Forget Jute. Let’s Talk Hemp.
Never in history has hemp had so many people advocating for its cultivation, processing, yarn spinning, and ultimately fabric use. One thing I love about hemp is that it’s exciting. It’s green (literally). It’s sustainable. And it’s remarkably strong compared to other natural fibers.
Hemp has a myriad of admirable qualities in terms of its carbon neutrality. But let’s also acknowledge that there are some qualities that innately set it apart from cotton.
Cultivation - less water usage, can be used as a rotational crop
Strength - Hemp fabrics are stronger than cotton fabrics of similar construction. This is a true, proven fact. However, the strength differences between hemp and cotton are not statistically significant. Meaning, when compared to cotton, hemp is equally as viable to use in clothing and home furnishings fabrics. There is a lot of marketing language out there that over exaggerates hemp’s strength.
While these qualities of the hemp fiber are well-known, there are also attributes that product developers should consider when developing garments made from hemp or home furnishing fabrics.
The first is colorfastness. Hemp is significantly less colorfast when compared to cotton. Fabric made from 100% hemp exhibit noticeably lower colorfastness when compared to equivalent fabrics made of 100% cotton. In developing hemp clothing, it is advised to consider lighter, neutral tones (such as shades of white, browns or beiges), or pastels for clothing due to considerable color change over time.
The second is abrasion resistance. When considering fabrics for home furnishings end uses, it is important to consider how the furnishing will be used. For example, decorative pillows/cushions made from hemp will have less exposure to abrasion than a sofa or upholstered armchair. My Master’s thesis study as a graduate student indicates that hemp is less abrasion resistant than cotton for home furnishings fabrics. It’s not that hemp can’t be used for heavier duty home furnishings fabrics (upholstery), but lower abrasion resistance could later result in customer dissatisfaction with the product.
I would be interested to find out if anyone has experience with testing hemp garments for Appearance Retention (particularly wrinkle resistance) after Home Laundering. Please connect with me or share information with me if you do!
Additional information hemp fiber for home furnishings use is available from my publication: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/254/19/192009
My wish was fulfilled after having someone like you read about a fiber I have a lot of respect for.
Thank you for reading ,