Not all Bamboo fabrics are created equally

We've had a few customers comment to us lately about other bamboo jersey fabrics on the market not performing as well as they hoped, so we thought why not write a blog to explain the difference in the quality of bamboo jersey fabrics and clear up any questions that new or potential customers may have about our fabric at the same time.

The main thing that we have been hearing is other bamboo jersey fabrics are prone to 'pilling' (this is the small ball like texture that develops on the surface of some fabrics after being washed and worn). When developing our bamboo jersey fabric we first tested a range of fabrics from different suppliers all around the world. Sarah made two fabric wrist bands that she wore around for the day rubbing them together to see which ones didn't pill. Some didn't last very long at all before they pilled, though the Australian made fabric was the only one she was happy with, and it clearly came out on top when we received the technical results for fabric pilling also (in fact it had the best score possible).

What we learned was there is a big difference in yarn qualities, and our Australian made bamboo jersey uses a high quality yarn which is made using a special spinning technique developed by the Japanese that resists 'pilling'. We decided that this justified the higher cost for the fabric and the fact it was made in Australia was important to us too, fitting in perfectly with our sustainable approach to fashion (ethical, natural, local). The other benefit to having our fabric made in Australia is the very high environmental standards that require any wastewater to be regularly monitored, so much more care is taken when dyeing the fabric (our printing is done with water based inks by the same Melbourne manufacturer also).

One other note we wanted to make is despite the many great properties of bamboo (grows fast with low water requirements and without pesticides for example) we have not specifically tested our finished fabric for extra properties such as UV protection, so would not make any such claims which others seem to despite any apparent testing. So if you are looking at buying other bamboo jersey fabrics don't be afraid to ask where the fabric is made and if it has been tested for any properties such as 'pilling' that are being claimed.

Finally, after working with this fabric for about 8 years now we have had lots of questions and comments which we are always happy to answer, though one comment we found interesting from a store owner was that our bamboo jersey fabric lasts too long so customers buy less. This comment was not surprising given the disposable nature of society these days, but did confirm we were on track with making a smaller impact with the production of our garments compared to other manufacturers.

Well if you have got this far, thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about the genuine care and effort that goes into selecting fabrics for our ranges.

Jason