FABRIC: HEMP

Fabric Name:
Hemp

Origin:
Cannabis sativa

Who made our fabric:
TAEC, Hmong Batik Hemp Cloth, Luang Prabang, Laos

Natural history and ecology:
Hemp produces 250% more fiber than cotton, 600% more fiber than flax on the same land, and has the highest yield per acre of any natural fiber. Hemp can help replenish vital nutrients in soil and in some regions is being used to extract pollutants like zinc and mercury from the soil.

What makes this so special:

Hemp, one of the most important natural fibers in the world, has been a staple crop with the Hmong people of Laos for hundreds of years and holds special spiritual significance for the tribe. Hmong use hemp everyday for clothing, blankets, string as well as for special ceremonial garb like that used in funeral rituals, where the deceased are dressed from their hats to their shoes in hemp.

“A fabric that can replenish the soil”