{"id":75102,"date":"2017-07-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhgshop.it\/cotton-history-characteristics-and-a-lot-more\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:41:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:41:14","slug":"cotton-history-characteristics-and-a-lot-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dhgshop.performize.io\/en\/cotton-history-characteristics-and-a-lot-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Cotton: history, characteristics and a lot more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cotton as a vegan fiber<\/h2>

Cotton is a natural fiber<\/b> and it is one of the most used fibers together with wool. Also, it is one of the few non-edible cultivations that humankind has sewn for centuries. <\/span>For the <\/span>cotton plant<\/b> to be able to grow, it needs a warm climate with very wet periods followed by very dry ones, as the latter are necessary for it to ripen.<\/span><\/p>


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The fiber<\/b>, used for textile production, is very long<\/b>, soft<\/b>, and extremely shiny<\/b>, and is derived from the thick fuzz in which the seeds are wrapped. This fuzz is made up of pure cellulose and that is where the fiber comes from. <\/span>It is usually harvested at the end of the warm season. Each plant can yield up between 2 and 5 kilos of fiber. <\/span>The longer fibers are transformed into yarn, while the short ones are used to make pure cellulose.<\/span><\/p>


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History of cotton<\/h3>

It was introduced to Europe for the first time<\/b> when the Saracens came to Sicily<\/b>, shortly before the year 1000. However, it took at least another 3 centuries for it to spread out. For a long time, cotton was considered a luxury item on par with silk.<\/span>
This fiber became exponentially more important when America was discovered<\/b>, as new local species were found, which were significantly different from those coming from Asia. Cotton plantations became very common especially in South America, but it got to its maximum expansion from 1792, when new technologies made production infinitely cheaper.<\/span><\/p>


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Morphology and properties of cotton<\/h3>Cotton is 95% cellulose and is a light<\/b>, soft material<\/b> with high absorption capabilities<\/b>.<\/span>
It has a different color based on where it grew. For the American varieties, the fiber is white, while the Egyption ones are yellowish. Finally, the Chinese ones are brownish-reddish. Similarly, the lenght of the fiber<\/b> varies between 60 and 10 mm.<\/span>
When observed through a microscope, the fiber appears to be ribbon-like, spatula-shaped. It is twisted in a spiral and has two ends. The spiral is tightly and regularly wrapped in high quality fibers.<\/span>
It is non-elastic and its resistance is determined by the presence of water: wet fibers are more resistant than dry ones.<\/span>


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In order to improve and enhance certain features of cotton items, some special processes are used. These include:<\/span><\/p>