Cotton -

Choosing the right fabric/textile material bring a sketched design to life. It is the basic thing a designer must initially analyse. the correct textile material defines a garment/apparel’s drape, comfort, suitability, durability, ability to incorporate elements like patchwork, embroidery etc. Apart from this, it also helps us analyse its aftercare and launderability (washability). the correct choice of fabric also helps in understanding the season in which a garment can be worn. From the first pencil stroke on a sketchpad to the final stitch on a runway-ready piece, fabric is the soul of fashion.

As per the author's experience in teaching, evaluation of budding designers and interactions with other designer's world over, it was observed that the designers usually design a garment but are unable to select the perfect fabric to execute their collection. This turns into a huge disaster most of the times and even leads to downfall of their brands/couture house.
So, as a designer it is a must to know the basic knowhow of fabrics first and then land up designing a garment or a collection.

Going ahead and understanding the basic knowhows of a textile material, fabric is a sheet of fibres combined together by interloping, interlacing or bonding the fibres together. A fabric’s basic raw material is a fibre. Fibres used in manufacturing of textile fabrics, are either Natural in origin, or Manmade, or they can also be a combination of both natural and manmade fibres called Regenerated Fibres. Let’s dig a little deeper to understand how we decide on what kind of fabric to choose for what type of garment.

Natural Fibres are the ones, that we obtain from nature. Nature implies plants, animals and minerals.

Plant fibres are obtained from stem, leaves, bark, fruit etc.
Animal fibres are obtained from skin, hair, or secretions by the animals
Mineral fibres are obtained from mineral deposits in the earth

The fibres available in the market from any of these sources are tested for their strength, pliability, durability, flexibility, texture, absorbency or moisture retention before being made or constructed into a fabric. they should have ample of strength, durability, pliability and flexibility to be made into a fashion garment/apparel. the texture should be such that it shouldn’t harm the skin, rather protect it from external factors like, cold, heat, wind, snow, ice, rain, dust etc. For comfort and climatic conditions, it should have the ability to absorb moisture. When we perspire/sweat, the sweat needs to be absorbed well by the fabric, to prevent any skin infection or allergenic reactions.

Qualities of Natural Fibres

Natural fibers in general are hypoallergenic, extremely good for the skin and have high water absorbency.
All cellulosic natural fibers can be given a tumble wash, until any dye or print is applied to it. these fibres gain almost double the strength in wet conditions, hence in day-to-day life, you may have observed that washing and wringing of cotton, linen etc. (the summer wear fabric) never destroys or damages the fabric.
All Protein fabrics need to be dry cleaned as tumble wash or washing and wringing reduces their strength, makes the weak and prone to damages very quickly. They are wonderful fabrics for winterwear as their natural property is to trap and hold the body heat.

Man made fibres on the other hand are of two types:

Regenerated: The ones which are made by mixing a natural fiber with a chemical in which it dissolves and is then made into a fabric eg Rayon and Acetate
Synthetic fibres: The ones that are made by combining two or more different chemicals and then made into a fabric eg: Acrylic, Nylon, Polyester, Glass, Spandex/Lycra

These are called man-made fibres as they are manufactured in chemical laboratories or plants by mixing chemical compound that on cooling, solidify into fibres or yarns and are eventually made into fabrics.

Qualities of Man- Made Fibres

All man-made fibres get weak when wet.
All regenerated fibres like Rayon, Viscose, Tencel, Lyocell etc. absorb moisture, but less than the natural fibers and are mostly suitable for summer wear, during rainy season or in pleasant weather conditions. It is advised not to use them as undergarments or as lingerie wear as they can cause allergies or skin irritation.
All synthetic fibers like Polyester, Nylon, Spandex etc. are hydrophobic and do not absorb much water. they are therefore used for making swimwear, fishing nets, winter wear jackets, as paddings for quilted garments, winter quilts etc.

