Our Fabrics

Sateen: A woven, lightweight, smooth fabric with a subtle sheen and crispness and is often used for sheeting. Iron touch up may be needed after washed. 100% organically grown cotton. Made in the USA.

Jersey: A mid-weight knit, super-soft, stretchy and wrinkle-resistant. 100% organically grown cotton. Made in the USA.

Lycra Jersey: A blend of 92% Organic Cotton and 8% Spandex -- a soft, smooth-surfaced, figure-supporting and resilient fabric that is great for travel. Made in the USA.

Rib Knit: : A fine 1x1 rib knit, for a better fit on the panties, bikinis, tank tops, bra tops, men's boxer briefs, and men's classic briefs. Stretches horizontally, mid-weight, smooth and soft. Made in the USA.

Baby Jersey: Used for the men's boxers, crew and V-neck tee-shirts. All elastics in this group are latex-free. Made in the USA.

Hemp: 100% Organic. Similar to linen, hemp is mid-weight, durable and wrinkles less than cotton. Used for the hemp Zen shirts, hemp Zen pants and capris.  Made in the USA or Imported.

Velour: Our 100% Organic Cotton Velour looks like a non-shiny, rich velvet. It is warm with a thick nap and is slightly stretchy. Made in the USA.

Our Certified Organic Cotton

Cottonfield gets its certified organic cotton from five suppliers: Fox-Rich Textiles, Inc. (Ridgefield, Connecticut); Spiritex (Asheville, North Carolina); Green Textile Associates, Inc. (Spartanburg, South Carolina -- a four-generation business started in 1938 which also provides our bamboo fabric); Cotton Knit, Inc. (a three-generation company in Rancho Dominguez, California) and Carr Textile Corporations (Fenton, Missouri). Our hemp items are imported from China where they are cut and sewn in the certified Li-Fun factory.

There are a few things one needs to understand about the certification process. First, it's not simple. Second, there are international standards that are being applied these days to supplement and unify individual nation's standards. Third, each bale of cotton (about 500 pounds) is tracked and certified from the field to the fabric stage and every single lot of fabric or yarn carries its own certificate. A chain-of-custody-type process ensures that the fabrics which are certified as "organic" are truly organic. Fourth, there is an additional type of certification which one of our suppliers has called "Sustainable" by Oeko-Tex (for Textile) Standard 100 which tests for harmful substances. This is a separate organization which gives an additional stamp of approval and it will be explained further on.

The Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) group in the Netherlands was formed in 2002 by representatives of organic cotton producers, the textile industry, consumers, standard-setting organizations and certifiers who saw the need for a harmonized and world-wide standard for organic textiles. They follow the specifications put forth by Control Union World Group (a privately- owned group founded in 1956 and previously called Skal International). GOTS standards were officially adopted on September 30, 2006.

The International Working Group (IWG) of GOTS consists of four organizations: the International Association Natural Textile Industry in Germany, Soil Association in England, Japan Organic Cotton Association in Japan and the Organic Trade Association in the United States. The IWG continues to harmonize various regional approaches to organic standards.

In the past six years, GOTS has become the leading organic textile processing standard, guaranteeing "…world-wide recognized requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer." (www.global-standard.org)

Here are highlights from our sources:

1. Green Textile was passed from father to son-in-law to grandson to great-grandson during the past 70 years -- truly an American company. It is a manufacturer of circular knit, warp knit and woven fabrics. Approximately 60% of Green Textile's organic cotton is grown in the United States and the rest comes primarily from Turkey, but sometimes from India. Green Textile yarn is certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture, Control Union or GOTS and IMO (Institute for Marketecology). Their fabric is processed in accordance with the American Organic Standards. Cottonfield's color-grown (colored naturally with no dyes) olive-color, fine jersey is a combination of their brown and green cotton blended with 1% Lycra and is used in our Everyday Tops. You will find Green Textile's fine-ribbed, baby jersey in some of our undergarments.

2. Fox-Rich Textiles, Inc. is a manufacturer, converter, importer and exporter of many fabrics. The organic cotton we use from Fox- Rich is grown in India. We have used their wonderful Woven Sateen fabric in our Zen shirts and pants for many years. Their cotton is certified by GOTS.

3. Cotton Knit yarns are also certified organic by GOTS. Their cotton comes from Turkey and the United States, generally at a 2:1 ratio. Cotton Knit is a family-owned and operated, father/son business. The jersey used in our Women's Yoga styles, Loungewear/Sleepwear and some styles of underwear are made with Cotton Knit's fabrics.

4. Spiritex has a long history in the organic cotton movement. It was started by Daniel and Marylou Sanders who founded Ecosport back in 1991, the first company in the U.S. to mass produce organic cotton garments. In the early years, Ecosport worked to introduce organic cotton to companies such as Ralph Lauren, Patagonia, Danskin, Esprit and Levi's. In 1999 Ecosport, now named Spiritex, moved to North Carolina to be closer to the mills where cotton bolls are knitted into (among other things) the Micro-pleat fabric which you will notice is a key fabric in our new Fall Sprint 2008 garments. Spiritex cotton is certified organic by the IMO. 55-60% of their cotton comes from Texas; the rest comes from Turkey. All of Spiritex's processes meet or exceed the Organic Trade Association standards for organic cotton processing.

5. Carr Textile Corporation offers both Skal certification and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 "Sustainable" certification. Cottonfield purchases twill fabric from Carr to make the Women's Weekend Pants and the Men's Twill Zen-style Pants. All of Carr's organic cotton comes from India.

Products carrying the "Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label have been tested using 100 criteria to ensure that there are no hazardous substances. All textile products from field to garment (fiber, yarn, fabric, accessory or clothing plus finishings) may be certified. Twelve member institutes and their agencies from Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States comprise the Oeko-Tex association. Their specifications are based on current scientific knowledge of human ecology, clothing physiology and associated fields and are generally more rigorous than individual nation's standards.

Here are a few parameters of Oeko-Tex 100 certification:

· Prohibited azo dyestuffs;

· Carcinogenic and allergy-inducing dyestuffs;

· Formaldehyde;

· Pesticides;

· No chlorinated phenols;

· Chloro-organic carriers;

· Extractable heavy metals;

· Nickel;

· Color-fastness;

· pH-value;

· Phthalates in baby articles;

· Butyl tin compounds (TBT and DBT);

· Emissions of volatile components; and

· Odors.

There is yet another certification called Oeko-Tex Standard 1000 which rates Eco-Friendly Factories for raw materials (non-renewable versus renewable), energy consumption, water consumption and waste. The goal is to evaluate production sites as well as products from an environmental/technical point of view.

We at Cottonfield are happy to provide you with truly organic clothing and we hope you will continue to select our garments in the future, knowing that your choices are helping to improve the environment around the world.

Please tell your friends, family and co-workers about us.