The 7 Benefits of Hemp Clothing
Why do we love hemp in sustainable fashion?
Hemp is for the people and the planet. For years now, we’ve spoken about hemp with many sustainable experts, farmers and key opinion leaders in the hemp industry to better understand its use and benefits. Back in 2015, we launched The Hemp Revolution series, taking us from Mullumbimby to California to overcome 70 years of outdated propaganda.
The more we investigated and experimented, the deeper our understanding has become that this plant is the way of the future. Hemp is one of the most sustainable and economically viable all-natural threads; it grows faster, uses less water, clears the air and regenerates the earth's soil, breathing life into an under-appreciated world. Let’s explore the benefits of building clothes with the sober cousin of the cannabis family.
"Hemp is one of the strongest and most durable natural fibres on the planet with tremendous sustainability benefits, making it really interesting to design with.”
– Marcus Kemp, Men's Designer at Afends
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Wear Hemp & Save Water
Our sweet spot in slow fashion - hemp requires 80% less water than standard or conventional fibres and takes as little as 90 days to cultivate. While cotton requires approximately 10 000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton, hemp requires 300 to 500 litres, making hemp our first choice every time.
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Hemp is an energy-saver.
Hemp fights global warming - using 80% less energy than conventional cotton to grow and absorbing four times more CO2 than trees do. For every tonne of hemp produced, 1.63 tonnes of carbon gets cleared from the air giving this environmental super fibre the lowest ecological footprint of all textiles.
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Hemp regenerates the soil.
Hemp is a magic plant - compared to cotton, the hemp plant provides its own nutrients to the soil, which replenishes its fertility for a richer yield the following year. Grown with no toxic chemicals, pesticides or insecticides, hemp is the holy grail of natural fibres with the greatest sustainable potential.
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Hemp only gets better with wear.
Hemp wears in, not out - boasting a texture similar to linen hemp is hypoallergenic, non-irritating to the skin and gets softer the more you wash and wear. As a high yield crop, hemp produces 250% more fibre per hectare cultivated than cotton; our innovative cottonized hemp yarn is four times more durable than cotton, offering long-lasting wear.
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Hemp is a natural antimicrobial agent.
Wear hemp more wash hemp less - naturally antimicrobial and antibacterial, hemp fights against germs and odour, keeping your clothes cleaner for longer. With the ability to absorb up to 20% of its own weight, hemp resists mildew and retains less water while still having that soft dry-hand feel.
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Hemp is compostable
Hemp closes the loop - embracing the circular economy, hemp fibres are 100% biodegradable and can be reprocessed, supporting closed-loop textile production. We encourage you to recycle our hemp clothing at the end of use; Mother Nature will thank you.
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Hemp offers UV Protection.
Hemp is sun safe - as the most resistant natural fibre, hemp fabric protects you against those harsh UV rays. Acting as a natural insulator, hemp is super breathable to keep you cool on hot days and warm in winter. Whatever the season, hemp is always the right choice.
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Once you go Hemp, you won’t go back
Hemp won't get you high, but the super-soft fibre from the Cannabis Sativa plant has many benefits and sustainable advantages in the fashion industry alone. Hemp is the hero eco-friendly fabric alternative, responsible for that naturally soft-hand feel in our core collections; The Men's and Women's Hemp Collection, Men's and Women's T.H.C Essentials, as well as Hemp Denim. It's the sustainable super fibre that's making waves, and we promise, once you go hemp, you won’t go back.
Check out our last blog to learn more about our brand new styles from System Change Drop II, made from 100% sustainable fibres including our premium cottonized hemp and a bunch of other new sustainability projects we’re working on.