The fibres obtained from above sources, are made into yarns, the long strands of fibres combined together by the process of spinning. These yarns can be made thick or thin depending on the fabric to be constructed. For example, georgette needs a thin yarn for construction whereas denim needs a thick yarn. The thickness or thinness of a yarn determines the weight of a fabric called GSM (Gram per square meter). Higher the GSM, heavier the fabric, lesser the GSM, lighter the fabric. Another factor is the thread count of a fabric. To understand the basics of thread count, it’s important to know the types of fabric and how each one is made. There are 3 ways to construct fabrics – interlacing, interloping and bonding the fibres together.

WOVEN FABRICS: Made by interlacing two sets of yarns, the lengthwise ones known as WARP and width wise, WEFT yarns at an angle of 90 degrees
KNITTED FABRICS: Made by interloping minimum one set of yarn. It has loops running in lengthwise direction, known as WALES and other in width wise direction, known as COURSES.
NON-WOVEN FABRICS: Made by bonding or entangling fibres with one another.

THREAD COUNT

Thread count can be calculated for woven fabrics by evaluating the number of yarns per square inch of a woven fabric. It is calculated by summing up the number of warp and weft yarns per inch of a woven fabric of any type or origin. For example, in a fabric if there are 133 warp yarns and 100 weft yarns, the thread count of that fabric will be 133+100 = 233TC.

The fabrics can be made using any fibres, may they be natural or manmade. Thread counts are mostly mentioned on the, commercially on home furnishing fabrics like bedsheets, table covers, table mats, throws etc., but they are essential even while selecting fabrics for designing garments. While going out purchasing fabrics one can enquire for the thread count to match with their designed collection.

Mentioned here are some of the majorly used fabrics and their approximate average Thread count, available commercially

But it must be noted that it is not the only parameter that determines the quality of a fabric. The other factors are

YARN SIZE – It determines the weight of a fabric, higher the yarn size, lighter the fabric. It is measured in two systems, namely Yarn Count System (It measures the length per unit weight of yarn) and Yarn Weight Category. The yarn count system is majorly used by fashion and textile industry and is measured in the unit Ne. So, a 50 Ne cotton yarn is finer than a 10 Ne yarn.
YARN QUALITY – It determines the longevity of the fabric. The better the origin, the longer will be the life of a fabric.
WEAVE – The more compact the weave, higher will be the thread count, more will be the strength and tougher will be the drape of the fabric.

Want to know more about Weaving, Knitting, Non-Wovens, Fabrics, Yarns or Fibres? Comment below

India has never lost touch with its roots. Even as modernization revolves round the globe, our fashion still continues to exuberate grace, subtlety and sustainability.

Fashion evolution in India started with the invent of Cotton Fiber. Long back, around 2500 BC, a civilization flourished in India namely Indus Valley civilization also known as Harrapan Civilization.

It flourished in the Valley near Indus River. The region extended from Manda (Jammu and Kashmir) in the north to Daimabad (Maharashtra) and from Alamgirpur (Uttar Pradesh) in the east to Pakistan (Sutkagan Dor) in the west.

This civilization was also known as the bronze age civilization and many bronze articles have been excavated from the sites of this civilization.

Indus valley civilization excavation and remains show traces of cotton cultivation and it being used as textile material and also for the purpose of trade. The civilization flourished between 3300–1300 BCE and was the first civilizations to carry out plantation of cotton plants and develop techniques for spinning and weaving it into a fabric.

Excavations at the Harrapan cites shows remains of spindle whorls or takli, made of clay, terracotta, stone, and metals like bronze. This was a tool developed by Harrapans for spinning cotton fibres into yarns.

People wore hand-spun cotton garments dyed with natural indigo, showcasing early textile craftsmanship.

