aside, silk is just incredibly comfortable and elegant, any way you choose to wear or use it.

Click here to check out all our silk lingerie on NTL.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a highly renewable grass, and it is probably this property that has resulted in its being classified as “eco-friendly”. Taken from the plant, bamboo is spun into yarns with no chemical modification by crushing the bamboo plant and then using natural enzymes to break the bamboo walls into a pulp so that the natural fibers can be mechanically combed out and spun into yarn.

Benefits of Bamboo: Naturally antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, thermal regulating, naturally resistant to mould. Bamboo is porous so it also breathes and wicks away moisture. Bamboo is one of nature’s most sustainable resources, which is why it’s considered eco-friendly; it’s 100% biodegradable and is naturally regenerative, growing up to one foot a day! Aesthetically, Bamboo also has an excellent drape and a silky cashmere feel.

Elita Lingerie’s bamboo collection has always been popular and is one of their best-selling basics. From bras to underwear and camisoles you can wear from day to night, the bamboo is exceptionally soft to the touch and feels so natural, it will make you forget you’re even wearing it.

Click here to see all our bamboo styles available at NTL.

Modal

Modal is a processed bio based textile made from reconstituted cellulose from beech trees. Modal is considered a type of rayon, but while rayon may be made of the wood pulp of a number of different trees, modal uses only beech wood.

Benefits of modal: Like other types of rayon, originally marketed as “artificial silk,” Modal is soft, smooth and breathes well. Its texture is similar to that of cotton or silk. It is cool to the touch and very absorbent. Like cotton, modal dyes easily and becomes colourfast after submersion in warm water. Modal drapes well and keeps its shape, even when wet. One of the advantages of Modal over cotton is its resistance to shrinkage, a notorious problem with cotton. Modal is also less likely to fade or to form pills as a result of friction. Its smoothness also makes hard water deposits less likely to adhere to the surface, so the fabric stays soft through repeated wash and wear.

Blush Lingerie: their Soft Seduction collection is glamorous and infused with all the softness and benefits of modal fabric, for an elegant and luxurious range of panties, bras, and loungewear fit for royalty.

Elita Lingerie: Like their bamboo counterparts, Elita’s Modalux collection is infused with all the goodness of Modal fabrics, with the added touch of minimal spandex to add stretch and a longer-lasting shelf life.

Click here to view all our styles made with Modal.

Which is your favorite of these natural fibers?

Tell us here by commenting below, or on Facebook or Twitter!

Celine

Your Bra Doctor

bradoctor@nowthatslingerie.com

All styles shown here are available at Now That’s Lingerie