Humans have been cultivating cotton for more than 5000 years. It started with one of the earliest civilizations on the planet, the Indus Valley civilization. Today cotton is grown in more than eighty nations, and uses less than 2% of the cropland of the world. Joe Cianciotto mentions that more than 100 million farm families have put their trust on cotton, as it is able to generate more than USD 50 billion revenue annually in raw product. Cotton has become a part of the life of most people in multiple ways, right from blue denims and shoe strings to bed sheets and face towels.
Cotton is the most popular natural fiber in the world. Almost 50% of all fabric produced in the world is cotton. It has been used for several thousands of years to provide clothing for a multitude of purposes. Strong and versatile, there are multiple factors that make cotton such a popular fabric. In addition to cotton fiber, linters are processes into batting for padding mattresses, automobile and furniture cushions and even incorporated into high quality paper products. Over the last four decades or so, incredible advancements have been witnessed in terms of growing and processing of cotton. This has allowed the cotton industry to cut down on environment footprint. The cotton industry of the United States continues to use and develop innovative technologies, as well as adopt best management practices when it comes to developing new and innovative farming practices for cotton.
While making their clothing purchases, most consumers tend to look for softness, comfort, durability and price. Cotton tends to fare better in terms of softness and comfort among most of the other types of fibers. Given the growing focus on hygiene and health among the modern populace, cotton has emerged as one of the most favored fiber for consumers. Features of cotton clothing include high absorbency and low insulation and a tendency to be cool in hot temperatures. Cotton is not prone to drying as fast as silk or linen. Moreover, as it is a heavy textile, cotton is more useful for keeping cool or for dressing in layers than it is in providing warmth.
A large number of consumers say clothing made of cotton is softest compared to man-made fiber clothing, and think that think better quality garments are made from natural fibers such as cotton. Cotton and cotton blend is the favorite fiber to wear for many. Hence, a lot of consumers are even pay more for a natural fiber such as cotton. This fiber is used for virtually every type of clothing. This ranges from coats and jackets to foundation garments. Joe Cianciotto himself was associated with the ‘Cotton or Nothing’ campaign. Most of cotton apparel usage is for boys and men’s clothing. Cotton is known to supply more than seventy percentage of this market, with jeans, shirts and underwear being the key items.
