Clothes made from orange peel: no joke.

The textile industry is constantly evolving. In recent years, consumers have become more and more aware of what fabrics they're using and where they come from, and as clothing manufacturers we try to always keep up with what's new in the industry. It's a fascinating world that deserves to be known. As always, a word of caution: these fibers are produced ethically and sustainably, but they're only the raw materials. Check the company that uses them to make the finished product, too. Innovative textile fibers can be grouped into three categories:

Organic fabrics

Among innovative organic fibers we can mention organic cotton and organic wool.

Organic cotton is cotton grown, produced, processed and certified according to organic farming standards. Its production supports the health of the environment, ecosystems and people, encouraging natural processes and substances rather than artificial, chemical and toxic ones, and combining tradition and scientific innovation to promote sustainability and quality of life. Organic cotton is certified by international organizations for environmental and social protection, but the most common certifications are definitely GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OCS (Organic Content Standard).

Organic wool is a natural textile fiber of animal origin. Regular wool is certainly one of the most widely used natural fabrics in the world, but not everyone knows it can come from animals other than sheep, such as camels, rabbits and alpacas. Certified organic wool is still rare on the market, and to be called organic it must carry the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification. GOTS is a label that sets high standards for product quality, environmental sustainability and social ethics.

Eco-friendly fabrics

The best-known material is Lyocell: the term Lyocell (or Ncel) refers to an organic fiber made by processing eucalyptus cellulose.

Its production process has a very low environmental impact. Eucalyptus fiber is silky and pleasant to the touch, soft, light and breathable. Fabrics made from bamboo are also very popular: growing this plant is especially suited to organic farming, since it needs little water to grow, and bamboo also absorbs more CO2 and produces more oxygen than traditional plants. Banana: producing fibers from banana bark is especially sustainable because it comes from banana production waste. Banana fiber makes a fabric very similar to silk, and in Japan it's mainly used to make kimonos. Hemp and linen are very popular too.

Recycled fabrics

Among other textile fibers made from recycled materials, a new frontier is pineapple waste (Piñatex).

To make pineapple leather, the leaves are dried and bonded together. Since no harsh chemicals are used in the process, it's a great alternative to real animal leather.

Recycled fabrics also include recycled cotton, regenerated wool, fiber from citrus waste (Orange Fiber) and fiber from wine waste (Wineleather).

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