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Hemp to help revive American interest in fashion

"Though a Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA table notes Americans spent $391.5 billion on their clothing and footwear in 2018, their share of disposable income on these items declined from 3.8 per cent in 2007 to 3.0 per cent in 2019. Even more alarming is the fact that their global share of expenditure on fashion was only 4.9 per cent. To revive their flagging interest in fashion, the industry needs to come up with some radical new ideas."

 

Hemp to help revive American interest inThough a Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA table notes Americans spent $391.5 billion on their clothing and footwear in 2018, their share of disposable income on these items declined from 3.8 per cent in 2007 to 3.0 per cent in 2019. Even more alarming is the fact that their global share of expenditure on fashion was only 4.9 per cent. To revive their flagging interest in fashion, the industry needs to come up with some radical new ideas.

A sustainable alternative to cotton

One of such radical ideas could be to make more clothes out of hemp. Hemp fabrication can open the door toHemp to help revive American interest in fashion more of American’s closets as it is a more sustainable, organic and regenerative agricultural crop and can used to make clothes similar to the ones made with cotton but with less environmental impact. Also, unlike cotton which requires more water, chemical fertilisers and insecticides, hemp grows faster, cultivation is cleaner and naturally resists insects. It also enriches the soil in which it grows by removing pollutants like cadmium through a process called phytoremediation. Little wonder, then it is known as a super plant.

Another advantage of hemp is that it is a more sustainable and environmentally sound alternative to cotton and synthetics. Though oil-based synthetics such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, spandex make up for 62 per cent of worldwide fiber consumption and cotton accounts for 26 per cent of the market, these could be easily replaced with Hemp at a reduced environmental cost. The hemp fiber can be mixed with other fibers to make it more softer and flexible.

Leading brands opening up to hemp

Though hemp’s popularity is marred by its incorrect classification as an illegal drug, hemp fashion has gotten a foothold in niche markets with some of the leading fashion brands like Recreator, Hoodlamb Hemp Tailors, Hempy’s, Jungmaven, Wama underwear, and Tact & Stone flirting with hemp fabrication.

Last September during New York Fashion Week, former Project Runway designer Korto Momoluintroduced a 26-piece collection in sustainable hemp, jute, linen and cork. Momolu developed the collection in partnership with Women Grow, a network which aims to cultivate women leadership within the cannabis industry.

Other early users of hemp are Patagonia which offers an extensive collection of hemp clothing for men, women, and children. Levi’s introduced its first “cottonized hemp” denim jean in collaboration with Outerknown under its Wellthread x Outerknown line earlier this year. In future, more hemp fashion is likely to enter the mainstream and help the industry save itself and world from environmental pollution.

 
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