Cotton a plant fiber obtained from the SEEDS of KAPOK Plant, grown on black soil and the favourable climatic conditions prevalent in India. The process of cotton processing carried out in factories now a days, is done by machinery and is as follows:

The ancient method of processing of fibre was carried out manually, from Ginning that is plucking seed Fibre to the process of Drawing and Roving. After roving, the fibres cling to one another in the form of a fluffy thick rope known as sliver. The final step of spinning was done by spindle whorls or takli (refer to the video attached). After spinning, the yarns were woven into a fabric. India, China, Peru and Egypt were the main areas of cultivation of cotton in those primitive times.

Evolution of Cotton Cultivation, Processing & Production from then till now...

Ranging from primitive, ancient times, till medieval centuries, India became renowned for its fine cotton textiles—Muslin from Bengal, Chintz from Gujarat, and Calico from the Coromandel Coast, the eastern coastal belt of India. Cotton cultivation expanded across fertile regions, and spinning and weaving were largely artisanal, done by hand using tools like the charkha. These textiles were major exports, traded across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Then came the time of Colonial Era, where British colonization drastically altered India’s cotton economy. The East India Company, established by Britishers, turned India into a supplier of raw cotton for British mills, undermining indigenous handloom industries. Mechanized mills were introduced by them in cities like Bombay and Ahmedabad, but they primarily served colonial interests. Traditional artisans thereby faced deindustrialization, and cotton processing hence shifted from decentralized village systems to urban industrial hubs.

When Indian government and majorly, Gandhiji understood the aim of British East India Company, the Swadeshi movement commenced. It thereby revived interest in indigenous cotton production and hand-spinning, symbolized by Mahatma Gandhi’s use of the charkha. This era saw a resurgence of cottage industries and a push for self-reliance. By 1947, India had a mix of handloom and mechanized cotton sectors, laying the foundation for post-independence industrialization.

At independence, India inherited a broken cotton landscape. Most of the fertile cotton-growing land had gone to Pakistan, leaving behind just 4.42 million hectares. The early decades focused on self-sufficiency, with government-led initiatives to revive cotton farming and support handloom sectors. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) was established in 1970 to stabilize prices and to support farmers.

The introduction of hybrid cotton varieties, notably the H-4 strain in 1970, marked a turning point. The H-4 cotton strain, also known as Hybrid-4 or Sankar-4, was a groundbreaking development in Indian agriculture. Released in 1970 by Dr. Chandrakant T. Patel at the Surat Cotton Research Station of Gujarat Agricultural University, it was the world’s first commercial cotton hybrid. These seeds improved yield and fibre quality, enabling India to expand its textile base. Mechanized spinning mills flourished in cities like Ahmedabad and Coimbatore, while handlooms continued to serve rural economies. However, productivity remained uneven due to rain-fed farming and limited irrigation.

In 2002, India approved Bt cotton—a genetically modified variety resistant to bollworms. This led to a dramatic increase in yields and reduced pesticide use, with Bt cotton covering over 90% of cotton farms by 2014. Cotton production surged, making India the world’s largest cotton producer. Yet, over-reliance on a single technology brought new challenges: pest resistance, soil fatigue, and declining biodiversity.

Recent years have seen a shift toward climate-resilient farming, organic cotton, and regenerative practices. Drip irrigation, precision agriculture, and AI-driven crop monitoring are slowly gaining ground. Despite technological strides, only 30–33% of farms use modern irrigation, and smallholder farmers still face credit and market access issues. The rise of ethical fashion and global sustainability standards has pushed Indian cotton producers to rethink fibre quality, traceability, and eco-certification.

From hand-spun yarn to automated ring spinning, India’s cotton processing has undergone a huge change. Today, the country hosts over 1,500 processing mills, 7 million power looms, and 4 million handlooms. Innovations in dyeing, printing, finishing, texturization and blending have enabled Indian cotton fabrics to compete globally—across fashion, home textiles, and technical applications.

India’s cotton story is not just about fiber—it's about farmers, artisans, technologists, and storytellers. As the industry embraces sustainability and digitization, the challenge lies in balancing tradition with transformation. Cotton remains a symbol of India’s enduring spirit—rooted in soil, spun with purpose, and stitched into history.

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