How Bamboo Clothes Are Made
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Bamboo Wood
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Bamboo wood has seen increased popularity as both a building material and a fabric, especially in the United States. As a building material, bamboo is soft yet also resistant against mold, and can be baked to a golden shade and layered with sealants that protect it, making the planks suitable for floors and panels. People prefer bamboo not only for its very light shading but also for its environmental impact, since bamboo forests are regarded as much more renewable and energy efficient than other types of wood. The production process necessary for bamboo products, on the other hand, has come under criticism for producing a large amount of chemical waste.
Making Yarn
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To make bamboo clothing, the bamboo wood is first made into yarn. While it is not necessarily environmentally friendly, requiring chemical treatments and producing a certain amount of waste in the process, bamboo cloth is known for its water-resistant and smooth-feel qualities. Some companies attempt to use chemicals with a low environmental impact to lessen the negative effects.
Bamboo trees, actually members of the grass family, are hollow inside and consist mostly of a tough, fibrous stem. In a process similar to creating paper, the bamboo stems are cut down and the softer inside portions of the plant are ground into a pulp. This pulp is wound into threads, which are then wound into larger yarn strings and carefully dried with a heat application process. Dyes may also be applied to the fiber in order to change the color, which is naturally pale yellow.
Bamboo Fabric
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The bamboo yarn is then woven into a variety of fabrics, including towels and draperies. For clothing, bamboo yarn is often combined with other fabrics more generally used for such purposes, especially cotton. Clothing made from bamboo is usually touted as having excellent heat transfer properties--in other words, it breathes very well in hot weather and keeps heat close when exposed to cold temperatures. Many people also believe that the antibacterial properties originally held within the bamboo wood are carried over into the yarn.
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