Know your fabrics - 2 Man-Made

One of the questions we get asked most often is what is the difference between the many fabrics. In fact there are 3 categories of fabrics commonly used in fashion: Synthetic, Man-Made and Natural fabrics. Let’s look at:

MAN-MADE

Developed in 1870's France in response to an epidemic destroying silk worms, Artificial Silk or RAYON was made from wood, pulped and regenerated.

VISCOSE is the generic name now given to all plant based fabrics using regenerated cellulose. Today fast growing renewable sources such as pine, beech, eucalyptus or bamboo are used.

TENCEL, MODAL and ECOVERO are brand names for specific types of viscose. Noted for their luxurious feel and breathability they are cool to wear and wash like natural fabrics and in the case of ECOVERO are certified as sustainable.

Look for the label below on garments and the Ecovero or Sustainable badges on products on our website, or use the Eco filter.