Where the Common Clothing Fabrics Comes From

There are a lot of misconceptions out there when it comes to companies marketing their clothes or product as being made from “eco-friendly” material. This has generally led to confusion on where clothing fabrics come from and what they’re made out of.

One example of this is the alleged benefits of vegan leather. The most common types of vegan leather (polyurethane and PVC) are made from plastic and not sustainable, and yet, vegan leather has commonly been touted as sustainable.

Of course, this isn’t to discount the companies that do create clothes and products from sustainable material. For example, companies that will use recycled polyester, recycled nylon, or reclaimed plastic from the oceans are creating sustainable products.

The problem with most companies, however, is that that they play to the consumer’s lack of knowledge on where each clothing fabric or product material comes from. That is why this post is dedicated to breaking down what the most common clothing fabrics are made from. Next time you shop, you won’t fall victim to greenwashing, and you will go into the store armed with knowledge.

The Bad Clothing Fabrics:

1. Conventional polyester and nylon: derived from petroleum (oil) and is a plastic
2. Rayon, viscose, modal: derived from cellulose in rainforests
3. Acrylic: derived from acrylonitrile, a man-made chemical that the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances has deemed as toxic and known to cause death
4. Satin: traditional satin is simply a weave type using silk, but most modern satin is made from polyester and nylon
5. Conventional cotton: there is a high natural resources cost (i.e. the amount of water used) to produce conventional cotton

The Debatable Clothing Fabrics:

• Leather: an extremely durable and have proven to last the longest when well cared for, but there is a large humane and ethical debate associated with whether one should be using leather
• Wool: otherwise known as cashmere and taken from goats as they shed. The ethical debate for the inhumanity of wool comes when the fur is shorn from goats too early in the winter when the goats might freeze to death
• Silk: taken from the cocoons of larvae silkworms. A similar ethical debate exists for silk as silkworms are killed in the process of extracting silk, but some have debated whether insects should be considered on the same level as other animals that are “more sentient” such as cows and goats

The Good Clothing Fabrics:

• Linen: derived from flax and processed without chemicals
• Organic cotton: reduces the environmental impact of conventional cotton
• Recycled polyester, nylon, etc.: reduces virgin (newly created) polyester and nylon

Sources: atsdr.cdc.gov, goodonyou.eco, treehugger.com, trustedclothing.com, mindbodygreen.com, masterclass.com

Knowing where all of the fabrics come from and how they are made is something that has really helped stepped up my sustainable fashion game.

Not only do I practice slow fashion, but I also can make a judgment as to whether I really want to pay $150 for polyester. Often times, the most common clothing fabrics we see out there are made from one of the fabrics we see in the “Bad” category. It is too much of an oversimplification to simply say “avoid those types of fabrics” because often times, it isn’t possible. In that instance, I have always found it super important to make the differentiation that polyester and nylon is a plastic and comes from oil whereas rayon, viscose, and modal are actually taken from rainforests, which is arguably worse.

I would love to hear how you would rank the different clothing fabrics and what you think of the debatable materials!

If you liked this post, check out my Beginner’s Guide to Sustainability!