Reasons to love cotton

We’re not just about wool at Wool Overs. Our cotton ranges are also massively popular, with our cotton & cashmere blend for lighter super soft woollens, and the cotton & silk blend for more summery tops and shirts.

Comfortable, breathable, and with a touch of class, these blends are great for some all year round basics or luxury soft detail with camisoles, t-shirts, lighter tops and cardigans.

So what is about cotton?

Here are some cool facts about cotton and how it’s grown.

Production

We produce around 25 million tonnes a year, with China being the largest producer and making up a whopping 40% of the world’s fibre production! With production rates always on the increase, it’s no surprise that you are rarely too far from something made of cotton. It’s mainly used in clothing, but also features in linens, furniture, vehicles, and even dollar bills!

The tree

The cotton tree is a perennial, meaning it lives for around two years. It’s mainly grown in tropical countries, where it is planted towards the end of spring and harvested in autumn. Despite there being a massive 52 varieties of cotton plant, only four are commonly grown.

The Cotton Gin

No we’re not talking about the drink (put that tonic away!)… the cotton gin was invented to quickly remove the cotton fibres from the seeds.  Although handheld versions had been used before, the first mechanical machine was invented by American Eli Whitney, which improved the productivity greatly. This machine typically forms one bale of cotton in about 12 hours. Before this, it used to take workers about 600 hours to produce one bale! Quite a difference…

How far does it go?

One cotton bale is enough to make 215 pairs of jeans or 680,000 cotton wool balls.

Other uses

The cotton seeds left over from production are often used to feed livestock or crushed to make oil. The oil that comes from cotton is often used as a vegetable oil or for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Cotton actually used to be called vegetable wool.

Cool cotton

One of the nicest things about a cotton top in summer is that it allows for sweating, as it can absorb up to five times its weight in water before it feels damp. This is why (along with linen) it’s often our go-to fabric in summer, allowing skin to breathe with great air circulation, while covering us up.

Here are a couple of our favourite Silk & Cotton basics from our Holiday Shop…

Everybody loves this Camisole. Its lace trim gives a feminine feel and with over 20 colours, you’d be stuck to find one that you don’t like!

“These little vests feel like heaven!! I bought one in the Small and I am a size 10 – I feel it is a little short in the body, but I wear it under clothes and to bed. It is so comfy; will be buying a longline one, and will collect these in a few colours as they are pretty and extremely comfortable. I love Woolovers products – such great quality for wonderful prices.” 

“I bought 2 of these camisoles to go under silk jackets. They will be perfect for my holiday. I love the natural materials, the feel and the colours. Will get more.“

The Unisex Striped Polo Shirt is a brilliantly versatile choice, and feels suitably fresh for a summer’s day. Lovely with shorts or chinos, it feels super soft and luxurious, making it a firm holiday favourite.

“I purchased both the Cornflower Blue and Black striped Cotton/Silk Polo shirts for my husband recently and was delighted with them. They are both stylish and versatile; useful for both casual wear and dressed up with smarter trousers/jacket for going out. I would thoroughly recommend them.”

“Can’t fault this shirt, so comfortable and very versatile, I’ll definitely be wearing this all through the year!”

We do love cotton, but “Cotton Overs” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

All prices correct on date of publish.