Our Fabrics

Color-Grown Cotton: Naturally-colored cotton has always existed in nature. The Incas used it in their textiles and other cultures in Peru, China, Egypt and Turkey also relied on this natural fiber. Khaki was first made in India from brown cotton. In the United States, slaves grew brown and green cotton in their own gardens since they were forbidden from growing white cotton that they might sell.

When Sally Fox introduced her colored cotton to the United States in 1989, she created color-grown cotton that could be spun (made into thread) on a machine. Until then, colored cotton had suffered from short, weak fibers, which meant it had to be spun by hand, a slow and expensive task. The only cotton that was commercially viable was white cotton, which had been bred and refined to have long, strong fibers, perfect for machines to work with. Foxfiber (the brand name for Fox's cotton) requires no bleaching or dyeing since the colors are right in the cotton bolls. See www.verses.com.

You will find several different types of Earth-colored cotton from the United States in our socks and Humble Hats in addition to the following garments.

Chambray: A fine, smooth, yet sturdy cotton fabric often used for men's Oxford shirts and women's classic shirts. This is the type of fabric traditionally seen with button-down collars and cuffs. 100% Color-Grown Organic Cotton.

Herringbone: Our classic Herringbone cloth is made by weaving color-grown Brown and Green threads with natural ones for Light brown (Nutmeg) and Soft green (Sage) to create our Women's Herringbone Jackets, Pants and Skirts. 100% Color-Grown Organic Cotton.

Rib Knit: A true Colorganic fabric from Sally Fox which contains all Brown and all Green cotton without blending with creamy-color cotton. One of our all-time favorites. 100% Color-Grown Organic Cotton.

Blended Jersey: This fine Jersey in Olive used for our Everyday Top is a blend of brown and green color-grown cotton. Very light weight and soft to the touch, a year-round fabric. 99% Organic Cotton, 1% Spandex.

Lace Jacquard: A romantic lacy medallion-patterned pointelle knit. Drapes softly for a flattering fit. Very fine detailed weave and a light-weight fabric for dress. Our Lacy Faux-Wrap Top is made of Lace Jacquard fabric. 99% Organic Cotton, 1% Polyester.

Twill: A woven cotton, slightly heavier than our shirt fabrics, yet lighter than denim. It's a 7-ounce fabric and we make our Women's Weekend Pants, Twill Shirt-Jackets and the Twill Zen Pants from this organic fabric. 100% Organic Cotton.

Denim: Our organic cotton denim fabric is 12-ounce weight, made in the U.S. and processed with non-toxic dyes after the garments are sewn. Cottonfield men's and women's jeans are available in denim, as is the women's denim skirt. This is a long-lasting fabric and is universally popular. 100% Organic Cotton.

Fleece: Just as soft as can be! Feels snuggly in warm weather. Our only fleece product is the Fleece Hat in natural. 100% Organic Cotton.

Sateen: A woven, lightweight, smooth fabric with a subtle sheen and crispness and is often used for sheeting. Iron touch up may be needed after washed. 100% organically grown cotton. Made in the USA.

Jersey: A mid-weight knit, super-soft, stretchy and wrinkle-resistant. 100% organically grown cotton. Made in the USA.

Lycra Jersey: A blend of 92% Organic Cotton and 8% Spandex -- a soft, smooth-surfaced, figure-supporting and resilient fabric that is great for travel. Made in the USA.

Rib Knit: : A fine 1x1 rib knit, for a better fit on the panties, bikinis, tank tops, bra tops, men's boxer briefs, and men's classic briefs. Stretches horizontally, mid-weight, smooth and soft. Made in the USA.

Baby Jersey: Used for the men's boxers, crew and V-neck tee-shirts. All elastics in this group are latex-free. Made in the USA.

Hemp: 100% Organic. Similar to linen, hemp is mid-weight, durable and wrinkles less than cotton. Used for the hemp Zen shirts, hemp Zen pants and capris.  Made in the USA or Imported.

