Brief History of HEMP as a Fabric
Today it's a little known word often more synonymous with protein powders or nutritional food, but hemp has been around in fabric form for thousands of years.
First spun into textile by inquisitive humans in around 3,000 BC, hemp soon became the most used fabric on earth due to its durability. Entire armies were clothed in it and naval fleets were propelled by it through sails and rigging - especially in the UK where a county was originally named Hempshire because of its ubiquity. (Now Hampshire of course..)
The winds began to change direction for hemp in the mid 1700s with the rise and ease of processing cotton, which was (back then) a softer, whiter fabric and became more sought after.
Hemp had always been used in other industries across a range of applications such as an alternative to oil and steel - but that didn't sit well with certain business owners who were concerned by its potential and so began to lobby the US government for its criminalisation due to links to the cannabis plant. They succeeded and hemp disappeared from daily life - first in the US and soon globally.
How is HEMP a more Sustainable Fabric
Hemp today has been refined by modern milling into a soft, elegant fabric with the allure of fine linen. It's hollow fibres allow it to breathe in summer and insulate in winter - perfect for all year round wear.
The timing of hemp being refined into such a fine fabric has come just as the world needs a more sustainable fabric - one that doesn't impact the earth and our environment just to clothe us.
Growing organically needing only rainwater, hemp grows using 5x less water than cotton. The plant consumes enormous amount of Carbon from the air, which is then transported down the stalk and into the soil where it enriches the soil, benefiting future crops.
Being anti-microbial, hemp is resistant to mold and odours meaning it takes far more wear (unwashed) before holding smell. Finally, one acre of hemp grows as much fibre as five acres of cotton, meaning that it produces far more clothing with a fraction of the inputs or agricultural land required!
At Babble & Hemp we're on a mission to reintroduce it to daily life and men's wardrobes through beautifully tailored, colourful 100% hemp shirts.
Check out Charlie's brand BABBLE & HEMP HERE
