Hemp has been in use since 770 AD. Since that time, it has been used to make everything from rope to clothing, to paper. A step away from cotton, the drape and hang of hemp have been compared to linen. Like a baseball glove you’ve had for ten years, hemp fabric becomes softer with use. Hemp also absorbs moisture quickly, keeping your body dry.
Because hemp is more water-absorbent than cotton, it will retain dye better than any other fabric, keeping your colors from fading. Hemp also has a porous personality that allows it to breathe, keeping you cool in the summer. And like bamboo and wool, hemp is warmer in cooler weather.
Hemp is the longest and strongest plant fiber. Because we are very concerned about our natural resource, water, it is heart-warming to know that hemp only uses 1/20th the amount of water to grow and process as regular cotton. Hemp is naturally less vulnerable to insects and crowds out other weeds so pesticides and fertilizers become obsolete when we deal with hemp.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HEMP CLOTHING
- Hemp saves Water. Hemp uses only 1/20th the amount of water as regular cotton to grow and process.
- Hemp uses almost no water to grow and can usually be rain-fed.
- Hemp retains color better than any other fabric.
- Hemp protects your skin by naturally filtering UV light.
- Hemp resists bacterial growth and breathes excellently, preventing odors.
- Hemp has four times the strength of cotton; It won’t weaken when washed.
- Unlike cotton which depletes the soil of nutrients, hemp can be grown consecutively for over twenty years without the soil being affected.
- Hemp is deliciously soft on the skin, more and more with each wear.
Q&A
Is hemp clothing better than cotton?
Hemp fabrics are stronger, more absorbent, more durable, and better insulating than cotton. Furthermore, they don’t stretch out of shape. This property makes hemp a perfect upholstery fabric because it can be pulled taut and remain taut throughout the life of the furniture.
Why is hemp clothing so expensive?
The demand for the hemp industry needs to rise in order for hemp clothes prices to go down. The availability of hemp fibers is still very low and there are only a few brands or designers that create clothing made out of hemp. Demand is key to reducing prices, as well as the amount of supply.
Are hemp clothes comfortable?
Hemp is a strong fiber and is as natural as cotton is. Similar to cotton, clothes tailored from hemp fibers get softer with each wash but the process is rather a slow one.
Comfortable in every sense, hemp clothes beat cotton in endurance with the tensility and strength of its fibers.
Do hemp clothes shrink?
Hemp will shrink slightly when placed in hot water. If you wash hemp in cold water, hemp will not shrink and will retain its shape. Natural fabrics like hemp will shrink in hot water anywhere from 5%-15%. Like cotton, hemp fiber used in making clothing is stretched.
Does Hemp dry quickly?
Hemp does not have to be tumble-dried – it will naturally dry quickly.
Softening: Hemp generally will get softer with use and after each wash. … After conventional machine, washing use a fast spin, then hot iron while the hemp is still damp.
How to care for hemp clothing?
- Wash cold unless stained.
- For stains, use detergent directly or presoak, and use warmer water.
- Don’t expose clothing to dryer heat or iron until you’re sure the stain’s gone.
- Dry cleaning is ineffective.
- Keep darks separate.
- Avoid setting wrinkles by removing promptly from the washer/dryer.
Does Hemp keep you warm?
Hemp has a unique ability to keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Hemp is the optimum performance fabric for winter. Its ability to regulate body temperature means that it will insulate you to keep you warm, but it will also whisk moisture away from the body keeping you dry.
Is hemp clothing durable?
Hemp fiber is one of the strongest and most durable of all-natural textile fibers. The more hemp is used, the softer it gets. Hemp doesn’t wear out, it wears in. Hemp is also naturally resistant to mold and ultraviolet light.
Are hemp clothes soft?
Hemp fabric is deliciously soft on the skin and is known for growing softer with each wear. Hemp fabric is quite practical. It literally prevents you from getting stinky, gets softer with more use, and is stronger and longer-lasting than cotton.
Does Hemp wrinkle like linen?
Moreover, while hemp might wrinkle more than synthetic fabrics, it’s notably less wrinkly than linen. Linen is prone to wrinkling in the same spots again and again, which makes it much more likely that holes will develop over time.
Can you put hemp clothing in the dryer?
Drying hemp items in high heat will shrink them very quickly if you put them wet into a very hot dryer. It’s fine to use the dryer sometimes, but it’s important to avoid high heat and to mostly dry the items on the line. In general, most hemp items will dry extremely quickly compared to other fabrics.
