Did you know the first pair of Levis were made of hemp?
Derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant, the fibres of hemp are well known for their durability and ruggedness. In their raw state, hemp fibres are yellowish grey to deep brown. Prior to Levis Strauss’ ingenious use of hemp to create his first jean, hemp was largely used as an industrial fibre, but soon became popular in the textile world after it was used in this first pair of jeans.
The production of the clothes that we use every day isn’t something most people think about. Clothes are simply things that we buy and wear. Most of us aren’t aware of the hyper-complex supply chain systems needed to bring that simple cotton t-shirt to our local Walmart. That sentiment is true of all fabrics, including hemp.
Materials made from hemp have been discovered in tombs dating back to 8,000 B.C. Hemp was primarily used in making sails and ropes for ships. In fact, the ships on which Christopher Columbus sailed to America in the 1400s were rigged with hemp. It is now widely recognized as a sustainable fabric that is exceptionally strong. Hemp, thus finds various uses ranging from eco-fashion apparel to household décor.
Hemp is a fibre with numerous benefits. As a crop, it grows extremely fast and yields more fibre than cotton or flax. It is a robust plant that requires no toxic pesticides or fertilizers. Hemp, controls top soil erosion and even renders the soil fertile for subsequent crops.
Since it is naturally pest resistant, it can be grown organically without the aid of chemicals.
Hemp Clothing Benefits
Breathable
It is known that cotton is breathable; we prefer it in the summer just because of this quality. But did you know that Hemp fibers are even more porous than cotton fiber, therefore allowing more breathability? This also means that hemp clothing does not take as much time to dry as it is rumored to.
Hemp clothing also tends to become softer with time and washing. Because of this feature, hemp clothing does not create a rough texture as cotton or other materials do after wash. This is because unlike cotton, hemp clothing does not accumulate lint on itself, which is responsible for the rough texture of the clothing.
Durable
Hemp clothing is more durable than cotton. The fibers of hemp do not break with washing or wearing; they get softer with time but do not tear up as cotton does. It is for this reason that hemp ropes became widely used during WW2 by the US army!
Hemp fibers are bonded together closer than any other, and it is suitable for anything that needs to be strong and durable. Hemp is widely used to make ropes and clothing due to its durability.
Eco-Friendly
Cannabis clothing is eco-friendly. How? As it happens, growing hemp is far less harmful to the environment as compared to cotton. Cotton cultivation exhausts the soil of the land it is grown on.
If in future time cotton is swapped by hemp, one thing that can be assured is less water usage, and that is a much-needed step.
Pesticide-Free
Hemp farming does not use pesticides. Cannabis farming for hemp fibers does not require the spraying or infesting of pesticide on the crop or in the soil, therefore saving the crop and the soil from the harms.
Cannabis has the potential to grow up without any use of pesticides, which makes it a much better choice on health parameters. Hemp clothing entirely removes the risk of getting in touch with any harmful pesticides or its aftermath.
Zero Toxic Chemicals
It is a wild myth that cannabis is a chemical drug. Cannabis, specifically hemp is far away from toxic chemicals!
Any clothing made from hemp has zero toxic chemicals and is far better than other options available in the market that are covered in chemicals. Cannabis cultivation does not use toxic chemicals to turn into a fiber for clothing. It is more natural or organic clothing and is definitely becoming a choice of thousands.
Hemp: Environmental Benefits
Hemp helps detoxify and regenerate the soil where it’s grown. Apart from the natural benefits of falling leaves replenishing the soil with nutrients, nitrogen and oxygen, hemp roots absorb and dissipate the energy of rain and runoff, which protects fertilizer, soil and keeps seeds in place. More astonishingly, it can also pull nuclear toxins from the soil! As I mentioned, hemp was in fact planted around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, to help clean the polluted sites. This process is called phyto-remediation. Phyto-remediation can be used to remove nuclear elements, and to clean up metals, pesticides, solvents, crude oil, and other toxins from landfills. Hemp breaks down pollutants and stabilizes metal contaminants by acting as a filter. Hemp is proving to be one of the best phyto-remediative plants found.
The minimum benefit of a hemp crop is in it’s use as a rotation crop. Since hemp stabilises and enriches the soil that farmers grow crops on and provides them with weed-free fields, without cost of herbicides, it has value even if no part of the plant is being harvested and used. Any industry or monetary benefit beyond this value is a bonus. Rotating hemp with soy reduces soy-decimating parasites, without any chemical input.
After use, it biodegrades ,hemp fabric will biodegrade quickly. So when something’s beyond repair you can quite literally throw it to your compost heap (if you have one). It’ll naturally break down, although we recommend tearing or cutting it into pieces to help it along.
