TEX-FILE
KINGDOM PRESENTS HEMP: THE KING OF NATURAL FIBRE
The textile industry is constantly searching for new fibres to create fresh yarns that are both eco-friendly and aesthetically appealing. While linen and its blends have a fanfollowing that has been the mainstay product offerings of Kingdom Holdings from China, the company has recently introduced Hemp fibre, which is obtained from the bast of the plant Cannabis sativa L and is considered superior to cotton, ramie and flax, for its natural properties. Very upbeat about the potential of Hemp fibres, Siddharth Mehta, Partner, TeXventures LLP, the marketing partners of Kingdom in India, shares the facts that make Hemp the fibre of the future.
Having worked with Kingdom for a long time, TeXventures understands the strong movement towards sustainable fibres.“ Kingdom pays great attention to the constant transitions in the textile industry and focuses on the healthy, environment-friendly and natural life of modern people. Today when the utmost importance is being given to nature, Hemp, the gesture of‘ recovering the original simplicity’ imparts new hope for the future,” says Siddharth. He adds that the fibre is thin and short, close to that of cotton fibre, and has round ends which is especially soft and comfortable and feels smooth and fine to touch. It is usually grown in tropical moderate temperature regions. Many factors give Hemp a sustainable edge.
Hemp’ s production process is eco-friendly
Hemp fibre is environment-friendly and decomposes naturally, which has been witnessed over the time as the fibre has been used in China for around 5,000 years. The inherent property of the fibre is biodegradable and thus can decompose spontaneously under the effects of microbial activities. Hemp is called‘ Eco Fibre’ as its production, as compared to other fibre producing crops, requires few pesticides, virtually no herbicides and requires less water to grow.
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
HEALTHY CLOTHING CHOICE
The hemp is characterized by the style of linen and comfort feeling of wool and this is only a start …
Hemp fibre is environmentfriendly and decomposes naturally, which has been witnessed over the time as the fibre has been used in China for around 5,000 years.
Structural characteristics
Hemp is the longest( 1 – 3 m), strongest( 10 times stronger than cotton) and most durable of the all the natural fibres. The inherent characteristics of Hemp fibre offer good moisture absorption and sweat ventilation properties. It has stable molecular structure, thereby generating low static electricity.
Its good moisture absorption also prevents the accumulation of static electricity, so the generation of static electricity due to friction as well as pilling( fabric texture) and dust absorption can all be well prevented. This protects the human body from skin allergies, rashes and prickling feelings.
Healthy clothing choice
Hemp fabrics are breathable fabrics made from natural fibre and have anti-bacterial properties which help to reduce any kind of odours. Hemp fibre contains a large amount of phenolic substances( antiseptic) and such natural antibiotic substances which can effectively hinder the microbial metabolism and activities of mould and damage bacterial structures.
Common clothes can block only up to 30-90 % ultraviolet rays( UV rays) whereas Hemp fabrics can shield more than 95 % UV rays without any special treatment. Further, fabrics made from Hemp fibre have high porosity and thus have good sound absorption and air permeability; these superior properties have been widely used in home furnishing.
Premium than Linen
Linen is currently one of the fastest trending choices considering its natural and organic characteristics. Hemp shares many properties with linen such as slubs, cool and breathable feel but the natural slubs in the Hemp fabric are more uniformly structured which give the fabrics a wonderful glimmer.
Hemp has high scope in home furnishing sector as well since Hemp is incredibly strong; it is up to 10 times the tensile strength and 4 times the durability of cotton and 2 times higher than linen, and is naturally hypoallergenic, anti-viral and antibacterial. Because of this, it is an excellent choice for asthma and allergy sufferers.
Creating awareness …
Since the product is very new to the market, TeXventures plans to conduct seminars and other forums to educate the industry on why to use Hemp.“ We are very excited with the opportunities that Hemp fibres present, and currently we are planning to educate the industry about the benefits and characteristics of Hemp, which has been introduced in the market recently,” concludes Siddharth.
22 Apparel Online India | OCTOBER 1-15, 2018 | www. apparelresources. com