When I think about bamboo, I think pandas.

Ling-Ling specifically; because that’s the only panda I know the name of. Not sure if Ling-Ling is still around or not, but I know I have vivid memories of him (was it her?) laying waste to kilos of bamboo every feeding time.

Like most, for me the bamboo plant doesn’t conjure up images of fine clothing, because until recently bamboo was not significantly used in the textile industry.

If some leading eco-clothing retailers get their way, that’s about to change.

Until not so long ago, Bamboo had a small and undistinguished history in clothing manufacture, used only for structural elements such as bustles and the ribs of corsets. In China and Japan, thin strips of bamboo were woven together into hats and shoes. One particular design of bamboo hats was stereotypically connected with rural life, being worn almost universally by farmers and fishermen in order to protect their heads from the sun.

In recent years a range of technologies have been developed allowing bamboo fibre to be used in a wide range of textile and fashion applications. In 2003, scientists at Beijing University invented a way of turning bamboo fibre into yarn. They accomplish this by heating the fibre to 80-90° C, then soaking them in a mixture of soap and emulsion oil, dried, rehydrated with another mixture of oils, then left to set for five to seven days. The fibres may then be spun, by a variety of methods, into a high-quality yarn. Since then, the technique of manufacturing top quality fabric has been in development, bringing new innovations in fibre mixing and other processes. The whole process is a natural one, maintaining the organic heritage of the product.

Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth; it has been measured surging skyward as fast as 121 cm (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period. With this rate of growth it is possible to harvest bamboo up to four times a year, making it potentially a very valuable clothing resource. The chemical properties of bamboo also yield a naturally antibacterial yarn, especially if at least 70% of the fibre is bamboo. Bamboo clothing is also anti-static, so it sits nicely next to your skin, while not clinging to it, and is also UV protective (bamboo cuts out 98% of harmful UV rays).

Ethical (eco) clothing manufacturers and retailers such as Adili.com and others are looking more and more towards bamboo as an alternative to cotton and synthetics. Bamboo grows wild, without the aid of fertilizers, pesticides or any chemical assistance whatsoever, unlike cotton, which is the world’s most environmentally disastrous crop. Cotton accounts for a quarter of ALL chemical fertilizers and pesticides from only 10% of the agricultural land mass. As the world gets ‘greener’, this becomes less acceptable all the time, and consumers are leading the charge away from environmentally harmful products.

As public awareness of its strong positives increases, maybe bamboo will indeed become the future of the 21st century textile industry – or at the very least a large part of it.

It has a lot going for it. Quite sure Ling-Ling would agree.

Source: Wikipedia | Adili.com bamboo clothing section