The Fashion Booth uses only the finest, natural fabrics, locally sourced wherever possible. We are passionate about our fabrics. Read on for our favourite reasons why we only use 100% natural, ethical and sustainable fabrics.
Central Otago Wool
We have a love affair with wool – it is environmentally sound, sustainable and contains no synthetic fibre. Boasting so many natural properties, it is versatile (can be used, raw, woven, spun, textile or yarn) anti-static, will retain its loft forever and provides warmth. Created to last for a long time, wool does not require to be cleaned often either as it will not retain body odour or body moisture. Wool is naturally allergen free, breathable and fire resistant.
When wool absorbs moisture, it produces heat, so if you go from a warm room into a cold, damp night wearing a wool jersey, the wool picks up water vapour from the air, keeping you warm. The reverse occurs when you go back into the warm room – the moisture in your jersey passes into the atmosphere, cooling you down.
Unique Properties of Wool
Wool fibres have a unique surface structure of overlapping scales called cuticle cells. The cuticle cells anchor the fibre in the sheep’s skin. (This surface is very different to typical synthetic fibres, which have a very smooth surface). The exposed edges of the cuticle cells point towards the tip of the fibre, creating a jagged edge. This allows fibres to slip over one another easily in one direction but not the other, giving wool the ability to felt.
Tiny pores in the cuticle cells allow water vapour to pass through the wool fibre. This makes wool wonderfully comfortable to wear in both warm and cool conditions.
The list of the benefits of wool seems endless, not just for health but in other aspects of life. This is why we love this versatile fabric so much;
- Wool is biodegradable, which is much kinder to the earth. in addition, compared to some synthetic materials wool decomposes much faster
- As a renewable resource, wool is incredibly eco-friendly
- It is easy to clean and, we can guarantee, it has been much dirtier on the back of a sheep than anything you could do with it! This means easy care, and long life
- Odour resistance and bacterial resistance
- It is anti-wrinkle and will return to its natural shape
- Wool is breathable and regulates your temperature and moisture incredibly effectively
NZ Possum Fur
Possum fur is a hollow fibre trapping in heat and of course the best possible skins available are in winter so this is the only time we collect skins. Females produce silver grey fur and the Male has the red neck.
Possum fur fibres are similar to polar bear fibres, having a hollow fibre which efficiently traps heat. This provides amazing natural insulation. Possum fur throws and blankets are unbelievably warm, soft and luxurious. They are a must for every home in winter.
Why do we use Possum Fur?
Possums were integrated into New Zealand’s ecosystem back in 1837, from Australia, to hype up the fur trade. This first introduction failed initially, and they tried again in 1857. This time it was so successful that there is a destructive overpopulation of possums in NZ today.
As a non-native species, possums are not farmed in New Zealand and they live in the wild with no predators. This means the population just keeps increasing. Possums cause a great deal of damage to the environment, eating trees and endemic bird’s eggs and hatchlings.
Culling possums is therefore encouraged in New Zealand to protect our fragile environment. Instead of letting their warm fur coats go to waste, we make luxury products from them. NZ Possum Fur is considered to be one of the only ethical and sustainable furs in the world.
Natural Cotton
Cotton is soft, lightweight, breathable, and soaks up sweat, allowing heat to escape the body and keep you cool. It comes in countless styles and colours, meaning you can find a cotton garment to fit pretty much any need. There are also a variety of cotton blends that have different qualities.
Rayon is a man-made fabric blended from cotton, wood pulp, and other fibers. It was invented as a cheaper alternative to silk. Rayon has very thin fibers, which allows it to breathe more than other fabrics and gives it a lightness that prevents it from sticking to a body. It is so comfortable and cooling to wear, while a great fabric for hot weather. Please note: Rayon can shrink when washed in warm water therefore it is recommended to dry clean rayon to avoid shrinkage or damage.
Cotton-linen blends are air-permeable, this means that they quickly absorb sweat from the skin. This produces a more comfortable and non-sticky feeling for the wearer. It’s a perfect choice for close fitting use and can be worn any season. As this fabric produces more warmth, it increases the microcirculation flow of the body. It also regulates the nervous system, causing the meridian to dredge, and enhances a person’s sleep. This fabric is a guaranteed skin-friendly fabric with the right pH value intended for the skin. That is why, besides being environmentally friendly, it passes the individual health requirements.