Velour: Our 100% Organic Cotton Velour looks like a non-shiny, rich velvet. It is warm with a thick nap and is slightly stretchy. Made in the USA.

Our Certified Organic Cotton

Cottonfield gets its certified organic cotton from five suppliers: Fox-Rich Textiles, Inc. (Ridgefield, Connecticut); Spiritex (Asheville, North Carolina); Green Textile Associates, Inc. (Spartanburg, South Carolina -- a four-generation business started in 1938); Cotton Knit, Inc. (a three-generation company in Rancho Dominguez, California) and Carr Textile Corporations (Fenton, Missouri). Our hemp items are imported from China where they are cut and sewn in the certified Li-Fun factory.

There are a few things one needs to understand about the certification process. First, it's not simple. Second, there are international standards that are being applied these days to supplement and unify individual nation's standards. Third, each bale of cotton (about 500 pounds) is tracked and certified from the field to the fabric stage and every single lot of fabric or yarn carries its own certificate. A chain-of-custody-type process ensures that the fabrics which are certified as "organic" are truly organic. Fourth, there is an additional type of certification which one of our suppliers has called "Sustainable" by Oeko-Tex (for Textile) Standard 100 which tests for harmful substances. This is a separate organization which gives an additional stamp of approval and it will be explained further on.

The Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) group in the Netherlands was formed in 2002 by representatives of organic cotton producers, the textile industry, consumers, standard-setting organizations and certifiers who saw the need for a harmonized and world-wide standard for organic textiles. They follow the specifications put forth by Control Union World Group (a privately- owned group founded in 1956 and previously called Skal International). GOTS standards were officially adopted on September 30, 2006.

The International Working Group (IWG) of GOTS consists of four organizations: the International Association Natural Textile Industry in Germany, Soil Association in England, Japan Organic Cotton Association in Japan and the Organic Trade Association in the United States. The IWG continues to harmonize various regional approaches to organic standards.

In the past six years, GOTS has become the leading organic textile processing standard, guaranteeing "…world-wide recognized requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer." (www.global-standard.org)

Here are highlights from our sources:

1. Green Textile was passed from father to son-in-law to grandson to great-grandson during the past 70 years -- truly an American company. It is a manufacturer of circular knit, warp knit and woven fabrics. Approximately 60% of Green Textile's organic cotton is grown in the United States and the rest comes primarily from Turkey, but sometimes from India. Green Textile yarn is certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture, Control Union or GOTS and IMO (Institute for Marketecology). Their fabric is processed in accordance with the American Organic Standards. Cottonfield's color-grown (colored naturally with no dyes) olive-color, fine jersey is a combination of their brown and green cotton blended with 1% Lycra and is used in our Everyday Tops. You will find Green Textile's fine-ribbed, baby jersey in some of our undergarments.

2. Fox-Rich Textiles, Inc. is a manufacturer, converter, importer and exporter of many fabrics. The organic cotton we use from Fox- Rich is grown in India. We have used their wonderful Woven Sateen fabric in our Zen shirts and pants for many years. Their cotton is certified by GOTS.

3. Cotton Knit yarns are also certified organic by GOTS. Their cotton comes from Turkey and the United States, generally at a 2:1 ratio. Cotton Knit is a family-owned and operated, father/son business. The jersey used in our Women's Yoga styles, Loungewear/Sleepwear and some styles of underwear are made with Cotton Knit's fabrics.

4. Spiritex has a long history in the organic cotton movement. It was started by Daniel and Marylou Sanders who founded Ecosport back in 1991, the first company in the U.S. to mass produce organic cotton garments. In the early years, Ecosport worked to introduce organic cotton to companies such as Ralph Lauren, Patagonia, Danskin, Esprit and Levi's. In 1999 Ecosport, now named Spiritex, moved to North Carolina to be closer to the mills where cotton bolls are knitted into (among other things) the Micro-pleat fabric which you will notice is a key fabric in our new Fall Sprint 2008 garments. Spiritex cotton is certified organic by the IMO. 55-60% of their cotton comes from Texas; the rest comes from Turkey. All of Spiritex's processes meet or exceed the Organic Trade Association standards for organic cotton processing.

