Fri Apr 05 2024, 2 mins

How to Choose Natural Fabrics

The shift to natural fabrics can often be daunting. The market is currently flooded with so many hybrid materials, while misleading marketing confuses consumers further.

Today's blog post will break down the WHY. Why is it important to take the time to research and purchase from businesses that are using ethically sourced natural fabrics for their clothes and products?

While it is true that natural fabrics are more expensive than synthetics, it is also true that they are incredibly durable. Lasting much longer than their synthetic counterparts, they maintain their high-quality look and feel with little care.

Synthetics like polyester are made from petroleum, a cheap fossil fuel. This means that every time you wash your garment, its quality diminishes, and releases microplastics that infiltrate our sewage systems eventually finding themselves into our oceans. Once there, it is consumed by fish and humans alike. Unfortunately, the production process makes it quite easy to make large quantities of these products, and they do have an invisible price tag of various health risks, severe environmental harm, and poor labour practices.

Natural fabrics on the other hand are made from organic sources. Linen is a great example. Made from flax plants, it requires little water and no pesticide at all. Its fibres are so strong that linen can last forever. Fun Fact: Linen is the oldest fabric in the world!

Natural fabrics such as hemp, wool, linen, bamboo and even ethically produced cotton, are breathable and come in a variety of textures for different weather patterns. Always look at your label carefully to see what blend of material you are purchasing. Aside from being sustainable and long-lasting, natural fabrics do have a high-quality luxury feel.

Having a sustainable wardrobe can be expensive, which can often mean buying fewer items. To give buyers a little more wardrobe variety, some incredible brands such as Safarahh create designs that can be worn in a few variations, essentially giving you a few outfits from one.

Take this year to refresh your wardrobe and other products. Slowly replacing all your synthetic and poorly constructed materials and shifting towards beautiful, comfortable natural fabrics that will last aeons!

Here are some of our favourite sustainable African brands:

Safarahh Designs - Inspired by the Swahili coast, specialises in Italian linens and African cotton, with 5% of all profits going to ocean conservation

Ra by Rushina – Unique styles in linens, cotton and silks

La Vagabond Collection - Features a whole host of natural fabrics from different regions, from leathers to linens

Bush Princess – Gorgeous leather accessories

Maisha concept - Cotton in stunning prints

Banke Kuku – Silk PJs that so pretty you can even wear them out

Written in collaboration with Priyanka D. Shah, Creative Director and Founder of Safarahh Designs (@Safarahh_Designs)