Linen
Linen is another top choice for a breathable fabric to wear. It is also very light and is loosely woven which allows heat to escape from the body. It absorbs a lot of moisture and dries quickly, keeping you cool and dry. Linen also wrinkles often, but a lot of people like it, and view it as a part of the style and look of linen.
Flax, from which linen is made, is also used to make home insulation products. The reasons behind it are the same as with clothing: that flax/linen are natural insulators and are capable of releasing excess humidity. Environmentally friendly. Flax plants are very resilient, can grow in poor soil, and require very little water. What’s more, every single part of the flax plants can be used in making all types of products, from linen clothing to varnishes. Linen fabric is also recyclable and biodegradable, meaning you won’t be adding to the growing piles of textile waste all over the world.
Linen clothes will not lose their shape after washing, if anything, they will become softer and more pleasant to the skin over time. The strength of the fiber directly contributes to the strength of the fabric. One shouldn’t assume linen fabric is indestructible but it sure is resilient. If properly looked after, it’s possible your linen garments won’t disintegrate for generations to come. That’s probably one of the best benefits of wearing linen.
Well designed linen clothes shouldn’t need to be ironed to look good. High-quality linen is wrinkly and those wrinkles are part of its beauty — that effortless elegance that is achieved with linen clothing rarely applies to any other material. Wrinkly cotton or silk will look messy, whereas linen fabric will shine in all of its glory.
Linen is very breathable, allows air to move around freely and thus, releases moisture very fast. Linen fabric is a safe choice for anyone experiencing some type of discomfort. It’s obvious that linen clothing is perfect for summer: it is lightweight, breathable, moisture-wicking. Wearably suitable for every season!
Silk Fabrics
Silk fabric has an incredibly smooth surface and is extremely soft and pleasant to touch. It doesn’t irritate even sensitive skin and you feel like you are hardly wearing anything at all. It caresses your body in softness.
Silk is free of any chemicals and contains only natural substances. Silk fiber is similar to human hair. It is 97% protein, 3% fat and wax. It also has 18 amino acids, which have a positive effect on a person’s skin. Silk is hypoallergenic. It doesn’t attract dust mites and resist dust, fungus, mold and some other allergens. Silk helps decrease skin’s loss of moisture and because of this it promotes rejuvenation of the skin, prevents to some degree effects of ageing and relieves dry, flaky skin conditions by locking moisture in and ensuring it stays on your skin.
Unique Properties of Silk
Silk keeps you cool on hot days and also preserves your body heat in the cold. It perfectly adjusts to your body temperature and provides thermal balance. Silk is highly absorbent and dries fast too, being able to absorb moisture up to 30% of its own weight yet remain dry to the touch. At the same time silk thread simply increases in size, and good air circulation promotes rapid evaporation of excessive moisture. So silk fabric absorbs perspiration while letting the skin breathe.
Silk fabric is prized for its shimmering appearance and doesn’t lose its natural sheen with time. Silk doesn’t create static electricity easily, so won’t cling to your body like synthetics.
Silk consists of very strong natural fibers in spite of its delicate appearance. The strength of a silk thread is equal to the strength of a steel wire of the same diameter. So the fabric is really durable and retains its versatile beauty for years. It takes colour well, mixes well with other natural fibers like cotton, wool and linen. Silk fiber is naturally elastic and can stretch up to 20% without breaking.
The technology of making the silk thread is unique – it is obtained by unwinding the miniature cocoons of silkworms. The secret to the manufacture of silk for a long time was known only in China. Despite the fact that now silk fabric is made in India, Brazil, and other countries, China remains to this day the largest producer of silk.
TENCEL™
TENCEL™ branded cellulosic fibers of botanic origin define a new standard of sustainability and natural comfort for our customers.
TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibers are known for their natural comfort and environmentally responsible closed loop production process. They deliver quality, performance and versatility. Plus their unique physical properties lead to their high tensity profile, efficient moisture management and gentleness to skin.