5. Carr Textile Corporation offers both Skal certification and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 "Sustainable" certification. Cottonfield purchases twill fabric from Carr to make the Women's Weekend Pants and the Men's Twill Zen-style Pants. All of Carr's organic cotton comes from India.

Products carrying the "Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label have been tested using 100 criteria to ensure that there are no hazardous substances. All textile products from field to garment (fiber, yarn, fabric, accessory or clothing plus finishings) may be certified. Twelve member institutes and their agencies from Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States comprise the Oeko-Tex association. Their specifications are based on current scientific knowledge of human ecology, clothing physiology and associated fields and are generally more rigorous than individual nation's standards.

Here are a few parameters of Oeko-Tex 100 certification:

· Prohibited azo dyestuffs;

· Carcinogenic and allergy-inducing dyestuffs;

· Formaldehyde;

· Pesticides;

· No chlorinated phenols;

· Chloro-organic carriers;

· Extractable heavy metals;

· Nickel;

· Color-fastness;

· pH-value;

· Phthalates in baby articles;

· Butyl tin compounds (TBT and DBT);

· Emissions of volatile components; and

· Odors.

There is yet another certification called Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 which rates Eco-Friendly Factories for raw materials (non-renewable versus renewable), energy consumption, water consumption and waste. The goal is to evaluate production sites as well as products from an environmental/technical point of view.

We at Cottonfield are happy to provide you with truly organic clothing and we hope you will continue to select our garments in the future, knowing that your choices are helping to improve the environment around the world.

Please tell your friends, family and co-workers about us.

Behind the Scenes at Our Newest Partner's Cut-and-Sew Factory

Cottonfield is delighted to announce a new partnership with Hemingway Apparel Mfg., Inc. in Hemingway, South Carolina, makers of our latest line of men's and women's underwear.

Jack L. Marsh founded Hemingway Apparel in 1978 as a cutting and sewing factory to service the apparel industry. But the company's history stems from the 1960s. Originally it was called Warner Brothers Sleepwear and they manufactured sleepwear, intimate apparel and lingerie. Warner Brothers sold the operation to Mistee Lingerie in 1970. Jack and his associates purchased the facility from Mistee Lingerie in 1978 and opened as Hemingway Apparel. Throughout this seamless transition, their employees never lost a day of work.

Today, Hemingway has expanded beyond lingerie and makes t-shirts and outerwear. It is a full-service contractor providing everything from receiving to packaging the finished products.

Through the turmoil following NAFTA and GATT (global policies that encouraged free trade which resulted in a huge exodus of American jobs for cheap labor overseas), Hemingway is still here in the United States. They provide approximately 160 jobs. Many of their employees have over 20 years with the company, guaranteeing a vast wealth of knowledge and ability to work carefully and well.

The company is housed in a 55,000-square-foot building which is heated and cooled, in contrast to thousands of sweatshops both here and abroad. Around 130 sewing machines run daily, with a total potential of running 300 machines including: Zig Zag, Single Needle, Lockstitch, Two-Needle Coverstitch, Three-Needle Coverstitch, Safety Stitch, Overlock, Blanket Stitch, Dot Tackers, Bar Tackers, Flat Seamers, Two-Needle Chainstitch, Automatic Hemmers, Heat-Sealing and Multi-Needle. The finishing department has experience in nearly all types of finishing and packaging.

To give you a look behind the scenes, Chris Marsh, president of the company and Jack's son, tells the story of how some of the older women workers today remember him being born and raised. Not only that, but the women like to joke that they helped educate and raise Jack, too, because he was just a young man in his 20s when he came to work for Warner Brothers as a mechanic trainee. To make this even more dramatic, Chris has an eight-year-old son whom the women are now helping to "educate and raise" in case the day comes when he will choose to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps.

So, you see, our Cottonfield "family" has a new family onboard to help us bring you high-quality, organic cotton clothing made with pride, even in hard times, right here in the United States of America.