I’ve been telling them…

FT REPORT – BUSINESS OF FASHION:
By Syl Tang, Financial Times
Published: Mar 02, 2007

Bamboo isn’t just for Pandas anymore, says Syl Tang Read the label on clothes from DDCLab or FORM (a collective of designers who used to work with Zac Posen and Helmut Lang) and you could be in for a surprise. Where once polyester, acrylic, wool and cashmere were found, a new word is suddenly ubiquitous: bamboo. The food for pandas is fast becoming the new miracle fibre. And though this does have something to do with saving the planet, it also has a lot to do with pure practicality. Consider, for example, the case of Florida-based catalogue company Boston Proper, which ships bamboo clothing worldwide. According to the company’s sports wear buyer Karen Jones, they were attracted by bamboo’s abundance and because, she says, “it’s machine-washable and that it has a natural deodoriser. There is a big draw right now in the market about moisture wicking and [clothing which] dries easily and bamboo naturally does it.” Almost as an after thought, she mentions its eco-friendly qualities. The history of bamboo and the clothing market is one of supply first, ecology second. About five years ago, researchers at Beijing University discovered how to produce fabric from the abundant Chinese shoot. The benefits of such a localised resource for a country that manufactures so much of the world’s clothing is obvious. One of the world’s fastest-growing plants, bamboo is able to reach maturity in four years (compared to the typical 25 to 70 years for commercial trees), is naturally regenerative, 100 per cent biodegradable and has more than 1,000 undocumented uses. Marci Zaroff, founder and president of clothing line Under the Canopy, says that while bamboo is not in fact an organic fabric, it does represent a tremendous alternative resource. “Bamboo is a cellulose fibre from non-polluted regions of the world,” she explains. “Processing and production is a very green process; while bamboo is not technically a certified organic fabric, it’s grown without chemicals, pesticides or herbicides.” In order to be considered an organic product, farms need to meet the Global Organic Textile Standards, a set of criteria governing such details as how seed is prepared, soil and water use, how fabrics are dyed and so on. Like soy and hemp, bamboo is considered universally ecofriendly because of the way it is made.

Barbara Warren of luxury cashmere maker White and Warren, says that eco- consciousness is literally becoming part of our, well, fibre. “I’ve been aware of the fabric since last January when I saw a lot of the Italian spinners showing bamboo as a yarn,” she says. “Any time you pick up a newspaper you’re surrounded by information, I first started reading about hybrid cars, then about [global warming activist] Laurie David’s work and then seeing the Al Gore movie and it’s hugely impactful.” Warren, who says that their bamboo capsule collection immediately received orders for 1,600 pieces, believes that consumers can expect more bamboo items in the future because manufacturers are supporting it. Even small labels are making commitments to the new textile. For Sworn Virgins, a trendy line carried in boutiques worldwide such as Fred Segal in Los Angeles and Girlshop and Big Drop in New York, the 500 bamboo fabric items they’ve just shipped to countries such as Japan and Israel represent a big order. The company’s designer Roshanne Aghevli is committed to the new benefits. “You can create real fashion,” she says. “The bamboo fibre is very silky soft, it has a nice drape, feels like silk. We like bamboo because it is a comfortable fabric, but it is also naturally hypoallergenic. It regulates body temperature and is anti-microbial, so it doesn’t hold smell.” For custom men’s wear maker Hisham Oumlil, who uses a 75 per cent cotton/25 per cent bamboo fabric in his collection, it is a design, not a green, choice. The Los Angeles-based Oumlil argues that the bamboo corduroy is incomparable style- wise. “The fabric is very durable,” he says, “cool with microholes the size of nailheads that are naturally part of the fabric. It has a very subtle sheen. Cotton creases and doesn’t look luxurious. Bamboo is still more exclusive in a sport coat.”

However, according to Zaroff, the fabric is not without its challenges. “There are issues with the tension during dyeing when it gets really hot. It can lose its shape and ability to stay together.” Ultimately, can there be such a thing as a dream crop? Could skyrocketing demand cause the same strains to the industry that cotton is facing? Conservationists argue that the harvest of natural bamboo has led to the endangered species status of the giant panda, and while the bamboo used in clothing is currently sourced from family-owned farms, the situation could rapidly change if designers all suddenly swapped cotton for bamboo. But this seems unlikely. While White and Warren and Boston Proper both say bamboo is comparable to cotton, it is more expensive. How much more? Zaroff says it costs Under the Canopy “at least 20 per cent in premium or more.” Still, what price integrity?