Materializing a Better Wardrobe

If you have read my blog post "10 Closet Tips for a Sensible Wardrobe," you will notice that I highly recommend investing your money in essential clothing staples vs. trends. Becoming familiar with the different textiles will help guide you in making an intentional purchase.

I found this information on GoClimate.com.

Title: Clothing, Which Materials are Best and Worst? A Sustainable Fashion Guide

Author: Evelina Utterdahl

Acrylic-

Pro: it is warm and machine washable, lightweight, inexpensive

Con: Pills quickly, not breathable, static builds up easily, not recyclable, toxic to the environment.

Elastane/Lycra/Spandex-

Pro: Stretchy, keeps the shape of clothing intact (especially in high-quality materials), gives an excellent body-contouring fit, found in athletic and swimwear.

Con: Can lose stretch/quality over time, not environmentally friendly

Nylon/Polyamide-

Pro: wrinkle resistant, durability and often found in windbreakers/raincoats, machine washable, versatile, inexpensive.

Con: Nonbiodegradable, not environmentally friendly

Polyester-

Pro: Inexpensive, durable, wrinkle-resistant, colors resist fading, dries quickly, maintains shape.

Con: loses quality when recycled, bad for the environment, doesn't breathe, builds up static.

Cotton

Pro: Soft, breathable, durable, comfortable, absorbs moisture.

Con: Shrinks in the dryer can lose quality when recycled

Hemp

Pro: 3x stronger than cotton, UV resistant, durable, breathable, softens over time, environmentally. friendly

Con: can have a rough texture, wrinkles easily, hard to find

Flax/Linen

Pro: Breathability, keeps you cooler than cotton, stronger and more durable than cotton, environmentally friendly

Con: wrinkles easily, needs special care ( suggest dry cleaning), can be dyed with toxic chemicals

Wool

Pro: Strong, good for hot/cold climates , dirt/dust/ fire/water-resistant, absorbent

Con: Shrinks, can be it be itchy, dry clean only/special care, can be ethical animal concerns

Alpaca-

Pro: very similar to wool, allergen-friendly, small environmental impact

Angora-

Pro: Similar to wool/alpaca,

Con: can have ethical animal concerns

Cashmere-

Pro: originates from goats living in Asia, very soft

Con: the goats cause environmental concerns, expensive

Silk- Cocoon Silk Worms

Pro: soft, versatile, comfortable, very strong, great for hot/cold climates. biodegradable

Con: Wrinkles easily, worms are boiled alive, expensive

Viscose/Rayon- made from the cellulose of wood pulp

Pro: Cheap, soft, absorbent, antistatic

Con: wrinkles easily, not very durable, will lose shape quickly, pills efficiently, not environmentally friendly

Bamboo

Pro: Very Soft, breathable/absorbent, sustainable to grow

Con: requires lots of toxic chemicals to produce fibers

Lyocell/Tencel

Pro: Wrinkle resistant, absorbent, soft, durable, breathable, versatile, biodegradable, strong, and machine washable

Con: Can lead to deforestation

Cupro- similar to viscose