What do Pineapple, Bamboo, Ingeo, Soy, Hemp, Raime, Banana, Barkcloth and Ecospun plastic all have in common? If you said they are all fabrics you would be correct Yes FABRIC. Natural, plant based fabrics all of them, well, except for the ecospun. But even ecospun is a recycled product that’s been made into fabric. But what has that got to do with costuming, you ask… you did ask, right? So follow me for a Short around the world in new and old style fabrics These fabrics could also be an argument for sustainable clothing (that can be looked at in both a modern or historical fashion views) Banana Banana fabric is now commonly called “JUSI” & was introduced by the Chinese traders to the areas of the Philippines. The first fabric known as Jusi was made up of raw silk Later, when the fabric become well known and demands were high, manufacturers were force to look for an alternative raw material because the souces of silk were very scarcem It was discovered that the fiber of a banana stalk was a perfect alternative. The width of a Jusi fabric is 36 inches and is now produced by the use of machines rather than handwoven. The texture and natural color of the fabric is ideal for embroidery that can be made into formal wear, gowns, and even novelty items. For A little history of the fabric’s uses. http://barongatsaya.com/scripts/information.asp?idArticle=7 Barkcloth arkcloth or bark cloth is a versatile material that was once common in Asia, Africa, Indonesia, and the Pacific. Barkcloth comes primarily from trees of the Moraceae family, including Broussonetia papyrifera, Artocarpus altilis, and Ficus natalensis. It is made by beating sodden strips of the fibrous inner bark of these trees into sheets, which are then finished into a variety of items. Many texts that mention "paper" clothing are actually referring to bark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkcloth Pina Fiber or Pineapple Cloth http://www.ecofashionworld.com/Kim/LA-PINA.html https://zaraalexis.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/all-things-asian-event-post-04-04-2012-the-barong-tagalog-more-than- just-pina-fabric/ http://mybeautifuliloilo.blogspot.com/2011/01/hinabol-weaving-culture-and-history-of.html December 30, 1953. Ramon Magsaysay and Carlos P. Garcia at the Quirino Grandstand, for their inauguration, the first time a President and Vice-President were sworn into office wearing the Baro. Pina fiber is the ingenious fabric derived from the leaves of the Spanish Red Pineapple. and is the finest of all Philippine hand-woven fabrics. Pineapple fibers are an ivory-white color and naturally glossy. This delicate and dreamy cloth is translucent, soft and fine with a high luster. Since piña fabric is hand loomed by only a few weavers, it is very precious and scarce, which also makes it expensive.The major end use of Pina fiber is the Barong Tagalong, wedding dresses and other traditional Philippine formal dress. It is also used for table linens, mats, bags and other clothing items. The traditional decoration for this fabric is a style of hand embroidery called calado. An embroidered piña garment is called piña calado. These handwoven fabrics are colored with vegetable dyes originating from leaves, and bark of different trees. Pina fiber is often blended with cotton, abaca, and silk to create wonderful light, breezy fabrics. When woven with silk, it’s called piña seda or piña-silk. Piña jusi is blended with jusi (abaca or silk) for strength and sheerness and is less expensive than 100% piña. Piña Fiber Extraction By Hard Working Hands The specific pineapple plant grows spiny leaves up to two meters in length, which are first cut from the plant. The leaves are stripped by pulling or scraping the fiber away with tools made from coconut shells or pottery shards. Extraction from the long, stiff leaves is time consuming and labor intensive. These fibers are then spun into soft, shimmering fabrics by hand. Because the fiber is fine and breaks easily, working with it is slow and tedious. Workers are constantly knotting broken threads. The resulting lightweight, transparent fabric During the 19th century, pina fabric was in demand worldwide. However, production ceased and all but disappeared when cheaper cotton fabrics took over. – an interesting possible research project for the American Pre Civil War period (& others as well) I have seen references to Export to the US from the Philippines during this time period – in fact trade with the US was fairly vigorous at the time. But I have NOT found any references here in the states. In my logic a sheer lightweight fabric of great beauty would seem a shoe-in for ladies fashions of the time especially in the south west or the deep south. But the trail seems to disappear