Clothing Material

What Are Our Clothes Made From?

Clothes today are made from a wide range of different materials. Traditional materials such as cotton, linen and leather are still sourced from plants and animals. But most clothes are more likely to be made of materials and chemicals derived from fossil fuel-based crude oil.

There are nine major types of raw materials commonly used in clothing today.

Synthetic materials

The source of synthetic fibres and fabrics is the fossil fuel crude oil. It is estimated that62% of all fibresused in the fashion industry are made from a synthetic material – mainly polyester, but also nylon, acrylic, polypropylene and elastane. The global synthetic fibres market ispredicted to grow 7.39% CAGRover the period of 2021-2025.

Cotton

One of the oldest used fibres and the most important non-food crop in the world is cotton. Currently,cotton makes up around 24%of all fibre use globally – about 26.2 million tonnes – but its share of the market is declining due to competition from synthetic alternatives. Cotton production is particularly important for farmers in lower-income countries, where approximately350 million peopleare involved in its cultivation and processing.