Cotton on to cool fabric

 Poems have been written to express the beauty of roses, theirfragrance and their colours. But if I had some poetic talent (whichI don’t), I would have paid tribute to a flower that gives usthe coolest and the most comfortable of clothing  cotton. Theflower may not be beautiful nor fragrant, but when spun and madeinto a cotton fabric, the comfort that cotton offers is unmatched. Cotton, the fabric of choice in these hot, sweaty summer months,absorbs sweat, thereby keeping the wearer comfortable. It alsoconducts heat from the body to the outside very fast, therebykeeping the wearer cool. However, in order to enjoy the comfort and luxury of wearing purecotton, one has to take certain precautions at the time of purchaseand that’s what I would like to write about this week. First and foremost, when you want to buy cotton, you must ensurethat the fabric is indeed pure cotton. I say this because retailersare known to sell fabrics made of synthetic fibres as cotton.Unfortunately, we do not have label laws that mandate that allfabrics and readymades carry that vital information about the fibrecontent and composition. So one needs to be extra careful whilebuying clothes, particularly readymades. Similarly, since cotton fabrics shrink, one needs to check whetherthe fabric is shrink-proof or whether it shrinks and if so, howmuch. This information is vital because the percentage of shrinkagedepends on the type of yarn used, construction of the fabric andthe finishing process. Sometimes, mills are known to deliberatelystretch the fabric artificially under mechanical pressure to gainlength. Such cloth may well shrink abnormally on washing. To eliminate the problem of shrinkage, the fabric is subjected to aprocess of compressive shrinkage. Such pre-shrunk fabric should notshrink more than one or two per cent even after repeated washing.So do find out if the fabric is pre-shrunk. In the last decade or so, wrinkle-resistant finishes have alsobecome quite popular, mostly for ready-to-wear shirts. However, youmust check whether such a finish diminishes the natural quality ofthe fabric to absorb sweat or keep the wearer cool by transportingheat from the body to the outside. One must also remember that such finishes cost money and might notbe needed in a country like ours where getting a shirt ironed isnot a problem. So when you buy a cotton fabric or a ready-to-wear cotton garment,do make sure that you have all the information that you need tomake an informed choice and that you get the quality you are payingfor.