here. Where did it go…….? Soy http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/henry_ford_and_employees.php http://www.innovateus.net/earth-matters/what-soy-yarn A Short history of Soy yarn The manufacture of soy yarn is not a modern technique. Back in the 1930s, Henry Ford was the first one who made use of soybean by advertising a lot of agricultural and industrial purposes of soy bean. In 1938, Ford researcher Robert Allen Boyer created the world's first plant protein fiber, which was made out of soy. Henry Ford created seat covers from soy and was very proud in wearing a soy suit and promoting soy-based fuel. During World War II, there was an insufficiency of sheep's wool. Ford started to create his car's upholstery with a blend of sheep and soybean wool. Unfortunately, he never won a contract to provide the soldiers with soy fabric uniforms, as the wool was in-expensive to manufacture. Rayon and nylon were in demand, after the war. As a result, curiosity in soy declined eventually. What are the properties and uses of Soy yarn? Naturally, Soybean protein fiber is a light-yellow color, similar to tussah silk. Soy protein yarn is shiny like silk, and holds a higher breaking strength than wool and cotton. Similar to cotton, Soy has good moisture absorption, which makes it easy and comfy to wear in the summer. Since, Soy fiber absorbs chemical dyes very well; it is commercially available in a broad range of colors. The dyed yarn attributes both sunlight and perspiration fastness. Since it is processed at a high heat, it won’t shrink during wash. A soy yarn makes a great garment for travel, as it is dries quickly and also is anti-wrinkling. Since, Soy has a natural antibacterial resistance to coli bacillus, staph a., and candida albicans, it is preferred for childrens clothing. Its especially nice for babies diapers. Because of it's unique softness and absorbency, it is wonderful to wear close to the skin and is perfect for baby and childrens clothes. It's also great for underwear, sportswear, sheets and towels. It is also moth resistant. Eco-friendly soy silk is made from soy protein, which is a by-product of tofu manufacturing. The unique light softness of soy fiber has earned it the title "vegetable cashmere" or "soy silk." Soy clothing is a natural competitor to conventional silk. Soy fabric will pill much like cotton fibers. Be sure to cut them off rather than pulling on the fuzzies. Ramie Fiber - From Silky Soft To Coarse Denim Ramie is also known as China grass, grass linen, rhea and grasscloth. Ramie fibers are one of the oldest natural vegetable fibers, used for thousands of years for fabric and clothing, including ancient Egyptian mummy wraps and shrouds. Fiber Benefits Highly absorbent Natural ability to resist stain Lustrous appearance Strong and durable Naturally resistant to bacteria, molds and mildew Low elasticity so it doesn't shrink easily Withstands higher water temperatures Keeps it's shape well Doesn't shrink Resistant to light, rot and insect attack Dyes fairly easily Dyes easily Fiber can be bleached Absorbs heat and releases moisture making it comfortable to wear in warm weather Ramie Fiber Disadvantages Wrinkles easily Low abrasion resistance Stiff and brittle unless blended with other fibers (ie: cotton, hemp) Low elasticity and resiliency Dark colors may lose vibrancy Higher prices due to increased production costs Products that are 100% ramie shouldn't require any special care. Washing or ironing at high settings is possible without harming the fiber, but shrinkage and color retention may be affected when blended with other fibers. Blending Grasscloth Fibers The fiber is white, lustrous, and fine like silk. However it is somewhat stiff and brittle, which is great for coarser products like twine, rope, wallpaper and nets. Ramie is often used as a substitute for cotton. When spun wet it produces a high luster softer yarn. Dry spinning results in a harsher, hairier yarn. The versatility of ramie fiber allows for it to be made into fine yarn for all garments ranging from dresses and suits to sportswear and jeans. Fabrics of 100% long, fine ramie fibers are lightweight and silky. The fibers are uneven which gives ramie fabric a similar appearance to linen. Naturally, using 100% coarser fibers results in courser fabrics. Ramie is often blended with other fibers, such as cotton. By blending with wool, the fabric is lighter and shrinking is minimized. Cotton blends result in increased strength, color and luster while rayon blends result in a higher wet strength. It is also commonly used as a substitute for flax linen and can also be blended with silk fibers. China grass fibers are commonly used in blends for sewing threads, sweaters, clothing and linens.